Chapter 72 New Loot
The lawn was wet, smelling of Earth and blood.
Yon-Rogg lay sprawled on the ground like an emptied sack of rice. The alloy armor on his chest was shattered, with a noticeable dent, and each breath he took was accompanied by the soft pop of blood bubbles.
Chu Hang's combat boot rested on his chest, not pressing hard, yet it seemed to be welded there.
Carol descended from the sky, her steps somewhat unsteady. She stood a few meters away, looking at the man. In her memory, he had been her mentor, her Commander, an insurmountable mountain. Now, he was just a puddle of mud. This feeling was strange, like a six-year-long nightmare from which she had suddenly woken.
"Speak," Chu Hang said, his voice flat, as if asking what was for lunch today. "Why did you come to Earth? What does the Supreme Intelligence want? And what did you do to her memory?"
Yon-Rogg coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of flesh, but a twisted smile appeared on his face.
"She... she isn't her..." He shrieked with all his might, his voice broken like a leaky drum. "She is a weapon! Property of the Kree Empire! Her power is too dangerous, it must be controlled! We gave her new life, gave her glory! She should be grateful to us!"
Chu Hang's toe gently twisted on the dented chest plate.
Crack.
That was the sound of ribs being dislocated.
Yon-Rogg's shriek caught in his throat, turning into a suppressed groan. The intense pain turned his entire blue face purplish-red, and his eyeballs bulged due to lack of oxygen.
"I'm not interested in your imperialistic propaganda," Chu Hang's voice turned cold, each word like an ice shard. "I ask, you answer. Otherwise, I will let you personally experience what slow decomposition at a molecular level feels like. I will strip every single cell from your bones, letting you watch yourself slowly turn into a puddle of protein solution."
He wasn't threatening; he was merely stating a fact.
The phrase "molecular level" seemed to hold more deterrent power than Death itself. The madness in Yon-Rogg's eyes finally receded, replaced by a primal fear. He looked at Chu Hang, at those calm, unruffled eyes, and finally understood that the man before him was not joking.
"The Supreme Intelligence... it... it sensed the energy going out of control..." He gasped with difficulty, each word pulling at the intense pain in his lungs. "It ordered me... to bring the 'weapon'... back, to reformat her... As for her memory... we merely helped her shed unnecessary burdens. A Soldier doesn't need so much sentimentality."
He paused, seemingly trying to gather some strength, but Chu Hang's toe moved slightly again.
The intense pain prevented him from pausing any longer.
"We implanted an energy inhibitor in the back of her neck... That thing can suppress her power, and also... filter out her emotions. To make her a perfect, absolutely obedient Soldier."
Energy inhibitor.
These five words struck Carol's mind like a bullet, precisely.
Her body trembled violently, and she instinctively reached for the back of her neck. Where her fingertips touched, beneath the skin, there was indeed a small, almost imperceptible hard bump.
It was this thing.
It turned out that her uncontrolled emotions, her fragmented and broken memories, her power that was sometimes strong and sometimes weak, completely disobedient... it was all because of this thing.
She wasn't suffering from amnesia.
Her entire life had been artificially altered.
They stole her past and put a shackle on her.
"You... you people..." A scorching, steel-melting rage erupted from the deepest part of Carol's heart. The golden cosmic energy was no longer a gentle halo, but exploded like an out-of-control nuclear reactor. Rings of tangible fiery light spread from her body, engulfing her whole being into a small Sun, and the grass beneath her feet instantly turned to charcoal.
The golden light in her eyes surged, her pupils vanishing, leaving only two burning stars. She stared intently at Yon-Rogg on the ground, walking towards him step by step, each step leaving a glowing footprint on the charred ground.
"I'm going to kill you!"
She shrieked, her voice distorted by extreme anger. She raised her hand, and a destructive ball of energy frantically gathered in her palm, emitting a piercing shriek.
Yon-Rogg's face on the ground showed terror, but beneath that terror, there was a hint of morbid pleasure.
See, he wasn't wrong.
This weapon was indeed out of control. It deserved only to be locked in a cage, or completely reformatted.
Just as Carol was about to bring her hand down, a hand gently rested on her shoulder.
It was Chu Hang.
That hand had no strength, not even a noticeable temperature. But the rampaging golden energy on Carol's body was instantly quelled, as if doused with a basin of liquid nitrogen at minus one hundred degrees Celsius. The furious rage that made her head ache and wanted to destroy everything was slowly smoothed by a cool, calm will, like a tamed Beast.
"Killing him is too easy," Chu Hang's voice sounded in her ear, not loud, but very clear. "Besides, a living KreeCommander is much more useful than a corpse. Revenge is a dish best served cold."
Carol gasped for air, her chest heaving violently. She looked at Chu Hang's overly calm profile, the golden light in her eyes slowly fading, and reason gradually returned to her mind.
Yes, kill him, and then what? The Kree Empire would send more Yon-Roggs, endlessly.
Chu Hang released his hand and walked to Yon-Rogg, crouching down. He ignored the other man's eyes, filled with hatred and fear, and reached out to feel the back of his neck, then his two fingers, like iron pliers, squeezed gently.
Pop.
With a barely audible click, a silver metal chip the size of a fingernail was forcibly pulled from Yon-Rogg's flesh. It was a Kree Military communication and identification device, integrated with complex biological information.
"Alright, now it's my turn." Chu Hang stood up, wiping the blood from the metal chip on his pants.
He looked at the bewildered Carol and suddenly smiled.
"Want to see a magic trick?"
Before Carol could answer, Chu Hang's body began to change.
His height elongated, his shoulders widened, and the contours of his face reshaped with a peristalsis motion. His bones emitted a faint, teeth-grinding friction sound, his skin color changed from healthy yellow to the Kree's characteristic blue, and his casual clothes, like melting wax, recombined into a dark green Kree standard combat uniform, even perfectly replicating the cracks on the shoulder armor that he himself had crushed.
Less than three seconds.
A person identical to Yon-Rogg lying on the ground appeared before Carol. Not only the appearance, but even the coldness and arrogance of a high-ranking MilitaryOfficer in his eyes were mimicked to perfection.
"Form Mimicry," Chu Hang, or rather "Yon-Rogg," said in the Kree Commander's deep, hoarse voice. "A very useful little trick, especially when deceiving people."
Carol opened her mouth, unable to utter a single word. She knew Chu Hang could shapeshift, but witnessing this flawless scene, perfectly replicating even his aura and demeanor, still left her deeply shocked. This was no longer disguise; this was creation.
"Yon-Rogg" walked onto the lawn, picked up a hoverboard that hadn't been broken in the previous battle, and stepped onto it. He activated the communication device in his hand.
A faint holographic projection unfolded before him, showing the avatar of a helmeted Kree Military Officerwhose face was unclear.
"Commander, report on the situation." The voice on the other end was urgent, and the hum of a spaceship engine could be heard in the background.
