American comics: Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who worry about their fathers!.

Chapter 1031 The "Death" of Azu!
Azu and Horus are shocked by Batman's arsenal.

Meanwhile, at Padrick Farm.

The air was filled with the earthy smell of rain.

The roar of engines grew louder as it approached, shattering the oppressive silence.

A mud-caked SUV roughly rolled over the gravel road at the farm entrance, swerved, and came to a stop in front of the living room, splashing mud onto the mottled pillars of the porch.

The car door was pushed open forcefully, and little Mordred was the first to jump out, her little face tense.

"What the hell is going on?!"

She kicked aside a charred wooden plank blocking her path. "I've searched for ages, but I haven't seen a trace of him! I don't know where Father has gone!"

She stomped her feet angrily, as if venting her resentment at not being able to find anyone on the ground.

Ceresia followed closely behind, her delicate brows also furrowed tightly.

She glanced at the farm and said to Mordred, "Mordred, keep your voice down, the farm seems too quiet."

Bao Bao and Wei, who was driving the SUV, got out of the car last.

Wei sniffed the air; besides the smell of dirt and burnt earth, there seemed to be a faint trace of blood mixed in.

"Something's wrong."

Wei spoke in a low voice, instantly silencing the other three.

Just then, the living room door creaked open from the inside.

Two figures walked out.

It's Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Star-Lord.

The two of them didn't look well.

Hal's green and white uniform had a tear in the left shoulder, the edges charred and curled, revealing the wound underneath.

Star-Lord's situation is equally bad.

Several claw marks were clearly visible on the chest of his leather jacket.

"Hal?! Star-Lord?!"

Wei stared at the two in shock, "What happened? How did you get so badly injured?!"

Little Mordred also ran over, sword in hand, his little face full of astonishment.

"What about that bandaged weirdo? Did he do it?"

Star-Lord's body trembled violently, his eyes darting away before he managed to raise his head with difficulty, his voice hoarse as he said, "It's...it's Andrew, that damned vampire!"

He coughed violently, "We...we were too careless..."

Hal added from the side, his voice filled with regret: "He... he took advantage of our unpreparedness and suddenly attacked. This guy's strength was completely unlike his previous weakness. We were caught off guard and he injured us."

"After that, this guy ambushed us and then ran away."

"Ran?"

Seresa covered her mouth, somewhat incredulous.

"Correct!"

Star-Lord nodded vigorously. "He escaped faster than we expected; we couldn't react at all."

Mordred looked at Hal and Star-Lord, noticing the burns and lacerations on their bodies.

Although a trace of instinctive vigilance still lingered in her little mind, seeing Star-Lord injured, that suspicion was quickly suppressed.

"Alright, at least he escaped quickly!"

Mordred, holding his sword, snorted, "He got off too easy. Otherwise, this knight would have definitely let him taste the power of my Noble Phantasm!"

Ceresia, however, was more concerned about the injured: "Mr. Hal, Star-Lord, your injuries look quite serious. Please come inside and get them treated!"

Just as they were talking, a slight whooshing sound came from the direction of the farm entrance again.

"It's Azu and Horus!"

With her sharp eyes, Bao Bao spotted the two figures rapidly approaching.

Ah Zu was still wearing that dark coat, with a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

Horus was wrapped in a black robe, so his expression was not visible.

Seeing the crowd gathered in front of the living room, as well as the injured Hal and Star-Lord, Azu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he quickened his pace.

"what happened?"

Azu's gaze swept over Hal and Star-Lord's wounds, and his brows furrowed even more.

"Where's Andrew? Bruce said he needs to gather some manpower and equipment, he'll be here shortly."

Vi quickly recounted Hal and Star-Lord's recent encounter to Azu and Horus.

Azu listened quietly, his gaze slowly shifting between Hal and Star-Lord.

Star-Lord seemed a little uncomfortable under Azu's gaze. He subconsciously avoided the other's eyes and weakly explained, "We...we didn't expect him to suddenly attack us, so we got injured."

