Knowledge Is Priceless
"My master, there are no shortage of desperados in the universe. As long as the price is right, Kree scientists are nothing more than commodities."
The Kree Empire is recognized as one of the three great empires. While it is feared by many civilizations, it is also the target of countless greedy eyes, all wanting to tear off a piece of its flesh to fill their stomachs.
There are countless interstellar civilizations that covet Kree technology, Kree are well aware of this, but they have no good way to deal with it.
On the one hand, the universe is vast and boundless, and their military strength cannot intimidate everyone; they can only win over some and then suppress others.
On the other hand, the Kree Empire's number one enemy is the Skrull Empire. With the two empires at war, they have no time to attend to other matters. Even if they know that someone is secretly causing trouble, they can only keep it to themselves for the time being.
Zereel sighed, "Demand determines the market. Even a powerful Kree Empire had to swallow its pride. When we Chitauri and the Black Order went to war, we also..."
"Shut up, I don't want to hear this," Russell interrupted directly, his face showing displeasure.
"My master, please forgive my rambling. I didn't mean anything by it, it's just that... scientists Kree are really expensive."
"What does it matter to me whether it's expensive or not? When did I say I wanted to buy it?"
"Well..."
Russell sneered, "We Hydra resolutely oppose the buying and selling of people. Knowledge is priceless, and scientists of the Kree Empire should not be commodities."
"So what do you mean?" Zereel was a little confused.
"I want to see who bought the Kree scientists and then offered a helping hand to free them." Russell glanced at Zereel and said slowly, "Is it too much for me to help those scientists regain their freedom and have them work for me for a few years?"
Zereel's eyes widened immediately. He was stunned for a moment, and then, noticing that Russell's expression was gradually turning unfriendly, he hurriedly said, "Of course it's not excessive. You're too kind. If you had saved me, I would have been willing to serve you for a lifetime, let alone a few years."
Russell nodded. "That makes sense. Let them serve for life."
Zereel: "..."
Over the next few days, Zereel sent people out to gather information and intelligence to advise Russell.
"My master, you can place orders on the black market of Kontraxia. If the price is right, countless people will be willing to risk their lives for you."
Do I need to pay a deposit?
Zereel wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "Uh, yes."
"Next!"
"In the Knowhere, there are many Kree..."
"Wait, what did you just say?"
Russell, with a strange expression, interrupted Zereel, "The Knowhere, the Collector?"
"My master, I am referring to the Knowhere, the territory of the Collector Tivan, who created a lawless land with the head of an ancient creature."
"Continue!"
Russell nodded. He had long ago defined the Marvel Universe he lived in as a chaotic version of comics and movies, so he was surprised at first, but after realizing it, he didn't find it strange at all.
"In the Knowhere, many Kree are trafficked or seek employment there, openly selling themselves. Unlike the black market, all transactions here are in the open, and I estimate that the Kree Empire tacitly approves of it."
At this point, perhaps fearing that Russell might not understand, Zereel explained, "Some of the slaves there came from the Skrull Empire. They captured Kree scientists, squeezed out their surplus value, and sold them in exchange for strategic materials."
"There are also victims of the internal struggles within the Kree Empire, and Kree scientists fleeing war, partly to escape conflict, and partly because not all Kree are willing to submit to the Supreme Intelligence..."
Russell nodded. Upon hearing "Knowhere," he suddenly thought of the Power Stone. If the plot here was the same as in the movie, then the Power Stone should be sitting alone on a deserted planet right now.
What was that planet called again?
He couldn't remember the name, but it wasn't a big deal. Russell decided to return to the real world to foresee the future.
As he stood up, his expression turned strange. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Zereel, what's the firepower of the Chitauri's flagship like?"
Zereel, puzzled, answered truthfully, "Among the many civilizations in the universe, we are barely considered first-rate. We once captured a Kree warship and reverse-engineered their technology."
"I have a giant cannon here, well, it was excavated from the ruins of an ancient civilization, not blueprints, but the real thing..." Russell said vaguely, glossing over the details. "Have someone go to the helipad to receive it, test its firepower, and if there are no problems, install it on my... no, install it on your flagship."
Zereel shuddered upon hearing this. "My master, you are joking. The Chitauri warships are all your property. Where would I get a flagship?"
"Shut up, I said it exists, so it exists!"
Seven cosmic days later, a small, ordinary-looking spaceship set sail from Mars, making a space jump towards its destination Knowhere.
The small spaceship carried Russell's two henchmen, Natasha and Bucky, along with his bodyguard Jason. The Elder White Ape's corpse, which had been stored away during their last departure, was now proving useful again.
In addition, there were 12 Winter Soldier accompanying them, who were divided into two small teams.
Yelena followed along. The little flower seedling was growing vigorously, Russell couldn't bear to dampen her enthusiasm, so he brought her out to broaden her horizons.
Following closely behind were three large warships. The original Chitauri warships were too conspicuous, so the design of these three new ships was inconspicuous and could be found everywhere in the universe.
The reason they went their separate ways was because they had different paths and could not work together. Russell said he was just going to wander Knowhere and did not know the three raiding warships behind him at all.
After traversing more than ten spatial nodes, the Winter Soldier were starting to feel the pressure. Just as they were about to reach the next spatial node, the ship switched to Warp Drive.
"Boss, there's an asteroid belt blocking our way ahead. Should we go around it or go straight through?" Natasha asked, turning around as she piloted the spaceship.
"Send it directly over there. It'll be a good opportunity to test your and Bucky's flying skills." Russell leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest.
Behind him, Yelena stood straight as a javelin, her delicate hands massaging his shoulders. After a moment, she gently placed two fingers on his temples. Russell leaned his head back in response. Hmm, the little bud is growing well!
"Clear!"
Natasha and Bucky exchanged a glance and together steered the spaceship into the asteroid belt. Their skills were far inferior to Russell's, so they needed to work together. One person controlled the direction to avoid asteroids, while the other operated the fire control system, firing directly at any asteroids that couldn't be avoided and destroying them.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—
Deep within the asteroid belt, a T-shaped black warship floats silently, drifting along with the asteroid.
Suddenly, the warship lit up with a red light, and the spaceship's propulsion system activated.
Inside the spaceship, a faint light appeared in the darkness, and a dark figure slowly awoke. "The Convergence of the Nine Realms, has it already begun?"
Behind him, more and more shadowy figures awoke from their long slumber. The first thing they did upon waking was to activate the spaceship's main control system and observe the Star Map projection floating in the control room.
"No, there's still some time before the Convergence of the Nine Realms. The alarms we set up on the perimeter have been triggered. A spaceship is approaching... and it's firing. It's very likely coming for us."
"Our location must not be revealed. Take it out, then go back to sleep!"