"Target captured," "Yon-Rogg" reported in concise Military jargon, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed fatigue and injury. "Fos's energy is unstable, her resistance was fierce, and the entire squad was annihilated. I myself am also seriously wounded. Now, I will escort her back to Hala to face the judgment of the Supreme Intelligence."
This lie was perfectly crafted. The annihilation of the squad explained why he was alone, and his serious injuries provided a perfect excuse for subsequent "loss of contact" or slow actions.
"Received, Commander. Do you need a support fleet to rendezvous with you?"
"No need," "Yon-Rogg" coldly interrupted him. "This is my mission, and my shame. I will personally bring her back."
With that, he directly cut off communication, giving the other party no chance to ask further questions.
After doing all this, he jumped off the hoverboard, and his body underwent another unsettling peristalsis, transforming back into Chu Hang's original appearance.
"Alright," Chu Hang clapped his hands and tossed the communicator into his pocket. "Now, the Kree Empirethinks you've been captured and taken back, and the Commander responsible for escorting you is seriously wounded and returning alone. We have enough time before they discover the truth."
He looked at Carol, a hint of encouragement in his eyes.
"Enough time for you to truly learn how to use your power. And for you to personally dismantle that damned inhibitor."
...Maria's backyard.
The real Yon-Rogg had been sealed in all his joints and vocal abilities by Chu Hang using a special technique, and was thrown into the corner of the tool shed like a lifeless piece of wood.
Chu Hang sat comfortably in a lounge chair, eyes closed, as if taking a nap in the afternoon.
In his mind, a voice that only he could hear rang out on time.
[Weekly Ability Replication Cooldown Complete.]
[A new round of replication is ready.]
It's here.
Chu Hang's consciousness slowly sank into the system interface. He cast his gaze towards the half-dead KreeCommander in the tool shed.
[Scanning Target: Yon-Rogg (Kree Elite)]
[Replicable Ability List:]
[1. Kree Physiology (Blue race, enhanced physique and environmental adaptability)]
[2. Interstellar Tactical Command (A-rank, Kree Militarystandard tactical theory)]
[3. Energy Weapon Mastery (B-rank, proficient use of Kree standard energy weapons)]
[4. Willpower Barrier (A-rank, powerful mental resistance and willpower, able to resist most mental control and illusions)]
Chu Hang's gaze quickly scanned the list.
The first, Kree Physiology. It was no longer useful to him; his body, after fusing with the super soldier serum, Healing Factor, and cosmic energy, had long surpassed the scope of ordinary Kree.
The second, Interstellar Tactical Command. It sounded cool, but Chu Hang's greatest tactical advantage was foreknowledge; he knew the plot's direction, which was more effective than any tactical theory.
The third, Energy Weapon Mastery. Even more useless; he himself was the strongest energy weapon.
His gaze finally settled on the fourth option.
Willpower Barrier.
This thing seemed inconspicuous, not like Twin Star Formthat could destroy the World, nor like Healing Factor that could grant infinite life extension. But Chu Hang knew very well that the later it got, the more bizarre the enemies he would face.
Loki's scepter, Scarlet Witch's Chaos Magic, and those strange mental attacks, illusions, and mind control in the future Universe... No matter how strong physical defense was, it couldn't stop these things.
Although his own willpower had become very strong due to the enhancement of the super soldier serum, that was just a tenacious "attribute," and had not formed an "ability" that could actively defend.
This [Willpower Barrier] could just make up for his biggest shortcoming in mental defense.
This was an insurance, an amulet in the face of unknown and strange attacks.
"This is it."
Chu Hang made his decision in his mind.
[Confirm Selection: Replicate Ability -- Willpower Barrier (A-rank)]
[Ability replicating... 1%... 50%... 99%...]
[Replication successful.]
A cool, solid sensation instantly flooded his mind. His consciousness felt as if it had been encased in an invisible, solid barrier made of pure willpower. The entire World, in his perception, seemed to become clearer, more real, no longer with any illusion or mist.
Very good.
Chu Hang opened his eyes and glanced at Carol, who was still trying to calm down beside him.
New spoils of war in hand.
Next, it was time to train this future Captain Marvel.
Chapter 73 Being a mentor is no easy job.
The next day, as the Sun just peeked over the horizon, the air still carried the coolness of dew.
Chu Hang called Carol to the open space behind the house. Maria and Monica didn't come out, watching from afar through the kitchen window.
"Your problem isn't a lack of power," Chu Hang said bluntly, his voice devoid of any warmth. "It's a chaotic mind. Your emotions are all connected to the switch of your energy. When you're happy, it gushes out; when you're angry, it goes out of control. This isn't controlling power; this is being played like a puppet by power."
Carol frowned, her lips pressed into a thin line, not saying a word. She knew Chu Hang was right. These past few days, whenever she got slightly agitated, the light bulbs in the house would flicker, and the TV would show static, as if her body had become a giant electromagnetic disruptor.
"Watch closely."
Chu Hang extended his right index finger. At its tip, a tiny golden light appeared.
The light was very small, even smaller than a firefly, but terrifyingly stable. It just floated quietly half an inch in front of his fingertip, not flickering, not wavering, like a miniature Sun embedded in transparent amber.
Carol held her breath.
Then, that light began to move.
It first stretched, transforming into a cube with sides less than a centimeter long, each corner as sharp as if measured with a ruler. Next, the cube's edges began to melt, smoothly transitioning into a perfect sphere, its surface as smooth as a mirror. Finally, the top and bottom ends of the sphere extended outwards, flattened, and became a miniature butterfly with wings poised for flight.
The golden patterns on its wings were clearly visible in the morning light, and even its subtle veins could be seen.
The entire process was eerily quiet. Not a single trace of excess energy leaked, not a hint of a halo spread. The surrounding air didn't even show a ripple.
Carol's eyes were wide with amazement. She could also release energy, but her energy was like a flash flood, a massive torrent that erupted destructively, even frightening herself. Chu Hang's energy, to her, was like a surgeon's scalpel: precise, calm, and incredibly stable.
"Your energy is a barrel of gasoline; you only know how to pour out the whole barrel, light it, and watch a big fire," Chu Hang retracted his finger, and the golden butterfly silently vanished into the air, leaving not a single speck of light dust. "Mine, however, is gasoline in an engine. I want it fast, it goes fast; I want it slow, it goes slow. The difference is, you drive with emotions, I drive with my brain."
He pointed to his temple.
"Willpower," Chu Hang uttered two words. "You have to learn to use your willpower to control it, instead of being dragged along by its instincts. Forget those combat techniques, forget all that garbage the Kree taught you. From now on, learn to 'feel' it, then 'command' it."
"How do I do that?" Carol's voice was a little dry.
"Start by calming down," Chu Hang pointed to the back of her neck. "That inhibitor, it's like a half-closed faucet, restricting your flow and distorting your perception. But it also gives you a chance to learn how to control the valve when the water flow isn't so strong."
