"Here's the planet for you to command. Take over Xandar as quickly as possible. If the Xandarian people resist too fiercely and prove difficult to control, I will permit you to execute Project Omega."
Upon hearing of Project Omega, a flicker of fanaticism flashed in Krohmiz's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, as Bai Qi was still present.
"Your Majesty, may I truly execute Project Omega?"
Bai Qi nodded, then vanished from the command center.
After Bai Qi's departure, Krohmiz finally unleashed his inner fervor. His crazed laughter drew the attention of many异魔 in the command center.
Krohmiz, having regained his senses, swiftly lowered his aged face and snarled at the onlookers, "What are you looking at? Don't you have anything to do? Get moving, all of you! If there's even the slightest mistake, this captain will skin you alive."
Chastised by Krohmiz, no one present dared to continue spectating. They immediately turned back to their work.
It was no laughing matter. While Krohmiz appeared somewhat dim-witted when facing Bai Qi, he was an absolute ruthless figure in his daily life. He was not only brutal towards enemies but even more so towards disobedient subordinates. Coupled with his sharp mind, the torture methods he devised could leave those who defied him in a state of perpetual agony.
As for what Project Omega was, and why Krohmiz's face lit up with fanaticism upon hearing it could be executed?
Project Omega was conceived by Bai Qi after his experiences with the Injustice League, inspired by Darkseid's destructive exploitation of Earth.
The ideal scenario would be to completely enslave a planet, allowing for its sustainable and beneficial development to continuously contribute to Bai Qi's endeavors.
However, if the Xandarian people refused to cooperate, refused to submit, and formed resistance forces to rebel, obstruct, and sabotage, then Project Omega would be initiated.
First, it involved the destructive extraction of the planet's resources, taking all of Xandar's resources, leaving it an empty shell.
This was not the end. The people of Xandar would not be spared either. They would all be transformed into biomechanical weapons devoid of self-awareness, programmed and used as cannon fodder on future battlefields.
Finally, the depleted Xandar would not be wasted. It would be metalized and mechanized, transformed into a brand-new planetary fortress.
This was Bai Qi's Project Omega, a plan to utilize a planet to its absolute extreme.
The reason for Krohmiz's excitement was simple. When Bai Qi spoke of executing Project Omega, it was tantamount to sentencing the planet and all its inhabitants to death. If there was even the slightest resistance, Krohmiz would unhesitatingly initiate Project Omega and relish the process.
However, none of this mattered to Bai Qi. Whether Project Omega was executed or not would not significantly benefit him, nor did he care.
What occupied Bai Qi's mind now was finding a suitable location to calmly absorb the Power Stone into his body.
But the universe was vast, and finding a place where Bai Qi could absorb the Power Stone peacefully was proving difficult.
Bai Qi moved rapidly through the cosmos, holding the Power Stone, constantly scanning for any location that would allow for safe absorption. Yet, no matter how hard he searched, Bai Qi could not find one.
Just as Bai Qi was beginning to fret, contemplating returning to Earth to absorb it, a colossal planet was hurtling towards him at immense speed. From a distance, Bai Qi could vaguely discern a human face on its surface.
As the planet grew larger, Bai Qi's lips involuntarily twitched.
"Could this bizarre thing be Star-Lord's dad?"
As Bai Qi had suspected, this rapidly approaching planet was indeed Star-Lord's father, Ego.
Ego was also a peculiar being. He considered himself a Celestial and proclaimed this to others, though the reality was far from it.
Ego was merely an imposter Celestial. In his original form, Ego was an entity composed of independent consciousness within a brain-like structure. By manipulating subatomic particles to form macroscopic matter, he absorbed external substances, eventually taking the form of a planet.
Even with the protection of his hard planetary surface, his inherently fragile core remained concealed.
Now, this living planet, drawn by the aura emanating from the Power Stone in Bai Qi's hand, was rushing forward, intending to forcibly seize it. Yet, in Bai Qi's eyes, this was a godsend.
Especially since Ego, unaware of Bai Qi's strength, controlled the massive face on the planet's surface to open its mouth, intending to swallow Bai Qi and then leverage his home-field advantage to defeat him.
This was a case of a failed attempt to snatch a goose egg, resulting in the loss of the farmer's meal, playing right into Bai Qi's hands.
Facing the gaping maw, Bai Qi offered no resistance, allowing himself to be swallowed.
Meanwhile, deep within the planet's core, Ego was secretly gloating, congratulating himself on his luck in encountering a fool holding an Infinity Stone.
However, Ego soon realized something was amiss.
After Bai Qi was swallowed, Ego immediately commanded the rocks to attack him. But no matter how much force Ego exerted, all attacks were blocked about half a meter away from Bai Qi, unable to penetrate even an inch.
On the other hand, Bai Qi, upon entering the planet's interior, had been relentlessly forging ahead towards the planet's center, towards Ego's core. Layers of solid rock were shattered like thin paper as he advanced.
Ego truly panicked now. Realizing Bai Qi was rapidly approaching his core, and that all his defensive measures were utterly useless against him, Ego decisively chose to yield, initiating communication and begging for mercy.
"Friend, brother, father, I was wrong, please stop!"
"Father, my dear father, I was truly mistaken, blind and ignorant, unable to recognize a true god. I beg you, great being, to spare your son!"
"I implore you..."
As a planet, Ego had uttered every plea for mercy he could recall from his memory. Yet, Bai Qi showed no sign of stopping, nor did he even decelerate.
Seeing that softness wouldn't work, Ego decided to resort to force. But he had resorted to softness precisely because force had failed him before. How could he possibly stop Bai Qi now by reverting to his aggressive tactics?
Indeed, with Bai Qi's full charge, he soon reached the planet's core and beheld Ego's unbelievably massive brain.