Lucas continued,
"That's also why I only invited the people sitting here today, instead of bringing more people into this virtual space."
Nick Fury could only remain silent.
Many people at the table had already turned their attention toward him.
Deep down, he still refused to believe that Talos, who had once fought alongside him through life-and-death battles, would actually join his fellow Skrulls in doing something like this to humanity.
In Fury's life, there were very few people he truly trusted.
Talos had counted as half of one of those people.
And now that half-friend had stabbed him in the back.
No—more accurately, he had fired a cannon at him.
'This feeling really sucks…' Fury sighed inwardly.
---
After a few seconds, one of the representatives of the five major powers frowned and asked,
"Mr. Lucas, since you're worried about the Skrulls discovering this information, what should we do after we leave here to avoid alerting them?"
Lucas replied simply.
"Do nothing."
He looked around the table.
"The reason I told you in advance isn't because I need your help fighting them."
"It's so that you can prepare mentally."
"When I identify all the infiltrators and suddenly move against them, the operation might cause panic among ordinary people or strong social reactions."
"At that moment, I need you to stabilize the regions under your control immediately."
"After all, those infiltrators could be working in any profession."
"If I launch a surprise attack, some unusual situations may occur."
Captain America spoke up.
"Exactly. I was thinking about that earlier."
"If one of them is a pilot flying an aircraft, a driver controlling a fast-moving vehicle, or someone operating dangerous infrastructure…"
"If you attack suddenly, the consequences could be catastrophic."
Lucas remained calm.
"That's precisely why I warned you ahead of time."
"When I take action, I'll try my best to avoid those scenarios."
"But there will still be situations where you must step in to handle them."
The representatives of the five major powers nodded immediately.
"No problem."
"We'll release official announcements the moment you begin the operation to calm the public."
"At the same time, we'll deploy police and reserve forces to suppress any possible unrest."
Lucas nodded.
"Actually, it won't be as complicated as you think."
"I'll act as quickly as possible and keep the side effects to a minimum."
"Because if I move too slowly and the Skrulls realize what's happening…"
"…the trouble could become much worse."
Everyone understood.
People capable of perfectly shapeshifting and infiltrating society had to be eliminated in one decisive strike.
If they had time to react, the consequences would be endless.
---
After that, Lucas went over several additional precautions.
Everyone discussed various potential complications and arranged responses accordingly.
Once everything had been clarified, Lucas officially ended the meeting.
Soon, most participants exited the virtual tavern.
Only a smaller group remained:
Clark and Kara
Hela
Arthur and Queen Atlanna
Tony Stark
Captain America
---
Captain America frowned slightly.
"Lucas, forgive me for being blunt."
"But announcing the Skrull infiltration in front of so many people earlier… wasn't that a little reckless?"
Tony nodded.
"Yeah. With that many people present, someone might accidentally reveal something."
"If that happens, your plan could be compromised."
Lucas smiled.
"No."
"I want them to alert the Skrulls."
Everyone looked at him in confusion.
Lucas explained calmly.
"Ordinary Skrulls aren't a problem for me."
"I already have a way to identify them."
"What I want is the one behind the scenes."
"The person orchestrating this invasion."
"As long as I capture the mastermind…"
"…everything else will resolve itself."
---
At that moment, Hela suddenly asked,
"Are you referring to the god worshipped by the Skrulls?"
Lucas turned to her.
"You've heard of him?"
"Yes," Hela replied.
"Back when I was conquering the Nine Realms, I heard rumors about it."
"Even after the Skrull empire collapsed, people said their race was still protected by a god."
She continued thoughtfully.
"Otherwise, a scattered group of refugees from a fallen interstellar empire would have become easy prey."
"Many powers—and even space pirates—would have hunted them down."
"Without divine protection, they would have been captured long ago."
Kara looked puzzled.
"If they really have such a powerful being protecting them, how did they still lose to the Kree?"
Nick Fury answered.
"I know that part."
"The Kree are extremely intelligent."
"Otherwise they wouldn't have been able to reverse-engineer Skrull technology from just a single research ship."
"They also understood the weaknesses of Skrull technology."
"Meanwhile, the Skrulls didn't know the Kree's weaknesses."
"That imbalance made a huge difference."
He paused before continuing.
"Also, while the Kree don't have individuals at the level of gods…"
"…they do possess something else."
"A super intelligence far beyond anything on Earth."
"The Supreme Intelligence."
Tony frowned.
"Isn't that just another artificial intelligence?"
"It can't be as exaggerated as you're making it sound."
Fury shook his head.
"You're mistaken."
"The Supreme Intelligence has already surpassed the category of AI."
"It's closer to a super lifeform."
"Its computational power is so immense that it can simultaneously command an entire interstellar war."
"It can calculate every tactical detail of the battlefield in real time."
"And while doing all of that…"
"…it can still coordinate logistics across multiple planets and determine the safest supply routes."
Fury looked around the room.
"With an opponent like that, do you really think the Skrulls had much chance of winning?"
Tony fell silent.
As someone who had designed AI systems himself, he knew exactly how difficult it was to push AI even one level further.
But once that breakthrough occurred, the difference between the two levels would no longer be a gap—
It would be an entirely different realm.
---
Kara fell silent.
Clark then asked Lucas directly.
"Lucas… against the Skrull god you mentioned, how confident are you?"
Lucas thought for a moment.
"It's hard to say."
"I still don't know enough about his strength or capabilities."
"But we shouldn't assume he's overwhelmingly powerful."
"After all, if he truly were that unstoppable…"
"…the Kree wouldn't have been able to win that war."
Everyone thought about it for a moment.
It made sense.
The tension in the room eased slightly.
....
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