Over the next few days, Chu Hang taught no moves, explained no theories.
He simply had Carol sit cross-legged on the grass, close her eyes, and feel the energy flowing like a golden river within her body.
On the first day, Carol couldn't calm down at all.
As soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was filled with the city of Hala, Yon-Rogg's hypocritical face, and the six stolen years of her life. Anger, betrayal, confusion, like a pot of boiling water, churned in her consciousness. Her energy fluctuated wildly with her emotions, crashing through her body, giving her a splitting headache, and several times she almost couldn't resist setting the house on fire.
"Anger, hatred, these are all part of power. Don't suppress it, but don't indulge it either," Chu Hang's voice was like a cold probe, piercing accurately into her mind from several meters away. "Watch it, just like you would watch a dog barking at your feet. You know it's there, but it can't bite you unless you allow it."
Chu Hang also closed his eyes. The newly acquired [Will Barrier] had turned his spiritual World into an impregnable fortress. He could easily project his willpower, like a thin, invisible soundproof shield, enveloping Carol's consciousness. He didn't interfere, merely helped her isolate some of the most violent emotional interference, allowing her a relatively quiet environment for "introspection."
Carol, of course, didn't know any of this. She only felt that, under Chu Hang's cold prompts, the boiling water in her mind seemed less scalding.
She began to try not to fight the anger, but instead, like an observer, watched it churn and roar in her consciousness, and then, slowly, subside.
This process was very difficult. It was like watching another person go mad in her own mind.
But slowly, Carol found her rhythm.
On the fourth day, she could decouple her emotions from her energy fluctuations for one minute.
On the seventh day, she successfully kept a small beam of golden light at her fingertip for three seconds. Although the light still trembled slightly, like a candle flame in the wind, it no longer immediately exploded out of control.
"The time has come."
Chu Hang looked at the faint light at her fingertip and finally nodded.
He led Carol to a more open wasteland, several kilometers away from Maria's house. There was nothing there but sand and sparse bushes.
"That inhibitor, you take it off yourself," Chu Hang said.
"Me?" Carol was stunned. "I don't know how to..."
"Use your energy," Chu Hang interrupted her. "It's connected to your central nervous system. If you try to rip it out with brute force, you might become paralyzed. You have to use your energy, like the finest surgical scalpel, to sever those connection points one by one. This is your final exam. Fail, and you'll spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair."
There was no encouragement in his words, only cold reality.
Carol took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She could clearly "see" that cold metal plate, like a mechanical leech gorged on blood, firmly rooted in her body. Countless energy lines, finer than spider silk, extended from it, like plant roots, entwining her spinal nerves, drawing her strength, and releasing false signals to her brain.
She mobilized the energy within her, carefully condensing it into an energy needle finer than a strand of hair.
Sweat seeped from her forehead, quickly soaking her golden hair.
This was an extremely delicate task. If the energy needle deviated even slightly, it could sever important nerves. If the energy output was even slightly too high, it could directly burn away a piece of tissue.
Time passed minute by minute.
Chu Hang stood dozens of meters away, hands in his pockets, watching calmly. He did nothing but use his willpower to construct an invisible "safety net" with a one-kilometer radius around them. He could feel the immense energy accumulating within Carol, like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment. His job was to ensure that even if the volcano erupted, the lava wouldn't spread elsewhere.
Finally, amidst the excruciating pain that threatened to tear her mind apart, Carol suddenly opened her eyes.
Beneath the skin of her neck, the metal plate emitted a final, faint "click."
All connections were severed.
All was silent.
After a second of dead silence.
Boom—!
It was as if the singularity of the Big Bang had been instantly detonated.
An indescribable, immense energy, suppressed for six full years, erupted from Carol's body with a roar!
No longer a gentle golden aura, but a pure, destructive white pillar of light, soaring skyward like a sword of creation, directly tearing through the clouds in the sky, leaving a massive and dark void in the azure firmament above, its edges still burning with golden flames.
A violent energy storm swept outwards from her as its center, peeling away layers of the ground. Turf, soil, rocks, all vaporized the moment they touched the storm, leaving behind an ever-expanding, vitrified circular crater.
"Ah—!"
Carol collapsed to the ground in agony, clutching her head, letting out a scream so shrill it sounded inhuman.
It was too immense.
This power was too immense.
She felt like a balloon about to burst, every cell of her body stretched and torn by the infinite energy. She could no longer hear sounds, no longer see things. Her senses were replaced by a pure torrent of energy. She "saw" the Universe, saw the birth and destruction of stars, saw the flow of time, saw countless versions of herself in parallel Worlds.
Billions of years of information and images flooded into her mind in an instant, almost completely overwhelming and crushing her consciousness.
She was afraid.
For the first time, she felt a deep-seated fear of the power within her body.
She was afraid she would become a monster, an energy collective without thought, capable only of destruction.
"Ah—!"
She screamed uncontrollably, and the golden-white energy, like a tsunami, crashed aimlessly in all directions.
Just then, Chu Hang moved.
He covered dozens of meters in a single stride, appearing before Carol. In that destructive energy storm, he strolled leisurely, as if merely walking in a gentle breeze. The violent energy, upon approaching within one meter of his body, automatically parted, forming an absolute vacuum.
He reached out and placed his hand on Carol's head.
"Look at me."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it was like a thunderclap that transcended space and time, exploding in Carol's chaotic sea of consciousness.
Carol struggled to lift her head and saw his eyes.
What kind of eyes were they? Calm, profound, like the night containing the entire starry sky. In those eyes, she saw her fear, her anger, her confusion. But these overwhelming emotions were merely specks of dust in that starry sky, tiny, powerless, insignificant.
"The essence of power is neither creation nor destruction. It simply is; it simply exists," Chu Hang's voice, carrying an undeniable authority, directly poured into the depths of her soul. "You fear it because you still see yourself as a weak human. You hate the Kree because you're still looking at yourself through the lens of the past."
"Forget the Soldier named Fos, and forget the pilot named Carol."
"From now on, you are you. A being with the power of a star."
"Now, stand up. Embrace it, Master it. Let it know who the Master is."
Chu Hang's words were like a key, unlocking the last shackles in Carol's heart.
Yes.
The past no longer mattered.
What mattered was the present, and the future.
She slowly rose from the vitrified ground. She let the immense power surge within her, like riding an untamed wild horse. She no longer resisted, no longer feared. She spread her arms, as if embracing a long-lost friend.
The fear and confusion in her eyes gradually receded, replaced by an unprecedented resolve and confidence.
The towering pillar of light began to recede, and the violent energy storm slowly subsided. The golden-white light was no longer so dazzling, but became soft and contained, like a magnificent feathered cloak woven from starlight, draped over her.
She slowly ascended, her feet lifting off the ground, hovering in mid-air.
At this moment, she was no longer a Kree weapon, nor an Earth pilot.
