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As a cloud of dust billowed outward, the Spaceship slowly descended onto the barren land. The hatch opened, and Quill's group followed behind, joining Kyle and Lucy as they gazed upon the chaotic wasteland illuminated by the Spaceship's lights.
"What... what happened here?" Lucy's face was filled with horror with one hand covering her mouth to stifle any cries, while the other tightly gripped Kyle's arm.
"It seems like they were attacked by an unknown force, but who would dare to take action against them as guests of Nova?" Quill exclaimed in surprise.
Kyle shared the same sense of puzzlement.
This part of the Galaxy was composed of two top powers: the Kree and the Nova. After the Ronan incident, both knew the extent of his power and wouldn't dare to lay a hand on those under his protection. As for the scattered Interstellar Hunters, they didn't pose a challenge to Tony and the others.
"There's something familiar about these lifeforms." Yondu frowned, taking a few steps forward and crouching beside one of the armored lifeforms. After inspecting it, his calm face suddenly turned serious. "I remember now. It's Titan... the force led by that man!"
"Titan?"
Hearing the name, Kyle's eyes narrowed in a wary manner, his body tensed, his hands clenched into fists, and faint arcs of energy blinked between his fingers.
Quill rubbed his chin, recalling the earlier discussions about the Infinity Gauntlet and the stones, and exclaimed, "Could it be... Thanos?"
Thud!
About ten meters ahead of them, a worn-out Iron Man arm extended from beneath a pile of rubble.
"Huh?" Kyle reacted quickly, taking a step forward and grabbing the Iron Man's hand, pulling it up. Instantly, a battered Iron Man, with slight malfunction warnings flashing, emerged from the ground.
Kyle gently placed it on the ground, crushing the broken Iron Man mask, revealing Tony's pale and bloodless face underneath.
"Godfather..." Tony barely opened his eyes, seeing Kyle, a glimmer of light appearing in his lifeless gaze. "You're finally back."
"Tony, tell me, what happened here?" Kyle asked.
Tony coughed violently, supporting himself on the ground and struggling to sit up. He spoke slowly, "J.A.R.V.I.S, how long was I unconscious, and where are the others?"
J.A.R.V.I.S responded, "Sir, you were unconscious for nearly three hours. The enemy warships withdrew from the planet about two and a half hours ago."
"Two and a half hours... too late!" Tony gritted his teeth and turned to Kyle, blaming himself. "Godfather, three hours ago, we were suddenly attacked. The enemy had two Warships shaped like doughnuts. There were many well-armed extraterrestrial lifeforms and soldiers, as well as two extremely powerful aliens. My armor was no match for them!"
For Tony, who had always been unbeatable in his armor, being suddenly overwhelmed by vastly superior enemies and failing to protect those he cared about was an extremely cruel blow!
After listening to Tony's words, Kyle's voice was filled with certainty as he said, "It seems like it really was Thanos."
"Kyle, look over there."
Suddenly, Lucy's voice rang out.
Kyle and Tony followed her gaze, seeing a slight mound forming under the rubble not far away. The mound continued to expand, revealing a protective cage made of branches inside.
A cage the size of two floors collapsed open, revealing three people lying inside: Howard, Rocket, and Drax.
"Father!" Tony let out a sigh of relief, rushing forward without caring about removing his damaged armor. He found that Howard had only fainted and was otherwise unharmed, which eased his worries.
Rocket's eyes were filled with tears as he held a twig, his face filled with sorrow and depth, but he remained silent. Drax, his upper body bare and covered in scars, comforted Rocket with a pat on the shoulder.
"Are there any others?" Kyle scanned the area but didn't see Lorna and Gamora's figures.
Drax gritted his teeth and spoke solemnly, "Those guys were after Gamora. It seems like Lorna was taken along with her. Before they left, they even launched missiles to kill us. If it weren't for Groot..."
"It's dead, Groot is dead, leaving only this." Rocket couldn't hold back any longer, tears streaming down his cheeks and falling onto the dried-up twig in his hand.
"This is bad."
The successive waves of bad news shook Kyle to the core. He never imagined that such a major incident would occur just hours after his departure.
Thanos' minions abducted Gamora, preventing them from obtaining information about the whereabouts of the Soul Stone, but that could be set aside for the moment. On the other hand, Lorna, who possessed magnetic abilities, was captured, resulting in the loss of a significant combat force.
"Kyle, can we seek revenge against that bastard Thanos?" Rocket looked up at Kyle, the only one with the capability to stand against Thanos.
Kyle furrowed his brow, quickly considering the options before solemnly saying, "If we face Thanos now, we have only three possible outcomes. One, both our fleet and Thanos suffer heavy losses. Two, you all die, and I manage to escape alone. Three, we all perish on the Planet Titan."
"Thanos is that powerful?" Quill couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine after hearing Kyle's words; he knew just how terrifying Kyle's strength was.
Even Kyle himself was treating the situation with unprecedented seriousness.
"That's right. And now that Thanos has abducted Gamora, he may soon obtain the Soul Stone. Coupled with the power of the Infinity Gauntlet, I don't even have a chance of surpassing him." Kyle stated bluntly.
"So, do we just leave it at that?" Rocket asked incredulously.
"Of course... we can't just leave it at that, especially with Lorna still in their hands! Anyone who dares to harm those close to me..." Kyle shook his head decisively, dangerous glints flickering in his narrowed eyes. "We need reinforcements, enough to counter Thanos' Warship and his minions. And we need to seize control of the other Stones before they fall into Thanos' hands. Otherwise, it will be a true cosmic catastrophe!"
Drax scratched his bald head and asked the crucial question, "How do we know the locations of the other Stones?"
Kyle glanced at Tony, then at Lucy, and said, "Coincidentally, I happen to know."
First, eliminate the possibility of Gamora knowing the location of the Soul Stone. Kyle himself possessed the Power and Space Stones.
Next, the original carrier of the Space Stone, the Tesseract, was still in the possession of SHIELD on Earth.
The Time Stone was guarded by the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, on Earth.
As for the Mind Stone, it was within the Scepter, currently in Thanos' possession, and later given to Loki to launch a large-scale invasion of Earth to seize the Stones.
The Reality Stone was related to Asgard, but currently, it seemed to involve Earth.
"By this calculation, Thanos already has two Stones in his possession, the Soul Stone and the Mind Stone. We're evenly matched, while the remaining Stones all have some connection to Earth." Kyle's face suddenly changed color as he realized something.
Wait a minute.
If Thanos were to strike Earth first, he would have no advantage in the race for the Stones!
"Everyone." Kyle took a deep breath, scanning the faces of those present with determination. He issued the command with unwavering confidence, "Now, we must return to Earth immediately! We must be fast!!"
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