Chapter 1178 The Viper Infiltrating Asgard: One Wave Subsides, Another Rises

After agreeing on the 'battle plan,' the Guardians of the Galaxy split into two groups to carry out their mission.

Peter Quill, Drax, and Mantis pilot the Milan to Earth, while Rocket and Groot pilot another spare spaceship toward Asgard.

Meanwhile, Thor and his team, who were organizing the evacuation of civilians in Asgard, also discovered some unusual places.

“A single, fatal blow, a precise strike to a vital point, the wounds are extremely sharp.” Fandral said with a grave expression as he looked at the wounds on the Asgardian corpses. “An assassin, and a professional one at that.”

"Are you sure it's not Hela's Death Legion?" Banner asked skeptically.

“Absolutely not,” Fandral said with certainty. “Hela’s Death Legion wears the same armor and uses the same weapons as the Asgardian soldiers.”

However, I can say with certainty that the weapons that caused their deaths were definitely not manufactured in Asgard.

Also...those skeleton soldiers fight very brutally; it's impossible for the battle to end so cleanly and efficiently.

"So rats have infiltrated Asgard?" Wanda rubbed her temples with some concern. "Why now?"

“Not rats, but venomous snakes,” Valkyrie said. “They’re not thieves, vagrants, or illegal immigrants; they’re professional killers.”

What are assassins doing in Asgard? They can't be here for sightseeing!

Even so, wasn't the timing of his move a bit too sensitive?

"Odin died, and Hela came to power, but Hela's rule was far more brutal than Odin's."

Asgard is currently facing numerous crises; if Hela discovers them, everyone involved will face certain death.

“This assassin has a specific purpose,” Thor said in a low voice, “but we don’t know what it is, and as for why he chose this time to act…”

“This particular period makes it easier for him to achieve his goals,” Loki said. “That’s the most reasonable explanation.”

“We must find him.” Thor’s expression was serious, and his tone was urgent. “Whatever his purpose is, he will definitely hinder our plan to evacuate the people.”

Worse still, once he is discovered, Hela will also notice us and the massive population decline in Asgard.

An early war would be extremely disadvantageous for us and would cause many innocent people to die.

"But how do we find him?" Valkyrie frowned. "The realm of Asgard isn't that big, but it's not that small either. If an assassin wants to hide, we definitely won't be able to find him in a short time."

Especially at this time, we ourselves have to hide like mice, and we can't mobilize much resources to search for people.

“And we don’t even know who the killer is or what he looks like,” Banner added. “We have absolutely no clues, so there’s no way to find him.”

“Perhaps…we don’t need any clues,” Thor said hesitantly. “If I remember correctly, Aaron seems to have a compass.”

"Good heavens!" Banner was both amused and exasperated, looking at Thor with surprise. "You can't just keep picking on one sheep!"

My Lord has already helped you more than enough. He gave you spaceships when you wanted them, and planets when you wanted them. He has done everything he could to be kind and generous.

"Sauer, you can't push your luck! You weren't like this before!"

“People change,” Loki said with a meaningful smile. “Thor has changed more in the last few days than he has in the last thousand years.”

"It's highly likely that Odin died, forcing him to grow up."

“Loki,” Fandral glared at him, “no one will think you’re mute if you don’t speak.”

Loki shrugged, then made a zipping gesture near his mouth.

“He won’t lend you the compass.” Banner had little hope. “He has no interest in anything related to Asgard.”

This time you're willing to borrow a compass because of an assassin; who knows, next time you won't borrow something because of a thief.

Saul ignored him and turned to Wanda. "Can you convince him?"

“It should be okay!” Wanda said uncertainly, “but this is the last time. I can’t let him be in a difficult position again, and you shouldn’t make things difficult for me either.”

Thor opened his mouth, then hesitated, "Thank you!"

Wanda sighed and shook her head, then turned and walked toward the elevator leading to the VIP suite.

Banner hesitated for a moment, then followed after them.

“If this continues, it will drag him down with us,” Banner said earnestly to Wanda. “The day he goes home is getting closer and closer, so it’s better to avoid trouble.”