Azu didn't ask any further questions, but just gave Star-Lord a deep look.

Bruce should arrive tomorrow.

Azu withdrew his gaze and said to the crowd, "He needs to handle some arrangements in Gotham and bring targeted weapons before he arrives..."

His gaze swept over everyone. "The farm needs the highest level of security. Seresa, Mordred, you two are in charge of the farm's defense and perimeter security. Vi, Bomb, you two clean the rooms. Hal and Star-Lord..."

He paused for a moment, then looked at the two wounded men. “Stay in the living room to rest and treat your wounds. Horus will guard the door.”

Azu's expression was rather grim. "We haven't found Father and Ciri. The vampires might have trapped them too. We need to be extra careful."

He didn't believe Peter would be in any danger; at most, he'd just be trapped by the vampires' schemes.

With everyone else absent, Ah Zu naturally took over command of the farm and directed everyone's actions.

Hearing Ah Zu's arrangement, everyone had no objections and immediately split up to carry out their tasks.

Although Mordred muttered, "Why won't you let me, the knight, go on guard duty?", he was still dragged outside by Ceresa.

After everyone had left, Azu stood alone in the open space in front of the living room.

Dusk had completely enveloped the earth, with only the dim yellow light shining through the living room window.

Azu's gaze was fixed on the distant night sky, and deep within his eyes, a storm seemed to be silently brewing.

late at night.

The living room was silent except for the occasional crackling of the burning wood in the fireplace.

Hal lay on the sofa in the living room, seemingly fast asleep due to pain and exhaustion.

Ceressa and Mordred stood guard on the perimeter.

Wei and Baobao are resting upstairs.

The golden retriever "Murphy" lay by the fireplace, its ears perked up alertly.

The second floor.

With a creak, Star-Lord's room door was gently pushed open.

He came out, his face as pale as paper, but his eyes were unusually bright in the dim light, and a faint, dark red light seemed to flash briefly in the depths of his pupils, so fast that one might think it was an illusion.

He moved very lightly, almost silently, like a ghost, through the living room to Ah Zu's door.

He raised his hand and tapped the door panel twice with his knuckles.

"Tuk-tuk!"

There was no response from the door.

Star-Lord knocked twice more, this time with slightly louder sound.

"Tuk Tuk Tuk!"

A few seconds later, the door was pulled open from the inside.

Ah Zu stood at the door. He didn't seem to be asleep. He was still wearing that dark coat, but a few buttons were undone.

"Is something wrong?"

Ah Zu's voice carried a hint of impatience at being disturbed.

Star-Lord forced a weak smile and pointed to his chest: "The wound...it's a little itchy, I can't sleep, it's too stuffy in the room. I saw your light was still on, so I wanted to talk to you. Shall we go for a walk by the lake? To get some fresh air?"

Star-Lord asked him casually.

Azu's gaze lingered for a few seconds on Star-Lord's pale face and the hand clutching his chest before he finally nodded.

"Ah."

The two left the main house silently, one after the other, and disappeared into the deep night of the farm.

Murphy raised his head, looking in the direction they had left, and let out a very soft whimper before lying down again.

The night breeze, carrying the dampness of the lake, rustled through the reeds on the shore.

Far from the farm, the darkness here seemed to have a tangible quality, enveloping the two silent figures on the shore.

Star-Lord walked slowly, his hands in his jacket pockets, head down.

After a long silence, Star-Lord suddenly stopped and slowly spoke to Azu:

“Ah Zu, you said… Father…” He paused, as if choosing his words carefully, “How… does he really see us?”

Azu didn't pause in his steps, nor did he look at Star-Lord. He simply stared at the dark lake surface and asked indifferently, "What do you want to say?"

"I...I don't know."

Star-Lord shook his head. "I just... sometimes feel like an outsider. On the farm, there are angels like Ceresa and knights like Mordred. Everyone seems to have their own unique characteristics, while I am just so ordinary."

He glanced at Azu's profile, his expression somewhat complicated.

Ah Zu's lips seemed to twitch down very slightly, but he still didn't respond.

