Chapter 458: Darkness Falls: The Infinite Spark Attacks

Rocket raised an eyebrow when he heard that, a hint of disbelief flashing in his eyes, "Wait, you're saying that Umbrella wants to control the entire universe? It sounds like some kind of oversized villain conspiracy. But honestly, although Umbrella is powerful, they wouldn't play such a large-scale control game, right?"

Gamora looked serious and shook her head: "Whether what Ego said is true or not, we must be cautious. Umbrella is indeed powerful, but so far, they have not shown any hostility towards us. I think there is something wrong with Ego, we have to find out."

Star-Lord looked up at everyone with complicated eyes and said, "I don't know who to believe. Ego is my father, but the things he told me confuse me. I need your opinions."

Drax was as blunt as ever: "Listen to me, Peter. It doesn't matter whether you are a descendant of a god or an ordinary person. What matters is that you have to choose to fight, no matter who your opponent is!"

Rocket crossed his arms, thought for a moment, and said calmly: "I don't believe in Ego, nor do I completely trust Umbrella, but we can't rely on our feelings on this matter. I think we'd better check Ego's background and his true purpose. God? It sounds a bit too mythical."

Groot sat quietly aside and suddenly said, "I am Groot."

Rocket translated, "Groot said he thought Ego was suspicious."

Star-Lord couldn't help but smile. Although he was still conflicted, he felt relieved when he saw his companions' determination and trust. "Well, it seems we have to find out the truth." He said, with a hint of fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes.

Gamora nodded in agreement, "We will face this together, no matter who the enemy is."

The whole room fell into a brief silence. The atmosphere was tense and solemn, but everyone knew in their hearts that they had to unite to uncover the true conspiracy of Ego and Umbrella.

Rocket shrugged and patted Star-Lord's shoulder with a smile, "Don't worry, buddy, we won't let you fight these troubles alone. After all, we are the Guardians of the Galaxy, right?"

......

Just as Star-Lord was about to respond to Rocket's teasing, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Elena rushed in angrily, followed by a group of Ego warriors. Her face was full of anger, and her eyes were staring at Star-Lord and his team, as if accusing something. Her steps were hurried and powerful, and the atmosphere in the whole room instantly became tense.

Seeing this, Drax immediately stood up, put his hands on his hips, straightened his chest, and walked towards Elena fearlessly. His voice was deep and full of confidence: "If you have anything to say, just tell us! We are not easily scared by others, especially by a little anger like yours."

Rocket stood beside Drax and sneered, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes: "Wow, Elena, are you doing this again? Aren't you going a bit too far? We all said it has nothing to do with Umbrella." He spread his hands, as if questioning Elena's motives.

Star-Lord immediately rushed between the two, raised his hands, and tried to calm the conflict. He looked at Elena anxiously, frowning: "Hey, calm down, Elena! What happened? What are you doing?"

Elena's eyes were burning with anger, and she ignored Star-Lord's comfort. She suddenly took out a worn-out mechanical sphere from her arms and slammed it on the table. The sphere started instantly, emitting a faint blue light. An image appeared on the mechanical sphere, which showed the Umbrella Company's people arresting Ego star Selton and others.

In the video, Selton and other Ego people were captured by a group of fully armed Umbrella soldiers, their hands were tied tightly, and their faces were full of pain and despair. The Umbrella soldiers pushed them mercilessly, and some even hit them with electric batons. Selton's screams echoed in the video, which was heartbreaking.

Then, the video screen turned to some more brutal scenes. The Umbrella soldiers inflicted even more brutal violence on the Ego people who tried to resist. Some were shot dead on the spot, their bodies lying in a pool of blood. The scene was tragic. Some weak Ego people were dragged away by the soldiers, and the video finally stopped at the scene where they were loaded into some kind of transport ship.

After the video finished playing, the whole room fell into silence, and the air seemed to freeze. Elena's voice was trembling, full of anger and grief: "Is this what you call harmless? This is how the Umbrella Corporation treats my people! Not only did they capture Selton, they also killed innocent compatriots!"

