Chapter 20
S.W.O.R.D. Space StationNick Fury's Private Quarters
Beyond the porthole, the black universe was utterly silent, dotted only by distant starlight in the endless darkness.
Fury sat alone at the metal desk. The holographic projection in front of him flickered with Carol Danvers' final signal coordinates: Earth, New York.
Since Carol had gone to Earth, all communication had been cut off.
Given her personality, even if the mission failed, she would definitely send a message back.
Unless…
She couldn't return.
Fury's fingers tapped lightly on the desk surface. His brow furrowed tightly.
He pulled up the last energy readings: Carol had unleashed her Binary form in Earth's atmosphere—then the signal stopped abruptly.
Fury's single eye narrowed slightly. His fingers tapped again.
He opened another encrypted intelligence file—this one sent at great risk by a Skrull deep-cover agent embedded in the Kree Empire.
"The Supreme Intelligence has confirmed coordinates of the remaining Skrull hideout. Extermination campaign will begin shortly."
He closed the file and leaned deeply back in his chair.
Carol was gone. The Skrulls were about to be wiped out by the Kree.
And he was trapped on this space station, unable to contact Earth, waiting only for the Kree to come hunting him.
"Things really went to hell."
He picked up the old-fashioned communicator on the desk—the last line of contact with Earth.
But ever since Talos died, that channel had been completely severed.
Fury stared at the communicator for a long time, then finally set it back down.
Now, he was truly alone.
Kree HomeworldSupreme Intelligence Nexus
Blue energy fluid flowed through the massive crystal pillar. The Supreme Intelligence's mechanical synthesized voice echoed in the vast council hall.
"The final Skrull hideout has been locked."
On the holographic star map, a remote star system was marked in red.
"Dispatch the Annihilator Fleet. No survivors."
The Kree generals bowed in acceptance, but one man's eyes flickered slightly.
Beneath his skin, a faint green scale light flashed and vanished.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Secret Conference Room
Under dim lighting, Natasha Romanoff, Phil Coulson, and Clint Barton sat around the holographic projection table. The air was thick with oppressive silence.
The projection displayed Skrull infiltration points across the globe—at least several hundred thousand.
They had penetrated national governments, militaries, intelligence agencies—even ordinary people's lives.
"Even if we worked 24 hours nonstop until our hands fell off, we couldn't clean them all out." Hawkeye rubbed his temples, voice hoarse.
"And they're definitely on alert now."
Coulson stared at the flashing red dots on the projection, brow furrowed: "Go public with their existence? Global manhunt?"
"Too risky." Natasha shook her head.
"If we startle them, they could launch riots—or worse. They could fully replace key figures and take direct control of national governments."
The conference room fell silent again.
After a long pause, Hawkeye gave a self-mocking laugh: "Ironically, Fury actually let so many alien spies infiltrate Earth."
"The real Fury can't be reached." Coulson sighed.
"S.W.O.R.D. comms are cut off. We don't even know if he's still alive."
"Why contact him anyway? To let him keep allowing alien invasion of Earth?" Hawkeye grumbled.
Natasha's fingertips tapped lightly on the table. Suddenly she spoke: "Maybe we should ask him."
"Who?"
"Yang Jian." Natasha looked up, a sharp glint in her eyes.
"The man who saw through Skrull disguises at a glance."
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow: "You sure he'll help us?"
"No."
Natasha stood up. "But he definitely has a way."
...
Morning Sunlight
Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the bedroom. Yang Jian opened his eyes; golden halos flowed in his pupils.
He got up, casually draped a black silk robe over himself, and walked to the balcony.
The lounge chair had been warmed by the sun. He leaned back and closed his eyes to rest.
Not long after, light footsteps came from behind.
Wanda wore a loose white nightgown; her red hair was fluffy and draped over her shoulders.
She walked sleepily to his side and naturally curled up in the other lounge chair.
"Morning." Her voice was soft and lazy with sleep.
Yang Jian didn't open his eyes, just smiled: "How did you sleep?"
"Very well." She turned her head to look at him, smiling.
"A million times better than in Hydra's cages."
He chuckled lightly and said no more.
The two lay quietly like that, letting sunlight bathe them, the sound of distant waves bringing peaceful comfort.
One Hour Later
The two went downstairs.
Wanda tied on an apron and began preparing breakfast.
Fried eggs, bacon, toasted bread—the aroma soon filled the entire kitchen.
Yang Jian sat on the living room sofa, flipping through an ancient tome. Suddenly he paused.
"Someone's coming."
Wanda stopped, wiped her hands: "Should I open the door?"
"No rush." Yang Jian closed the book and gestured for her to sit.
"Let them wait a bit."
Not long after, the doorbell rang.
The bio-field controlled the iron gate to open automatically. A black SUV stopped in the courtyard.
Natasha, Coulson, and Hawkeye stepped out, expressions grave, and walked toward the villa.
In the living room, Yang Jian sat with legs crossed, posture relaxed. Wanda sat quietly beside him.
"Sit." He tilted his chin toward the opposite sofa.
The three exchanged glances and sat down.
Natasha took a deep breath, tone respectful: "Mr. Yang, we've discovered the scale of Skrull infiltration far exceeds expectations. S.H.I.E.L.D. alone cannot handle it."
Yang Jian raised an eyebrow: "So?"
"We need your help." Coulson added.
"Why should I?" Yang Jian gave a light laugh.
Coulson said seriously: "We can offer substantial compensation."
"Money? I don't lack it." Yang Jian shook his head.
Natasha looked straight at him: "Then what do you want?"
Yang Jian tapped the armrest lightly, smile playful: "Simple. S.H.I.E.L.D. answers to me."
Hawkeye frowned: "That's not something we can decide. The World Security Council has already decided to reinstate Alexander Pierce as director."
"Pierce?" Yang Jian scoffed. "A Hydra head. Is he worthy? Do you really think cutting off one head means another won't grow?"
The three instantly changed color.
"Hydra?!" Natasha's voice tightened. "Wasn't Hydra eradicated?"
Yang Jian didn't bother explaining. He raised a hand and waved.
Mirror Dimension
The surroundings instantly distorted—walls stretched, sky inverted, the entire city folded and flipped like paper!
The three shot to their feet, staring in shock.
Before they could react, Yang Jian floated upward. His eyes blazed scarlet.
BOOM!!!
Heat vision swept horizontally; distant skyscrapers collapsed like toys!
He smashed a fist downward. The ground cracked; a giant crater formed instantly. The shockwave toppled countless buildings!
Gale-force winds howled; dust filled the air.
Coulson's voice trembled: "What kind of power is this?"
"Haven't you seen it?" Yang Jian slowly landed. The Mirror Dimension dissolved; everything returned to normal.
Natasha took a deep breath and uttered two words.
"Superman."
Coulson couldn't believe it: "But Superman is a comic book character—and he doesn't use magic!"
"Learning leads to progress." Yang Jian shrugged.
"Any more questions?"
The three were silent for a moment.
Finally, Natasha spoke: "If you can't be director, then no one on Earth can."
"I'm not interested in being director." Yang Jian sat back down.
"I'll only manage the three of you."
Natasha nodded: "Then Hydra and the Skrulls."
"You'll receive the full list today." Yang Jian picked up his teacup, signaling the end of the conversation.
The three exchanged glances and stood to leave.
At the door, Natasha turned back: "Mr. Yang… are you really just… passing through Earth?"
Yang Jian lifted his gaze and met her eyes: "Who knows?"
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