Chapter 295: The War Situation Escalates
As expected, the Guardians of the Galaxy claimed the Supreme Racing Cup championship.
The million-energy-coin prize allowed them to live lavishly on Sakaar.
Every day they woke up thinking only about how to spend their wealth.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. An official announcement from Sakaar forced Allen and the others to halt their carefree days.
"Due to escalating interstellar warfare, Sakaar has decided to shut off all external connections. All travelers must evacuate within three days, or face forced deportation."
The moment this news was released, it sparked widespread speculation.
If even the High Elder of the cosmos had chosen to shut down external access, it was clear the war had reached a critical point.
Allen and his team returned to Knowhere.
With a massive fortune in hand, they had no concerns about food or drink.
But that didn't mean their troubles were over.
As soon as they stepped into their usual bar, they were greeted by a glaring mission projection listing detailed tasks. The bar, usually bustling with customers, was now nearly deserted—no doubt everyone was out on missions.
Allen handed the bartender a bottle of rare liquor and asked about the current situation.
"The war has now affected second-tier civilizations. The three great cosmic empires are mobilizing their vassal civilizations to organize a joint interstellar fleet. A ton of reconnaissance, infiltration, and rescue missions are being routed through Knowhere. Most raider teams are trying to profit off the war."
Everyone had originally assumed that with the three major empires involved, the conflict would be quickly resolved.
In reality, it was spiraling out of control.
Second-tier civilizations could provide meaningful military support, but the third-tier ones were essentially useless—some didn't even qualify to participate in industrial production due to their vastly inferior technology.
At best, they could handle simple supply logistics.
Across the cosmos, many civilizations feared the collapse of the three great empires. The current order leaned toward peace—no one wanted a return to the brutal, blood-soaked days of old.
But the sudden emergence of the insectoid army, with its vicious nature and endless slaughter, terrified the galactic civilizations. As a result, they were more than willing to comply with the empires' conscription orders.
"Don't think staying on Knowhere means you're safe," the bartender said bluntly. "All supplies here have to be imported. Any team or individual not on a mission must assist the Collector's security fleet with escort duties."
"Damn it! I came back hoping to chill out, and now this crap." Allen was visibly annoyed.
If they couldn't stay out of the conflict, then they'd have to dive in headfirst.
Allen quickly accepted a rescue mission.
The target was a research facility belonging to the Shi'ar Empire. The objective: rescue a key scientist.
Compared to other tasks, rescue missions were relatively simple.
After all, they took place in zones where the fighting had already ended, which meant less danger—and more room to dawdle.
With some luck, the war would be over by the time they returned.
Their ship launched from Knowhere.
Thanks to the mission authorization tags, they passed through the military-controlled stargate without issue.
As they arrived near the gate, they saw numerous ships already lined up for scanning.
Normally, you wouldn't encounter so many bounty hunters crossing paths in space.
"The next stargate route leads into the Shi'ar Empire's war zone. Should we reroute?" Thanos asked.
"Of course we're rerouting."
Allen casually gestured in the air, pretending to be serious. "The mission is whatever. We're practically millionaires. No way we're working like cattle for someone else."
"Boss, I think we should save some money to upgrade the ship," Yondu suggested.
"Not necessary at all," Allen dismissed. "This isn't about flashy rides. No one's gonna look twice at you in deep space."
BOOM!
Without warning, an explosion rocked the ship from within.
A wave of blazing heat instantly consumed the entire vessel.
The End!
Three characters and an exclamation point appeared in glowing green light.
Allen immediately cast a protective light to shield his team. Outside the ship, a terrifying insectoid army surged through the stargate.
The Shi'ar space fleet guarding the gate quickly responded, launching thousands of fighters to intercept the invaders in space.
"My ship!"
Allen clutched his head in frustration.
That was the second ship he'd lost—once again destroyed before it could be retired properly, like it was cursed.
"Boss, the ship's gone…"
No one was more heartbroken than Yondu.
Once again, his dreams of becoming a raider captain had gone up in smoke. The bold ambitions he'd had when leaving his home world now felt like a distant memory—he couldn't help but feel he'd let down everyone back home.
The Shi'ar rescue fleet released a series of retrieval beams, scooping up bounty hunters drifting in space—including corpses.
This alone showed how much the Shi'ar Empire valued morality.
"Brothers, I'm heading out to farm some EXP."
Allen used the green light to toss his teammates into the rescue beam, then charged straight at the insectoid army without hesitation.
Angry as he was, he never forgot his purpose.
Max out his level—then go wild.
Facing wave after wave of bugs, it was like falling into a live EXP farming dungeon.
In the next moment, his body lit up with a rainbow aura as he dove into the insect horde.
"Who is that?!"
The space fleet commander was stunned. The figure cloaked in radiant light, flying effortlessly through the vacuum—clearly no ordinary person.
"So strong!"
Allen tore through the swarm like a divine blade slicing open a curtain of darkness.
The scene left the space fleet officers awestruck. It was like watching a king duel a gladiator—blood surging, adrenaline pumping. They immediately ordered increased firepower to provide cover.
[Killed Insect Soldier – EXP +30]
[Killed Insect Soldier – EXP +30]
[Killed Insect Soldier – EXP +30]
…
The EXP per bug was small—but the sheer numbers made up for it.
In just a few moments, Allen had leveled up several times. And he'd barely scratched the surface of the swarm.
BOOM!
A bolt of lightning crashed down, vaporizing swathes of insectoids.
Hela raised Mjolnir high, exuding her goddess-of-death aura in full force.
"Hey! Seaweed Lady! Stop stealing my EXP!"
Allen sped through the battlefield in Ghost Rider mode, eyes locked on a massive bio-ship looming beyond the gate.
"Oho… that big guy must be worth a ton of EXP."
Without hesitation, he dove headlong into the stargate.
On the other side, the stationed space fleet had already fallen.
Wrecked ships floated like trash in the void—no soldier corpses to be seen. Likely, they had already become insectoid food.
"Final Weapon: Excavator Mode!"
Ghost Rider transformed on command, reassembling into a massive excavator.
Surrounded by pink energy, any insectoid that touched it would suddenly have hearts glowing in its compound eyes—instantly turning to attack their still-sane comrades.
"I once made my name on Mount Akina with just an excavator," Allen boasted.
Under his control, the excavator drifted and spun through the void, swinging its bucket arm like a fist, smashing through the endless flood of bugs.
And just then, the stargate began to close—multiple doors sliding into place, sealing the passage shut.
The swarm pouring through had been far too much for the defending fleet to withstand.