Star-Lord turned pale, obviously shocked by the sudden image. He swallowed nervously, his heart full of confusion and uneasiness. Although he wanted to defend Umbrella, the evidence in front of him made him unable to speak.

Drax clenched his fists tightly and said through gritted teeth: "These soldiers have no honor! I will make them pay for their actions!"

Rocket rolled his eyes, his tone full of obvious sarcasm: "Well, it looks like we might be in for a more complicated mess than we thought, Peter. It's damn complicated." He complained, but there was also a hint of calm analysis in his tone.

Star-Lord looked at Elena and the finished video, his mind in a mess. He took a deep breath, trying to sort out his thoughts, and then whispered: "Elena, I don't know why Umbrella did this, but... there must be some kind of misunderstanding. I... I will find out."

Gamora stood aside, her eyes full of suspicion and confusion. Her voice was calm but firm: "Peter, this is no small matter. We must find out the truth. If Umbrella really treats innocent people like this, then they are no longer our allies."

Rocket raised an eyebrow and added teasingly, "Oh, of course. The question is - how are we going to check? Should we just go to their headquarters and ask?"

Groot's voice whispered, "I am Groot."

Rocket immediately translated, "Groot said that maybe they want to take control of the entire planet and turn it into some kind of... uh, weapon."

Star-Lord shook his head weakly and sighed: "No matter what the truth is, we have to do something."

Elena's eyes were filled with pain and determination. She stared at Star-Lord and said in a trembling voice, "You promised me that you would save Selton and my people."

......

With Star-Lord's efforts, Drax and Groot followed Elena and her men and set off happily, leaving Rocket and Gamora in the lounge. Rocket lazily lay on a chair, his hands behind his head, whistling, looking relaxed and content.

Rocket glanced at Gamora with a hint of irony on his face. "Do you think the weapons of Umbrella are a little too funny? Electric batons? Come on, Umbrella is a super high-tech company. They use such primitive equipment? It's ridiculous." He sneered and shook his head. "Not to mention the uniforms of the soldiers. They are as ugly as garbage bags. Who designed them? I don't even have the heart to complain."

Gamora raised her head, glanced at him calmly, and responded thoughtfully: "You are right, these equipments are indeed not like the style of Umbrella. Moreover, when I was exploring deep in the palace before, I saw some strange things, glowing pipes, huge crystals, which felt more like part of some kind of... life form."

Rocket sat up straight after hearing that, with a thoughtful gleam in his eyes. He tapped the armrest of the chair with his fingers, and then began a rapid brainstorming: "Oh, wait a minute! You said glowing pipes and crystals? This doesn't sound like an ordinary building, but more like some kind of energy system, or... the core of some kind of life form?"

He raised his eyebrows, his eyes sharpened, "I see! Ego is a 'god', right? He may be planning to use these things to increase his own strength, or even..." Rocket paused deliberately, looking at Gamora mysteriously, "He may want to seize Star-Lord's power."

Gamora's eyes became more serious, and her brows slightly frowned, as if she suddenly realized a key point. She met Rocket's eyes, and a trace of uneasiness flashed through her heart: "It is indeed possible that Ego did this... After all, he knew that Peter inherited his celestial bloodline and possessed the same powerful power. Perhaps from the beginning, his purpose of approaching Peter was to control him, or even... absorb his power."

Rocket nodded, his mouth corners slightly raised, his eyes full of insight: "Yes, that 'great father' is not a good thing. Don't forget, beings of Ego's level always have greater ambitions. And Umbrella, perhaps they knew about Ego's 'expansion plan' from the beginning."

Gamora was silent for a moment, and her thoughts began to work quickly. She thought about her past, and about Thanos, the powerful and cruel "father". She once loved him deeply, and she once hated him. In the end, she realized that everything Thanos did was to satisfy his personal ambitions. Now, when she faced Ego, that familiar emotion came to her mind again - the father tried to control his son and use family affection to achieve some more evil purpose.

