Chapter 267: Oh No! The Boss Is Still on the Ship
50,000 energy coins were credited, along with the signing of an employment contract.
If the task wasn't completed by the agreed-upon deadline, they would be required to pay three times the commission in compensation.
Moreover, the agreement was overseen by the Void Territory. Any party that breached the contract would be permanently banned from entering.
The Void Territory was a hub for bounty hunters and raiders. Being banned from it meant losing access to nearly all mission sources.
"This is clearly a scam. Why did you accept it?" Hela asked with a frown.
The Priest Colin of the Sovereign race definitely had some hidden agenda. This task was bound to be extremely dangerous.
"I enjoy seeking death."
Allen grinned devilishly. "Obviously the Kryptonians want to use someone else to do their dirty work. But how could they fool my brain, which runs at 8,000 RPM? I live for dancing on the edge of death, hehehe…"
He walked out of the private room.
With his hands on his hips, Allen declared boldly, "The entire tab is on the Guardians of the Galaxy!"
"Ohhh yeah—long live the Guardians of the Galaxy!"
"Woohoo—cheers to the Guardians of the Galaxy!"
"Bless you, Guardians of the Galaxy!"
"..."
In an instant, the tavern erupted in celebration.
The bounty hunters all raised their glasses to toast the Guardians.
Such a generous move earned them instant favor.
Covering the whole bar's bill would cost at least several thousand energy coins—equivalent to the reward from a medium-difficulty mission.
Everyone partied together, and the Guardians were no exception.
"This stuff tastes like water."
Hela took a sip of the popular drink and showed an expression of pure disdain.
As the commander of Asgard's army and the Goddess of Death, of course she enjoyed drinking.
Not to mention, the wine brewed in the Divine Realm was made specifically for gods—mortals would pass out after a single sip. No wonder earthly liquor felt so bland to her.
"Kelp, don't get cocky."
Allen shot her a look and whispered, "Yondu, get her drunk."
"Got it, boss."
Yondu raised a bottle. "Bottoms up!"
He downed it in one go. The strong liquor hit immediately, and his blue skin turned bright red.
Hic…
Thud!
With a puff of alcohol, Yondu collapsed, eyes glazed over.
At the same moment, Hela drained a bottle without blinking, then gave a challenging look to the rest of the team and asked, "Who's next?"
"I'll go."
Frank volunteered, downing two bottles in a row and pretending to be fine. "Your turn."
The drinking contest had begun.
Immediately, it drew everyone's attention. Onlookers gathered around, shocked by Hela's alcohol tolerance.
This slender, beautiful woman seemed entirely immune to the effects of alcohol—practically unheard of.
Of course, that excluded certain species with unique physiology who either disliked alcohol or couldn't drink.
"I'm done."
By the time Hela put down her bottle, Frank was already face-down on the table, snoring.
Thanos managed three bottles.
Uxas got through five.
Both ended up passed out like the rest.
"That leaves you."
Hela's cheeks were lightly flushed, showing the faintest signs of drunkenness. She cast a scornful glance at Allen, who hadn't touched a drop.
"Don't get cocky."
Allen refused to back down, opening a bottle with confidence. "Let me show you the Tornado."
He aimed his mouth at the bottle, gave his head a dramatic shake to spin the liquid inside—
Pfff—!
The stylish moment lasted barely a second before the wine sprayed everywhere like a fountain.
Allen wiped his soaked face, grimacing. "This tastes terrible. Can I switch to Wahaha AD calcium milk?"
"No. Drink." Hela shot him down immediately.
No exceptions.
The mood had already been set.
"Drink! Drink! Drink!"
The bounty hunters around them egged him on.
"I'm not drinking this horse piss! Waaa…"
Allen tried to slip away in the confusion, but Hela swiftly grabbed him and pinned him to the table, forcing the bottle to his lips.
...
The ship continued its autopilot course toward Wundagore.
Everyone looked hungover—except Hela, who appeared completely fine. And Vision hadn't drunk at all, being not quite human.
"The ruler of Wundagore is the High Evolutionary of the Interstellar Bio-Evolution Corporation. Their products sell well across the Three Great Empires."
Thanos began briefing them on the mission details.
To species that hadn't yet ventured into space, the High Evolutionary seemed like a monster who performed horrific experiments on living beings.
But to spacefaring civilizations, the company was a powerful enterprise selling medical products that helped countless people.
From different perspectives, the High Evolutionary's morality varied—but that didn't erase the inherent evil of his actions.
Unfortunately, no intel was available on Wundagore's interior.
The High Evolutionary was known for strict isolation. Only public company info was accessible on the star-net to attract potential clients.
In a weary voice, Yondu asked, "Boss, any plan?"
"Of course—kick down the door and demand they hand over Ayesha!"
Allen spoke with gusto. "Life and death mean nothing to me. If they don't like it, they can bring it! I'll go toe-to-toe with the heavens, the earth, and even the air itself! If Galactus comes by, I'll slap him silly…"
Boom!
Before he could finish his wild rant, the ship was rocked by a blast of cannon fire.
"Warning: Ionic cannon detected. Hull integrity at 25%. Propulsion offline. Recommend immediate retreat to safe zone for repairs."
"Warning: Energy bay leak detected. Power valves sealed. Remaining energy reserves at 47%."
"..."
A string of warning messages echoed through the ship.
Everyone was a bit stunned and unsure of what to do.
They hadn't even reached Wundagore—just entered the satellite zone outside the planet.
No one had expected the High Evolutionary to have space-based defense systems already in place.
Thanos quickly realized the problem. "Damn it! There must be signal jamming. Otherwise, our shields wouldn't have failed so easily."
"My poor ship…"
Yondu clutched his chest in anguish. With a quarter of it damaged, repairing it seemed nearly impossible. It was practically a junked second-hand vessel now.
Boom!
Another blast hit before they could decide their next move.
"Warning: Energy bay unstable. Explosion risk detected. Recommend immediate evacuation."
"Abandon ship!"
No one hesitated. They evacuated into space at once.
The moment they exited, they entered zero gravity.
Frank had already transformed into Ghost Rider, soaring through the void on his hellfire motorcycle.
Hela, too, could fly freely thanks to Mjolnir.
But then, from every direction, hundreds of fighter ships appeared, unleashing control fields that locked everyone in place.
These high-tech ships shackled the group and dragged them toward a nearby military base on one of the satellites.
"Why is it getting colder?"
Frank struggled to maintain his Ghost Rider form. The hellfire around him flickered, looking ready to go out at any moment.
"They're suppressing my divine power…"
Hela, ready to strike back, was horrified to find she couldn't summon her thunder.
It felt like this entire ambush had been designed specifically with their powers in mind.
"Has anyone seen the boss?"
Yondu suddenly realized—Allen wasn't among those captured.
BOOM!
Their ship exploded in space.
A sinking feeling settled over everyone.
It seemed… Allen hadn't made it off the ship.