“I know,” Wanda said absentmindedly as she stepped into the elevator, “but there are uncertainties in Asgard that could endanger Hela.”

"What?" Banner was stunned for a moment. "Wait, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Hela is the goddess of death, a heavenly father on par with Aaron, and possesses inexhaustible divine power in Asgard. Who could possibly threaten her?

"Ragnarok," Wanda stated bluntly. "The reason Aaron stayed in Asgard was simply to try and win Hela's favor when the end of the world came."

He didn't want her to die in the apocalyptic prophecy, and helping Thor save the Asgardians was just a side benefit.

Banner nodded as if he understood, then suddenly seemed to realize something and tentatively asked, "Could he have feelings for Hela?"

"Uh...how did you come up with that idea?"

"Why am I only having this thought now?" Banner laughed self-deprecatingly. "Putting aside her personality and status, Hela is also a very beautiful woman."

And my master, he seems to have a...you know what I mean, right?"

"A womanizer, a lecher." Wanda rolled her eyes, speechless. "Is that what you're trying to say?"

"It's not that bad," Banner said, slightly embarrassed. Knowing it was one thing, but saying it out loud was another.

He is merely a subordinate; for him to speak ill of his master is treason.

"But Hela is so beautiful, and they've lived together for several years, so their relationship shouldn't be like this."

“It really shouldn’t be like that.” Wanda gave a helpless smile. “Hela is unwilling to give up her revenge against Odin, nor is she willing to give up her ambition. Even if he wanted to keep her, he had no reason to do so.”

From this perspective, Ragnarok might not be such a bad thing.

"But now a third party has appeared in Asgard, and we don't know whether this third party will affect the course of Ragnarok."

Just in case, we must find them and figure out their motives.

"I think I understand now." Banner said thoughtfully. "Don't you think you're being too concerned about Hela?"

"It's only right to show concern; she...isn't alone!"

Banner was puzzled, but wisely refrained from asking further questions.

The two arrived at the most luxurious room in the spaceship. Pushing open the door, they saw sunlight streaming through the skylight onto the damp artificial beach, while Aaron was leisurely sunbathing on a deck chair.

Several shadowy ninjas were beside him, each carrying snacks and drinks.

Aaron looked at the two of them with some doubt, "Has something happened again?"

“How did you know?” Wanda asked.

"I can tell from your hesitant expressions that you want to say something."

Wanda and Banner exchanged a glance, then explained their discovery and the purpose of their visit to Aaron.

"Heh!" Aaron shook his head, speechless, both amused and annoyed. "After one time and another, Thor really has no shame left."

“He’s changed.” Banner nodded in agreement. “He’s more responsible than before.”

"So my woman and her family all came to persuade me to help him?"

“I just want to help Hela,” Wanda said bluntly. “You don’t want your plans to be disrupted by unexpected factors, do you?”

call!

Aaron took a deep breath and took out a compass from his spatial ring. "I'll help him this time, but I don't want it to happen again."

“Thor and all the Asgardians will be grateful to you,” Banner said.

"As if I care." Aaron waved his hand impatiently, about to say something when a voice suddenly rang in his mind.

God of Contracts;

The ancient and noble inheritor;

Creator of the mind, master of shadows...

Aaron paused for a moment, then his attention followed the pleading voice and fell on Ark.

"Have all the believers been notified?"

“Almost there. I expect to complete the task you assigned me in three to five days,” Ark said. “I am contacting you because some major events have occurred in the universe, and I feel it is necessary to report them to you.”

"what's up?"

"Xandar has been destroyed."

"What?"

"Thanos made the move. The Black Order launched a strong attack on Xandar. The Nova Corps was completely wiped out, and Nova Supreme escaped with a few officers."

As for Xandar, it was swept away by the Power Stones, leaving nothing behind.

"Hiss!" Aaron gasped. "Trouble. Looks like Thanos has started collecting the Infinity Stones."

Odin had only been dead for a few days, and he couldn't contain himself any longer.

