Reborn with Steve Stand

Chapter 285: Steve

"Team Rocket?"

The Rocket Raccoon looked somewhat surprised and touched its head, saying, "That really is my name... Now that you mention it, I'm kind of tempted."

"Shall we get started then?"

Fang Mo immediately showed a mischievous smile: "We could also steal Sovereign's batteries together, rob others of their prosthetics, just like the Collector Tivan. You could build a huge warehouse and store all the spoils of war that we steal... How awesome would that be."

"Hahaha, that does sound really interesting!"

Rocket Raccoon laughed after hearing this but didn't nod immediately: "But I really want to ask, the things you mentioned... they aren't really your own interests, are they?"

"They're okay."

Fang Mo smiled ambiguously: "My only goal is to find a way home."

"Then..."

Rocket Raccoon pondered for a moment before looking up at Fang Mo: "Can you also take me to see your home if there's a chance?"

"You might regret it."

Fang Mo extended his palm: "If we really get back to my homeland, I bet you'll be super popular. Just don't end up eating yourself into a fat ball or something."

"Don't worry, my diet is always healthy."

Rocket Raccoon also laughed and extended its little paw to shake hands with Fang Mo.

"Do you need me to take you out?" Fang Mo smiled: "With just a snap of my fingers, we can teleport from here to the Void, then Groot will act as a tree, I and Star-Lord will capture Collector Tivan in Aruba, while you record it, broadcasting this hopeful image to the entire galaxy..."

"So what exactly is Aruba?"

Rocket Raccoon couldn't help but ask: "You've been talking about this, it sounds like some kind of punishment?"

"In my home planet, it's a game played by children," Fang Mo explained: "It involves catching a man... oh, only a man, and then holding his two feet to make him do the splits, and then crashing him into a tree, a utility pole, a parallel bar, or a cactus, something like that."

"Oh my god..."

Rocket Raccoon slapped its face: "Now I understand why the death rate of chives spirits is so high."

As they were talking, a swarm of drones emerged in the corridor, indiscriminately bombarding the surroundings. Groot immediately launched an attack, but some still managed to disturb the two.

"Okay, looks like it's time to leave."

Rocket Raccoon said while dodging attacks: "But let's skip the teleportation, our ship is still here... can you deal with the guards?"

"OjK."

Fang Mo nodded and launched an attack the next second.

He pointed his hand, and a black-purple gravitational ray shot out, disintegrating a series of drones, then tore a big hole in the prison deck, piercing through the solitary confinement cells, the infirmary, the police station, and then through the outer force field barrier, disappearing into space.

And in the next second, the alarm around them immediately escalated.

"Prison's outer armor layer is damaged!"

"Repeat, the prison's outer armor layer is damaged!"

Amidst the noisy shouts, the air pressure in the entire Kyln Prison plummeted rapidly, the vacuum outside quickly sucking out the air, with tables, chairs, and a bunch of other stuff frantically flying out.

"Oh no!"

Rocket Raccoon almost got swept away but managed to grab Fang Mo's leg and was spared, now its fur all flattened by the wind: "What are you doing!?"

"Solving the guard problem."

As Fang Mo spoke, he raised his hand and pointed at a drone.

"No!"

Rocket Raccoon quickly yelled out upon seeing this.

But it was already too late. Another thunderous ray shot out, disintegrating all tangible matter into dust. It then made a hole in the outer layer of the Kyln Prison and disappeared into outer space.

Now, they were in real trouble. The prison was breached on both the left and right sides, creating a vacuum pressure that frantically sucked out the prison's air. This even caused a vortex-like airflow. Not just tables and chairs, but also the drones in mid-air, along with some unstable structures, iron doors, and pillars, were all torn down and thrown into space.

Luckily, the prisoners around had already fled the scene, or else they would have turned into space popsicles by now.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!!!"

Rocket Raccoon was desperately holding onto Fang Mo's pants, cursing, "Stop dealing with the guards! Think of a way to block the hole, I can't hold on to you much longer!"

"I am Groot. (Rocket, hold on, I'm coming to help you.)"

But quicker than Fang Mo was Groot. Suddenly, he shouted and extended his arms into countless vines that attached to the outer hull and grew rapidly. The grey-white vines quickly sealed the damaged area.

"Thank God, thank heavens..."

