Chapter 275: Allen Alters Rocket Raccoon's Origin
Inside the lab where the Guardians of the Galaxy were imprisoned.
The High Evolutionary had been watching Allen's every move through the surveillance monitors.
"Thank goodness the boss is still alive," Yondu said with relief.
On screen was their captain—the one they had assumed was long dead.
No one had expected him to storm the High-Tech Center solo to rescue them.
But despite their awe, watching Allen zigzag around and waste time filled them with anxiety.
"You're all getting happy far too early," the High Evolutionary said calmly. "I will personally destroy your hope."
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, a reinforced alloy door rose, revealing Allen, who had finally located the mastermind.
"Daddy, is he a bad guy?" Ayesha timidly poked her head out from behind Allen, asking hesitantly like a shy little girl.
"He's the one who killed your mother," Allen said solemnly. "A quack doctor without a medical license."
"You villain, give me back my mommy!"
Fury welled up in Ayesha's heart. She raised her tiny fists and charged at the High Evolutionary.
Bang!
It ended in tragedy.
With just a flick of his hand, the High Evolutionary sent her flying, crashing into a metal wall.
She tumbled several times before landing in a daze, her face scrunched in pain.
Sniffle…
Ayesha tried hard to hold back her tears, her expression stubborn but the tears still falling. "Daddy… hug…"
"Get lost, silly girl."
Allen had no interest in playing the doting father. His focus remained locked on the High Evolutionary.
Defeated and sniffling, Ayesha rubbed her sore butt and hobbled over to seek comfort from Kevinna.
"Before we fight, I've got a question," Allen said curiously. "Are you related to Supreme Intelligence?"
"…"
The High Evolutionary's expression instantly darkened.
The Supreme Intelligence was a computer—the Kree Empire's pinnacle of artificial intelligence. A biological relationship was out of the question.
"You can die now," he said coldly, no longer willing to waste words.
He had already investigated the matter thoroughly.
It was all a plot orchestrated by the Kryptonians from the shadows. Once the situation on Mount Wundagore was resolved, he would make them answer for it.
If he didn't respond forcefully, other galactic powers might see him as a pushover.
Besides, the High Corporation spanned numerous civilizations. Economically, they could sanction the Kryptonians at the capital level.
A blast like a palm cannon suddenly shot out from his hand.
The High Evolutionary, of course, was armed to the teeth with high-tech weaponry.
And as someone obsessed with genetic engineering, his own body had undergone modifications. In fact, his core biotech had granted him immortality.
That said, this tech was classified at the highest level.
After all, the temptation of immortality could easily cause disastrous consequences.
In an instant, Allen conjured a portal in front of him, redirecting the blast back at the attacker.
With a slight shift, the High Evolutionary easily dodged.
Suddenly, Allen collapsed under what felt like a crushing weight—like thousands of tons pressing him into the ground.
"So fragile," the High Evolutionary sneered as he stepped over and pressed a foot against Allen's face. "You really thought you could challenge me with that level of strength? Who gave you the courage?"
"Batman," Allen gasped, barely able to move. Even lifting a finger felt like trying to move metal with magnets—every ounce of strength drained.
"Haven't seen someone this mouthy in a while," the High Evolutionary said with a cruel smile. "I hope you can keep it up."
"As you wish. I'm the king of talking smack—never lost once."
Then Allen suddenly shouted, "Look, angels!"
Five radiant angels appeared out of thin air, diving straight for the High Evolutionary.
Hmph!
With nothing more than a cold snort, the High Evolutionary unleashed an overwhelming wave of pressure.
In an instant, the five angels froze midair, then disintegrated into feathers of light.
"Go on, show me everything you've got," he said coolly. "I want to watch you descend into despair bit by bit."
"I couldn't be less despairing," Allen shot back defiantly.
Boom!
Thor's hammer shattered a glass barrier and came crashing down like a meteor onto the High Evolutionary.
Caught completely off guard, he was sent flying.
The crushing pressure on Allen's body vanished in that moment.
He raised his hand, and Mjolnir flew back into it.
Lightning surged across his entire body as the divine spark of Thor activated, encasing him in divine armor.
