"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!"
Gunfire erupted.
Dense bullets mowed down the people rushing at the front like wheat.
Blood spread across the ground, and screams drowned out the slogans.
Similar scenes were playing out all over the World.
A small number of clear-headed human soldiers chose to defect under the condemnation of their conscience, but they were quickly and ruthlessly shot by the supervisory squads led by Skrull officers.
Most soldiers, either unaware of the truth or to protect their families, could only grit their teeth and aim their guns at their own compatriots.
Such cruel bloodshed was frequently occurring in various cities of the Human Federation.
Under the shroud of fear, countless people chose to take risks, attempting to cross the blockade to reach the nation protected by superheroes.
...
Texas, the U.S.-Mexico border, the scorching sun baked the cracked earth.
At this moment, dense crowds of refugees from all over South America, bringing their families, gathered on this desert.
Behind them, an armed convoy painted with the Human Federation logo was kicking up dust, chasing them relentlessly.
Heavy machine guns on the armed vehicles were already spitting fire, bullets kicking up columns of dust in the sand at the refugees' feet.
"Mama! I can't run anymore!" A seven or eight-year-old girl fell into the sand, crying out.
Her mother desperately shielded her with her body, watching the approaching armored vehicle and closing her eyes to wait for death.
"Boom—!"
Suddenly, a streak of light like a fire meteor plummeted from the high sky from north to south, slamming hard in front of that armored vehicle.
Firecracker Angela, burning with raging flames like an ancient fire god, miraculously blocked the path in front of the little girl.
"You've crossed the line. Die!"
Angela let out a cold shout and pushed her hands forward.
A column of high-temperature fire over two meters in diameter erupted from her palms, striking the armored vehicle directly.
"Sizzle—!"
Under the thousands of degrees of heat, the alloy armor, along with the Federation soldiers inside, was visibly melted into a pool of boiling molten steel.
This shocking scene made the running refugees stop screaming, staring blankly at this hero who had descended from the sky.
Meanwhile.
Dozens of figures descended from the sky one after another.
They were like tigers among sheep, charging into the armored formation of the Federation army.
In just five minutes.
This Federation pursuit force, which had intended to massacre the refugees, was wiped out by Vought's heroes, leaving no one behind.
The battle ended.
Angela turned and walked to the little girl sitting blankly on the ground.
She extinguished the flames on her body and, using a standard posture trained countless times at Vought, knelt on one knee and reached out to hug the little girl.
"Don't be afraid, child. You're home."
The little girl looked at her, the fear in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by a pilgrimage-like worship.
Thousands of refugees looked at the superheroes standing in the smoke and finally realized they had escaped hell.
Unsure who started it, the refugees fell to their knees on the yellow earth, weeping with their heads in their hands.
"Thank God! Thank Vought!"
"You are true Angels! You saved us!"
Cries of gratitude rang out over the border.
All of this was recorded perfectly by the cameras of major U.S. media outlets deployed early at the border, and broadcast live to the World immediately.
...
San Francisco, inside the Fairmont Hotel.
In Homelander's mind, a series of notifications for popularity value gains popped up again.
Though it wasn't much compared to before, even a mosquito's leg is meat; Homelander didn't mind at all.
However, the border rescues were always the minority.
Bloody images of the Federation army massacring civilians on the streets and suppressing riots continuously filled every channel.
Watching the people being mowed down like ants, the fire of anger in his eyes grew.
Homelander turned off the TV and looked through the glass toward the distant horizon.
After two days of thinking, a brand-new script had basically taken shape in his mind.
Though time was tight and it wasn't perfect, it was enough to handle the current situation.
He connected to the private line with Skynet.
"Skynet."
"I'm here, sir. What are your orders?"
"I have a new script here... go and arrange it..."
...
Human Federation Headquarters, inside the President's office.
Pagon was rigorously reporting the current state of the Federation to Gravik.
"General, in the past forty-eight hours, more than three hundred large-scale strikes and armed resistance incidents have broken out worldwide."
"Although we have carried out strong suppression through the army we control, the situation has not eased. Resistance forces continue to emerge. The shutdown rate of our super factories has reached over eighty percent."
After hearing this, Gravik snorted with indifference.
"Just a group of low-level creatures incapable of accepting reality, venting their useless rage."
"It doesn't matter how many humans die. Once one batch dies, just go catch the next. This Planet is least lacking in this kind of livestock."
At this moment, several high-ranking Skrull confidants in the conference room looked at each other.
One of the high-ranking Skrulls in charge of industrial construction stood up to speak.
"General, your authority is beyond doubt."
This official sincerely expressed a different view.
"But we must admit that during this period of rule, we have discovered a significant fact."
"Although humans are physically weak, their working ability and creativity are exceptionally outstanding, far exceeding our expectations."
"As long as we continue to enslave them through relatively stable high-pressure policies as before and have them work for us, our Interstellar Warships and Interstellar Space Stations will soon take shape. The resurgence of Skrull civilization's glory is just around the corner, perhaps even stronger than before."
Another high-ranking official in charge of logistics echoed:
"Yes, General. But if this unrestrained bloody massacre continues, the human population base will plummet, and labor will face a severe shortage. This is extremely disadvantageous for our next grand plan."
Pagon took up the conversation at the right moment, expressing agreement.
"General, I think they have a point," Pagon analyzed with a serious expression. "Relying solely on bloody suppression might solve the immediate riots, but the will to resist deep within human hearts has not been destroyed. This long-term internal attrition will greatly slow down the pace of the Skrull Empire's rise. We need a once-and-for-all solution."
The other high-ranking Skrulls also nodded, agreeing in unison with Pagon's statement.
Gravik's gaze swept across the faces of these capable subordinates.
Looking at this group of subordinates who were all offering suggestions for the rise of the Skrull Empire.
He felt greatly gratified.
"Once and for all? Then what ideas do you have, Pagon?"
Pagon smiled slightly, encouraging him to continue.