Star-Lord took a deep breath and continued, "I know, John, you've always felt like the heir, you want to do everything well, to be the best, and to get Father's complete approval."

A barely perceptible, twisted jealousy began to seep into his voice, "But you're also arrogant, Azu. You think you were born to stand at the top, to receive the best. You always want to shoulder all the responsibility, as if that would prove you're the father's most valued son..."

The night wind rustled the reeds, making a sound like whispers.

Azu stopped in his tracks, finally turning his head to gaze at Star-Lord in the darkness.

Despite being stared at like that by Azu, Star-Lord remained calm.

“But John… you’re not qualified. Your arrogance, your stubbornness, you’ll never understand that a father’s true greatness lies not in power, not in status, but in…”

He paused for a moment, his eyes becoming even more profound, as if something was churning within them.

In that instant, Star-Lord's right hand, which had been tucked into his jacket pocket, was suddenly pulled out without warning.

Star-Lord had no weapon in his hand, but a powerful silver light suddenly erupted from his palm.

The silver light, as if alive, instantly tore through the darkness of the night and shot towards Azu, who was right in front of him, like lightning.

"Boom!!!"

A deep, chilling explosion resounded across the lakeside!
As if the tremor directly affected the spatial plane, the silver light, like countless living chains of order, instantly wrapped around and bound Azu's body.

From limbs to torso, layer upon layer, it imprisoned him in place like a giant white cocoon of light.

Star-Lord unleashed his "Celestial Power," completely trapping Azu.

Azu's terrifying power, enough to shake mountains, was instantly suppressed and dissolved under the binding of "divine energy," like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

He couldn't even move a finger, and his eyes were filled with undisguised shock!

"The power of a god?!"

Ah Zu's voice sounded as if it were being squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with disbelief.

He gritted his teeth and glared at Star-Lord. "Star-Lord, you little bastard, how dare you treat me like this?"

"Surprised and angry, aren't you, my dear brother?"

Star-Lord's voice had completely changed at this moment.

No longer the bewilderment or feigned pain of before, Star-Lord's voice was now unusually cold, filled with condescending mockery and a deep-seated, twisted sense of satisfaction.

Looking at the angry and struggling Azu, Star-Lord's lips curled into a cruel smile.

He slowly approached Azu, who was imprisoned and unable to move by the white cocoon of light, like a venomous snake admiring its prey.

Star-Lord's dark red eyes greedily scanned Azu's shocked face inch by inch, as if savoring the other's powerlessness and disbelief at that moment.

“I’ve always thought of you as an older brother, John.”

Star-Lord said in a deep voice, "Although you are arrogant and conceited, like a giant baby who never grows up and craves his father's candy, you want to do everything perfectly, just to get a word of praise or a look of approval from your father..."

“You stubbornly believe that you are the only and most suitable heir to this farm and to your father’s great cause.”

Star-Lord's tone was filled with intense jealousy.

"but!"

Star-Lord's voice rose, "Your arrogance, your stupidity, you will never understand the greatness of your father. You only see power, you only see control. You don't understand at all the spirit of your father... that is the most precious and powerful force in the universe, that is true eternity!"

A near-fanatical glint of greed flashed in his eyes. "And you...you don't deserve it at all. You'll only defile it with your foolish arrogance!"

"I fought for you, I really did."

Star-Lord's tone became strange and "sad" again, as if he were truly heartbroken.

“I prayed to my master… I said, keep Azu, transform him, let him become one of us, let him also share this eternity, share the glory of the Father…”

He shook his head, a helpless expression on his face. "But, Master said... no."

Star-Lord leaned close to Azu's ear and whispered:
“My master said…you, the Homelander, are the greatest threat.”

"You are cunning, suspicious, like a wild beast that can never be tamed."

"What flows in your veins is not loyalty to your master, but an endless greed for power and a mad desire for control."

"You... cannot cooperate."