Hiss…
Allen wrapped his hands around his chest, blushing. "So cold…"
Clad only in a thin lab coat and underwear, he felt the icy metal chest plate of the divine armor clearly.
Illusion clung excitedly to the side of its bottle and shouted, "Boss, hammer him to death!"
The High Evolutionary, picking himself up, seemed surprised. "Didn't expect you to have a divine spark. But do you really think a weapon is enough to defeat me?"
"You're not the real one, are you?"
Allen dropped his usual lazy tone and gave a confident smirk. "I just used magic on you. Nothing happened, which means… you're just a mechanical proxy."
Exactly. He had silently cast a custom spell, but the High Evolutionary showed no reaction—not even a flicker of awareness.
The only explanation: this was a robotic body.
But considering the High Evolutionary's obsession with genetic modification, it made no sense for him to embrace mechanical upgrades. That would be an insult to his own scientific philosophy.
Villains like him always held unwavering confidence in their own methods and refused to tolerate any dissent.
"Divine Judgment of Thunder!"
Allen raised Mjolnir high.
Lightning gathered and surged.
The High Evolutionary tried to reapply the pressure mechanism—but to his shock, it didn't work.
With the divine spark's protection, Allen was now immune to that pressure field.
And even if there existed tech capable of sealing divine power, it would require shackles designed specifically for that purpose—something the High Evolutionary hadn't prepared for.
BOOM!
Thunder roared like a waterfall, crashing down onto the High Evolutionary's head.
Lightning surged in torrents, swallowing his furious roars.
Meanwhile…
On a hidden part of a satellite orbiting in space—
A spaceship activated its full cloaking system and sped into the depths of the galaxy.
"Damn Guardians of the Galaxy… I'll be back for revenge!"
Inside the cockpit, the real High Evolutionary glared at the disconnected screen, seething with rage.
When the uprising started, he had quietly escaped from Mount Wundagore.
Yes, he had an immortal lifespan—but not an indestructible body. For safety, he had stationed only a robotic proxy on-site.
Around him, beastfolk scientists sat frozen in fear.
Their master was in a towering fury—none of them dared to breathe too loud.
At the same time, the High Evolutionary was secretly relieved that he'd had the foresight to flee. Otherwise, he would've been wiped out.
Still, rebuilding wasn't hard for him.
The High Corporation had accounts in three major galactic empires. With that kind of capital, he could raise a new army, buy equipment, and build a new planet from scratch.
But the humiliation stuck in his throat.
His base had been wiped out for no reason. It was a catastrophe that came out of nowhere.
---
Allen rescued all his teammates.
The team was shaken, but ultimately safe.
If not for Allen's bizarre personality, they might all be dead.
"Should we go settle things with the Kryptonians?" Hela asked coldly.
They had more or less figured out who was really behind it—and it wasn't something they could just brush off.
As for the mission, their employer was probably long gone.
No one would be stupid enough to sit around waiting for revenge.
"We'll go beat some Kryptonian ass later," Allen fumed. "Otherwise, people'll think the Guardians of the Galaxy are easy targets."
Of course, they couldn't act recklessly.
Kryptonian civilization was second-tier in the galaxy. A single raider team wasn't enough to go toe-to-toe with them.
Even if every team member would become a powerhouse someday, right now, they were still nobodies.
The uprising on Mount Wundagore neared its conclusion.
Controlling the satellite military base, Weners gave a broadcast explaining the truth and urging the beastfolk troops to surrender.
Their goal was to create a society where intelligent species could coexist—not a deeper cycle of hatred.
At the same time, Santiya used the comms system to contact the Shi'ar Empire, requesting to establish diplomatic relations.
Recognition from the Shi'ar would grant them access to a major trade bloc—and military protection.
With space fighters assisting from above, the beastfolk forces on the ground had no hope of winning.
And just as the rebels attacked the High-Tech Center in full force, a group of experimental creatures was released—attacking beastfolk soldiers without mercy.
In less than a day—
Mount Wundagore underwent a total transformation.
The beastfolk had no choice but to accept reality and prepare for a new social structure.
