A massive bird was on fire as it fell from the sky!
That was exactly what countless people thought.
The colossal, magnificent space carrier a pinnacle of human technological achievement plummeted straight from the heavens.
Above, the once-dark sky was streaked with a brilliant beam of light. It was the same direction from which the cannon had fired moments ago.
"How high did that beam go?"
Many people speculated it must have pierced through the atmosphere.
No one could answer, except for an astronaut aboard a space station.
"Oh my God… what is that?"
The blue energy beam had transformed into a column of light stretching toward the cosmos, as if it reached the very edge of the universe.
Several astronauts who noticed it swallowed hard.
It was terrifying beyond imagination.
Back on Earth, with the fall of the first space carrier, events were reaching their climax.
The Hydra operatives aboard the other two carriers panicked as soon as they lost contact with their leader. Within half an hour, they were completely neutralized.
The chaos caused by Hydra had finally ended.
"That was the main cannon of the Emperor Titan?"
Jonas Bennett was ecstatic when he received the news. He didn't care whether S.H.I.E.L.D. had suffered losses he only cared about the cannon's power.
A carrier several hundred meters long had been obliterated almost entirely by a single shot. The blast had pierced the atmosphere and reached space without losing its potency!
The implications were staggering. Even without fully understanding, he could confidently say that if there were an extraterrestrial invasion, the Emperor Titan could stand on Earth and take it down.
How could Jonas Bennett not be thrilled? This was an absolute trump card.
The entire world was shaken.
Although no one had witnessed the cannon firing into space, everyone had seen the carrier's destruction. That alone was shocking enough.
The only solace was that, despite being built on U.S. soil, the council's oversight meant the White House madmen couldn't deploy it in an earthly war.
Medusa and her allies grimaced in despair when they saw the news.
Nolan Locke had created a weapon of such terrifying power. Could this even be considered human?
They had once hoped that one day they could kill Nolan Locke, but now that hope felt increasingly impossible.
"Sister, we should retreat."
Crystal spoke, her voice tinged with worry. She wanted revenge for Black Bat and the others, but the situation on Earth had far exceeded their expectations.
Especially the "Insight Project" clearly designed to target the Inhumans. Its failure this time had only revealed more disturbing signals.
"Retreat?"
Medusa hesitated, then shook her head.
"No! Crystal, it's precisely because of now that we must kill Nolan Locke!
He's already far too powerful. Even if we retreat to the Moon, how long could we stay there? With Nolan Locke in play, humanity might return to Earth within a few years, even finding the locations of our people."
Crystal's eyes hardened with determination, though she still didn't know how to accomplish such a task.
"We have one last card," Medusa said, a glint in her eyes.
"What?" Crystal asked.
"Tetanus."
Medusa's gaze was sharp.
"Tetanus has the power of spatial teleportation. Nolan Locke cannot possibly know this."
She paused, recalling the time their escape had been witnessed, and added:
"He won't suspect how easily we can move. We can gather our elite operatives and assassinate Nolan Locke. Even though he is strong in armor, no one can match us in stealth.
The only challenge is getting close enough."
Medusa's eyes were cold, calculating. Spatial teleportation was powerful, but precision strikes were not easy.
Their previous journey to the Moon had required meticulous planning, which had bolstered Black Bat's reputation within their ranks.
Now, they needed the perfect opportunity to strike Nolan Locke.
"Crystal, you must get close to him and earn his trust. Once the opportunity arises, Tetanus will teleport us right to him. Then we finish him, escape Earth, and buy time for the Inhumans."
Crystal froze.
"But…"
"No buts. For the Inhumans, this must be done."
She knew it was dangerous, but there was no alternative. The Titan base network was forming, and the bulk of their forces needed to leave Earth. Crystal remaining behind was a risk they could not afford.
"Almost no one has seen you, and since Tetanus is familiar with you, it can teleport at a moment's notice. You also have the skills perhaps even to eliminate Nolan Locke alone."
Medusa's face was emotionless. Without Black Bat, she was now the leader of the Inhumans. She had to prioritize their survival.
"All right, you're right."
Crystal finally nodded.
Medusa gave her a confirming glance, then addressed the others:
"Let's move. We must evacuate the remaining Inhumans on Earth."
