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"Alright… first, calm down and analyze. The first thing I need to confirm is… who the heck is talking?!"
Kevin looked around, trying to find the person who was speaking.
But unfortunately, he saw nothing, and even the voice stopped appearing.
It was as if everything that had just happened was merely his hallucination.
But Kevin was certain, this was definitely not a hallucination or an illusion; he really heard someone talking.
And if there were no surprises, the person speaking should be The Watcher from the "what if…" series!
The Watcher… was watching him?!
So, he had inadvertently become the protagonist of an episode in the spin-off "what if" series?!
No, no, no, that's not right. I'm not the protagonist; I should just be a variable, which is why I attracted The Watcher's attention…
Kevin forced himself to calm down and began to seriously consider the current situation.
If this was the Marvel main universe, then undoubtedly, the Guardians of the Galaxy would have no problems protecting Xandar.
They might experience some difficulties, and even temporarily lose Groot, but ultimately, with Star-Lord's dance-off, they would definitely defeat Ronan.
But… what if Ronan was replaced by Thanos?
What if the one attacking Xandar wasn't Ronan, but Thanos and his Black Order?
What if it was even Thanos who had already obtained the power stone…
"Can't be saved! Just wait to die! Goodbye!!"
Kevin wasn't a coward, nor was he truly afraid of Thanos. He just felt that at his current stage, he couldn't possibly be a match for Thanos, especially Thanos with the power stone!
His physique might already be comparable to or even surpass Homelander's.
But Kevin could be sure.
His physique couldn't compare to Thor's, couldn't compare to Hulk's, let alone Thanos, who could beat Hulk into submission!
Especially when he was beating Hulk, Thanos didn't even use the power of the Infinity Stones!
To be able to beat Hulk without using the power of the stones, how powerful would Thanos be now that he had the power stone? Kevin didn't even dare to imagine!
In this situation, Rocket wanted Kevin to go support Xandar?
Don't be ridiculous, Kevin thought it would be better to return to the The Boys world.
Yes, that's what he'd do, he'd go back!
But when he was truly about to return, Kevin couldn't help but stop.
Yes, he could leave here, ignore everyone, and safely return to his The Boys world to be the Vice President of Vought.
But this meant that Kevin would have to abandon this entire universe.
Thanos had now obtained the power stone, and following his agreement with Ronan, he would destroy Xandar. Then he would begin his Infinity Stones plan.
He would get the other five Infinity Stones much earlier than in the movie.
If Thanos succeeded, that would be fine; he would retire after achieving his goal, and Kevin could still return to this world.
But what if…
The situation was the worst kind?
Just by the current plot progression, Kevin couldn't tell which season of what if this was.
But regarding Thanos collecting the stones early, Kevin did have some clues.
In the first two seasons of what if that Kevin had watched, the episodes where Thanos collected the stones early and went to Earth seemed to be only the zombie episode of the first season, and the Infinity Ultron episode.
In the former, Thanos collected all the stones except the mind stone, descended upon Wakanda on Earth, and became a zombie.
The latter simply delivered a package to Ultron, handing over five Infinity Stones, thereby creating the biggest villain of the first season of the "what if" series.
Infinity Ultron!
The zombie episode wasn't too bad; even if Earth truly became full of zombies, Kevin could just never go to Earth again.
But if it was the Infinity Ultron episode…
If Kevin didn't stop Thanos and let Thanos deliver himself to Ultron, then this universe would become Kevin's forbidden zone forever.
He would absolutely never be able to step foot here again.
Because Ultron would destroy all life that entered it and, by following the entering life, destroy the universe that life existed in.
Infinity Ultron did exactly that in "what if."
"Should I abandon this place where I can farm skill points…?"
Running away meant facing the risk of this Marvel Universe turning into a silent void.
Staying meant facing Thanos, who held the power stone.
Given Kevin's cautious nature, the second option was definitely his most rejected choice.
But…
He had finally changed professions and gained some strength, but if he ran away without even seeing the enemy after gaining power, that would be too lame.
Anyway, Kevin could return to the The Boys world at any time, so if he really couldn't beat Thanos, it wouldn't be too late to return then.
Being able to leave the Marvel World at any time was Kevin's confidence.
Moreover, since he intended to use this Marvel Universe as a dungeon to farm skill points, Kevin would definitely have to face Thanos, this Boss, in the future.
If he chose to run away this time, then what about next time?
"…No choice."
Kevin's eyes showed determination as he walked towards the Collector.
(The traveler from an unknown universe finally made up his mind to stop Thanos, to stop him from destroying Xandar.)
"Yes, yes, I know, I've made up my mind, so can you please stop nagging in my ear?"
Kevin, hearing The Watcher's narration again, complained speechlessly.
He couldn't see The Watcher, nor could he sense The Watcher's presence, but he could hear The Watcher's descriptions of him.
