Chapter 457 Mystery of the Gods: Expansion Plan

In the lounge, the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy were busy. Rocket leaned against the wall, fiddling with a small tool in his hand, his brows furrowed, obviously thinking about something. His eyes swept across the room from time to time, and finally stopped at Gamora.

Gamora was sitting on a chair nearby, checking her weapons. She felt Rocket's gaze, raised her head, and asked calmly, "Did you find anything?"

Rocket sighed, walked up to her, and whispered, "Don't you think there's something wrong with all this? Ego suddenly showed up, claiming to be Peter's father, and made Umbrella sound so evil. I always feel like there's something fishy going on here."

Gamora nodded slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes: "I feel the same way. Although Umbrella is powerful, so far they have not shown any hostility towards us, and have even provided us with so many advanced equipment."

Rocket shrugged and continued his analysis. "That's right. And in my experience, large organizations like Umbrella don't usually act so directly. On the contrary, Ego's appearance and words are too coincidental."

Gamora thought for a moment and said softly, "Peter may be overwhelmed by his father's identity. We need to be cautious. Perhaps we should investigate Ego's true intentions."

Rocket nodded, his eyes determined, "I agree. We can't let Peter go into danger without knowing it."

On the side, Drax was shirtless, talking to himself in front of the mirror: "Strength, strength! I want to make my muscles more perfect, only in this way can I defeat more enemies!" As he spoke, he performed various exaggerated bodybuilding moves, completely immersed in his own world.

Groot sat in the corner, playing with his own branches. He used the branches to weave a small animal shape, and excitedly held it up to show everyone, saying happily: "I am Groot."

Rocket glanced at Drax, a helpless smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and whispered to Gamora: "Sometimes, I really envy their innocence."

Gamora smiled slightly, her eyes softened a little: "Perhaps it is because of their innocence that this team remains balanced. However, we must take on more responsibilities."

Rocket nodded, his expression turning serious, "So, what should we do next? Should we just tell Peter about our suspicions?"

Gamora shook her head and said in a deep voice, "Not yet. He is now shocked by the appearance of his father. Telling him rashly will only cause resentment. We need to collect more evidence and find the right time."

Rocket took a deep breath and agreed: "Okay, then I will use this time to see if I can find out Ego's background from other channels."

At this moment, Drax suddenly turned around and announced loudly: "I'm ready! No matter what enemy I face next, I will defeat them with my muscles!"

Rocket couldn't help but tease, "Really? Then you better be careful not to tear your clothes, otherwise we won't have any extra clothes for you."

Drax replied seriously: "My strength will be better demonstrated by the ripped clothes."

Groot heard their conversation, chuckled, and lowered his head to continue playing with his branch.

Gamora looked at the scene in front of her with a faint smile on her face. She stood up and said to Rocket, "Then let's proceed according to the plan. We all have to be careful."

Rocket waved the tool in his hand and smiled confidently: "Don't worry, leave it to me."

Rocket and Groot carefully explored Egg's palace while talking in low voices. Rocket's expression was serious, and his eyes kept scanning the strange buildings and installations around him. The walls and floors of the palace were emitting a faint light, as if the building itself was a living being.

"Groot, be careful, this place is a little weird." Rocket muttered, holding his tools tightly in both hands and looking around vigilantly. "I always feel that there are some secrets hidden in this palace. Ego's appearance is not that simple."

Groot followed Rocket, still playing with his branch, and said happily, "I'm Groot." He didn't seem to care too much about what Rocket said, and still maintained an innocent expression.

Rocket stopped, glanced at Groot, and couldn't help sighing: "Yes, Groot, you will always be Groot. But now is not the time to play, concentrate." He patted Groot's little head gently and continued walking forward.

At the same time, Gamora and Drax were also exploring the other side of the palace. They walked into a quiet garden, surrounded by exotic plants, and the flowers emitted a faint fluorescence, shrouding the entire garden in a dreamy light.

In the center of the garden, Mantis was sitting cross-legged on the ground, closing her eyes and resting with a peaceful smile on her face. Drax saw this scene and immediately showed a curious expression, frowned slightly, and walked forward with some doubts.