After a final glance at Crystal, Medusa left with the others. Watching her people depart, Crystal's resolve solidified. She would fight for her people!
In just a week, the Inhumans seemed to vanish entirely. Despite extensive investigations, no trace of them was found.
At Locke Technologies:
"Boss, you've gone rogue."
Susan stood by Nolan's desk, a hint of disapproval on her face.
"Heh, Susan, isn't this the time to enjoy ourselves?"
Five months had passed since Hydra's chaos. Everything had proceeded smoothly.
Locke Technologies had become a massive cash-generating machine, supplying Nolan with endless resources. With this, he expanded the company while advancing the Emperor Titan project.
The Titan network was gradually being established. Even Stark Enterprises' Earth defense satellites were being deployed. Yet the Emperor Titan itself was still incomplete.
The technology involved was complex. Even though Nolan directly solved most key tech through the system, manufacturing the components required tremendous effort.
In these five months, his cosmic energy sphere had fully charged, radiating nearly uncontrollable energy. He had prepared for this after solving Hydra.
"Europe branch needs you to manage operations for a while," Nolan said, returning to business.
Susan nodded this had long been planned. To grow Locke Technologies, he needed to expand globally, and the Titan bases required oversight. For Nolan, no one was more trustworthy than Susan.
"Don't worry. I'll handle things there. Do we need to hire a new secretary?"
"No, Alisha is doing well. Leave it as is."
Susan's gaze lingered on Nolan.
Nolan remained calm.
"What is it?"
"Alisha is very beautiful," Susan replied.
Nolan raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Of course. Who wants an ugly secretary? She's with you every day, after all."
"You're right, but you're such a pervert," Susan scolded, leaving Nolan helplessly amused.
"Admiring beauty is human nature," he replied, though secretly acknowledging her observation was correct. In another universe, he had three girlfriends. Counting Susan, that made four. He decided some misunderstandings were best left untouched.
Thankfully, this wasn't the same universe, so there was no risk of awkward encounters.
As Susan left, Alisha approached.
"Boss, the APU exoskeleton project team reports that they've further reduced costs."
"Oh? What about performance?" Nolan asked, interested.
With the Titan base established, the APU exoskeleton combat suits had attracted widespread attention for their firepower and price.
While NS5 robots were cheap, they couldn't compete with the APU suits' combat efficiency. Even though the suits required human operators, the cost-to-power ratio was unmatched.
"Performance hasn't dropped much. We could also adopt a compromise plan same cost, slightly improved performance."
"Excellent!" Nolan was thrilled. New models meant more opportunities to generate revenue.
"Alisha, good work." Nolan praised her silently. The new secretary was proving valuable.
"Anything else?"
Alisha hesitated, then said:
"Boss, are you free tonight? I'd like to take you out for dinner. Just dinner, nothing else."
Nolan's brow twitched before smiling.
"Of course."
Once Alisha left, Nolan muttered to himself:
"Why do people always want to target me?"
He didn't know her true identity yet, but her intentions were obvious. Should he let her get close? Perhaps, but he needed to gather information first.
Late that night, Alisha returned to her apartment, exhausted. She had no plans to sleep, heading straight for the shower.
Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. Even after a daily shower, the humiliation she carried could not be washed away.
Then, she noticed a figure appear beside her.
"Crystal?"
"Sister?"
It was Medusa, accompanied by Tetanus, who had always followed Crystal.
"How's your mission?" Medusa asked. "It's been six months I hope you have good news."
Crystal looked at her reflection, briefly unsure, then masked her expression.
"I need more time. But Nolan Locke is starting to trust me. Soon, I'll succeed."
"That's good. Be careful, alone on Earth," Medusa warned, pain evident on her face. She would have shielded her sister from this if she could.
"I'll kill him. I will!" Crystal gritted her teeth. She would wash away her humiliation one day.
She ignored Medusa, entering the shower and scrubbing herself frantically.
Meanwhile, Nolan received a report from Red Queen.
"Inhumans?" He saw the photos from when Crystal and Medusa had fled.
"So the Inhumans haven't given up… and that's Crystal, isn't it?" Nolan chuckled, discarding the papers.
He had assumed Alisha was some S.H.I.E.L.D. pawn, but he had been entirely wrong.
"So, the Inhumans are still active."