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"Anthony!" Jessica exclaimed in surprise.
"Hold tight!"
Homelander wrapped an arm around Jessica's waist.
"Boom—!"
Full thrust engaged.
The two turned into a beam of light, breaking free from the Planet's gravitational pull.
The hatch opened, and the air pressure equalized.
Jessica, still shaken, slumped into a seat, breathing heavily. Her Holographic Spacesuit automatically retracted, revealing a face covered in cold sweat.
Homelander stood before her, looking down at her.
"Jessica Jones." His voice was heavy with suppressed anger.
"Did I not tell you to stay on the ship?"
"Who do you think you are? Kara Danvers?"
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? That layer of dense fog was Ego's digestive enzyme! If I had arrived one second later, you would have already turned into a pile of protein!"
"If you had died..." Homelander bent down, grabbed Jessica's shoulders with both hands, and lifted her from the seat.
"...Did you ever consider my feelings?"
Jessica looked into Homelander's furious eyes and suddenly smiled.
She reached out and caressed Homelander's cheek.
"I knew it was a suicide mission... but this was the only impulse I couldn't control, Anthony."
Homelander froze for a moment, the anger in his eyes slowly dying down, replaced by a complex feeling of helplessness.
He sighed and gently pulled Jessica into his arms.
"You foolish woman..." he whispered in her ear. "Don't ever do that again."
If you fucking died, do you know how much popularity value I would lose... Homelander added internally.
"Mmm..." Jessica closed her eyes, enjoying the momentary warmth. "I understand, Boss."
Notification! Gained special popularity value +15,000! (From Jessica Jones)
"Hey! I said! Can you two stop this damn romance drama for a second?!"
A grumpy voice broke the cozy atmosphere.
Rocket Raccoon poked his head out of the cockpit, looking completely distraught.
"I know you Earthlings don't care where you get horny! But can you look out the window first?!"
"We're doomed!!"
Homelander released Jessica, stood up, walked to the cockpit, and looked out the viewport.
Ego the Living Planet had completely changed its appearance by now.
The giant human face was no longer still.
Its mouth was open to its limit, resembling the entrance to a black hole.
In the center of that abyssal maw, endless blue energy was rapidly converging.
The intensity of that energy distorted the surrounding space, causing the starlight to dim.
"Is that..." Drax's eyes widened. "Is he eating something?"
"Eating my ass!" Rocket snapped angrily. "He's about to fire a mouth cannon! That's a Planet-level energy cannon!"
"He's going to blow us up! Along with this entire star system!" Gamora shouted. "Rocket! Jump! Get us out of here!"
"I wish I could!" Rocket was frantically scratching his head.
"But this damned space has been disrupted by that energy! The Jump Drive can't lock onto an anchor point! We're locked down!"
"What about conventional power?" Yondu asked.
"Don't be ridiculous, Blue Daddy!" Rocket pointed outside. "With just the thrusters, we couldn't fly out of his range in a hundred years! And that thing has already locked onto us!"
"The moment he fires, we'll all be nothing but space dust!"
Complete despair enveloped the ship.
In the face of this Planet-level destructive strike, individual strength seemed so insignificant.
Can't escape.
Can't defeat it.
They could only watch helplessly as the enormous blue ball of light grew brighter and brighter, awaiting the arrival of death.
Drax sighed, "At least we die together."
Baby Groot hugged Rocket's leg: "I am Groot..."
Nebula leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, seemingly accepting her fate.
Quill mustered the courage to try and kiss Gamora, only to be met with a knee strike to the abdomen.
Even the audience on Earth felt a deep sense of helplessness watching the charging maw on the screen.
It's over.
This time, it's truly over.
No matter how strong Homelander is, can he withstand this attack?
Amidst this gloomy atmosphere.
"Hahahaha!"
A hearty laugh suddenly broke the silence.
Everyone turned their heads in astonishment.
They saw Homelander with his hands on his hips, laughing so hard he was doubled over.
"Are you crazy?" Rocket looked at him like he was insane. "We're going to die! What's so funny?"
"I'm laughing at your lack of imagination."
Homelander stopped laughing and shook his head.
"Who said we need a spaceship to get home?"
Under the gaze of everyone, he slowly raised his right hand.
A golden, Two-Holed Finger Ring was worn on his index and middle fingers.
That was the Sling Ring given to him by Sorcerer Ancient One.
"Watch."
Homelander's expression became serious, and his left hand drew an elegant arc in the air.
"Earth."
He silently chanted in his mind.
"Zzz-la—"
A burst of orange sparks erupted in the air.
Immediately afterward, the sparks rapidly spun and expanded.
A circular Teleportation Gate, over two meters in diameter, appeared out of thin air inside the ship's command cabin.
Through the Teleportation Gate.
Everyone clearly saw the scene on the other side.
Bright lights, modern equipment—it was the Strategic Command Center of V.G.D. Headquarters.
"This... what kind of technology is this?!"
Rocket Raccoon's eyes nearly popped out. He jumped off his chair, rushed over to the Teleportation Gate, and tentatively touched it with his paw.
"Space Folding? Wormhole transit? No equipment needed? Just drawing a circle with your hand?!"
"This isn't science! This completely violates the laws of physics!"
"It's magic, Little Raccoon," Homelander explained.
"We're saved..." Everyone let out a long sigh of relief.
"It had to be you, Homelander!" Yondu laughed heartily and clapped Homelander on the shoulder. "You're full of surprises! I knew you had an ace up your sleeve!"
"Hey, Cape Guy! That move was awesome!" Drax rushed over, trying to give Homelander a bear hug, but Homelander dodged him dismissively.
"I have to say, you're much more reliable than some people," Gamora agreed.
"Alright, enough with the flattery, hurry up and go," Homelander said with a smile, urging them along. "Just help me promote myself in the Universe and gain some followers later."
"No problem! I'll spread your great name in every bar!" Yondu laughed loudly and was the first to step through the Teleportation Gate.
Everyone laughed heartily, and the atmosphere instantly lightened.
Yondu, Quill, Gamora, Nebula, Drax, Mantis, and Rocket holding Groot, successively passed through the Teleportation Gate.
When they stepped onto the floor of V.G.D. Headquarters, the feeling of solid ground made them feel as if they had returned from another world.
"Jessica, it's your turn." Homelander turned to look at Jessica.
But Jessica remained standing still, holding her camera.
"Jessica?" Homelander frowned. "What are you doing? Get in quickly. The Teleportation Gate can't be maintained for too long."
"Aren't you coming?" Jessica asked.
"I have to maintain the Teleportation Gate." Homelander kept the posture of drawing the circle.
"Once all of you are through, I'll follow."
"You are lying." Jessica's voice was firm.