163. The Wasteland, and the Legends of Shinra and Sephiroth

Nowhere floated silently, lonely and isolated within the vast and boundless universe.

From an external perspective, this place looked like a colossal skull, over ten miles in diameter, the gigantic cranium of some ancient, forgotten entity.

It was enough to make anyone who beheld it unable to fathom just how unimaginably massive the creature must have been in life.

Eons after the death of this gargantuan being, countless human figures, scurrying about like ants, remained busy mining within its hollowed skull.

To the cosmic human race, everything left behind by this titan—even its dried saliva—served as a usable resource.

In the lawless environment of outer space, such a location was not governed by any powerful interstellar authority. Instead, it had degenerated into a cesspool of thieves, scoundrels, and outlaws.

Here, one could find cosmic resource developers, pirates, interstellar fugitives, and bounty hunters. Practically every profession existing in the universe had a presence here.

Order was virtually nonexistent; raw power was the only recognized law.

And precisely as Suye and his companions arrived, a fresh batch of newly escaped fugitives happened to touch down.

The Kyln, a maximum-security cosmic prison belonging to the Xandar civilization, was built within an asteroid belt and served as the nightmare and final resting place for countless interstellar criminals.

Yet from that very prison, five inmates had somehow managed to break out together.

Led by the idiot Star-Lord, the Guardians of the Galaxy made their official debut.

Nowhere was vast, and Suye's group did not immediately cross paths with the Guardians.

However, since both parties shared the Collector's Emporium as their destination, their paths were bound to converge eventually.

For this, Suye had prepared himself mentally long ago.

Every plotline he encountered would happen ahead of schedule, and he was destined to stumble upon all the iconic scenes—the inevitable rule of a transmigrator.

"Everyone, try to stick together. Even if we separate into smaller groups, make sure there are plenty of people in each. This place is a melting pot of scum and villainy with all sorts of characters around. Staying together is much safer!"

Sif, acting as their guide, issued a reminder before everyone disembarked from the ship.

That's right, Sif was serving as their guide once again, though this time it wasn't arranged by Thor; she had volunteered for the position herself.

After Jane visited Asgard and met with her, Odin never mentioned the prospect of Thor marrying Sif again. The matter seemed to have quietly become a memory that everyone deliberately avoided.

Had it been in the past, Sif certainly would have felt aggrieved. For a full millennium, she had considered herself the crown princess-in-waiting, only for the status to vanish into thin air overnight without anyone even consulting her opinion. What did they take her for?

Presently, however, Sif no longer cared.

Thor was no longer the sole desirable man in her eyes. Having discovered better options, the God of Thunder could go jump in a lake!

Suye was handsome, spoke charmingly, and above all, possessed exceptional ability and skill. Sif thoroughly enjoyed being part of his team; it felt just like coming home.

More importantly, Suye's official girlfriend, Gwen, alongside his personal secretary, Sharon, was spearheading a major new initiative.

They intended to establish a specialized, all-female faction within the Great Wall Defenders.

This was not a schism, but rather an effort to secure more opportunities for their sisters to shine.

Feminism was not only booming on Earth, but it was also a sweeping trend across the entire universe.

Whatever men could do, women could do as well; and conversely, there were things women could achieve that men simply could not, such as giving birth.

Thus, the existence of matriarchal societies in ancient times was not without its logic.

Men ought to respect women with a devotion even greater than their self-respect.

The new faction, provisionally titled the United Female Superheroes for a World Full of Love Without Bullying, Hegemony, or Discrimination, Dedicated to the Legitimate Interests of Women Throughout the Universe—or the New Era Great Wall Defenders Alliance, for short—was born.

Abbreviated simply as the F.A. (Female Avengers).

The foundational purpose of the F.A., true to its full title, was to champion the interests of all women across the cosmos, and naturally, it welcomed female heroes from every corner of the universe.

Within Nowhere, they might just find new talent eligible to join the ranks.

Acting on Sif's suggestion, the superheroes split into two groups by gender. The women went shopping to see if the universe offered any trendy apparel unseen on Earth or Asgard.

The men, meanwhile, headed off to explore certain unspeakable establishments. Those who knew, knew.

"I wonder how cosmic females differ from Earth females?"

"Who knows? Maybe one of them could beat up seven or eight males by herself!"

"Males? That's an interesting choice of words you've got there. Tell me, what's on your mind? Are you looking to ride a horse, or ride an ox?"

"Can I ride a dragon? I've wanted to be a dragon slayer for the longest time!"