She was Captain Marvel.
Chu Hang stood below, watching the figure bathed in starlight, and nodded with satisfaction.
Being a mentor was tough, but seeing his "work" finally take shape felt pretty good... That night.
Carol had already gained initial control over her new powers and was excitedly performing various light and shadow effects for an adoring Monica in the backyard, such as forming ponies with light or making her hair burn like a Super Saiyan.
Meanwhile, Chu Hang sat in the house, opening the computer he had bought for a considerable sum.
On the screen was Yahoo's finance page.
He skillfully logged into his brokerage account, looking at the seven-figure sum that had multiplied dozens of times, his face expressionless.
For him, this was just the beginning.
He created a new document and typed a line on it:
"Future Investment Memorandum."
Below, he listed a series of companies that would dominate the next two decades and their key breakout points.
Doggo, search engine and advertising overlord, bought at the bottom after the dot-com bubble burst.
Pear, initiator of the smartphone revolution, awaiting the release of the iPod and iPhone.
Tesla, the future of electric vehicles and new energy, requires long-term planning...
As he typed on the keyboard, he devoted a part of his mind to the system.
The [Form Mimicry] ability allowed him to easily register countless clean alternate identities across the globe and build complex financial firewalls.
The [Will Barrier] ability allowed his brain to maintain absolute calm and super-high efficiency when performing incredibly complex financial operations and information processing.
And his memory, twenty years ahead of this era, was his greatest and most unreplicable golden finger.
A massive business empire, spanning the globe and with tentacles reaching into various high-tech fields, had already begun to sketch its first outlines in his mind.
This World needed heroes to save it.
And he was preparing to buy this World.
Chapter 74 The Arrival of the Skrulls
Half a month later, on the wasteland outside Louisiana.
Carol was suspended three meters above the ground, her eyes closed. She stretched out her hands, palms facing each other. Between her palms, a fist-sized, highly condensed golden energy sphere was slowly rotating.
It was no longer a chaotic ball of light, but a nearly perfect sphere. Its surface flowed with patterns like liquid gold, and within, a Nebula-like structure could be vaguely seen forming and dissipating. This tiny "Planet," under her control, was as quiet as a work of art.
Monica sat on a large rock not far away, chin in hands, watching with fascination. Maria leaned against a pickup truck, her eyes showing both relief and a hint of unconcealed worry.
Carol slowly separated her hands, and the energy Planetbegan to orbit her body in a stable elliptical path. One circle, two circles... Just as it reached the third circle, her brows furrowed slightly. In her mind, a fragment of her past flying in the Air Force Academy flashed, and a tiny ripple of emotion appeared.
It was this tiny ripple that instantly broke the perfect balance.
The energy Planet's orbit began to destabilize, it shook violently, and the golden patterns on its surface became chaotic. The next second, it was like a comet derailed, trailing a long tail of flames, whistling towards a distant small hill.
"Damn it!" Carol cursed under her breath, opening her eyes and wanting to chase it.
But it was already too late.
The energy sphere was about to hit the hill, triggering an explosion no less powerful than a heavy aerial bomb. Just then, Chu Hang, who had been standing by as if nothing was happening, finally moved.
He didn't even look at the out-of-control energy sphere; he just lazily raised his right hand, pointed his index and middle fingers together towards the sphere's direction of flight, and lightly swiped.
It was as if an eraser had rubbed away a pencil mark on paper.
A nearly imperceptible distortion appeared in the space in front of him, like the shimmering heat rising from a road on a summer afternoon. The distortion only appeared for an instant, like an invisible mouth, opening, then closing.
The energy sphere, powerful enough to level a hill, simply vanished into thin air.
No explosion, no sound, no light.
It was "eaten."
A few seconds later, tens of thousands of meters above the atmosphere, a golden beam of light flashed by, shooting into the depths of the vast Universe, disturbing no one.
Carol stared at all this, dumbfounded, her mouth agape for a long time. She knew Chu Hang was strong, but this effortless method, treating the Law of Space as nothing, still exceeded her imagination.
"I've said it before, your problem isn't the magnitude of your power," Chu Hang retracted his hand, putting it into his pocket, his tone as calm as if he were critiquing a dish, "but rather, you don't understand what you're using at all."
He walked over to Carol, looked up at the sky, where the clouds still bore a trace of being pierced by energy.
"You think you got the energy of a light-speed engine?" Chu Hang asked.
"Isn't it?" Carol asked back, somewhat unsure.
He looked at the confused Carol and decided to give her a self-created lesson in cosmic physics.
"The core of that engine, you later learned it's called the Tesseract, right? That thing, in essence, is not an energy source; it's the materialization of a concept. It's the source code of the 'Space' dimension of the entire Universe, compressed into a small cube. It itself is the embodiment of the Law of Space."
Chu Hang paused, giving her some time to digest.
"My path is to understand and rewrite rules. Just now, I didn't use stronger power to block your energy; instead, I directly rewrote a small piece of the space rule in its flight path, opening a back door to outer space, letting it fly out on its own."
"And your path is to apply the purest energy to its extreme. Your body is now a perfect energy converter, a walking star. You don't need to understand those complex rules; you just need to become power itself."
Carol nodded, half-understanding.
"Then what should I do?"
"Keep practicing." Chu Hang's answer was simple and blunt, "Practice controlling energy until it's as instinctive as your breathing and blinking. When you can play poker with Monica while making a hundred energy butterflies fly around you, each with a different wing-flapping frequency, you'll be considered barely initiated."
Carol's mouth twitched at this. This requirement was simply insane.
"Before you completely make this power a part of your body, don't even think about looking for trouble with the Kree," Chu Hang warned finally, "Otherwise, you won't even know how you died."
After speaking, he no longer paid attention to Carol, turning and walking towards the pickup truck.
In the following days, Carol's training entered a whole new phase. She no longer pursued the intensity and scale of energy, but instead began to painstakingly work on the perverted level of precise control that Chu Hang had proposed.
She started trying to maintain a stable orb of light at her fingertips while running, and trying to precisely heat Monica's milk to 37.5 degrees with energy while chatting with Maria.
This process was full of failures and frustrations. She almost set the house on fire several times, and once she melted Maria's favorite coffee machine, earning Maria's eye-rolls for an entire day.
As for Chu Hang, he completely became a hands-off boss.
Most of the time, he locked himself in his room, facing the humming computer, like a typical internet-addicted teenager.
Only when Carol's training hit a bottleneck, or when her energy was about to spiral out of control, would he appear like a ghost, offering a cold word or two of guidance, or casually defusing a disaster, then drifting away, his achievements hidden deep.
He was very busy.
Busy laying the foundation for his future business empire.
Using his Form Mimicry ability, he had fabricated over a dozen new identities spread across the globe for himself in just half a month.
In Frankfurt, he was a German investment consultant named "Hans Schmidt," in his fifties, rigorous, rigid, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, always in a crisp suit. This identity was responsible for setting up offshore companies and bank accounts in Europe.
