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Peter sat opposite Arthur and, after listening to him, nodded repeatedly. “And then?”
Arthur’s temples throbbed with frustration. Was this immediate retribution?
He sighed deeply, restrained his impulse to hit someone, and continued, “Based on all the current cases, the conclusions are: first, they are open to using ransom to exchange hostages; second, they will never easily let go of the kidnappers; third, based on these two points, our plan must focus on ‘speed’ and ‘accuracy.’ We need to complete the ransom exchange process as quickly as possible.”
“Mm-hmm, and then?”
Peter Quill nodded and poured Arthur a glass of water.
Arthur took a sip to clear his throat and, appreciating the gesture, continued, “According to the intelligence we have, if necessary, they do not mind using Nova Corps forces to capture the kidnappers. If… and I mean if, we set the exchange location on Xandar, the capital, it’s certain that we wouldn’t be able to escape. The Nova Corps is stationed there, and their military strength would quickly confine us!”
Peter Quill opened his mouth to say ‘And then?’, but after seeing Arthur’s raised fist, he swallowed his words and blinked.
Arthur nodded in satisfaction and continued, “However, the Nova Corps is not present throughout the entire Nova Empire! Considering their current war with the Kree, many border colonies do not have Nova Corps forces deployed.”
He then activated the projection device on the table, displaying the territory of the Nova Empire.
After scanning a few of the Nova Empire’s colonies, he highlighted one planet: “Planets bordering the Kree are mostly engulfed in conflict. This is definitely not good news for us. The military forces on both sides are heavily concentrated here. Whether it’s the Nova Corps or the Kree, if we get surrounded by them, the result will be disastrous… In contrast, this planet is located in the rear area, bordering neutral zones. It has not developed rapidly, and its military forces are relatively sparse, making it an excellent entry point.”
“I know this place!”
Peter Quill looked at the planet Arthur had highlighted and said, “I’ve been there. I remember it has a very large second-hand goods market. You can find a lot of good stuff there. To be honest, if we had time, it would be worth searching for useful items!”
Arthur smiled, “That’s also why I chose this place. Among the surrounding star systems, it has the largest second-hand market, and it’s a mix of people. Due to the war, the local security forces are only sufficient to maintain order. If it weren’t for the Nova Empire, it would probably have been looted countless times by now. Choosing this location for the transaction means they won’t be able to mobilize enough forces in a short time to intercept us. Otherwise, the local security would collapse!”
“…Hmm, makes sense, but there’s one problem.”
Peter Quill thought for a moment and said, “How should we conduct the transaction? We can’t just land on this planet and boldly tell them to bring the money for the exchange?”
“Of course not.”
Arthur shook his head, “Once the transaction begins, we can’t enter this planet. If you want to search for items in the second-hand market, it must be done before the transaction starts. The transaction location must be in empty space, connected to the Nova Empire’s visual network, and the entire process must be made public! This way, the Nova Empire won’t have a chance to delay even a second of the process. The total transaction time must not exceed one hour! If the transaction is not completed within an hour, we must leave no matter what.”
“Going that big?”
Peter Quill was surprised, “Does that mean we’re going to be on TV?”
“No, just me.”
Arthur said with a dark face, “I’m already a wanted criminal in the Nova Empire, so I don’t mind showing my face in front of them. As for you, you need to stay hidden. After I leave, you’ll still have to hang around in this galaxy.”
“Although it does make sense, I feel like I’m the bad guy in this situation.” Peter Quill looked at Arthur.
“You’re not really…”
Arthur muttered, then patted his shoulder and said, “In fact, if this transaction goes smoothly, my travel expenses will be almost covered. After that, I’ll just need to get a spaceship in the neutral zone and I can go home. The Nova Empire’s bounty will no longer be my concern, which is why I don’t mind it.”
“Hmm… alright then.”
Peter Quill blinked with a pitiful expression before speaking. “I didn’t expect our parting to come so quickly, but it’s okay. We’re still in the same star system. If I miss you, I can even visit Earth. Although finding the map isn’t easy— Yondu’s map was given to him by someone else, and in all my time in the galaxy, I haven’t seen another star chart to Earth. Not that I really want to go back…”
Peter Quill dragged on the conversation with Arthur, making it seem like their separation was imminent.
Just as Arthur was about to lose his patience, Peter Quill took the pilot’s seat, recalibrated the coordinates, and crossed through a wormhole.
Not every wormhole’s entrance is outside a planet; in fact, most are scattered throughout space.
After emerging from the wormhole, they flew through space for another two days until a dark-toned planet appeared in their view.
They directed the spaceship towards the orbital port, where their ship would dock temporarily for fuel replenishment.
At this point, they could leave the spaceship and head to the planet’s surface to look for some items they needed.
The process went smoothly. The port authorities only required some basic registration information, and the spaceship was allowed to dock.
Once off the spaceship, Arthur tightened the mask on his face and followed Peter Quill towards the checkpoint.
“Don’t be nervous.”
Peter Quill whispered, “They won’t ask you to remove your mask.”
Arthur nodded silently. He had already done his research on this matter.
From his recent observations, he noticed that not only people with masks but even those with suspicious-looking attire, labeled with ‘suspicious individual’ tags, were easily allowed through by the inspectors.
“This must be what they call a no-man’s land,” Arthur thought, exhaling lightly and following Peter Quill calmly to the checkpoint for inspection.
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