Chapter 520: The Hand and the Tsukuyomi Society (Part 3)

"Your goal is Ego," Yondu stated bluntly.

"My goal is irrelevant. All I need from you is to pass along a message," Daniel replied evenly. "You know Ego isn't going to let Peter Quill slip away, right? And you understand what kind of person Ego is. You alone won't stand a chance against him."

Ego, after all, was a Celestial—though not quite in line with Daniel's idea of a "god," his power was undeniable. Among the cosmic figures known to Daniel, Ego was a true heavyweight. The only reason he'd lost to Peter was that little Groot had seized an opportunity to destroy his core. Under normal circumstances, defeating Ego would be nearly impossible, even for someone like Daniel. With or without the Power Stone, facing Ego without Peter's help would be a daunting challenge.

After all, Ego was capable of unleashing massive attacks even from his stationary planetary form. Given that Peter could handle the Power Stone without dying, it stood to reason that Ego would be able to wield it without issue. And if Daniel could get the World Tree to absorb the essence of Ego's planet, it would likely yield multiple chakra fruits.

Yondu chuckled dismissively. "You think you can take on Ego?"

"Whether I can or not isn't your concern," Daniel answered calmly. "You only need to remember what I've told you. If you're skeptical, feel free not to contact me when the time comes."

Daniel's approach was calculated. If Yondu had even the slightest hope of protecting Quill, he would eventually have to confront Ego. But among the vast cosmic elite, the few capable of taking down Ego weren't within Yondu's reach. If, by some chance, Peter fell into Ego's hands, Yondu would have no choice but to call on Daniel for help.

"I'll remember it if you can prove you're worth remembering," Yondu sneered. A barely audible whistle escaped his lips, and in an instant, his signature Yaka arrow darted toward Daniel's heart.

Clang!

To Yondu's surprise, a throwing knife deflected his arrow. Daniel, who had anticipated the attack, was more than ready. He'd been curious to see how his control technique, fūinjutsu, would stack up against Yondu's alien technology. The Yaka arrow, a technological marvel of the Centaurians, responded to specific sound frequencies controlled by the implant on Yondu's head. As for Daniel, he was even more intrigued by Star-Lord's Element Guns, though he knew they were rumored to be DNA-locked to Quill alone.

A rapid exchange of clangs filled the air as the knife and arrow collided repeatedly, each impact sparking surprise in Yondu. He knew his Yaka arrow could pierce through nearly anything, even starship hulls, yet here it was, deflected by a seemingly ordinary blade.

Daniel was equally impressed. His dagger was crafted from a vibranium alloy and enhanced with mystical techniques. The fact that it held up against Yondu's arrow was a testament to both the weapon and the skill behind it.

"Enough," Daniel declared, recalling his knife. Yondu withdrew his arrow in turn.

"Don't forget about the Orb," Daniel said before vanishing via a teleportation technique.

"Blasted kid, always stirring up trouble," Yondu muttered, cursing Star-Lord under his breath rather than Daniel. In the cosmic underworld, space travel through portals wasn't unheard of, though it remained rare and elite. The galaxy even had assassins known for using similar spatial techniques, feared by many across the stars.

As he strolled through the bustling plaza on Xandar, Daniel observed the diversity of life forms around him with a mixture of curiosity and mild distaste. "Got to hand it to Ego… I think I'll stick to humans." The cosmos was full of humanoid species, but most didn't meet Daniel's aesthetic standards. Unlike Star-Lord, whose romantic exploits spanned various species, Daniel had little interest in following suit.

"Come to think of it, Knowhere would also make fertile ground for the World Tree," he mused. Knowhere, the Collector's stronghold, was the severed head of an ancient Celestial. A single head transformed into a thriving hub of trade and commerce—imagine the scale of such a creature.

Knowhere's economic success was built on harvesting and selling resources from the Celestial's remains. The Collector, Taneleer Tivan, monopolized this resource flow, founding Tivan Corporation and amassing immense wealth from it.

"Still, was the Collector killed by Thanos, or did he survive?" Daniel recalled that Thanos had ravaged Knowhere, but he couldn't remember if the Collector had managed to escape. Regardless, he decided not to dwell on it. "If Ego works out, that'll be more than enough," he concluded. After all, Daniel had his limits—he wasn't here to upend the entire universe.

He left a Wood Clone on Xandar to keep an eye on things, then teleported back to Earth.

