Chapter 157: Unexpected Detour

Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Unexpected Detour

The Starforge slowly merged into the spatial jump lane hovering above the towering structure.

Inside the main control room, Daniel excitedly ran his hands over the controls. He had only gotten his hands on this ridiculously luxurious ship today, and the novelty hadn’t worn off in the slightest.

Nearly every major power in the universe had contributed to its construction. So, calling it the most extravagant ship in the universe wouldn’t have been an exaggeration.

He had kept his excitement somewhat under control in front of Valkyrie, mostly to maintain some dignity. But now that he was alone, Daniel had no such concerns. He wandered around the control room, touching practically everything in sight.

There was plenty of technology he didn’t understand, but that didn’t stop him from appreciating every bit of it.

After making another lap around the control room, Daniel finally nodded in satisfaction. Those people really had gone all out.

It was almost embarrassing when he thought about it. He had spent years fighting many of these people, yet the moment they heard he was leaving, they had gone out of their way to prepare such an incredible farewell gift.

Daniel couldn’t help but feel a little touched. Maybe everyone really is a good person.

All that fighting in the past had been exhausting anyway. Making friends was clearly the better option.

His superhuman memory had already recorded every civilization that had sent him a gift, tens of thousands of them, without missing a single one.

How could he possibly forget people who had treated him so well? Now that he had accepted their gifts, Daniel considered all of them friends. Whatever grudges existed in the past were over.

When he and Susan eventually got married, he’d make sure every one of them received an invitation. Even if they lived too far away to attend, that was fine. As long as the wedding gifts arrived, they would be considered part of the celebration.

"Ultron, let’s head home. Take us back to the Solar System," Daniel said his voice full of anticipation.

Far below, he could vaguely see robots working on top of the tower. They were constructing an enormous statue, and its rough outline was already recognizable.

It was a statue of Daniel himself.

The Grandmaster certainly didn’t waste any time.

Daniel didn’t have the energy to worry about that right now. His only real disappointment was that he couldn’t fly the Starforge directly back to Earth. He would have loved nothing more than to land this magnificent ship right in New York and take it for a proper spin.

Unfortunately, the Starforge was simply too enormous, so there was no practical way to hide a ship of this size on Earth, and showing up with something this massive would probably cause unnecessary panic.

Besides, the governments on Earth had always treated him well. They had enough problems to deal with already. Daniel wasn’t about to create another one for them.

After thinking it over, he decided Mars was the perfect place to leave the ship. The Moon was too close to Earth. Mars, on the other hand, was just right.

’Maybe it’s finally time to build myself a place on Mars.’

Daniel mused to himself. He certainly had more than enough technology to make it happen. Ultron had plenty of advanced technology stored away, and with Tony’s help, building a comfortable villa on Mars would be easy.

He remembered the first time he’d ventured beyond Earth and explored the Solar System. Even back then, he’d dreamed of having a place of his own throughout the system.

Back then, the technology simply hadn’t been there yet, and even if he’d built a house on Mars at that time, there was no one who could actually live there besides him.

And what was the point of having a place like that if he had to enjoy it alone? The fun was in having people around.

Now, things were different. With the technology he had accumulated and the Space Stone in his possession, establishing a base on Mars would be incredibly easy. He could simply open a portal and step through.

If there hadn’t been so many people watching when he left Earth years ago, he might have done it back then. But pulling out an Infinity Stone and casually waving it around would have been a little too flashy.

Besides, he’d only recently acquired the Space Stone at the time. He hadn’t fully mastered it yet, and missing his destination would have been embarrassing.

But these five years had changed that. During his occasional trips back to Earth, Daniel had spent plenty of time practicing with the Stone. Now, as long as he stayed within the Solar System, he could reach practically anywhere he wanted.

Too bad I don’t have the Infinity Gauntlet. Daniel couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. With the Gauntlet, traveling would be even easier. One snap, and he could theoretically reach anywhere in the universe.