In Tokyo, he was a tech geek named "Kenichi Takahashi," in his early twenties, with messy hair, wearing T-shirts with anime characters, obsessed with various emerging internet technologies. This identity was responsible for collecting and analyzing tech trends in the Asian market.
In London, he was a retired banker named "ArthurPendragon," elegant, gentlemanly, who had afternoon tea promptly at three every day. This identity, leveraging its established "reputation" in the financial World, was responsible for some large-scale capital operations requiring high trust endorsement.
He was like the most skilled puppeteer, sitting in an unassuming private residence in Louisiana, controlling these global "aliases" through a thin internet cable, beginning to weave a vast, invisible network of capital.
The tens of thousands of U.S. dollars "borrowed" from the Butcher's Casino, after repeated splitting, transferring, and exchanging through dozens of accounts, were completely laundered, like a stream flowing into the sea. Then, these funds flowed out from various offshore tax haven accounts, precisely injected as "Angel investments" into companies that he remembered would soar in the future.
Yahoo, Google... these small companies, now obscure and even struggling for their next round of funding, quietly welcomed their earliest and most mysterious shareholder.
Chu Hang was not greedy; he did not take much stock in each company, usually no more than one percent. What he wanted was not controlling interest, but an entry ticket, a long-term meal ticket to share in future technological dividends.
Money, to him now, was just a number, a tool.
His true purpose was to use these investments to plant his stakes in the World's top technology fields in advance. He needed a vast secular empire that could provide him with information, technology, resources, and cover. When future crises arrived, the Avengers would be responsible for the fighting on the front lines, while he would ensure that the Base in the rear was stable enough, ensuring that the great ship of human civilization would not easily sink due to the god-like battles of the superheroes.
This afternoon, Chu Hang had just opened a new anonymous account at a Swiss bank under the identity of "Hans Schmidt," preparing to transfer funds for the next phase of his layout.
He stretched, stood up from the computer, and prepared to go to the kitchen for a drink.
In the living room, Carol was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, dozens of golden energy butterflies of various sizes fluttering around her and Monica, while Mariawatched them playfully, smiling. Everything seemed so peaceful and beautiful.
A rare smile curled Chu Hang's lips.
However, at that very moment, the smile on his face suddenly froze.
He sharply turned his head, looking towards the woods to the northwest outside the window.
He heard nothing and saw nothing. However, his perception, enhanced by the Law of Space, clearly captured a faint wrinkle that did not belong to this World.
The feeling was like a flat piece of White paper suddenly being pushed from behind with a finger, creating a tiny bulge.
Something was entering this space through abnormal means.
Not teleportation, but more like... some kind of optical and spatial camouflage was being removed.
"What's wrong?"
Carol noticed Chu Hang's abnormality immediately. She waved her hand, and all the energy butterflies instantly dissipated into the air.
Maria also stood up nervously.
"We have guests." Chu Hang's voice was calm, but his eyes sharpened, "The uninvited kind."
As soon as his words fell, at the edge of the woods to the northwest, the air rippled like Water. A strangely shaped, dark green spaceship, about a dozen meters long, silently materialized from its transparent state, hovering steadily a few meters above the ground.
The spaceship's hatch slid open, and a tall, thin man wearing an Earthling jacket and jeans emerged. He looked unremarkable, like an ordinary U.S. middle-aged man.
But he wasn't.
Because Chu Hang could "see" that beneath his human skin, entirely different life signals were surging.
The man showed no hostility; he simply stood beneath the spaceship, looking at the house from a distance, his eyes complex.
The moment Carol saw the spaceship, her body tensed, and golden energy began to flicker uncontrollably around her. She recognized the ship; it was a Skrulls' spaceship.
"Don't be nervous." Chu Hang pressed her shoulder, and a calm willpower passed through, instantly smoothing her restless energy, "He's not here to fight."
Chu Hang's gaze went past the man, towards the spaceship behind him. He could feel that inside the spaceship, there were dozens of weaker, but equally Skrulls, life signals. There were men and women, and even children.
This was not an army.
These were refugees.
Just as they were in a standoff, a sound that surprised everyone broke the tense silence.
Ding-dong.
It was the doorbell.
Maria and Carol were both stunned.
Chu Hang raised an eyebrow, a playful expression appearing on his face. He turned his head and looked towards the front door of the house.
Outside the door stood another man, also dressed in ordinary clothes.
It was Nick Fury.
He came alone, empty-handed, with his signature, inscrutable smile on his face.
One in the open, one in the shadows.
One came quietly from the sky, one rang the doorbell from the ground.
These two groups of people were clearly not together. But they appeared here at the same time.
Things were getting interesting.
Chapter 75 The Negotiation Table
The doorbell rang.
Ding-dong.
The sound was not loud, but it was like a cold awl, piercing the taut membrane in the living room.
Carol's body instantly stiffened, her palms unconsciously clenched, and a few golden electric arcs flashed between her fingers.
Maria gasped, looking at Chu Hang as if for help.
There was an alien in the backyard, and an uninvited guest at the front door; this small house seemed to have become the center of a storm.
Chu Hang, however, smiled, with no tension in his smile, but rather a playful amusement, as if watching a show.
He gave Maria a look, his tone as relaxed as if greeting a late party guest: "Go open the door, Maria.
Since they're here, we can't just leave them standing outside."
Maria's lips moved, wanting to say something, but seeing Chu Hang's confident demeanor, she finally nodded and turned to walk towards the door.
"Are you crazy?" Carol lowered her voice, leaning close to Chu Hang's ear, her voice full of disbelief, "Let S.H.I.E.L.D.Agents meet the Skrulls? They'll fight!"
"Why not?" Chu Hang shrugged, his gaze sweeping past Carol, curiously observing the Skrull man in the backyard who was also on high alert, "Look, one wants to retrieve her memories, one wants to find a new home, and another wants to understand all the uncertain factors.
Everyone has clear goals, so sitting down and talking together is the most efficient way.
It saves me the trouble of explaining to each of you individually."
Carol was left speechless by his twisted logic.
She found herself completely unable to follow this man's train of thought.
In his eyes, this was not an imminent interstellar conflict at all, but a community mediation meeting that he could manipulate at will.
The front door opened.
Maria led Nick Fury in.
As soon as Fury entered the room, his One-Eyed Manacted like the most precise scanner, completing a tactical assessment of the entire living room in a fraction of a second.
His gaze quickly swept over the nervous Maria, the hostile Carol, and finally, like two nails, fixed firmly on Chu Hang.
When his peripheral vision caught the figure standing under the dark green spaceship in the backyard, the pupil of his One-Eyed Man subtly contracted.
That was the most instinctive reaction of a top Agentwhen facing a variable beyond the plan.
But the expression on his face remained unchanged, still wearing that calm, professional smile, as if what he had just seen was merely a raccoon that had wandered into the backyard.
