Planet Sakaar, Sakaar City.
The sky was filled with dark clouds and small black holes. As night fell, the abyss-like darkness swallowed any hint of starlight, and even the faint light that shone from the ground was devoured by the black void.
Various peculiar buildings, assembled from scraps and featuring advanced technology, crowded the main city area. Neon lights dazzled in every direction, creating a breathtaking display.
On the well-lit main street, beings with blue skin, stone-like brown bodies, fish-headed creatures with scales, and creatures with large eyes and small heads from different planets all broke through the boundaries of their races. They paraded through the streets in passionate revelry, as if releasing the frustrations of the day.
"Planet Sakaar originally had no life, so there are no natives here. Most of the inhabitants are lifeforms from various parts of the universe who became stranded here and managed to survive, becoming locals," Explained the short-statured Calvin. He held a heavy sack five times his size on his thin shoulder, dragging it along with some effort.
Beside him, the tall Kyle nodded. He had changed into a hoodie and jeans and carried a military backpack containing four laser firearms.
"Most spaceships can't break through the wormhole vortex of Planet Sakaar, so any lifeform that enters here is trapped here like a prisoner on this planet. With scarce and expensive food resources and intense competition for survival, even the locals can't be sure they won't be killed by other scavengers in the wilderness. That's why they indulge in carefree revelry and entertainment at night," Calvin sighed as he spoke.
He led Kyle away from the bustling main street, taking a secluded alley and venturing further from the city into the desolate wilderness on the outskirts.
With a slight furrow of his brow, Kyle suddenly halted his steps and looked back at a corner of a building behind them. Sensing his unease, Calvin put down the sack and turned around. "Kyle, what's wrong?"
"We're being followed," Kyle stated precisely.
His senses were beyond human, sharper even than those of some beasts. Moreover, the tracking was too careless and obvious; it was difficult not to notice.
"Are you sure?" Calvin's bear-like face slightly shifted, and he said in a hushed tone, "Put on the scavenger's identity badge."
Kyle nodded, reached into his pocket, and pinned the scavenger leader's identity badge he had acquired earlier onto his left chest.
Just as he put on the badge, it seemed like the other party knew they had been discovered. With a light chuckle, they voluntarily emerged from an alleyway.
Kyle followed the shadow with his gaze and his pupils contracted. To his surprise, it was a creature with huge eyes that took up a third of its face and were the size of an adult's fist. Its eyeballs continuously rotated as it stared at the two of them.
"Calvin, you've had quite a harvest today," The Creature with Big Eye chuckled.
"It's you again. Why are you following me?" Calvin's face showed disgust, his claws touching the laser firearm on his back as he coldly said, "If this were the city, I'd have smashed your eyeballs already."
"You can't have such good luck every day. Remember, don't let me catch you in the wilderness, or I'll definitely get to taste the flavor of your flesh," The Creature with Big Eye said, drool dripping from its mouth as its large tongue swiftly licked it back up. Its eyes shifted to Kyle, with ill intentions. "And who's this? A newcomer? Which planet are you from?"
"It's none of your business! Kyle, let's go," Calvin snorted, turned and waved, then picked up the sack and walked away.
Kyle cast a glance at The Creature with Big Eye, noting its grotesque appearance, before catching up to Calvin's pace.
From behind, The Creature with Big Eye's maniacal laughter echoed, "Hehehe, don't let me catch you in the wilderness, or I'll certainly make a delicious meal out of you."
"Ignore it. No one dares to make a move in the Sakaar City area." Calvin brushed off the warning from behind and continued, certain in his words.
"Is it because of this identity badge? Are there rules and laws here?" Kyle pointed to the badge on his chest and asked.
"The scavenger identity badge is one of the guarantees for survival as a local on this planet. But more importantly… look!" Calvin suddenly looked up, and just then, a saucer-shaped spaceship flew by from fifty meters above, its massive spotlight sweeping over the streets below.
Kyle watched the silver saucer-shaped spaceship quickly vanish. This floating spaceship was far more advanced than World War II-era planes on Earth, and even Wakanda had not reached such technological heights.
Calvin reminded him, "This is the regulatory guard of Sakaar City. In the wilderness garbage fields, you're free to do as you please— killing and stealing are everyday occurrences. However, within the main city area, it's an absolute safe zone. No form of conflict or looting is allowed, or the consequences will be worse than death."
Kyle nodded in understanding, his eyes glinting with a flicker of realization. There was a deeper meaning to that statement— essentially, as long as they weren't detected by the regulatory guards, they'd be fine.
"Since I am your guide, there's one crucial point I need to remind you of. It's a rule that all who arrive on Planet Sakaar must be clear about," Calvin's tone grew more serious as he spoke.
He picked up the heavy sack and quickened his pace. Leading Kyle through the outskirts of the main city area, they turned a corner onto a street, and his gaze turned grave as he looked ahead.
Kyle also stopped in his tracks, raising his eyes to take in the strange and towering buildings that stood like a dense forest. At the end of his line of sight, at the very center of the city, a building stood out from all the rest— a colossal structure about ten times taller and grander than any other.
On the façade of the central building, a holographic projection maintained an image of a middle-aged man who towered hundreds of meters tall. He was adorned in splendid and regal attire, looking down upon the city and even the entire planet.
Several dozen saucer-shaped spaceships circled and dispersed around the central building, their lights continually shining upon the central figure.
"He was the first, the original lifeform lost here. Known to have survived for millions of years, he developed and constructed Planet Sakaar. He is the supreme and sole ruler of this place, referred to by the locals as 'Grandmaster'!" Calvin lowered his head and his tone was unprecedentedly grave as he spoke. "On this planet, everything belongs to him. The ruler of the guardians and regulators— an entity you absolutely shouldn't provoke— without exception."
"Grandmaster," Kyle pondered, a hint of depth in his eyes. He felt that he had finally pinpointed his ultimate goal in coming here.
Calvin wasn't privy to Kyle's thoughts, and he issued another warning. "If you want to survive here, don't even think about making contact with him. Grandmaster, as an ancient lifeform of the universe, is fickle in temperament and difficult to get along with."
"Rest assured, I'm not that foolish," Kyle replied with a calm expression and a faint smile on his face.
Until he was certain, he certainly wouldn't approach Grandmaster. However, if he gained confidence or his body couldn't endure any longer, that would be a different story.
As someone who had survived for so long in the universe, there was a possibility that Grandmaster possessed an Extractable Ability Card that may suit him.
(End of Chapter)
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