Anyone entering Klin Prison goes through a rigorous cleaning and disinfection process before donning the prison-issued yellow jumpsuits. However, the individuals following a certain group didn't change into jumpsuits or undergo disinfection. It was evident they had bypassed these protocols and entered the prison directly.
What was even more astonishing was that this person seemed to be floating in!
"Who is he?" The prisoners murmured in astonishment.
"How could he get into this prison?" They wondered in confusion.
It wasn't until Syd, glancing around briefly, floated into his own solitary cell that the prisoners snapped back to reality.
Soon, the prisoners who had been planning to welcome Star-Lord's companions turned violent. Objects began flying through the air, hitting Star-Lord and his team. Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and the others were also pelted with debris.
"Kill him!"
"Kill him!"
"Get out, murderer!"
"Prepare to die!"
The prisoners shouted and hurled things at them. Rocket Raccoon, observing the scene, commented to Gamora, "See, his reputation precedes him. Many of the prisoners' families have been killed by Ronan and his thugs. She's lucky if she survives a day here."
Star-Lord, puzzled, asked, "Aren't the guards supposed to protect her?"
Rocket Raccoon shook his head in frustration. "The guards only care about us not breaking out. They don't give a damn about what happens to the prisoners."
Star-Lord was taken aback.
Gamora, undeterred, said, "You might think this is a nightmare, but compared to my past, this is a dream."
She recalled her past with a shudder. As a child, she was part of the Zehoberei tribe. When Thanos invaded, he forced her people to split into two groups and exterminated half to make resources available for the survivors. As she grew up and followed Thanos, she experienced many horrors that increasingly made her opposed to his ideals. Recently, upon learning that Thanos and Ronan planned to cooperate to destroy Xandar, she could no longer tolerate it and chose to betray them.
At that moment, a burly blue-skinned man approached and mocked Star-Lord. "Look at this little fresh meat. I'm going to eat you with some Gannavian fruit sauce."
He touched Star-Lord's face, making him uncomfortable. Groot, unable to stand it, extended a twig and jabbed it into the blue-skinned man's nose, causing him to scream in pain.
The ruckus from the prisoners began to die down. Rocket Raccoon, seizing the moment, shouted, "Let me make this clear: this guy is our property. If you want to take him, you'd better weigh your own strength first!"
"Or if you have the guts, try our strength!" Rocket added.
Groot and Rocket moved towards the cell, with Star-Lord hastily following them and shouting, "I belong to them!"
He then pointed at the mysterious figure in white and added, "I'm his friend. I suggest you don't mess with me!"
Hearing this, the prisoners who had been watching the scene with interest suddenly looked wary. The presence of the enigmatic white figure made them hesitant to provoke Star-Lord and his companions any further.
Star-Lord was surprised by the power of this mysterious figure's influence and quickly moved past the fallen blue-skinned man toward the prison cell. Gamora, too, faced threats from prisoners but managed to enter her cell and shut the door behind her.
Meanwhile, Syd was manipulating a fist-sized silver orb, pondering how to open it.
Star-Lord, curious, asked, "What is this thing? Why do so many people want it?"
Rocket Raccoon and the others also looked on with interest. Even some of the prisoners who could overhear the conversation were intrigued.
Syd glanced at them and casually explained, "Before the universe was born, there were six singularity essences. After the Big Bang, these singularity essences were refined into several particle entities."
"This orb contains one of those particles. You can call it an Infinity Stone, or an Infinity Gem."
"Whoever possesses these stones can instantly annihilate entire civilizations," Syd said calmly.
He was straightforward about the origins of the Infinity Stones, which were indeed refined from singularities in the real universe. However, there is another version in the comic universe where the Infinity Stones originated from the Goddess of Vengeance, Nemesis. Bored with the universe, she split herself into seven stones, one of which was a self-stone. Collecting all seven stones could resurrect her, but that's unrelated to the Infinity Stone Syd held.
(End of Chapter)