Marvel: What If Thanos Adopted A Saiyan?-Chapter 126 - 127: Ego, Who Sees Through All

"Uh, thanks, but no thanks."

Zora didn't know where this man—this Ego—had suddenly sprung from, but her refined manners kicked in as she responded with a courteous smile.

Right now, Gafa was teeming with hidden powerhouses, and the last thing Zora wanted was for a VIP client to get into a scuffle with someone wielding mysterious abilities.

She had no desire to end up in Sakaar's gladiator pits.

Her survival instincts blaring, Zora quickly shifted her attention back to Lothar after politely declining the man who called himself Ego.

"Mr. Lothar, I—"

"Why do you keep following me?" Lothar cut her off coldly.

If he wasn't mistaken, tailing him around the clock certainly wasn't in her job description. She was a service staffer—if he sent her away, couldn't they just assign someone else?

"It's auction house policy, Mr. Lothar," Zora replied, a hint of bitterness flickering in her eyes.

If she had a choice, she'd have left already. But she didn't.

As staff trained specifically to cater to VIPs at the Cosmic Auction House, their only purpose on Gafa was to serve the guests deemed worthy of seats at the elite tables before and after the bidding.

If a guest rejected you, that was it. You'd lost your right to stay on Gafa. The only future left was the gladiator pits of Sakaar.

If you somehow survived those blood-soaked arenas, freedom might still be possible. But ever since the Cosmic Auction House partnered with Sakaar, not a single discarded staff member had made it out alive.

Not one.

Zora had no illusions—she wasn't going to be the first.

Of course, she couldn't explain any of this to Lothar. It was part of their unspoken code. Spill the truth, and your end wouldn't just be swift—it'd be systematic.

"This is important to me, so... please."

Playing her strongest card, Zora put on her most delicate, pleading expression. Her crimson lips trembled as she bit them gently.

"I'll take care of everything for you. I'll make sure your environment is perfectly comfortable in every way I can."

If she didn't fight for this, she'd die.

The overwhelming instinct to survive left her with no other choice.

"Oh?"

Lothar arched a brow, his gaze shifting to the long-haired man with the violin—Ego.

"What if I said... I didn't want to see this face?"

The corner of Lothar's mouth curled into a sardonic grin.

He didn't believe for a second that someone radiating such immense energy would just happen to appear before him for no reason.

His sharp instincts had him on full alert. Ego's sudden appearance screamed red flag.

"So what would you do?"

Arms crossed, head tilted with curiosity, Lothar studied Ego with a look that mixed amusement with suspicion.

Zora took the hint. With a steady breath, she pressed a button on her identity badge, triggering a transformation right in front of him.

The blue uniform of the Cosmic Auction House reformed over her, and she stepped between the two men with practiced poise.

"Sir—"

"Call me Ego."

Ego raised a hand, cutting her off with a grin.

"My name's Ego. I thought you would've picked that up already." He shrugged, his face feigning disappointment.

"Well then, Mr. Ego, I—"

"No."

Zora's attempt to speak was once again waved off. Fury surged within her, but years of training buried it under a professional smile. Inwardly, though, she was seething.

Why did all this have to happen on her first real day on the job?

Was she really doomed to end up as cannon fodder in Sakaar's arena?

Zora was crushed—disillusioned. Her first step into the real world was already tearing her apart.

"You're a beautiful and charming woman. Believe me, you deserve someone far better to serve."

Ego's tone turned smooth, his demeanor casual as if they were old friends.

"Like, say... me."

"Excuse me, Mr. Ego," Zora's tone darkened. "Please don't insult me."

"No, no, not at all. I'm not insulting you—I'm helping you."

Ego's gaze shifted back to Lothar, twinkling with a knowing glint.

"This man, this outsider, doesn't care about you. Not even a little."

"Thank you for your concern, but—Ah!"

Zora bowed slightly, ready to politely decline, when a plump orange tabby cat suddenly leapt onto her shoulder, making her yelp in surprise.

"My pet. Can you take care of it?"

Lothar's eyes locked onto Ego's, his smile deepening with intrigue.

"Huh? Ah, of course, no problem at all!"

Zora blinked, but quickly caught on. Her wine-colored ponytail bounced as she nodded, eyes lighting up.

She wasn't going to the arena anymore!

"Meow~"

The tabby stretched lazily, glancing around with wide, curious eyes. The innocent expression and its tiny head practically melted Zora's heart.

"A Flerken, huh? You're quite lucky."

Ego narrowed his eyes, studying the creature now pawing at Zora's chest.

Even he had only encountered five of them across eons of wandering. He'd eaten one once—it was sour and stringy. Not very tasty.

"Did it show up because your energy isn't native to this universe?"

With Lothar's aura, the answer was obvious. Ego had deduced the Flerken's attraction almost instantly.

"Who are you?" frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Lothar's smirk faded as he straightened his posture.

"My name is Ego. A traveler... a drifter through the cosmos."

"Want to hear something interesting?" Ego gestured toward Zora, now busy doting on the cat, and sent her a flirtatious air kiss.

"Roughly twenty years ago—or maybe a bit more, hard to say exactly. I keep track of a lot, you understand?"

Getting no reaction, Ego shrugged and continued, his voice turning nostalgic.

"Back then, there was a distortion somewhere in the universe. And for a moment, I sensed a lifeform—something not of this world. Just for an instant."

"But then... their life signal vanished, like someone had deliberately hidden it."

"I never found them."

Ego, whose life's work revolved around Cosmic Life Sciences, had long dreamed of finding that interstellar stranger—someone to compare himself against.

"Fascinating, isn't it?"

He spun the violin in his hands, smiling slyly.

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