"Mr. Chen, we meet again." Fury spoke, his voice steady, betraying no emotion, "I hope I haven't interrupted your family gathering.
However, if I may be frank, that... undeclared private aircraft in your backyard might cause some unnecessary trouble in the community."
He deliberately emphasized the words "private aircraft," as if probing and also applying pressure.
"Mr. Fury, ringing the doorbell is a good habit, commendable.
But perhaps next time you could call ahead for an appointment?" Chu Hang completely ignored his subtext, lazily pointed to the sofa, and made a 'please' gesture, "Since you're here, have a cup of hot tea before you go.
Maria, please get this gentleman, who has come a long way, a cup too; he looks quite weary."
Fury felt like his fully charged punch had landed directly on cotton.
He had prepared an entire negotiation plan, including threats, inducements, and pressure, but the other party treated him as if he were a door-to-door insurance salesman, politely inviting him for tea.
This completely unconventional response instantly disrupted his rhythm.
He silently sat down on the sofa, deciding to wait and see.
He had a strong intuition that he was not the protagonist of today's drama.
Chu Hang no longer paid attention to the contemplative Fury, but turned around and called out towards the backyard: "Friend outside, come in and sit down too.
Don't your legs ache standing there in the Sun?"
In the backyard, the Skrull man was visibly stunned.
He had not expected the other party to actively invite him.
He glanced at the One-Eyed Man in the black trench coat in the house, his eyes filled with deep vigilance and distrust.
That was S.H.I.E.L.D., the most troublesome intelligence chief on Earth, the very trouble they, as outsiders, needed most to avoid.
"Don't worry, he doesn't bite today." Chu Hang's voice was not loud, but it seemed to have a penetrating quality, clearly reaching his ears, "There are no traps in the house, only a few cups of hot tea and a few people who can talk as equals.
If you don't trust me, then you can continue to wander the Universe until you are found by the Kree, or run out of your last fuel on some barren Planet."
That last sentence, like a precise dagger, pierced the Skrull man's softest and most painful spot.
Wandering.
This word was an imprint carved into the bones of his generation of Skrulls.
After a few seconds of dead silence, the man took a deep breath, seemingly having made a difficult decision.
He took steps, one by one, towards this seemingly ordinary yet strangely peculiar house.
When he walked into the living room and stood under the bright lights, Carol's body tensed again.
She could clearly feel that the aura emanating from this person was that of the green-skinned, pointy-eared invaders from her memories.
Six years of combat instinct made her almost unable to resist attacking.
"Hello, Fos." The Skrull man ignored Carol's hostility, but looked at her and said in an extremely weary, hoarse voice, "Or should I call you, Carol Danvers?"
His gaze was complex, with scrutiny, vigilance, but more, a nearly desperate hope.
"Don't stand, everyone sit." Chu Hang pointed to another empty single sofa, like an experienced community mediator, arranging the seats in an unquestionable manner, "Everyone here may have some misunderstandings about each other.
I'll be the middleman and introduce everyone.
My name is Chu Hang, and I'm the temporary homeowner here."
He pointed to Fury: "This is Nick Fury, a regional manager for a not-so-famous security company on Earth, mainly responsible for handling neighborhood disputes and community safety issues."
Fury's mouth twitched, but he didn't retort.
Chu Hang then turned to the Skrull man: "This is..."
"Talos." The Skrull man took over the conversation himself, straightening his back, which was slightly hunched from long-term exile, "Skrull, General."
For a moment, the atmosphere in the living room became incredibly strange.
The Supreme Commander of S.H.I.E.L.D. was described as someone who handled neighborhood disputes.
The exiled Skrull General, the future Captain Marvel, and a mysterious homeowner who was unfathomable and played everyone in the palm of his hand, thus sat around a small coffee table with a few cookies on it.
Maria tightly hugged her daughter Monica, hiding at the kitchen door, nervously watching everything.
Monica peeked her small head from behind her mother, curiously observing this "guest" with peculiar green patterns on his skin.
"Alright, since everyone is here, let's get straight to the point." Chu Hang picked up the tea Maria had just brewed, blowing on the steam at the rim of the cup, as if he wasn't presiding over a meeting that would decide the fate of two races, but a regular company weekly meeting, "General Talos, you go first.
You risked being discovered by Earth authorities, traveled all this way, bringing a ship full of old, weak, women, and children; surely it wasn't just to experience the pastoral scenery of Earth, was it?"
Talos's gaze swept over Fury and Carol's faces one by one, and finally, he fixed his sight firmly on Chu Hang, who seemed to be the most in charge.
"We are here to seek asylum." His voice carried an undisguised weariness and sadness, "Our homeworld, Skrullos, was destroyed by the Kree Empire decades ago.
The rest of us have wandered the Universe for decades, hiding from the Kree's pursuit like rats.
We are refugees, not the invaders you remember."
Carol's brows furrowed into a knot.
Everything the Kree had taught her, the Supreme Intelligence she believed in, screamed in her mind, telling her that this person was lying.
The Skrulls were cunning, evil shapeshifters, a cancer of the Universe.
"Mar-Vell, you Earthlings call her Dr. Lawson." Talosignored Carol's almost overflowing hostility; his voice softened slightly, "She was a Kree, a great scientist.
But she was different from those war-mongering fanatics; she saw the meaningless nature of this war.
She sympathized with our plight and decided to use her knowledge to help us."
"She used light-speed engine technology in her secret laboratory to find us a coordinate where we could hide from the Kree's tracking, a coordinate where we could rebuild our home.
She promised us she would lead us there."
"But she died." Talos's eyes dimmed, like two extinguished stars, "Six years ago, in that plane crash, she died.
We lost our last hope.
We only know that finding her laboratory will give us that coordinate, finding our future.
And the key to finding the laboratory lies in your memory, Carol Danvers."
As he spoke, he took out a small, old-fashioned dictaphone-like object from the inside pocket of his jacket and gently placed it on the coffee table.
Everyone's gaze focused on the small metal object.
Talos pressed a button on it.
"Shhh..."
After a burst of static, a slightly distorted female voice slowly emerged from the device.
"Talos, it's me, Lawson. The plan has changed. Yon-Rogghas discovered my intentions, and he's on his way. I must leave immediately with the core. If I fail... remember, the coordinates are in my laboratory; they will guide you to your new home. Don't trust the Kree, never..."
The recording stopped abruptly here.
But this voice, this tone, this content, was like a bolt of lightning piercing through time and space, fiercely tearing open Carol's chaotic memories, which had been sealed for six years.
It was Dr. Lawson!
It was this voice! She remembered! Before the crash, in the cockpit, Dr. Lawson used this extremely anxious tone to tell her to destroy the engine, that it absolutely could not fall into Yon-Rogg's hands!
The Kree had been lying to her all along!