"Surtur's subordinates in Muspelheim seem to have a fire-breathing dragon. It's massive and has a rather fiery temper. If you're interested, you can go give it a try!"

Tony spoke with a smile, glancing around at the group before letting his gaze linger on Abomination.

"Though, looking at our group, I'm afraid even Abomination might not measure up. A toothpick stirring a giant vat—that's no laughing matter."

"I could stir it to death!"

Abomination shouted back, looking thoroughly unconvinced.

The rest of the group instantly burst into a chorus of admiring cheers.

A man's simple joys were sometimes just that unpretentious: a basic vulgar joke and a suggestive picture were enough to get them rioted up for half a day.

"By the way, where is Secretary Su?"

Someone suddenly noticed that Suye's figure was missing from the vicinity, and vanishing right along with him was his younger brother, Su Ruiwen.

A wave of understanding instantly washed over the group.

"Looks like he went to the restroom again. Does Secretary Su's brother have kidney trouble or digestive issues? Every time he goes to the bathroom, it takes half the day, and he always drags Secretary Su in with him. Is he afraid that if he squats too long, his legs will go numb and he'll fall down the toilet with nobody to fish him out?"

"Highly probable..."

Teasing Suye might have given these people a slight pause, but poking fun at Su Ruiwen was completely fair game. He was just a freeloader riding on his older brother's coattails to make a living within the Great Wall Defenders; what was wrong with roasting him a couple of times?

Little did they know, however, Su Ruiwen really was experiencing weak legs from squatting at that very moment.

Had Suye not been supporting her, she genuinely might have tumbled right down.

"That'll teach you to show off. Bad legs and you still insist on taking such long bathroom breaks!"

Suye couldn't help but complain aloud.

Su Ruiwen felt a twinge of embarrassment, even feeling too ashamed to face anyone, and promptly shifted her form into that of Jane.

As if by doing so, any disgrace incurred would somehow belong to Jane instead.

Upon witnessing the transformation, Suye instantly lost his composure.

With a maneuver akin to an NTR scenario that required zero psychological burden, he simply had no way to refuse.

"Hmph, men!"

Su Ruiwen shot Suye a contemptuous look before utilizing her mutant ability once more ten minutes later.

Jane transformed into the sharp-featured Daisy Johnson, her physique altering synchronously.

Suye let out a sharp intake of breath.

There was a good reason why Mystique was considered the ultimate mutant; possessing her was practically equivalent to possessing the entire world.

That statement was entirely accurate.

Seafood was delicious, true, but eating too much of it prone one to gout. Therefore, Suye only partook lightly before leading Raven—having returned to the guise of Su Ruiwen—to rendezvous with the rest of the Great Wall Defenders at a nightclub.

Meanwhile, Tony and the others had managed to dig up some intelligence.

"Secretary Su, we just found out that all the mineral extraction here has been contracted by a resource development company called 'Shinra'. We can buy small amounts on the black market for research purposes, but for bulk purchases, we have to go directly through Shinra."

"Shinra?"

Hearing the name, Suye raised an eyebrow.

This name did not belong to the Marvel Universe, but rather to the massive energy conglomerate from the Final Fantasy universe—an entity with power surpassing entire nations.

In the original lore, the resource they harvested was a planetary internal energy source known as "Mako," alternatively called the "Lifestream," which served as the fountainhead nourishing the planet and all life upon it.

Leveraging the exploitation of Mako, the Shinra Company not only amassed staggering wealth but also engineered its own formidable super-soldiers.

Sephiroth, the ultimate boss of the *Final Fantasy VII* series, was Shinra's number one super-soldier.

Protagonists like Cloud and others had also once served as Shinra soldiers.

After unlocking his "Girlfriend Card: Tifa," Suye had previously instructed people to investigate Earth for any traces of the company, only to find neither a firm named "Shinra" nor any sign of Tifa herself.

Originally, he had assumed Tifa, much like Saber, would require triggering special conditions within a dungeon instance to be unlocked.

To his surprise, she had been waiting for him right here instead.

The system's capabilities were undeniably outrageous.

Its influence wasn't restricted to Earth; it extended beyond the Nine Realms and deep into the cosmos.

Suye grew increasingly curious about the true origin of the system.

This also sparked another line of speculation: just how powerful was Old Su?

Suye still vividly remembered when they transported the Frost Giants back to Earth, Old Su's nonchalant demeanor—as if he were returning a few hundred chickens rather than over one hundred thousand Frost Giants so the village folk could have a good New Year.

