168 Space Prison

As a cosmic mercenary with a criminal record, no one would believe Li Daniut when he claimed he was acting out of chivalry.

The Nova Corps imposed a severely punitive measure on mercenaries who dared to fight in their presence and even destroy a considerable amount of property: they were sent to a space prison. For an empire capable of interstellar colonization, building a prison out in space posed no difficulty whatsoever.

After roughly twelve hours of navigation, the transport ship carrying Li Daniut and the others finally reached the space prison. Li Daniut's excitement at that moment was undeniable.

*I'm riding in a spaceship? I've made it into outer space? And I'm even going to a space station?*

This unprecedented experience temporarily made Li Daniut forget the impending danger.

The prison floated amidst a field of space debris. When Li Daniut had watched movies, he thought the gaps between these meteoroids were very narrow, but as he looked out through the porthole while passing through the asteroid belt, he realized the truth.

Movies were all lies.

There certainly were dense clusters of space meteoroids, but this density was relative to their massive scale. Aside from warships of the cosmic scale like the one Ronan rode, human spaceships had no need to worry about colliding with meteoroids when weaving through these gaps. It was much like how obstacles that seemed impassable to humans were practically wide-open thoroughfares for ants.

Because they had been held in separate compartments on the ship, Li Daniut hadn't had the chance to converse with Star-Lord and the others. It wasn't until the spaceship entered the space prison that Li Daniut finally saw Star-Lord and the rest, who were likewise shackled in specialized cuffs. Of course, due to Groot's unique physiology—his severed limbs could regrow rapidly—he wasn't bound by handcuffs, but rather a waist lock.

Star-Lord possessed a remarkably buoyant and eccentric personality, a match for the raccoon. Seeing the tree-man again now that they no longer needed to fight, he asked, "What the hell are you anyway?"

"I am Groot!"

"And then?"

"I am Groot."

Walking in front, the raccoon turned his head at this and said, "Don't waste your breath. He only knows how to say that one sentence. After all, it's rather difficult for a tree to hold a conversation."

Star-Lord nodded in complete agreement, then turned his gaze to Li Daniut. "Pal, what kind of creature are you? You look an awful lot like me."

Although the people of the Nova Empire also belonged to the human species, there were still subtle differences due to their distinct geographic environments, such as the shape of their eyes. Upon closer inspection, one could spot features that set them apart from Terrans. Yet, after looking Li Daniut over carefully, Star-Lord found not a single alien characteristic.

Before Li Daniut could answer, the raccoon jumped in with the reply.

"He's my most loyal comrade, hailing from the distant and mysterious... Ee... Earth? Is that what it's called? I remember seeing it in the files I just read."

Star-Lord didn't have time to ponder why the raccoon called Li Daniut a loyal comrade while simultaneously claiming to have just read his file; he had caught only those two words: Earth.

"Earth? The Earth with Michael Jackson?"

Feigning unfamiliarity, Li Daniut asked with a look of astonishment, "How do you know about Michael Jackson?"

Star-Lord instantly grew excited. "Not only do I know Michael Jackson, I also know Bruce Lee! Yes, pal, judging by your skin tone, are you from the same country as Bruce Lee?"

*You even know Bruce Lee? Could you be a Terran too?* Li Daniut hadn't expected Star-Lord, who had been abducted from Earth at the age of nine, to know of Bruce Lee. Yet, considering the timeline, Star-Lord was taken around the late seventies, while Bruce Lee had already achieved global fame in the sixties, so it wasn't surprising that he knew him.

"Of course I know Bruce Lee. I left Earth when I was nine, and I was planning to go find Bruce Lee to learn kung fu when I grew up. Sadly, Bruce Lee passed away around that time. I actually cried my eyes out back then."

With that, Star-Lord struck a classic Bruce Lee pose and let out a sharp cry—"Wataah!"

(For those of you reading this who instinctively added the proper inflection, please allow me to give you a thumbs-up.)

"Hey..." The raccoon was displeased. He wanted to make Li Daniut his own associate, but since Star-Lord was his bounty target, he naturally didn't want the two of them getting too close. "Are you two planning to embrace and weep bitterly?"

Completely ignoring the raccoon, Star-Lord asked with eager curiosity, "That move you used to send her flying earlier—was that Bruce Lee's kung fu? Jeet Kune Do, right? I heard everyone from your country knows kung fu."

"Yes, everyone in our country knows kung fu, but Bruce Lee and I don't belong to the same school; the techniques we practice are different," Li Daniut explained.

Star-Lord's curiosity deepened. "Then whose kung fu is stronger?"

*Mine, of course.* But Li Daniut only kept that thought to himself. After all, Bruce Lee didn't possess a cheating device like internal energy; given Bruce Lee's aptitude, if he had practiced internal energy, he probably wouldn't have been any less formidable than Sing from *Kung Fu Hustle*.

"Each has its own merits, I suppose."