Yon-Rogg, the Supreme Intelligence... all of them had been deceiving her! They weren't maintaining Universepeace; they were invaders, executioners who had massacred a race! And the Skrulls were the true victims!
The anger of being deceived, the humiliation of being used, the grief over Dr. Lawson's death, the remorse for her actions over the past six years... all emotions burst forth like a dam breaking at this moment.
"Boom!"
An uncontrollable, violent golden energy suddenly erupted from Carol's body. The light bulbs in the living room instantly couldn't withstand the impact of this energy and exploded one after another, sending glass shards flying everywhere. The TV screen flickered with dazzling static, then went completely black with a "bang". Maria let out a short scream and instinctively hugged Monica tightly, shielding her with her body.
Fury's reaction was incredibly fast; he almost sprang from the sofa at the same moment the energy erupted, leaning back, his right hand flashing to his waist where his ever-present pistol was hidden. This was his ingrained reaction as a top Agent when facing a deadly threat.
Talos was also startled; his body instantly lost its fixed form, like a puddle of melted green wax, seemingly instinctively trying to merge into the floor to avoid this destructive power.
"Quiet."
Chu Hang's voice was not loud, even quite soft, yet it seemed to carry a magical power, instantly enveloping the entire chaotic living room.
He simply placed the teacup in his hand gently on the coffee table in front of him.
"Tap."
A crisp, light sound.
It was this soft sound that seemed like an invisible switch, pressing the pause button on the entire World, and then the rewind button.
The violent golden energy on Carol's body, powerful enough to blow off the roof, was instantly smoothed out by an invisible hand, obediently retracting into her body. The cold, gleaming glass shards suspended in mid-air defied all laws of physics, began to fly back, clinking and clanging as they reassembled into intact light bulbs, even the burnt-out tungsten filaments miraculously reconnected. The blacked-out TV screen flickered, returning to its normal picture, still showing an old midday drama.
The entire living room, in less than a second, went from a mess to its original state. It was as if the thrilling energy burst just now was merely a shared nightmare for everyone.
Fury froze in place, his right hand still in the posture of reaching for his gun. He stared blankly at the re-lit light bulb, then at Chu Hang, who was calm and composed, slowly picking up his teacup to drink tea, and for the first time, a fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
What kind of ability is this?
Time reversal? A causality weapon? Or... a modification of reality itself?
All the files on super-powered individuals in his mind, all his knowledge of physics and energy, collapsed at this moment. This man was ten thousand times more terrifying than he had imagined. He was not a powerful individual; he himself was a rule.
Talos also returned from his liquid state to human form. The look in his eyes towards Chu Hang had changed from initial vigilance and scrutiny to thorough, soul-deep reverence. He had wandered the Universe for decades, witnessed countless powerful civilizations and individuals, but had never seen such an incredible power.
"Losing control of your emotions won't solve any problems." Chu Hang put down his teacup, his gaze falling on Carol, whose face was pale and distraught, "Now, do you believe it?"
Carol nodded weakly. The shock of the truth caused her more pain and weakness than any physical attack. She had been deceived for six years, working for her enemies, hunting down those she should have protected. Her hands were stained with the blood of innocents.
"So, you came to her to help find that laboratory?" Chu Hang turned his gaze to Talos.
"Yes." Talos nodded with difficulty, "We intercepted Kreecommunications and knew she was still alive and had returned to Earth. She is the only clue, our last hope."
"Alright, things are clear now." Chu Hang clapped his hands, stood up, as if making a final meeting summary, "The Skrulls need to find Dr. Lawson's laboratory, get the coordinates, and search for a new home. Carol needs to find the laboratory, recover her complete memories, and at the same time atone for her foolish actions over the past six years, fulfilling Dr. Lawson's last wish. And Mr. Fury, you..."
Chu Hang looked at Fury, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "You probably want to understand all these aliens, alien spacecraft, and alien technology, and then bring them under your control, right? After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Fury's One-Eyed Man narrowed. He neither admitted nor denied it. He just looked deeply at Chu Hang and asked the most crucial question: "And what about you, Mr. Chen? What do you want in this game?"
"Me?" Chu Hang leaned back on the sofa, adopting a more comfortable posture, and said lazily, "I want a quiet vacation, but unfortunately, people always come uninvited to disturb it. So, I can only help you solve things as quickly as possible so I can have some peace and quiet."
He stood up and walked to the center of the group, like a stage director, beginning to assign roles.
"The plan is simple. First, find Dr. Lawson's laboratory. Talos, do you have any clues about the exact location of the laboratory? Like orbital parameters, or a certain signal frequency?"
Talos shook his head dejectedly: "We only know it's in Earth's orbit, but it's completely cloaked. We've tried every method and can't find it."
"I know where it is."
A clear child's voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the little girl who had been hiding behind her mother.
It was Monica.
The little girl, stared at by so many important people, shrank back behind Maria a little fearfully, but still gathered her courage and said in a clear voice: "Aunt Lawson took me there once... on her computer. She said it was her 'office on the Stars'."
Chu Hang smiled. Good, the plot had finally returned to its proper trajectory.
"Well done, Monica." He praised her unreservedly, then looked at Fury, "Mr. Fury, I think you'll need to use the resources of your 'security company'. We need to go to the old Project Pegasus Base; we need a plane that can fly out of the atmosphere. In return, S.H.I.E.L.D. can share all intelligence from this operation throughout."
Fury's eyes instantly lit up. This was exactly what he wanted! Full monitoring, first-hand contact and assessment of the value of all alien technology and personnel—this deal was a sure win.
"Deal." He agreed without hesitation.
"Carol," Chu Hang then looked at Carol, his tone becoming a little more serious, "This is your business; you're in charge. Find the laboratory, find the truth, and then decide what to do."
Carol nodded heavily, her bewildered eyes rekindling with fighting spirit. She needed an answer, and she also needed redemption.
"As for General Talos," Chu Hang finally looked at the Skrull, "Have your people wait patiently in the spaceship. Once we find what we're looking for, I will ensure your safe departure from Earth."
Talos stood up and bowed deeply to Chu Hang, using the most solemn Skrull etiquette.
A major crisis, capable of triggering an interstellar war and engulfing Earth in Fire, was, in this small living room, casually arranged by Chu Hang in a few words into a planned, divided, treasure hunt mission where everyone got what they needed.
Fury looked at the man before him who seemed to control everything, and for the first time, a flicker of doubt arose in his mind about the future of his grand "AvengersInitiative."
He had originally thought that a powerful individual like Carol would be the ultimate ace in his plan. But now, an existence that could casually modify reality and treat Carol's rampaging energy as nothing was sitting opposite him, drinking tea.
With such a person existing, does this World truly still need the Avengers?
Or, to put it another way, when one day in the future this man is no longer content to be a "temporary landlord," who then could "Avenge" him?
Chapter 76 The Key
Fury was the first to move.
