Karl and the others stayed quiet. It wasn't really their place to interfere in this matter. Still, Tony had already noticed a few suspicious details. He was doubtful, but he chose not to voice it yet.
Besides them, there was one more person remaining unusually calm—Gamora, who was sitting together with Nebula.
"How did you find us?" Gamora suddenly asked.
They had only just run into danger, and immediately afterward this man claiming to be Quill's father conveniently appeared. She didn't believe in coincidences.
"Although my information network is somewhat limited, I've still heard of the famous Star-Lord."
Ego casually dodged the question.
"So, how about we leave now?"
"Your friends are all welcome to come as well."
After speaking, Ego looked toward Quill.
"I promise you, my child, it's a place unlike anything you've ever seen. There, I can explain why you're special… and finally make up for lost time as your father."
His tone was earnest and sincere.
Gamora narrowed her eyes. The more she listened, the less she trusted this man. The fact that he deliberately avoided her question only made him seem even more suspicious.
After finishing, Ego headed directly toward his egg-shaped spaceship.
Once he had walked far enough away, Quill glanced around at everyone.
"I don't trust him."
Quill wasn't stupid. There was no way he'd believe someone was his father just because of a few words. Honestly, he'd find it easier to believe Yondu would suddenly appear out of nowhere and kick him across the face.
"Walk with me."
Gamora stood up and headed into the woods without waiting for a reply. After hesitating briefly, Quill quickly followed after her.
"What are they doing?"
Nebula looked at Karl and the others in confusion.
"Uh… well… you're still too young. We'll explain when you're older."
Tony wore a teasing grin. Clearly, his thoughts had gone somewhere else entirely.
Nebula rolled her eyes at him. Even if she technically didn't have proper white eyeballs.
The woman with antennae who had been quietly sitting nearby finally spoke up timidly.
"My name is Mantis."
Then she forced out a smile uglier than crying and stared nervously at everyone.
"Whoa… what kind of expression is that?"
Tony's mouth remained as sharp as ever.
"A smile. I heard humans like people who smile."
It was obvious Mantis was completely inexperienced with social interaction. Even basic communication seemed newly learned to her.
"Well, technically that's not wrong, but… you know… your smile kinda looks like something from a horror movie."
Tony traced circles over his own face while flashing what he believed to be a charming smile.
"I grew up alone on Ego's planet. I don't understand how people communicate, so I searched through a lot of information to learn."
Mantis still spoke in a tiny, cautious voice, as if she was afraid speaking too loudly might upset someone.
"You said you grew up alone. What about your family?"
Hearing that Mantis had grown up by herself, Gwen assumed something tragic had happened to her family.
But Mantis tilted her head in confusion.
"Family? What is that? Since I was born, I've always been alone. There wasn't anyone else on the planet. Not even animals."
Her words stunned everyone.
Karl, Tony, and Nebula immediately glanced toward Ego's ship, checking whether he was secretly listening nearby.
Karl knew the plot already, while Tony and Nebula had instantly become deeply suspicious.
A planet capable of supporting intelligent life shouldn't possibly contain only a single living being. And the complete absence of animals was even more impossible.
"You're saying Ego's planet has no other living creatures besides you?" Tony asked again.
As a scientist, he simply couldn't accept such a bizarre situation.
Mantis nodded cautiously once more.
"That's right. All the animals are gone too."
"How could that happen? Were there never any animals to begin with, or did something happen later?"
Tony continued pressing for answers. A scientist's instinct to uncover the truth was practically hardwired into him.
But this time, Mantis fell silent.
She looked visibly nervous and instinctively glanced toward Ego's spaceship again.
Nebula exchanged a look with Karl and Tony.
As one of Thanos' adopted daughters, Nebula was far from stupid. After scheming against Gamora for years, she had plenty of brains.
"This feels wrong," Nebula whispered first.
"There's definitely something suspicious about this Ego guy."
"Agreed," Tony said immediately.
"He reminds me of Obadiah. Same fake smile, same fake sincerity. Says all the right things on the surface, but who knows what he's really thinking underneath."
Ego's behavior reminded Tony too much of Obadiah Stane—the uncle figure he once trusted completely before getting stabbed in the back.
Karl simply nodded without speaking.
It still wasn't time yet.
Without evidence, saying anything now would only sound baseless. Tony and Gwen's group might believe him, but the others definitely wouldn't.
No one knew exactly what Quill and Gamora talked about in the woods, but after returning, Quill decided to go with Ego and see things for himself.
Still, he remained cautious and proposed splitting into two groups.
"What?! You're leaving me behind with that fox?!"
Nebula instantly exploded.
Early that morning, Gamora had informed her that she, Rocket, and Groot would stay behind to repair the ship.
Nebula absolutely did not want to remain here.
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