Gamora, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up. "I was knocked flying by you simply because I wasn't familiar with your fighting style. Once I get used to it, there's no telling who would win or lose."

"Oh-ho..." The raccoon was deeply grateful to Gamora for interrupting Star-Lord and Li Daniut's trip down memory lane. He chimed in, "Daniut, you're finished. This woman is known as the most dangerous woman in the universe, and she's Thanos's adopted daughter to boot. If she manages to walk out of this prison alive, you'd better watch your back."

Li Daniut remained nonchalant. *She wants to get used to my fighting style? True, the universe is home to many races blessed with extraordinary talents, and some possess raw strength that rivals mine even when I employ my full internal energy. But so what? I also have the Tathagata Palm and the Lion's Roar—where are you going to learn how to counter those?*

Star-Lord proved adept at seizing upon the most crucial point in someone's words and asked, "You said she can't walk out alive—why is that? And if she can't get out, does that mean we can?"

The raccoon smiled mysteriously and replied, "Once you enter the prison, you'll find out why she can't walk out alive. As for us? When I leave, I'm definitely taking you with me."

Before Star-Lord could press further, they were escorted into the prison's processing area. Following identity verification, all their belongings were confiscated, after which they were separated for cleansing and sterilization. In the interstellar era, nothing was feared more than unknown viruses, some of which were capable of wiping out entire civilizations.

However, a complication arose when they attempted to remove Li Daniut's wrist guard. Contained within it was the nTZ48, Li Daniut's trump card; how could he possibly let it leave his body?

"There are no weapons inside this thing, nor are there any energy appliances or electronics—only medicine," Li Daniut said to the Nova Corps prison guards. "I have a medical condition and might have a flare-up at any moment. I need to take a pill. You wouldn't want me to die, would you?"

The guard checked Li Daniut's file, confirmed that he indeed had some sort of Alazapo disease, and noted that this medication had already been cleared when Li Daniut first entered the Nova Empire. Consequently, they did not insist on removing the wrist guard.

Receiving a definitive answer, Li Daniut happily mentally gave the system a thumbs-up. This setup was truly seamless.

In truth, Li Daniut was worrying needlessly; guards wouldn't confiscate items that posed no threat whatsoever. In the movie, someone in this prison even had mechanical legs, and the guards didn't force him to detach them.

Of course, items like the portable cassette player were confiscated without a shred of mercy.

Following a round of sterilization and after donning prison uniforms, Li Daniut and his companions were assembled and led toward their cell blocks. It was then that Star-Lord caught sight of a guard toying with the cassette player he had brought from Earth—a keepsake left behind by his mother.

True to the film's events, Star-Lord lunged forward, only to be struck down by a shock baton instantly.

Aching all over, Star-Lord was dragged out by the guards and dumped right in front of Li Daniut and the others.

The raccoon shook his head and said, "Daniut, aren't you going to carry your fellow countryman?"

Though he didn't appreciate the raccoon's commanding tone, Li Daniut looked over his group and realized he was indeed the most suitable candidate to carry Star-Lord. The raccoon? Too small. Gamora? She still wanted to kill Star-Lord. As for the tree-man? *Heh...*

Under the cold gazes of the guards, Li Daniut hoisted Star-Lord onto his back and walked toward the cell block.

The moment they reached the cell, Star-Lord recovered his basic mobility, thanked Li Daniut, and stood up on his own. Star-Lord knew that in a place like this, showing weakness right off the bat would immediately mark one as a target for bullying.

The guards shoved them into the cell block and departed, leaving them to face thousands of ruthless criminals alone.

*Clang.* Relying on sound to track movement, Li Daniut sidestepped a piece of debris hurled in his direction. Looking back, he saw that the vast majority of the projectiles were actually aimed at Gamora.

At the same time, nearly everyone began hurling insults at her.

Curious, Star-Lord asked the raccoon, "How did she manage to become so unpopular?"

With a cold expression, the raccoon replied, "Like I said, she's Thanos's adopted daughter, and for the past two years she's been running with Ronan. She has no idea how many enemies she's made across the universe. I reckon the number of people in here who want to kill her is greater than the number of women you've had one-night stands with."

Though surprised, Star-Lord stubbornly defended himself. "You've got to be joking. I've bedded women from every single race across the entire galaxy—the count is way higher than the population of this prison."

Bluntly puncturing his claim, the raccoon retorted, "As far as I know, unless augmented and enhanced, people of your species have terribly fragile physiques. Are your kidneys even functioning anymore?"

Just as Star-Lord was about to snap back, he noticed someone stepping directly in front of him. Lifting his gaze, his legs instantly turned to jelly; the figure towering before him was nearly three meters tall, with arms thicker than his own waist.

"Daniut, go get him! He's our target—how can we let someone else bully him? If any of his parts get damaged, he won't be worth as much," the raccoon shouted, turning back to address Li Daniut who was trailing behind.

*Me? Go? According to the script, shouldn't that be the tree-man's job?*