There was no longer any time for the Skrulls to think.
Every Skrull whose identity had been exposed immediately tried to flee at the fastest speed possible.
The smarter ones instantly changed their appearance again.
However, many of them were pinned to the ground before they even had the chance.
Most Skrulls did not carry weapons.
After all, they had to live among humans, and in most countries carrying firearms was strictly prohibited.
Although they possessed physical strength beyond that of ordinary humans, they were still overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the human population.
Under the pressure of countless people, many of them could only surrender.
Meanwhile, some Skrulls who held higher positions—those who didn't have to live like ordinary workers—quickly gathered together.
They carried advanced alien weapons and prepared to launch their invasion ahead of schedule.
But before they could move, they were already surrounded by SWAT teams and military forces.
Departments with strict discipline and rigorous identity verification were naturally the first places to discover infiltrators.
Even if Skrulls could shapeshift, they could not bypass layers of authentication systems and surveillance cameras.
Many were quickly captured, detained, and placed under strict monitoring.
Human authorities rapidly organized information and began a global hunt for the Skrulls.
---
Meanwhile, ordinary humans who had been shocked earlier suddenly released their suppressed emotions.
They began beating the captured Skrulls with fists and kicks.
Even when the Skrulls were already badly injured, people showed no intention of stopping.
At that moment—
Every Skrull, whether captured, resisting, hiding, or disguised, suddenly began to glow faintly.
A thin layer of light appeared around their bodies.
Neither fists nor bullets could penetrate the shimmering barrier.
Then, under the stunned gaze of humans around the world, the Skrulls' bodies began to float upward.
One after another, they rose into the sky.
---
High above Earth's orbit, Lucas floated in space.
The energy around him surged violently like boiling liquid.
Hundreds of thousands of Skrulls were suspended in the air, wrapped in a faint golden glow that completely immobilized them.
The next moment—
Lucas's voice echoed across every screen and radio broadcast on Earth.
"I don't know your name."
"I don't know where you're hiding."
"But your people—"
"More precisely, 1,647,539 of them—are now in my hands."
"I'll give you ten minutes."
"If you don't appear before the time is up…"
"…then your million-plus citizens will fall into eternal darkness."
---
The moment those words were spoken, the entire world erupted in shock.
If the mysterious Skrull leader did not appear, Lucas would execute over a million aliens.
Some kind-hearted people were horrified by the ruthlessness of such a decision.
But they were only a minority.
In the eyes of many others, the Skrulls were invaders who intended to seize their home.
And humanity had never shown mercy toward invaders.
---
"Master, there is an incoming communication request from Nick Fury," Alpha reported.
"Put him through," Lucas said.
Soon, Fury's tired voice sounded through the connection.
"Lucas… I'm not trying to interfere with your decision."
"But if possible, please investigate carefully before you act."
His exhaustion was obvious.
Fury didn't dare suggest releasing the Skrulls.
That idea would be completely unrealistic.
Nick Fury was not a naive man.
If it weren't for the fact that Talos and a few of his companions had once fought beside him through life-and-death situations, he wouldn't have bothered speaking at all.
There was also another reason.
Talos and several other Skrulls had helped Fury with numerous tasks.
Sometimes they even disguised themselves as Fury to handle matters in different locations.
It allowed Fury to operate almost as if he had multiple bodies.
Without that advantage, Fury might have been the first person demanding that Lucas wipe out every Skrull.
---
Lucas asked calmly,
"You're trying to save Talos and his people, aren't you?"
"Yes," Fury answered directly.
Lucas replied,
"Do you know how much S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence he accessed using your identity?"
Fury answered without hesitation.
"They only saw what I allowed them to see."
"What they weren't meant to see—they never did."
Lucas didn't doubt that statement.
It sounded exactly like something Fury would do.
Then Lucas chuckled.
"You're not asking for mercy."
"You want a few survivors so you can interrogate them later for information, right?"
Fury fell silent.
Nick Fury was the type of man whose thinking always followed the darkest possible angle.
In many ways, he was not so different from Lex Luthor.
After several seconds, Fury finally spoke again.
"So… can you leave a few alive?"
Since he had been exposed, Fury stopped pretending and asked bluntly.
Lucas replied calmly.
"Keeping a few alive isn't a problem."
"But I'm curious—"
"After I wipe out their people and destroy their god of faith…"
"…do you think they'll still be willing to coexist with you?"
Fury answered slowly,
"You don't need to worry about that."
"I've worked with them for decades. I understand how they think."
"They survived hundreds of thousands of years of war with the Kree."
"If they didn't have that level of resilience, their race would've disappeared long ago."
Lucas laughed lightly.
"More likely you'll stage a dramatic rescue later."
"Earn their trust all over again."
Fury showed no shame.
"What's wrong with that?"
"As if modern relationships don't involve masks anyway."
"It's just basic social strategy."
Lucas caught the hidden meaning.
"That's your business, not mine."
"But from what you said… there are still Skrulls hiding elsewhere?"
Fury replied immediately.
"Of course."
"I know of at least six hidden bases, and there are probably more I don't know about."
"The Skrulls were once the greatest empire in an entire galaxy."
"What you're dealing with now is only a small portion of them."
"It's not like you're wiping out their entire race."
Lucas had already considered this possibility.
It was impossible for all Skrulls to be on Earth.
So Fury's answer didn't surprise him.
Fury continued,
"But don't worry."
"With over a million of his people captured…"
"…that Skrull god won't ignore it."
"Alright," Lucas said.
"I'll agree to your request."
"But now I need to speak with someone else."
He ended the call.
Then he turned toward the red-and-blue figure floating in front of him.
Clark's voice reached him through a bio-force field.
"Lucas… are you really going to kill all those Skrulls?"
Lucas sighed softly.
"I knew you'd come, Clark."
"And I already expected you'd try to stop me."
..
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