"Ego is indeed like Thanos." Gamora whispered, with a cold light in her eyes. "He may be approaching Peter for his own benefit. Perhaps his goal is not only to protect Ego, but to use Peter's power to thoroughly implement his 'expansion plan' - to spread a part of himself throughout the universe and become an omnipresent existence."

Rocket snorted and leaned back in his chair, his tone revealing a hint of disdain. "Aha, it looks like we've finally found the key. Ego is the truly dangerous guy, and no matter how good his disguise is, he can't hide his ambitions. And Umbrella... well, I like their weapon design, but if they know Ego's plan and try to stop it, then they might be the good side this time."

Gamora took a deep breath and analyzed calmly: "If Umbrella is really trying to stop Ego's plan, then we have to re-examine their motives. They have always acted for profit and control. If they knew that Ego's 'expansion plan' would threaten their rule, they would certainly try their best to stop it."

Rocket nodded, his eyes full of insight, "Yes, Umbrella Corporation doesn't want anyone to be more powerful than them, especially someone like Ego who can become the master of the universe once he successfully expands. If this is the case, we need to find a suitable way to make Peter understand this fact."

Gamora pondered for a moment and said firmly, "Yes, we must find an appropriate time to tell Peter and remind him to beware of Ego. In any case, he cannot blindly trust this so-called 'father'."

Rocket stood up, stretched, put his hands in his pockets, and had a confident smile on his face, "Well, it looks like we have to start planning our next move. Who knows if we'll need to rescue that stupid Star-Lord at some point?"

Gamora's lips curled up slightly, but her eyes remained calm: "We will find a way. No matter what Ego's plan is, we will stop him."

"Hey, relax. It looks like our mission is to stop 'Ego'. I think Umbrella will definitely send some powerful people. Don't worry, don't worry." After Rocket got busy for a while, he went to retrieve his weapon.

......

Electricity flickered in the air, emitting a faint blue light. Accompanied by a low humming sound, the portal of the Endless Spark slowly opened. The energy fluctuations in the portal spread like ripples, followed by a strong sense of oppression. The light of the portal gradually dimmed, and a tall figure walked out of the light.

He was a powerful being, with a tall and majestic figure, covered in black armor, and every step he took was filled with heavy majesty. The air seemed to freeze the moment he walked out, and the surrounding Xiumagia stood at attention, standing on both sides, welcoming this unknown strong man with the most standard posture. His face was hidden under the helmet, and only a pair of cold eyes could be vaguely seen, emitting endless chill, as if he had brought the darkness of the abyss.

"Welcome, distinguished guest," S-X45 stood at the front of the team, her posture elegant and calm, her eyes filled with absolute awe for this powerful man. She bowed slightly, her tone revealing a hint of politeness and respect, "The Endless Spark and all of our Shumagia are at your service at any time."

The strong man slowly raised his head and scanned the entire teleportation cabin. His body seemed to merge with the surrounding space, and the runes engraved on each piece of armor exuded mysterious energy. He had no extra words, only a low and powerful response: "Get everything ready."

S-X45 nodded, and quickly turned around to give orders to the rest of the Shumagia: "Inform all departments to immediately activate combat readiness mode, and all fleet members to enter the highest state of alert."

The rest of the Humagia responded immediately and took quick action, each busy preparing for the next action. The core area of ​​the Endless Spark lit up with strips of light, as if this huge warship was completely awakened after his arrival.

This strong man stood in front of the porthole of the Endless Spark, calmly overlooking the vast starry sky. The starlight flickered in front of his eyes, but it could not shake his coldness and calmness. It was as if the entire universe was paving a road to the battlefield for him, waiting for him to lead the Endless Spark in an epic battle.

S-X45 stood quietly by, ready to receive the next order at any time, while the Endless Spark had already entered standby mode, waiting for the arrival of the next cosmic storm.