“Not just Xandar, but also the Collector’s Void,” Ark added. “During the mission, my men encountered several refugees from the Void. According to them, the Void was also ravaged by Thanos and turned into a sea of ​​fire.”

"So, the collector didn't even manage to keep the original gemstone he had."

"Yes, Master."

Of the six Infinity Stones, Power and Reality have fallen into Thanos's hands.

Unsurprisingly, his next target will be the other four Infinity Stones.

Aaron was silent for a few seconds after hearing this, then shook his head with a wry smile.

The Mind Stone and the Time Stone are both on Earth, while the Space Stone is in Asgard. Both of these places are inextricably linked to him.

At that moment, Aaron suddenly had an absurd feeling: Could this be aimed at me?

But then he quickly dismissed the idea from his mind.

Thanos snapped his fingers, and half of all life in the universe was gone.

What does this have to do with him? He's already preparing to leave this universe with his family.

"I know, I'll do my best to complete your tasks first."

I will summon you if needed.

"Okay, master."

After cutting off contact, Aaron rubbed his temples. "One problem after another!"

"What happened?" Wanda asked anxiously.

Aaron didn't hide anything and told them that Thanos was collecting the Infinity Stones and destroying Xandar and the Void.

"A snap of the fingers wiped out half of all life in the universe?" Wanda's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's insane!"

"If he really collects all the Infinity Stones, he can do it as long as he is willing to pay the corresponding price."

"This is bad." Banner immediately thought of the remaining four Infinity Stones that Thanos hadn't collected. "Thanos' next target might be Earth or Asgard."

Aaron remained noncommittal, saying, "The assassin who secretly infiltrated Asgard might be Thanos's scout."

Thanos is no match for Hela and wouldn't be foolish enough to confront her head-on.

However, there's still a good chance of obtaining the Space Stone while the chaos of Ragnarok is raging.

“I see, that’s their goal,” Banner said, suddenly realizing. “We need to inform Thor and tell them to prepare themselves, and ideally, to get rid of the trouble before Ragnarok.”

“And Earth,” Wanda said, looking at Aaron. “Get the Avengers ready for war. This time it might be even more brutal than the Battle of New York.”

"I will inform the Avengers, but I will not interfere, and you are not allowed to interfere either."

“This…” Wanda opened her mouth, “I understand your concerns, but this represents half of all life in the universe…”

“Even all life has nothing to do with us,” Aaron said patiently. “I have lived in this universe, no, I have survived for eight or nine years.”

If we add the time the thought entity spent struggling in the universe, it would be about fifteen years.

I've finally made it to the point where I'm almost home. I can't let a war disrupt my perseverance and patience of the past ten years.

Taking down Thanos wouldn't be difficult for me, and even taking down Thanos who controls six Infinity Stones would only be a bit more troublesome.

The problem is that I would have to go all out to defeat him, which would attract all of Gauss's enemies across the multiverse.

"Building a mountain nine ren high, only to fail at the last basket of earth—I don't want that to happen to me."

"The life in this universe is protected by themselves, and the fate of this universe is in their own hands. I only care about the safety of the people I should care about."

For example, you, Daisy, Jean, Jane, Mary, Lorelei, and Hela.

Wanda was initially touched, but after hearing this string of names, she was speechless.

On average, she gets one every two years; the man she chose must be quite remarkable.

"Is Hela in there too?" Wanda asked with a meaningful smile. The first six were all his women, so what did he mean by putting Hela as the seventh?

"Of course, although Hela has a bad temper and threatens people with her sword at the drop of a hat, she is one of my few... friends in this universe, or at least I'll call her a friend!"

She spent the most time with me; otherwise, I wouldn't have taken such a big risk to stay in Asgard.

Hearing this vague answer, Wanda rolled her eyes in annoyance, too embarrassed to point it out.

"Besides you, devout relatives and believers will also be protected by the Kingdom of God, as for others..."

I am not a saint; I don't have that much compassion.

“I understand, it’s only natural,” Banner shrugged. “If Thanos’s snap wouldn’t endanger Earth, even the Avengers wouldn’t be willing to fight Thanos.”