And when Suye mentioned his jaunt to Jotunheim and his future plans to explore beyond the Nine Realms, Old Su hadn't raised a single objection.

What did that signify?

It signified that Old Su had absolute confidence in Suye leaving Earth.

It signified that Old Su held sway over the entire universe.

Suye sighed once more with emotion: no matter how terrifying one's golden finger might be, it still couldn't compare to having a capable father!

Besides, what if this very golden finger of his was a gift from Old Su in the first place?

It was a terrifying thought that bore no further contemplation.

Upon learning that Shinra was the entity exploiting Nowhere, Suye's anticipation grew.

He looked forward to the debut of Sephiroth, one of the most aesthetically pleasing and handsome villains in the history of computer graphics.

He looked forward to the debut of Tifa, the reigning queen of the 3D domain.

However, after consulting a local informant at the nightclub, Sephiroth's name was indeed confirmed to be well-known.

Sephiroth, the number one super-soldier of Shinra, commanded a formidable deterrent presence even in this wretched hive of scum and villainy.

To these pirates who constantly lived on the edge, Sephiroth was far more terrifying than the cosmic police.

Encountering the cosmic police at worst meant being locked away in prison, but offending Sephiroth meant absolute death.

No exceptions.

Sephiroth was the Grim Reaper in the hearts of the pirates, and his single black wing on the right side was viewed as an angel by many, but an angel of death to far more.

Sephiroth, however, was not currently stationed on Nowhere; he resided at the headquarters of the Shinra Company on Xandar.

That's right, Xandar—the capital planet of the Nova Empire and the future primary battlefield of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Hearing this news, Suye suddenly found himself thinking of Ronan the Accuser for some reason.

The Kree Empire, to which Ronan belonged, shared a blood feud with the Nova Corps, and obliterating Xandar was his lifelong ambition.

In the future, he would pilot the warship gifted to him by Thanos to launch an assault on Xandar.

If Shinra was also based on Xandar, would Ronan's invasion still proceed as smoothly as it did in the film?

The weapon in Sephiroth's possession—the nodachi "Masamune"—could extend into a forty-meter ship-cleaving blade in mere seconds. Furthermore, Sephiroth possessed wings and could fly, classifying him essentially as an aerial combat unit.

One had to wonder how many starships he would be able to carve through.

What remained uncertain was Shinra's stance on Xandar. When Ronan's massive fleet attacked, would they aid the Nova government in defending the planet, or would they seize the opportunity to kick a man while he was down and assist Ronan?

This would directly determine the outcome of the invasion.

If Shinra chose to side with Ronan, Xandar and the Guardians of the Galaxy would likely both be doomed!

Judging by Suye's intuition, while his absence might have left things ambiguous, his arrival meant the probability of Shinra siding with Ronan exceeded 99.99%.

While the Great Wall Defenders were partying wildly at the nightclub, at the exact same moment, the Collector's Emporium welcomed a few guests of its own.

Star-Lord and his crew, having successfully escaped from the Kyln, had headed straight for this location.

The Cosmic Collector, an elderly white-bearded man wearing heavy smoky eye makeup.

Logically speaking, in literary works, someone with such attire was typically portrayed as an eccentric master, akin to the Shaolin sweeping monk, capable of reducing supposed experts to tears and chaos in mere moments.

The Cosmic Collector standing before Star-Lord and the others should have fit that exact archetype.

Without a few tricks up his sleeve, he could hardly have established a colossal treasure vault in a lawless, pirate-infested sinkhole of a place without anyone daring to make trouble.

Without formidable martial might to protect himself, he would have amounted to nothing more than a sitting duck.

The problem was that the Collector's subsequent displays genuinely matched the level of a sitting duck.

The prized artifact under appraisal was casually snatched away by one of his own female attendants. Despite possessing the Reality Stone and an array of powerful collections, he was effortlessly slain when confronted by Thanos, with Nowhere itself reduced to literal nothingness.

His performance truly did a great disservice to his imposing character design.

It completely wasted the grand title of Cosmic Collector.

Right now, the scenario was repeating itself. Just as Suye and the Great Wall Defenders were reveling, a loud explosion suddenly echoed from outside.

Concurrently, Suye perceived a subtle sensation.

A delicate resonance existed among the Infinity Stones, causing them to echo one another. When two stones were brought into close proximity, they transmitted clear signal feedback to their bearers.

It was simply that the external manifestation wasn't as overt as a Dragon Ball flashing directly.

"Let's move. Something might have happened outside, let's go check out the spectacle!"