Without it, manipulating the raw power of the Space Stone directly was considerably more complicated. And Daniel knew almost nothing about the deeper cosmic laws governing space and the universe.

....

The Starforge continued racing through space. Daniel sat comfortably in the main control room, casually sipping his wine as the ship traveled through the jump lane.

Sakaar’s network of jump lanes was remarkably convenient. If nothing went wrong, they’d reach the Solar System before long.

Naturally, that was when something did go wrong.

Boom!

The entire Starforge shook violently. Daniel barely reacted, and despite the sudden impact, not a single drop of wine spilled from his glass.

"What happened, Ultron?"

Daniel’s expression darkened. He’d been looking forward to getting home, even imagining a long-overdue reunion with Susan, but now his good mood was gone.

"Spatial parasitic beasts are attacking the ship," Ultron reported.

"Say what?" Daniel’s eyes widened.

"Talk about bad luck," he muttered.

Spatial parasitic beasts were creatures that lived in jump lanes and wormholes. There used to be plenty of them, but travelers had gradually wiped out most of them. Apparently, Daniel had just run into one of the few swarms still left.

"Open the airlock."

"Sir, we’re currently inside a spatial jump lane. If something goes wrong, you could be swept away."

"I’ve traveled through wormholes before, so I’ll be fine."

"This particular jump lane appears to be different from a standard wormhole. The spatial and temporal distortions are considerably more unstable. You should not suffer any physical harm, but you may be warped to an unknown location."

"It shouldn’t be a big deal." Daniel thought it over for a moment. "If I end up somewhere else, just fly to Mars and wait for me."

"Understood, sir," Ultron agreed.

The airlock opened, and Daniel immediately flew outside.

The sight that greeted him was almost surreal. A massive swarm of transparent creatures filled the jump lane. Each one was enormous, and they were relentlessly slamming themselves against the Starforge’s hull.

They couldn’t penetrate the ship’s defenses, but their combined impact was gradually pushing the Starforge off course.

Daniel didn’t hesitate, and without a word, he charged right at them.

Spatial parasitic beasts had no real intelligence, so there was no point trying to reason with them. The simplest solution was to eliminate them.

The moment the creatures noticed Daniel approaching, they abandoned the Starforge and surged toward him as one enormous swarm.

In an instant, the transparent creatures completely engulfed him. Daniel actually thought that worked out pretty well. If they hadn’t attacked him directly, he would’ve had to be careful with his strength. One careless punch could easily damage the Starforge.

But now, he could finally let loose. Daniel allowed the entire swarm to cover him and waited until the creatures had completely cleared the area around the Starforge. Then...

Boom!

Blinding light erupted from his body, and a wave of solar energy exploded outward, instantly vaporizing every spatial parasitic beast in the swarm.

"Done." Daniel casually dusted off his hands and turned back toward the ship. When he looked up, the Starforge was nowhere to be seen.

Ultron’s warning had come true. While Daniel was busy dealing with the swarm, the unstable jump lane had pulled the Starforge away, leaving him behind.

But Daniel wasn’t particularly worried, because at his level of strength, the universe was hardly a dangerous place.

At worst, he’d have to travel through a few wormholes to find his way back. It might take a little longer, but that was hardly a problem. His body was more than durable enough to survive traveling through wormholes on its own.

So, Daniel simply started flying along the jump lane, and after what seemed like an eternity, a faint point of light finally appeared in the distance. He narrowed his eyes and flew toward it.

"Finally. I’m getting out of here. This is boring as hell."

Daniel exerted his strength, his speed surging as he flew toward the exit.

In an instant, a blinding white light flared, forcing Daniel to shut his eyes. When he opened them again, he found himself standing in an unfamiliar environment.

Rubbing his eyes, Daniel found himself slightly bothered by the strange white light. Even with his enhanced vision, it had been a little uncomfortable to look at. After giving his eyes a moment to adjust, he looked up at the gloomy, dim sky around him and wondered.

"Where the hell am I?"

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