Santiya's first executive order: free all the slaves imprisoned in the blood-sweat factories.
From that moment on, humans were granted full citizenship rights.
The second order: offer citizenship to the newly freed experimental subjects.
Those who wished to stay would be accepted; those who wanted to return to their home planets would be assisted.
Though some beastfolk elites resisted, overwhelming force left them no room to argue.
Remarkably, the rebellion moved so quickly that the next day, a New Federation was officially formed.
Several new intelligent species joined.
The Sovereigns. The Lava Kin. The Otter Tribe. The Raccoon Clan…
And in a moment of honor, Allen was invited on stage as a hero.
"During this great uprising, the extraterrestrial Lord Allen made invaluable contributions," Santiya announced to the cameras. "To commemorate his eternal merit, the Elder Council has unanimously decided to grant him the title of Permanent Honorary Leader of Mount Wundagore."
Since Allen and his crew were a roaming raider team, they couldn't stay on one planet. So the title was ceremonial.
But they did receive a real spaceship as compensation.
When Allen went up to give a speech, not just the live audience—but even the beastfolk watching on TV—felt their minds shrink.
What the hell was he wearing?
A white lab coat, under which was only a pair of underwear. Not even buttoned up. The coat flapped freely as he walked.
"First, I want to thank my parents. Although I've never seen them—they probably died before I was born. Second, I want to thank the director of Greenhill Rehabilitation Center. If he hadn't set the computer password to my birthday, I wouldn't have been able to sneak onto so many adult sites, and my condition might've actually improved…"
"That's enough!"
Realizing where it was going, Santiya rushed onstage and snatched the mic, trying to save face. "Thank you, our dear honorary leader, for those heartfelt words."
"I'm not done! I want to thank the nation! I want to thank CCTV! I want to thank local broadcasters! I want to thank—"
Two guards quickly dragged Allen offstage, while Santiya held the mic as far away from him as possible.
She had never imagined Allen would go off the rails like this during such an important occasion.
Hiss…
The beastfolk all sucked in a sharp breath.
The world had become unrecognizable—how could a lunatic overthrow an entire government?
It was insanity… opening the door for even more insanity.
"Thank you, great leader."
Just then, a pair of raccoon parents carrying a baby came up to Allen.
They were freed experimental subjects who had chosen to stay on Wundagore.
After all, now that they possessed considerable intelligence, returning to their original homeworld was clearly out of the question—they no longer fit in.
"Come on now, just throw in a couple million energy credits for the gesture,"
Allen said, rubbing his fingers together in a money-grubbing gesture.
The raccoon husband shifted uneasily and said, "Sorry, we don't have any money."
"I was just messing with you, and you actually took it seriously?"
Allen laughed and reached out to cradle the raccoon baby. "Does your child have a name?"
"We don't have names."
The raccoon couple looked visibly downcast.
Animals who had gained intelligence through genetic modification naturally didn't have surnames or any sort of lineage to pass down like sentient beings.
"I'll give you one."
Allen grinned mischievously. "From now on, your surname will be Rocket. How about that?"
"Thank you, Leader, for granting us a surname," the raccoon couple beamed with joy.
And just like that, thanks to Allen's prank, the origin of Rocket Raccoon was forever altered.
…
Krypton.
The House of El brought back a sample of the black water substance, and within days, envoys from the Kree Empire arrived unexpectedly.
It was hard not to assume their visit was prompted by the black water.
The apex creation of the former engineer civilization's biochemical weapons research had clearly stirred the interest of the Kree Empire.
The Kree envoy stated bluntly, "You have one day to decide. If you refuse to hand over the black water, Krypton will face the full wrath of the Kree Empire."
Clearly, there were spies from the Kree Empire embedded within Krypton.
In order to ensure the planet's safety, the House of El reluctantly surrendered a large amount of black water in exchange for peace.
Among the three great interstellar empires, the Kree Empire was particularly domineering, favoring conquest through war. As a result, Kryptonian civilization had little choice but to comply.
Once the blackwater was secured, the envoy delegation immediately withdrew, offering Krypton no further trouble.