Rocket Raccoon finally relaxed and said to Fang Mo, "What the hell did you shoot? The outer hull of Kyln Prison is protected by a force field. Even accelerated particle cannons can't breach it in one shot... Isn't your power a bit too over the top?"

"Oh, this is another ability of mine, called 'Sutra Salvation.'"

Fang Mo casually explained, "I can transform the sutras I recite in my mind into energy and then shoot it out from my fingertips, directly annihilating the enemy's body and soul. This is an act of great compassion and mercy, liberating both the body and soul. I call this move 'Shooting Sutras'..."

"???"

Rocket Raccoon was completely baffled.

But before he could say anything else, Fang Mo continued on his own.

"Of course, Shooting Sutras is just the most basic method of salvation," Fang Mo cheerfully said. "Beyond that, I've developed various other methods like 'Moving Shot', 'Random Shot', 'Frenzied Shot', and 'Seductive Shot'."

"I think your description sounds less like salvation and more like a galactic stallion."

Rocket Raccoon couldn't help but retort, his mouth agape, "The interstellar gunman they talk about must be you, right? I thought Quill was randy enough... but after hearing you, I think you're a walking disaster. I'm starting to not want to team up with you. I'm afraid you could even get male experimental animals pregnant."

"Hahaha."

Fang Mo laughed after hearing this, "I didn't expect you to be so good at quipping. From now on, you're a core member of Team Rocket, in charge of quipping."

"What is a 'quipper'?"

Rocket Raccoon was puzzled, "Is it a position like a team leader?"

"Even better than that."

Fang Mo said, "In my book, a quipper always has a +50 favorability setting. As long as it's not too outrageous, I can fulfill most of your requests."

"What is the job about?"

Rocket Raccoon asked.

"What you just did was perfect," Fang Mo said. "I knew you were sharp-tongued, but I didn't expect your quips to be so cutting. Have you considered signing a contract with me and traveling to other worlds? I can let you steal Charles' wheelchair..."

"What kind of nonsense is this?"

Rocket Raccoon was even more confused after hearing this, "You're not just into causing trouble for the sake of it, are you?"

As soon as Rocket finished speaking, Fang Mo suddenly looked at him in surprise, as if to say 'you've figured it out.'

"..."

Rocket Raccoon didn't say anything, just helplessly rubbed his forehead.

Seeing Rocket Raccoon's reaction, Fang Mo immediately felt happier.

After their outer armor was pierced twice by Fang Mo, the security personnel dared not attack him rashly. After all, everyone was just an ordinary person and couldn't stay long in the vacuum of space. If they pushed this lunatic too far and he blew up the Klin prison, everyone would be doomed.

Soon, Star-Lord came running back with a security armband.

"Hey, what just happened?"

Star-Lord looked confused and said, "I was just grabbing the armband when suddenly a black light streaked above my head, and then the prison was breached. Did some big shot come to break the jail with a star destroyer?"

"Good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?"

Rocket Raccoon said.

"Let's hear the good news first," Star-Lord replied, slightly startled.

"The good news is that the big shot is on our side," said Rocket Raccoon.

"And the bad news?" asked Star-Lord.

"The bad news is that everything that big shot said before is true," Rocket Raccoon said. "Including the story about his employer he told earlier. You get what I mean?"

Star-Lord was at a loss for words.

After a long pause, he barely managed to say to Fang Mo, "Big brother, Yondu really wanted you to capture me alive... You weren't asleep just now, right?"

"I know, but I've changed my mind now," Fang Mo said with a smile, looking at Star-Lord. "I was planning to take you to Yondu for the bounty, but I suddenly realized that the Orb is gone, probably taken by him, so I decided to exchange you for the Orb."

"What? The Cosmic Orb is gone?" Star-Lord was startled, then cursed quietly, "These guys are really quick..."

"Anyway, let's get out of here fast," Rocket Raccoon said impatiently, interrupting Star-Lord. "First, go get my ship, and then leave this stinking place."

"Yes, and my ship too!" Star-Lord quickly agreed. "The Milano, you'll definitely like it."

"I am Groot?" the over ten-meter-tall Groot joined in. "(How are we going to get out?)"

"Humph, that's easy," Rocket Raccoon said proudly, waving the security armband in his hand. "Just get into the surveillance tower, and I can make this place a zero-gravity area, then control the drones as a power source to break this..."

