Under the gaze of billions of constricted human pupils.
The kneeling new Human Federation President, Pierre Casson, had his entire body rippling like melting wax.
In less than two seconds.
That suave French politician vanished.
The one kneeling on the spot had transformed into a green-skinned, pointed-eared monster, identical to the freak on the main seat!
It was not just the President.
The military commander, the Minister of Finance, religious leaders... all the high-ranking humans in the video had shed their human disguises, turning into hideous alien creatures!
...
At the end of the video, the screen went completely black.
In the center of the screen, two huge words written in scarlet font appeared:
LIES!
The playback ended, and all electronic screens returned to their normal displays.
But the whole World had gone mad.
Roars, gasps, and sorrow exploded in every corner of Earth!
"My God! Those who rule over us... are not human at all!"
"Aliens! It's aliens! They are wearing human skin and have controlled our government!"
"No wonder they wanted us to be slaves! No wonder they kill without blinking! They are here to destroy us!"
The power-holders of the Human Federation were actually a group of monsters!
This truth was like pouring cold water into boiling oil, instantly igniting the long-suppressed emotions of the public.
The reaction speed of the federal government was extremely fast.
A few hours later, armored vehicles of the Federation Defense Forces took to the streets, and major media outlets began broadcasting denials day and night.
"Emergency Notice: The video circulating today is a fake image forged by certain terrorist organizations attempting to undermine the unity of the Federation!"
"Any citizen who believes in, spreads this lie, or engages in irrational acts of resistance because of this lie will be severely punished!"
Subsequently, heavily armed soldiers stormed into major factories, bars, and other gathering places, forcibly dragging away those who led the discussion about the video, even executing them by firing squad in front of everyone.
This made the official denial feel like an attempt to cover up the truth.
In the eyes of the emotionally ignited public, such threats only made them more convinced of the video's authenticity.
And at the source of all this storm.
It was actually the handiwork of Nick Fury.
...
East Africa, Wakanda.
Outwardly, it had always been a poor and backward small agricultural country, but in reality, it was the most technologically advanced hidden power on Earth, one of the two locations once highlighted by S.H.I.E.L.D., the other being in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Relying on an ancient Vibranium meteorite that had fallen, Wakanda was centuries ahead of the World in materials science, medicine, and weapons manufacturing.
"Well done, Your Highness." Fury praised a Black woman, "Wakanda's technology is truly amazing."
"Fury." Shuri turned around, looking at this cold-blooded Agent leader.
"I helped you send out the video because my brother said we need to fight the alien threat. But the video you gave me..."
Shuri frowned: "It wasn't filmed in real-time at all; you synthesized it."
"So what?"
Fury smiled lightly, without a hint of guilt on his face.
"But it's fake!" Shuri raised her voice, "You clearly have the real ones in your hands, why use a lie to incite the whole World!"
Fury paced in front of Shuri and sneered: "I have been tracking these aliens for decades, and I do indeed possess countless pieces of real evidence of their actions on Earth."
"It was also by virtue of this real evidence that I gained the trust of King T'Challa and your brother..."
"But this real evidence is not shocking enough, far less impactful than this fake one. It cannot ignite the deepest anger in people's hearts."
"Anyway, it is a fact that these people have been replaced by aliens. As long as we can overthrow the rule of the Skrulls, even if someone finds out that the video is fake in the end, so what?" Fury said indifferently, "The World has been saved by me."
"But your approach is too direct; many people will die!" Shuri slammed her hand on the table, "Many hot-blooded citizens will be slaughtered by the heavily armed military."
"This is the price, Your Highness." Fury remained calm.
"There is no war without bloodshed. When a malignant tumor grows in the body, removing it will inevitably cause bleeding, and will also cut away a part of the healthy flesh."
"Those citizens who sacrifice on the streets are a necessary price to save this World. We cannot avoid it."
"Using the sacrifice of a portion of the people to awaken the resistance consciousness of all mankind. This deal is very worthwhile."
Fury walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the futuristic city of Wakanda.
"Do you think I want to use such dirty tactics?" Fury sighed.
"Look at the World outside."
"That XYZ Country, they are now only concerned with their own little geopolitics, watching coldly as half of Earth falls."
Fury snorted coldly.
"And the United States, that so-called President Ellis is nothing more than a puppet for Vought!"
"As for Vought..." Fury spoke with sarcasm.
"Ever since that stars and stripes boy disappeared in space, Vought has lost their soul figure. Jessica Jones is a capable person, but she is ultimately from the streets. Without Homelander to back them up, Vought will only be timid now."
Fury looked at Shuri again.
"Now, the only place left on Earth that has the military power to fight against the Skrulls' technology and has not been internally infiltrated is your Wakanda."
Shuri fell silent; Fury was right about one thing: Wakanda could not stay out of it.
"Then when do you plan to make your move?" Shuri asked.
"Wait a little longer." Fury's voice was cold.
"Wait until this fire burns even brighter, until people's anger reaches its peak..."
"...That will be the time for my fatal blow."
...
Far across the ocean in San Francisco.
Homelander had just finished today's training in The Force.
After these days of training, I have to say, the extremely high evaluation of Force talent given by Luke Skywalker was by no means an exaggeration.
His speed in mastering The Force could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds.
Except for the lack of practical combat experience, he was now not inferior to Luke in terms of pure power output of The Force.
What surprised him even more was that he discovered that when he activated "Team Assembly," the bonus effects stacked onto him could actually also apply to his Force!
"As expected of a system product; when it says full attribute bonus, it means full attributes!"
Homelander clenched his fists with satisfaction, feeling the vast power of light and dark intertwined within his body, and was in a great mood.
But when he returned to the hotel, he found Miss Skynet already sitting on the sofa in the living room waiting for him.
"What's wrong, Miss Skynet? Came over personally, want to intertwine lives with me again?" Homelander walked to the bar and poured himself a glass of ice milk.
"You are finally back, sir." Miss Skynet stood up, "I couldn't contact your phone, and in order to hide your whereabouts, I couldn't use satellites to search for your location, so I could only wait for you here."
"Oh! Yes, I was practicing in the deep mountains, and I haven't taken my phone out of my magic pocket." Homelander remembered that was the case.
"There is an emergency that I need to report to you."
"Speak." Homelander took a sip of milk and leaned casually against the bar.
Miss Skynet swiped her finger in the air, and a holographic screen unfolded in the center of the living room.
What was playing on the screen was exactly the video of the "federal high-level kneeling and transforming" that was spreading wildly across the globe.
"The secret that the Skrulls control the Human Federation has been artificially exposed." Miss Skynet reported in a steady tone.