Chapter13
The next day
Morning sunlight poured across the private beach. Waves lapped gently at the shore, leaving flecks of white foam.
Wanda stood barefoot on the damp sand, wearing a white shirt and shorts. Her hands were outstretched; a swirling mass of scarlet chaos energy rotated slowly in her palms.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, but her eyes were sharper, more determined than yesterday.
"Focus." Yang Jian stood three meters behind her, hands in pockets, a faint smile on his face.
"Let the energy flow like breathing. Don't force it."
Wanda took a deep breath. The energy in her palms steadied, transforming into a slender crimson ribbon that swayed gently with her will.
"Good." Yang Jian nodded.
"Now try—"
His words cut off abruptly. His gaze shifted toward the coastal road in the distance.
A black SUV was winding along the path—not speeding, but heading straight for the villa.
His super hearing wasn't always active, but his heightened senses still picked up the approaching presence.
"What is it?" Wanda noticed the change; the energy ribbon collapsed instantly.
"Guests." Yang Jian narrowed his eyes. Super vision pierced the tinted windows.
One-eyed bald black man. Red-haired female agent. Smiling man in a suit.
Nick Fury. Natasha Romanoff. Phil Coulson.
"Who are they?" Wanda tensed instinctively; faint scarlet energy flickered at her fingertips.
"Relax."
Yang Jian turned toward the villa. "Go change. I'll handle them."
Five Minutes LaterVilla Living Room
Yang Jian lounged lazily on the leather sofa, a glass of red wine in hand.
His black loungewear did little to hide the sculpted lines of muscle beneath.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the black SUV had stopped at the iron gate.
Wanda had changed into a simple white knit sweater and jeans. Her red hair fell loose over her shoulders. She sat quietly on a single armchair.
The doorbell rang.
"Get the door." Yang Jian swirled his wine.
Wanda rose, checked the security screen, then pressed the gate release.
The iron bars slid open. Fury strode in with Natasha and Coulson close behind.
"Wanda Maximoff." Fury's single eye assessed her.
Wanda's fingers tightened slightly, but her face stayed calm. "Please come in, Director."
The three followed her into the living room.
Yang Jian had one arm draped over the sofa back, wine glass in the other hand, legs crossed. He didn't stand to greet them.
"Mr. Yang." Fury sat opposite. Natasha and Coulson flanked him.
"I've heard a lot about you."
Yang Jian took a sip of wine and smiled. "Showing up with two top agents uninvited—S.H.I.E.L.D. really knows how to make an impression."
Fury didn't respond to the jab. He placed a file on the coffee table.
"Take a look."
The cover bore the S.H.I.E.L.D. eagle emblem. Below it, bold black text:
Avengers Initiative: Pending Member List
Yang Jian glanced over it. Several familiar names were circled in red:
Tony Stark (contact pending) Bruce Banner (under surveillance) Spider-Man (under observation)
"Enhanced individuals need oversight." Fury's voice was low.
"Especially someone who can knock out Hulk with one punch."
Yang Jian suddenly laughed.
He set the wine down, leaned forward slightly. Golden danger flickered in his black pupils.
"Oversight? By you?"
The air froze.
Natasha's hand drifted toward her waist—then stopped.
Coulson's breathing quickened.
Only Fury remained impassive. "By S.H.I.E.L.D. By the United Nations. By the order of this planet."
"Order?" Yang Jian scoffed. He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
Bio-field pressure crushed outward.
BOOM!
Every ground-floor window exploded inward. A gale-force wind roared through the living room!
Papers flew everywhere. Coulson's sidearm was yanked from its holster and crushed to powder mid-air!
"Your so-called order," Yang Jian's voice cut clearly through the storm,
"can't even withstand a snap from me."
The wind died instantly.
Everything returned to calm—as if the chaos had been an illusion.
Only the shattered glass on the floor proved otherwise.
Fury exhaled slowly, eye narrowing. "So what's your answer?"
"Not interested." Yang Jian leaned back again.
"If aliens invade, I'll handle it. As for your little superhero boys' club? Play by yourselves."
Fury was silent for a moment, then changed tack. "Three days ago, a base in Eastern Europe was destroyed. High-temperature melting patterns matched the energy signature you used on Hulk."
Wanda's body stiffened slightly.
"That was Hydra." Yang Jian shrugged.
"I thought you guys already claimed to have wiped them out."
"Hydra?" Fury's eye widened. Natasha and Coulson reacted sharply.
"You're saying they still exist? They've been…?" Fury pressed, but Wanda cut in.
She rolled up her sleeve, revealing the scarred wrist. Her eyes locked on Fury. "If they don't exist, then what were these marks from?"
Fury didn't answer immediately. After a pause, he looked back at Yang Jian.
"That's exactly the problem. If you have Hydra intel and refuse to cooperate with official channels, do you understand what that means?"
"Cooperate?" Yang Jian burst out laughing.
"Nick Fury, you don't even know your own deputy director was replaced by an alien. What right do you have to talk about cooperation?"
"What?!" Coulson blurted.
Natasha's pupils contracted. "What do you mean?"
Yang Jian didn't answer right away. He stared straight into Fury's eye.
"Skull's shapeshifting is perfect—but heart rate doesn't lie to super hearing. Your body is transparent under my eyes. Right, Talos?"
Fury's expression froze.
The next instant, Yang Jian's eyes blazed crimson.
Shhh!
Heat vision lanced past Fury's shoulder. Suit and skin melted like wax, revealing green-scaled hide beneath!
"Aaahhh!"
The Skrull impersonating Fury screamed and collapsed, body twisting back to its true form.
High cheekbones, pointed ears, reptilian green eyes.
"Director?!" Coulson staggered back, face full of disbelief.
Yang Jian stepped forward and planted a foot on Talos's chest. His voice dropped to absolute zero.
"Too bad. You picked the wrong person to mess with."
"Wait!" Talos gasped, looking up.
"We can negotiate—"
BOOM!
Heat vision pierced clean through. Green blood splattered across the carpet.
"Negotiate my ass."
The green blood slowly spread. Natasha and Coulson stood frozen, staring at the scene.
"What the hell is going on?" Natasha's voice wavered—rare for her.
Yang Jian walked to the bar cart, poured himself another glass of red wine, tone calm.
"Your S.H.I.E.L.D. director was replaced by a Skrull a long time ago."
"Skrulls?" Coulson frowned.
"Alien race? Weren't they driven off decades ago by Captain Marvel—"
"By Carol Danvers?" Yang Jian scoffed.
"Yeah. But they didn't die out. They went underground. Slowly infiltrated every institution—including S.H.I.E.L.D."
Natasha regained composure quickly. "Proof?"
Yang Jian tapped his ear. "Super hearing. Globally, at least a thousand Skrulls have replaced politicians, military officers, agents. Operation codename: Secret Invasion."
He paused, glancing at Coulson. "By the way—the real Nick Fury is in space right now, running an organization called S.W.O.R.D."
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