Before he could finish, Fang Mo already threw a punch.

"Boom!!!"

Just a casual punch, it seemed to suck all the air around, followed by a loud bang. The nearly one-meter-thick alloy gate was violently blown open, and the terrifying blast wave, like an explosion, flew out with the gate, tearing and deforming it. The gate was carried by the air and rolled nearly a hundred meters before finally thudding down in the corridor.

The scene fell into a strange silence after witnessing this.

After a while, Rocket Raccoon barely changed his suggestion: "Or simply follow behind him... just walk out like that."

What followed was simple. Thanks to Fang Mo's terrifying performance, the prison guards really didn't dare to stop him anymore. And thanks to him, the other members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, including Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord Peter Quill, Drax the Destroyer, also all walked out.

As for Groot, who had become a giant.

He studied it for a bit, then shrank himself back to normal size.

Although Groot returned to his original height, his physique had obviously changed. Initially, he looked like Aeon, tall and slender. But now, after being strengthened by Fang Mo with the Ring of Arcana, he became much stronger.

His arms were broad, his body was solid, and the vines on his body turned into something like wooden planks.

Moreover, Groot's body was still that grayish-white color, looking like wood gradually petrifying, with a bit of a silver metallic sheen, appearing very strong just by the look.

Due to the lack of obstruction, everyone quickly retrieved their belongings and then returned to the spaceship.

It's worth mentioning that Rocket Raccoon, upon seeing Star-Lord's spaceship, immediately abandoned his own small spacecraft, indicating that it would be better for everyone to ride on the Milano together.

"Oh, this spaceship looks really nice."

Rocket Raccoon, touching the various facilities around him, said to Star-Lord: "I didn't realize, Quill, you're quite wealthy. These things are clearly not just for show."

"Actually... this ship was a gift from Yondu."

Star-Lord shrugged awkwardly: "You're not wrong, I'm just a pauper."

"Ha, no wonder he put a bounty on you," Rocket Raccoon mocked. "Just this ship alone is worth more than ten of you."

"Alright, stop teasing him."

Fang Mo waved his hand and said: "Anyway, let him contact Yondu quickly, I have some things to ask that guy."

"Did you hear that? Quill."

Rocket Raccoon pointed to a communication console not far away: "Don't go against the wishes of Team Rocket, hurry up and contact Yondu... We're planning to exchange you for a bounty, and that thing, what's it called?"

"It's the Cosmic Orb."

Star-Lord sighed helplessly. He didn't dare to go against Fang Mo's wishes, as the latter had just shown terrifying strength. Besides, he had suspected that Fang Mo was not mentally ok, so for now, he decided to play it safe and began operating the communication console.

Soon, the communication signal was transmitted.

Fang Mo, seeing this, slowly walked over to Star-Lord and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Um... don't move..."

Fang Mo pressed on Star-Lord's shoulder, frowning slightly and warning: "I don't get along with this thing. If you mess up because of moving around, I'll have to get serious."

"Huh? What do you mean by serious?"

Star-Lord was startled.

However, in the next second, a red light suddenly shone from Fang Mo's hand.

This was the unique glow of the Reality Stone. Before Star-Lord could react, his body suddenly had numerous wounds appear out of nowhere. His left eye and arm vanished, a deep bone-exposing cut appeared on his head, and all his teeth were gone. He was also spitting out blood continuously. It was a terrifying sight.

"Hey, hey, what's going on?"

Star-Lord was dumbfounded. He felt no pain, but the injuries on his body were very real. He was continuously spitting blood and could no longer feel his eyeball and arm. What kind of sorcery was this?

Before he could say anything else, the video call connected.

A middle-aged man with blue skin appeared on the screen. He originally wore a cruel smile, showing off his two large golden teeth, but upon seeing Star-Lord's miserable state, he was utterly shocked.

"Quill! What happened!?"

The man almost shouted: "Who the hell did this to you?"

"I..."

Just as Star-Lord was about to speak, Fang Mo suddenly lifted him up: "Ravager Yondu, right? Quill is in my hands, I advise you to hand over the Orb. Otherwise, his injuries will double every hour..."

"Who are you?!"

Yondu was clearly anxious: "Don't touch Quill... The Orb is not in my hands!"

"I'll give you another chance to rephrase that."