"Hey, Mantis, what are you doing?" Drax asked curiously, with a question in his voice, "Is this some kind of warrior meditation? Or another display of power? Are you gathering strength to prepare for battle?"

Mantis opened her eyes and saw Drax standing in front of her. She smiled slightly, shook her head, and said in a gentle voice: "No, I am not accumulating power. I am just meditating and feeling the energy around me. It calms me and allows me to better understand the emotions of others."

Drax looked confused, as if he couldn't understand Mantis's approach: "You feel other people's emotions? What's the use? In battle, you need strong muscles and sharp weapons. Can emotions help you win the battle?"

Mantis still smiled gently, her tone still gentle: "Not every battle needs to be resolved with force. Sometimes understanding other people's feelings can avoid unnecessary conflicts. My power lies in helping others find inner peace, which is also a powerful ability."

Drax frowned, obviously not completely agreeing with Mantis' explanation: "I still think that a warrior's strength is more important. But if your ability can help you win, then it is worthy of respect."

Gamora took advantage of the gap between Mantis and Drax's conversation and quietly walked deeper into Ego's palace. Her steps were light and agile, trying not to make any noise. She had a strong feeling in her heart that Ego was not as simple as he appeared on the surface. Every inch of land and every stone on this planet seemed to carry some mysterious power, and this power made her feel uneasy.

The further into the palace she went, the darker the light became. Strange symbols vaguely appeared on the walls, like some ancient divine writing. She frowned slightly, and lightly brushed her fingers over the symbols, feeling the power contained in them. Although she couldn't fully understand their meaning, the symbols seemed to be telling some ancient story, a legend about the origin of the universe.

She continued forward, and suddenly, a hidden door appeared in front of her, and a strange low humming sound came faintly from behind the door. Gamora pushed the door open carefully, and the scene inside made her gasp.

It was a huge room, with strange glowing pipes on the walls, which seemed to be transmitting some kind of energy. On the pedestal in the center was a huge crystal, emitting strong energy fluctuations. She immediately understood that this was not an ordinary device, but a core with powerful power. Perhaps the secret of Ego lies here.

But she had no time to investigate further, so she quickly committed it all to memory and quietly retreated, deciding to share her findings with the others later.

After returning to the lounge, Rocket was leaning back in his chair, fiddling with the tools in his hands. When he saw Gamora coming in, he immediately raised his head and gave a provocative smile: "Hey, Gamora, it seems that you have gained something from your adventure today?"

Gamora didn't respond directly, but looked around. Drax was standing aside, showing off his muscles, while Groot was sitting on the ground playing with a branch, as innocent as ever.

At this moment, Star-Lord pushed the door open and walked in, his face full of fatigue and confusion. His steps were a little slow, as if he had experienced some kind of huge mental shock. He walked silently to the sofa, sat down, looked up at the ceiling, and seemed absent-minded.

Rocket glanced at him and immediately couldn't help but teasing him, "Hey, Peter, looking at you like this, are you scared silly by your amazing dad? Or have you finally realized that you are not the protagonist of the universe?"

Star-Lord did not refute, and his face still had that confused look. He scratched his head and whispered, "I... I don't know, Rocket. I just talked a lot with Ego, and he told me some things about my relationship with him and the evil plan of Umbrella."

Drax strode up to Star-Lord and said confidently, "Peter, as a great warrior, you can't be bothered by these things. We must use strength to solve problems. Strength is the truth of the universe!"

Star-Lord smiled bitterly and shook his head: "This is not a problem that can be solved with fists, Drax. Ego said that I am a descendant of the gods and have his power. He also told me that Umbrella wants to use me, or even him, to implement a plan called 'Expansion'."

At this time, Gamora stepped forward, her eyes full of concern: "Peter, what did Ego tell you? What is 'expansion'?"

Star-Lord sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand, as if trying to sort out his thoughts. "He said that Umbrella's plan is to use his and my celestial powers to expand his consciousness throughout the universe and control every planet... He said that they will conquer the entire galaxy by implanting his power."