"and……"

Star-Lord's voice was even lower, tinged with a cruel pleasure, "During this 'window of opportunity' while Father and the others are temporarily away, you are the greatest threat to our plans and must be eliminated!"

As the last word fell, all the sadness on Star-Lord's face vanished instantly, leaving only pure, bloodthirsty cruelty.

His hand, wreathed in the silvery-white light of divine power, suddenly rose, whistling through the air, and viciously choked Azu's immobile neck.

So... farewell, my dear brother.

A morbid excitement gleamed in Star-Lord's dark red eyes. "Father's love... from now on, belongs only to me!"

"Crack!!!"

A clear, crisp sound of bones shattering suddenly exploded out.

Azu's head was helplessly tilted to one side at an angle completely contrary to physiological structure.

The look of shock in Azu's eyes vanished instantly.

His strong body, bound by the silvery-white light, collapsed limply like a rag doll with all its bones removed, crashing heavily onto the cold lakeside mud with a dull thud.

Star-Lord slowly withdrew his hand and looked down at the lifeless body of Azu at his feet.

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, not from exhaustion, but from a twisted pleasure.

He succeeded!

He removed the biggest obstacle!

Finally, his father's gaze and his father's love could be focused solely on him.

He wanted to conquer the world and prove to his father that he was the most trustworthy and capable son to inherit the farm.

Star-Lord wore a smile that was a mixture of joy and sorrow, and tears slowly streamed down his face.

Wiping away his tears, he glanced at the twisted corpse on the ground, the sorrow in his eyes eventually turning into a cold indifference.

"I tried my best, brother."

He muttered to himself, his voice as soft as a breeze, "If you have to blame someone, blame yourself... for being so unlikable."

After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned around and, like a ghost blending into the night, silently left the lakeside and walked towards the living room, leaving only a silent corpse by the lake.

Shortly after Star-Lord left.

The body of Azu, lying paralyzed on the ground, had its neck, twisted at an eerie angle by a terrifying force, twitch very slightly.

Immediately afterwards, the five fingers that had been pressed under his body and covered in mud clenched into a fist!
At this point, Peter was unaware of the "mutual destruction" that had occurred between Azu and Star-Lord by the lake.

He is now facing considerable trouble.

After resolving the "Dr. Manhattan" incident, he took a group of women fishing to relax.

Early in the morning, he was comfortably leaning back in his folding chair, fishing while wearing a straw hat.

Beside her, Ciri was intently staring at the buoy on the water's surface, her long, silver-gray hair casually tied up, revealing her beautifully shaped neck.

Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, sat gracefully on a picnic blanket, her fingertips gently idly playing with a wildflower she had picked from the shore, a serene smile on her face.

Jane Foster was whispering an academic question to Wonder Woman Diana, who listened with her arms crossed and a smile on her lips.

Super Girl Kara floated a few centimeters above the water's surface, her bare feet gently touching the water, creating ripples, and sunlight danced on her golden hair.

Zatanna, meanwhile, leaned against a large tree, flipping through a thick ancient book with a cover covered in strange symbols, occasionally glancing up at the lake and mountain scenery, her expression relaxed.

The fishing spot was far from the hustle and bustle of the farm and its potential dangers, with only the breeze, the sound of water, and the low conversations of the people.

Peter yawned and reached for a can of ice-cold beer in the small ice bucket next to him.

Unexpectedly, the moment his fingertips touched the cold body of the can—

"Buzz!"

A silent tremor, yet seemingly capable of twisting the soul, swept over everyone without warning.

The scene before Peter's eyes rippled wildly, like water rippled by a stone thrown in.

Lakes as smooth as jade, lush oak trees, verdant grassy slopes...

All colors, all sounds, all familiar scents were wiped away in an instant.

It was as if someone had pressed the delete button on the universe.

The next instant, a cold, dry wind, carrying the scent of sand, suddenly rushed into his mouth and nose.

Peter stumbled, and the beer can in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

The soft grass beneath my feet was no longer soft grass, but rough, scorching sand!
He suddenly looked up at the desert before him.

What the hell is this? !
(End of this chapter)