Chapter 17
S.H.I.E.L.D. Temporary Command Center
Carol Danvers landed on the top floor of the building. The golden energy still swirling around her body had not yet fully dissipated.
The metal platform beneath her feet glowed faintly red from the intense heat.
She strode through the corridor; each step cracked the floor slightly.
The automatic doors to the command center slid open, revealing chaos.
Skrull corpses were piled in the corner; green blood had congealed into thick sludge on the floor.
Natasha Romanoff and Phil Coulson stood at the command console, receiving cleanup progress reports from agents.
They turned at the sound of her arrival—meeting Carol's eyes burning with fury.
"What the hell have you done?!"
Her voice rumbled like thunder.
Natasha's expression tightened, but she didn't flinch. "A necessary purge."
In an instant, Carol appeared in front of her, hand clamping around Natasha's throat and lifting her off the ground!
"These were refugees seeking asylum!"
Her fingers tightened slightly; Natasha's face quickly flushed red.
Coulson drew his gun instantly, but Carol only glanced coldly at him. The weapon in his hand twisted and deformed; parts clattered to the floor.
"Ms. Danvers!" Coulson shouted urgently.
"The Skrulls were preparing a secret invasion of Earth! They've infiltrated the United Nations, the military—even inside S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
"Proof?" Carol asked in an icy tone.
Natasha struggled to grip Carol's wrist, voice hoarse: "You… see for yourself…"
She painfully pointed toward the holographic screen, which was playing recorded secret meetings of the Skrull Elders. Talos's voice was clearly audible:
"Earth will be our new home. Humans are merely tools."
Carol's pupils contracted slightly, but her rage didn't fade: "Even so, Talos was my ally! Who killed him?"
Natasha gritted her teeth and stayed silent.
Coulson saw Natasha's face turning purple and finally couldn't hold back: "It was Yang Jian! The one living in the seaside villa on Long Island!"
Carol's fingers suddenly loosened. Natasha dropped to the floor, coughing violently.
"Yang Jian?" Carol repeated the name; the golden light in her eyes intensified.
"Where is he?"
Coulson rubbed his temples and pointed toward the East Coast: "Long Island. Coordinates incoming."
Carol turned toward the window, voice ice-cold: "If you're lying…"
"We have no reason to lie." Coulson immediately added.
"But I suggest you don't act rashly. He's stronger than you can imagine."
Carol's body turned into a streak of golden light, smashing through the glass. A sonic boom cloud exploded in the sky.
"You shouldn't have said that." Natasha rubbed her neck.
"If I hadn't, you definitely would have been…" Coulson sighed helplessly.
"I hope Yang Jian can deal with her."
Long IslandSeaside Villa
A portal opened in the center of the living room. Yang Jian and Wanda stepped out.
"Maybe next time we can try the Mirror Dimension." Wanda mused.
"The Ancient One said it's better suited for large-scale magic practice."
"No need." Yang Jian walked toward the fridge.
"Just tear it down and rebuild."
He had just taken out a can of beer when he suddenly froze, turning his head toward the window.
"Tch. She got here fast."
Before Wanda could react, a sonic boom rang out.
A golden figure crashed into the beach like a meteor, the shockwave carving a huge crater in the sand.
Amid the dust, Carol Danvers slowly rose, eyes glowing gold.
"Who is Yang Jian?"
Yang Jian slowly took a sip of beer and raised a hand to signal Wanda to step back: "You're looking for me?"
Carol's gaze locked onto him: "You killed Talos."
"Yeah."
Yang Jian nodded. "Just an alien invader. What's the problem?"
His calm admission stunned Carol for a moment, but her rage only grew: "What right do you have to judge him?!"
"Right?" Yang Jian laughed.
"They were planning to invade Earth. They were going to assassinate the UN Secretary-General. Do I need to keep listing their crimes?"
Carol's energy field boiled: "Even then, they should face interstellar justice!"
"Justice?" Yang Jian laughed.
"Where was your justice when the Kree Empire judged the Skrulls?"
The words stabbed into Carol's weak spot like a knife. Her energy field fluctuated wildly; her right fist slammed toward Yang Jian!
Bang!
Yang Jian caught her punch with one hand. The floor beneath them cracked inch by inch, but his body didn't budge at all.
"Save it." He sighed.
"You can't beat me."
Carol refused to accept it. Photon energy burst from her eyes, blasting point-blank at Yang Jian's face!
Blinding light engulfed the entire living room; Wanda had to raise her hand to shield herself.
When the glare faded—
Yang Jian still stood in place, not even a scorch mark on his face.
"Impossible?!" Carol's expression finally changed.
"Ever heard of heat vision?" Yang Jian's eyes suddenly blazed crimson.
Carol instinctively retreated—but it was too late.
Shhh!
Twin red beams grazed past her shoulders, vaporizing the entire wall behind her into ionized particles!
Far out at sea, the shockwave hit the water, sending up a hundred-meter column of steam!
"That was just a warning." Yang Jian retracted the heat vision.
"Next shot goes through your chest."
Carol hovered in mid-air, chest heaving.
She had never encountered an opponent who could completely suppress her.
Even more terrifying: this man clearly hadn't used his full strength yet.
Wanda also felt this woman was being unreasonable and spoke up: "Ms. Danvers, we're not your enemies."
"Then tell me—who is?!" Carol gritted out.
"The Kree Empire? Skrull extremists? Or this self-righteous executioner?!"
"Snap out of it." Yang Jian suddenly appeared in front of her.
His speed was so fast Carol couldn't react!
He grabbed the back of her neck and slammed her down onto the shattered coffee table.
"Look at this!"
On the table was a file: Skrull laboratories with dozens of humans suspended in tanks, brains connected to data extractors.
"They were harvesting human memories and genes." Yang Jian said coldly.
"Your refugees were mass-producing impostors."
Carol's eyes still burned with hatred as she stared at Yang Jian: "Even so, that's not how you deal with it! You'll pay for Talos's death!"
Her rage had reached its peak. She suddenly exploded, trying to break free from Yang Jian's grip.
Yang Jian shook his head. "Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish."
Carol stopped talking nonsense. Her fists erupted with blinding golden photon energy; her entire body shone like a star as she charged at Yang Jian!
However—
Yang Jian simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly.
Snap.
In an instant, the entire space shattered and flipped like glass. Reality tore and reorganized.
The surroundings twisted and stretched—the villa, the ocean, the sky all elongated into bizarre geometric shapes.
Mirror Dimension.
Carol skidded to a halt in mid-air, looking around in shock: "What is this?!"
"Your burial ground." Yang Jian's voice came from every direction.
Carol roared. Her photon energy fully unleashed; her Binary form power erupted without reservation!
She turned into a golden meteor, instantly closing in on Yang Jian. Her fist, wrapped in terrifying energy, smashed toward his head!
BOOM!!!
The shockwave exploded; the Mirror Dimension's ground surged like ocean waves.
But Yang Jian still stood in place, catching her fist with one hand. His clothes didn't even flutter.
"Just this?" He tilted his head slightly, eyes carrying a hint of disappointment.
Support me and be 20 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/arthursink