Chapter 137: Nova Centurion

The ship swiftly arrived at Xandar. On the way, Garus had already formulated his plan. As for finding Bobby, he decided to take care of business here first before continuing his search.

After landing the ship at the spaceport, Garus turned to his companions. "I'll be handling this alone. Stay here and wait for me. I won't be long."

"Mr. Garus..."

Before Kallruth could finish his sentence, Garus had already left.

On Xandar, Kallruth was nervous about being discovered. The Skrulls were one of the most hunted races in the galaxy. It wasn't just the Kree—if the Nova Corps identified him, they'd likely imprison him on Kyln.

Blonsky stood up as well. "I'm going out for some fun."

Kallruth quickly interjected, "Hey, don't cause trouble. If you start a fight here, the Nova Corps will have you in cuffs within minutes."

Getting arrested and thrown into Kyln would be a serious hassle.

Blonsky merely shrugged. He couldn't stand being cooped up in the cramped ship any longer.

The Nova Corps of Xandar—often called the galaxy's police force—was far from the weak organization depicted in the movies. If they were as feeble as some assumed, Thanos wouldn't have bypassed Xandar and targeted civilizations outside the galaxy. Even so, the Nova Corps had no intention of provoking Thanos and could barely hold their own against the Kree.

Garus now found himself in Xandar's capital. The Nova Corps headquarters was located just outside the city limits.

The city's security was excellent—crime was virtually nonexistent. The citizens lived peaceful, carefree lives.

Finding Star-Lord in such a vast city would be no easy task. If he couldn't locate him within a day, he'd have to head to Kyln instead.

Then, he saw them—Rocket Raccoon and Groot.

The duo stood by a fountain, bickering about something.

"Hey! What are you staring at?"

Rocket was incredibly alert. The moment Garus glanced at him a second time, the raccoon brandished his weapon and started walking over.

"I am Groot!" Groot grabbed Rocket, lifting him off the ground.

"Put me down, you idiot!" Rocket flailed in the air, snarling. If Groot wasn't his friend, Rocket would have shot him already.

"I am Groot," Groot replied, his large eyes locking onto Garus as he pointed toward something in the distance.

"Huh? You spotted a bounty target?" Rocket stopped struggling and turned to look.

Following their gaze, Garus spotted two individuals standing on a bridge—one of whom was Peter Quill, better known as Star-Lord. In his hands, he held a metallic orb.

The other person was a green-skinned woman—Thanos's adopted daughter, Gamora.

"Put me down first." Rocket wiggled until Groot set him down. He rummaged through his satchel and pulled out a holographic tablet.

"Ravager bounty target—worth one million credits!" Rocket's face lit up. He hugged Groot's leg and kissed it. "Wait a second... the other one's Gamora? We're gonna be rich!"

Before Rocket could make his move, the situation escalated.

On the bridge, Gamora suddenly attacked Quill, snatching the Orb and dashing away.

"What the hell are they doing?" Rocket scratched his head in confusion.

The citizens of Xandar, unaccustomed to such chaos, panicked at the unexpected fight. No one dared to intervene.

Quill and Gamora chased each other through the streets, knocking over market stalls and damaging buildings, with the Orb constantly changing hands between them.

Rocket didn't hesitate. He raised his weapon and fired a spinning metal cable at Quill.

The tether wrapped around Quill's legs mid-sprint, yanking him off his feet. He crashed to the ground, and the Orb slipped from his grasp.

Gamora saw the projectile's source but ignored Rocket. Instead, she lunged toward the Orb—only for another hand to snatch it away just before she could.

"Damn it, who is that?!" Quill cursed as he untangled himself from the tether. He had gone through a lot of trouble to acquire that Orb, and now someone else had taken it.

Gamora, however, recognized Garus immediately. She had seen his face before—in Thanos's transmissions to Ronan.

"Why is he here?" she thought, her expression shifting.

She hesitated. Garus had defeated Ronan. If he was after the Orb, she had no chance of taking it from him.

Before she could decide on a course of action, Garus turned to her. "Gamora?"

"You know me?" Gamora was surprised. She had never been to Earth—how could this stranger recognize her?

Before Garus could respond, Quill had freed himself and, in his frustration, fired a paralyzing energy blast at him.

Garus dodged the shot with ease, the energy bolt sizzling against the pavement.

The Nova Corps would likely arrive any moment now. Garus had no interest in continuing this scuffle. He already had the Orb.

However, instead of Nova Corps ships, a different presence arrived.

Hovering above them was a lone figure, wearing a helmet and radiating immense power.

At the Nova Corps outpost outside the city, an alarm blared through the central command hub.

"Alert! Wanted fugitives Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, and Peter Quill detected in Sector A5!"

A Nova Corps squad captain, casually sipping tea, nearly leaped from his seat. Scalding tea spilled onto his uniform, but he barely noticed.

Gamora—Thanos's daughter—was infamous throughout the galaxy. Her presence on Xandar could only mean trouble.

Panicked, the captain activated a secure communication link. "Director Richard Rider! We've detected one of Thanos's agents, along with multiple wanted criminals!"

"Who exactly?" Rider's voice came through the comm.

"Gamora."

The name alone was enough to raise alarms.

Rider was one of Nova Corps' most formidable warriors, a Centurion empowered by the Nova Force. His abilities included enhanced strength, speed, durability, and flight—abilities that grew stronger with time.

He placed his Nova helmet on his head. "I'll handle it. Deploy additional forces to the scene."

With that, Richard Rider shot into the sky, vanishing in a sonic boom.

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