This was probably the effect of Kevin's level one The Deep Heart skill after his job change.
[The Deep Heart: As a child of the sea, you possess the ability to communicate with the ocean. Within the ocean, you can perceive mysterious things, and even some… unknown existences.]
This skill was passive and was maxed out at level one.
In simple terms, its specific ability was to increase Kevin's precision in Water Manipulation and his affinity for aquatic creatures, and even some semi-aquatic creatures.
The former was easy to understand; as for the latter, in Kevin's understanding, it meant he could talk to more animals.
For example, creatures like ducks, swans, and seagulls, which were definitely not considered aquatic creatures before, Kevin couldn't communicate with them.
But after awakening the The Deep Heart, as long as it was a species related to the sea, he could probably communicate with it.
Things like seagulls, sea lions, seals, penguins, polar bears… uh, polar bears were unlikely, but penguins were possible.
Furthermore, it enhanced some of Kevin's inspiration.
Allowing him to hear more sounds.
For example, the occasional voice of The Watcher.
Although Kevin always felt that if this ability encountered a Cthulhu world, he would probably die miserably…
But Marvel shouldn't have such things, so there was no need to worry for now.
Kevin ignored The Watcher's nagging; anyway, before Infinity Ultron appeared, this guy was just The Watcher.
He wouldn't change anything, nor would he actively interfere with the story progression of the world's protagonists.
That is to say, no matter what Kevin's identity was, even if he was a villain who destroyed the world, The Watcher would only observe him and would not influence what Kevin did.
Ignoring The Watcher, Kevin walked directly towards the Collector.
The Collector was currently sitting in the ruins chatting with a duck.
He sighed, watching his collections running around everywhere, and was quite surprised to see Kevin approaching:
"Oh, you're out? I thought you'd stay in the crystal and become another one of my collections."
"Stop with the nonsense, I need your help now."
"Help?" The Collector looked at Kevin strangely: "What do you need my help with? I usually don't get involved, and even if I do, the price will be very expensive."
As soon as The Collector finished speaking, the duck beside him chimed in:
"You get what you pay for, kid. You always have to give something first when you trade with someone, right?"
Howard the Duck…
Kevin couldn't help but twitch his lips, looking at the duck next to The Collector.
According to the setting, this duck seemed to come from a parallel Marvel Universe full of ducks, accidentally entered the main universe, and settled down there.
Originally just a cameo role in the movie, Kevin never thought he would actually be able to communicate with him.
Kevin retracted his gaze from Howard the Duck, ignored him, walked up to The Collector, and looked at him, saying:
"What I'm offering is your lives. How does that trade sound to you?"
"Heh, kid, there are many people in the universe who want my life. This trade… I don't think so."
The Collector scoffed, ignoring Kevin.
The Collector in the comics was one of the Elders of the Universe, possessing immortality, but this was a comic setting, and he didn't seem to be that powerful in the movie.
But that wasn't important; anyway, whether The Collector was an Elder of the Universe or not, the one who would kill him wouldn't be Kevin.
"Who said I wanted to kill you?"
Kevin smiled slightly, sat cross-legged in front of The Collector, and said:
"When Thanos achieves his goal, you, I, and even half the life in Knowhere will not escape his 'judgment'."
Upon hearing this, The Collector's smile instantly vanished, and he looked up at Kevin:
"What do you mean?"
"As one of the most well-informed people in the universe, you should be well aware of Thanos's goal."
"This… I really don't know."
The Collector narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression unchanged. Kevin couldn't tell if he was lying.
But it didn't matter.
"Alright, if you don't know, I'll tell you. Thanos wants to collect the Infinity Stones and use the power of the six Infinity Stones to fulfill his lifelong dream."
Kevin stated his purpose in front of The Collector.
The Collector's expression remained unchanged; he merely retorted:
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Don't play dumb, The Collector. Where do you think Thanos will go next after obtaining the power stone?
"Of the six Infinity Stones in the universe, the power stone is in Thanos's hands, the soul stone is missing, and three of the remaining four are on Earth… or rather, in the Nine Realms ruled by Asgard… and the only one left…",
At this point, Kevin looked up and smiled at The Collector:
"Is with you."
"!"
"Thanos's next destination will be here. He will definitely obtain the Reality Stone from you. Do you think he will let go of you, who holds the Reality Stone? Will he let go of the people in Knowhere?"
As Kevin's voice fell, the room became extremely quiet.
For the first time, The Collector looked at Kevin with a very serious gaze:
"You know a lot of things…"
"Hmm, just a little… more than you guys."
Kevin once again used the same words he used to deal with Gamora, to deal with The Collector.
The Collector laughed, brushed the dust off his body, and asked:
"Alright, I admit you've convinced me. So what do you want to trade with me?"
"Very simple." Kevin grinned, "Lend me the Reality Stone. Once Thanos is defeated, I'll return it to you."
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