As Fang Mo spoke, he stretched his other hand behind Star-Lord, activating the Reality Stone inside his body again, and barely managed to construct a kidney.

"Look, this is your son's kidney, he only has one left now."

Fang Mo showed the kidney to Yondu: "This means you only have one last chance. Humans die quickly without a kidney, understand?"

"Who the hell are you?!"

Yondu was genuinely angry now, his crest was blood-red, and a strangely shaped metal arrow flew next to the screen: "If you dare kill him, even if you flee to the edge of the universe... I will find you! I, Yondu, keep my word!"

"I'm not interested in him, I just want the Orb."

Fang Mo repeated, "If you bring the Orb to me now, I guarantee you'll get your lively big kid back."

"I've already said the Orb isn't with me!"

Yondu, frustrated and angry, shouted, "I don't care who you are or how you know Thanos sent me to find the Orb, but it was gone when I arrived on Morag! I've had my people check, and they said Ronan's fleet landed on Morag after I left... You can't expect me to rob that crazy Kree, can you?!"

"The Orb isn't with Ronan."

Fang Mo shook his head and said, "Right now, there are only two people who know the whereabouts of the Orb: you and Ronan. His men are already taken care of by me, and now it's your turn. Send me the coordinates of your ship first..."

"You bastard!"

Yondu slammed the table, and a string of coordinates lit up. Then he almost roared, "If you want the Orb, I can scour the galaxy for you, but don't you dare hurt Quill!"

"Father..."

Star-Lord was somewhat surprised to see this.

Truth be told, Yondu had always intimidated him with words, saying things like 'the Ravagers have always wanted to eat your flesh' and never really showed paternal love. But this scene made him feel uncomfortable.

He knew Yondu cared about him deep down, and for some reason, he felt a sudden twinge in his nose.

However, at that moment, the wound on his body suddenly glowed red, and then Fang Mo shouted 'Damn it!', and the lost arm and blind eye were engulfed in red light, which flashed twice and then disappeared.

With the power of the Reality Stone gone, everything returned to normal.

An unscathed Star-Lord stood there like an idiot, looking at his body and then scratching his head awkwardly, showing Yondu an embarrassed rather than polite smile.

"Hey, Yondu, look, I'm fine~!"

"..."

Yondu on the other end of the video first froze, then his expression became extremely complicated.

The next second, Yondu's roaring voice filled the entire ship.

"Quill! You dare to trick me!!!"

Even through the spaceship, everyone seemed to feel Yondu's fury: "Don't let me catch you! Otherwise, I'll throw you into a pot and skin you... I'll stew you for everyone to eat! I'm gonna slaughter you ahhh!!!"

"Cough cough..."

Seeing this, Fang Mo coughed awkwardly twice and said, "Well, that was a technical error, forgive me, eh."

"So who the hell are you!?"

Feeling tricked, Yondu, of course, was not in a good mood and shouted, "Is this another one of Quill's bad friends?"

"Sort of."

Fang Mo shrugged and said, "Well... but it's better to talk face-to-face, more sincere, right?"

"What do you mean?"

Yondu was taken aback.

"Can't handle the Reality Stone... no, can't handle the Space Stone?" Fang Mo smiled and then activated the power of the Space Stone. A lot of spatial fog suddenly appeared next to Yondu, and before he could react, it enveloped him.

The next second, Yondu appeared in front of everyone.

"What... what?"

Yondu was stunned by the sudden teleportation.

However, as a Ravager, he quickly controlled his flying arrow.

But to Yondu's surprise, his arrow, capable of instantly taking down a team of interstellar armed fighters, was now firmly grasped by a hand, struggling in vain.

"What the hell..."

Before Yondu could speak, Fang Mo suddenly pressed a finger to his forehead.

"Tell me, do you have the Orb?" Fang Mo's voice seemed to carry a mesmerizing melody, compelling obedience.

"I don't."

Yondu said drowsily, "The thing was gone when I got to Morag. I contacted Thanos, and he was angry, thinking I wanted to name a high price..."

"What the hell???"

Hearing Yondu's words, Fang Mo was completely baffled.

He had used the power of the Mind Stone to ask, so the other party couldn't lie. This meant Yondu really didn't have the Infinity Stone, and it's likely Thanos didn't have it either. This was truly strange.

Where the hell did the Power Stone go?