"The media's already buzzing. Guess it's time to make an appearance," he thought, glancing at the latest headlines featuring none other than Tony Stark. A quick teleport brought him to the Avengers compound, where he found only Black Widow waiting.

"Natasha?" Daniel asked, surprised to see her alone.

"Some are on leave; others are out on missions," she replied nonchalantly. The security system had alerted her to Daniel's arrival—after all, this was the Avengers' base, outfitted with the best tech for tracking energy signatures.

"By the way," she added after a pause, "someone higher up seems a bit dissatisfied with you."

"I thought I'd been keeping a low profile," Daniel replied, genuinely puzzled.

"Well, you're not part of the Avengers officially, so some see you as a loose cannon. You know how it is; they'd rather everything be under their thumb," Natasha explained. She mentioned how certain figures within the U.S. government wanted control over the Avengers, even though the Sokovia Accords had been avoided thanks to Peggy Carter's intervention.

"So they think I'm an easy target," Daniel muttered, a cold smile forming on his lips.

"Relax. They won't try anything too drastic," Natasha assured him. "Just thought you should be aware."

"My motto's simple: don't mess with me, and I won't mess with you. But if they cross the line, they'll regret it," Daniel replied, giving her a grin as he opened a portal back to his residence.

Once home, he made a call. "Christian, how's it going? I hear there's some discontent aimed my way."

The voice on the other end lowered, sounding cautious. "Why are you calling directly?"

"Don't worry, no trace left. Got any intel?"

"I'll send you an email with the details."

"Appreciate it," Daniel said, ending the call.

Christian, a U.S. senator and brother of Grant Ward, was someone Daniel had decided to keep around after Ward's elimination. Initially, Daniel had considered taking him out as well, but their conversation revealed potential for mutual benefit. Christian, with his political clout, was a useful ally.

"So it's him. Feeling a bit too comfortable these days, huh?" Daniel murmured, reviewing Christian's email. The report revealed that none other than General Ross—future father-in-law to Bruce Banner—was the one scheming against him.

Since the Abomination incident, Ross had faded into the background, but now he seemed eager to regain power. He had long sought to control the Avengers and had even tried to use his daughter as leverage over Banner, though both father and daughter had dismissed him. Ross viewed the Hulk as a tool, disregarding Bruce's autonomy entirely.

"So, he thinks I'll be easy to deal with?" Daniel wasn't one to wait passively for others' schemes to unfold. If they hadn't found out about Ross's plans, that would have been one thing; but since they were now aware, Daniel had no intention of letting the threat linger.

"Wow… wasn't expecting that," Daniel muttered as he surveyed Ross's military base. Using a mirror dimension, he'd discreetly infiltrated the facility, where he discovered rows upon rows of Abomination-like creatures, each wearing combat gear.

"So, he didn't learn from the Abomination incident, huh?" These clones were clearly upgraded versions, each clad in military gear, giving them an uncanny resemblance to the tyrant-like beings from Umbrella's labs.

"Controlled by parasites, huh? Guess Ross has connections with Umbrella." The sight of researchers bustling around the facility, all clad in white lab coats, gave Daniel an idea. Originally, he had planned merely to gather intel, but now he saw an opportunity to turn this discovery to his advantage.

Daniel refrained from immediate action to avoid raising suspicions, instead opting to wait a few days before making his move.

Later that night, as he reviewed footage from his home security system, he noticed four intruders creeping through his property, each clad in red and moving with practiced stealth. Their target was clear—they'd even brought a high-tech device to bypass his security system.

"Four ninjas… and in bright red at night. Are they showing off?" Daniel mused. 

The four intruders quickly disabled the entryway's lock, unaware that the Red Queen, Daniel's AI, had been instructed to let them through. The house, after all, was outfitted with the best security technology money could buy.

"Evening, gentlemen," Daniel greeted them cheerfully as the lights flickered on, catching the intruders off guard. He sat comfortably on a luxurious sofa, watching them with a faint smile.

Momentarily stunned, the four recovered

 and sprang toward him, drawing weapons in unison.

Simulated gunfire rang out, and the four collapsed on the floor. The shots hadn't been real—Red Queen had simply projected the sound. Daniel preferred to avoid unnecessary bloodshed in his home.

"Moon Society? Not The Hand?" Reading the memories of one of the downed assassins, Daniel realized he'd been mistaken. He'd initially thought these ninjas were from The Hand, considering he knew about Madame Gao, Kingpin, and that vigilant lawyer prowling Hell's Kitchen at night.

"The Moon Society, huh? Nice name."

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