He didn't look at anyone, walked to the corner, and pulled out the black brick-like satellite phone. His back was straight, like a taut steel bar.
"It's me," his voice was very low, but the commanding tone was very penetrating, "Activate beacon protocol, highest priority. Clear B-7 route, all airspace control. Yes, all."
He didn't say why, and he didn't need to explain. The person on the other end of the phone was only responsible for execution.
Chu Hang ignored him, walked in front of Maria and Monica, and squatted down. He looked into the little girl's eyes, his voice very soft: "Monica, that office on the Planetwith the stars, are you sure you saw it on the computer?"
Monica nodded vigorously, her big eyes showing no fear, only seriousness: "Yes! On the biggest computer in Dr. Lawson's office! She even let me play Minesweeper."
"Very good." Chu Hang smiled, ruffled her hair, "You've been a great help."
Carol Danvers leaned against the wall, her face still pale. She looked at the One-Eyed Man giving orders, then at the tired Skrulls general on the sofa. Finally, her gaze fell on Chu Hang.
Everything was in chaos. She was a fool who had been tricked for six years.
"I..." She wanted to say something, but her throat felt as if it was clogged with sand.
"Wait until we get the item before you say anything." Chu Hang stood up, not letting her continue, "Now it's time to go. Mr. Fury has already called for a car."
Fury had just hung up the phone and walked back. He glanced at Talos, then at Carol Danvers, and finally said to Chu Hang: "The helicopter will arrive in fifteen minutes. From here to the Project Pegasus old Base, it's an hour and a half. The perimeter has been cleared, but the internal system is still running and needs to be cracked on site."
His tone was calm, as if the person who had almost drawn a gun just now wasn't him. Only he knew that when talking to Chu Hang, he had to tense all his muscles to avoid showing any fear.
"Cracking it won't be that much trouble," Chu Hang said, "We have the key."
He pointed to Monica.
Fury's one eye lingered on the little girl for two seconds, a hint of confusion flashing through it. But he didn't ask. He had learned that when dealing with Chu Hang, one shouldn't think about problems with common sense.
Fifteen minutes later, the roar of massive helicopter blades grew from distant to near. A completely black, unmarked Black Hawk helicopter hovered steadily over the open ground outside the house. The cabin door slid open, and Phil Coulson poked his head out, waving to them.
"Talos, you stay on the ground." Chu Hang said to the Skrulls general, "Keep your people in the ship, don't move around. Mr. Fury, I imagine your SHIELD Agents would be delighted to 'look after' this valuable alien spacecraft, wouldn't they?"
Fury's mouth twitched, but he said nothing. This was exactly what he wanted. A living Skrulls general, a complete spaceship—this was a goldmine of intelligence dropped from the sky.
Talos hesitated. He looked at Chu Hang, whose gaze left no room for negotiation. He finally nodded. He had no right to bargain.
"Maria, you and Monica go too." Chu Hang then said to the mother and daughter.
"Us?" Maria was stunned.
"Monica is the key, she must go. You have to accompany her." Chu Hang's reason was simple.
Finally, those who boarded the helicopter were Chu Hang, Carol Danvers, Maria, Monica, and representing S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury and Coulson.
The helicopter took off, flying towards the depths of the desert.
No one spoke in the cabin.
Carol Danvers leaned against the window, watching the rapidly receding scenery below. Trees, houses, roads, all shrunk into small blocks of color. She had looked down at Planets from high altitudes countless times before, but those were always missions. Targets, threats, evacuation routes. This was the first time she had simply looked at a World like this. This World where she was born, and then taken away. Memories flashed like a broken videotape, vague fragments. Sunshine, grass, and a woman's laughter. It was Dr. Lawson. Her heart began to ache again.
Fury sat with his arms crossed, eyes closed. He wasn't asleep; his mind was racing. Chu Hang, code-named "Shadow," ability assessment: unknown, threat level: highest. This man was not a chess piece; he was the chessboard itself. He could change the rules at will. The Avengers initiative seemed like a joke in front of him. But the opportunity was right in front of him: the Skrulls, light-speed engine technology, Carol Danvers... these were all S.H.I.E.L.D.'s stepping stones to the Universe. The risk was huge, but the reward was equally huge. He had to gamble.
Coulson sat between them, feeling like a mortal who had stumbled into a fight between immortals. He secretly glanced at Chu Hang, who was leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, as if truly asleep. But Coulson always felt that even if he was asleep, he was more dangerous than anyone awake.
An hour and a half later, the helicopter landed in a barren desert.
In the distance, a massive, half-buried concrete complex lay on the sand, like a beached steel behemoth. That was the old Project Pegasus Base. A place that once held humanity's highest technological secrets, but was now almost abandoned.
Several SHIELD Agents were already waiting at the entrance. When they saw Fury, they immediately saluted, then secretly eyed Carol Danvers and Chu Hang behind him with a mixture of curiosity and tension. Their orders were to "clear the area," but no one told them who they were supposed to be greeting.
"Officer, internal physical isolation has been removed, but the central system still has independent biological encryption and password locks," a technical Agentreported to Fury.
"Take us to Dr. Lawson's office," Fury said.
The corridor was long, reflecting a cold metallic light. The air was full of dust and the smell of old machines. Emergency lights flickered, casting long shadows on the walls.
Carol Danvers walked down this corridor, her steps a little unsteady. She remembered this place. She and Dr. Lawson had argued here about an engine parameter; Dr. Lawson said she was too stubborn. She also remembered drinking terrible instant coffee in the lounge; Dr. Lawsonalways liked to add two sugar cubes to her coffee. These trivial memories, belonging to "Carol Danvers," flooded back like a tide, making her feel both unfamiliar and heartbroken.
Soon, they arrived at a heavy metal door. The door read "Dr. Mar-Vell Chief Research Lab."
"This is it," Carol Danvers whispered.
Coulson led two technical SHIELD Agents forward and began to work on the control panel by the door. Code scrolled rapidly across the screen.
"No, Officer." A few minutes later, the technical Agentwas sweating profusely. "Triple encryption, our cracking program will take at least three hours."
Fury frowned.
"Move aside."
Chu Hang walked over. He didn't look at the complex control panel but placed his hand directly on the metal door.
Buzz.
A low, muffled sound.
The metal door under Chu Hang's palm showed no visible change. But inside the lock, the precise gears and pins made of special alloy were groaning in agony. They were forcibly twisted, crushed, and reassembled by an invisible force.
"Click."
With a crisp sound, the door opened.
The entire process took less than three seconds.
The two technical SHIELD Agents stared blankly at the scene, their mouths agape. They felt that all the knowledge they had painstakingly acquired over ten years had been stomped on.
Fury's eyelid twitched. He held back from speaking, simply gesturing for everyone to enter.
Pushing open the door, a long-sealed scent wafted out. The office was large, filled with various pieces of equipment that now seemed somewhat outdated. Everything was still as it had been six years ago, only covered in a layer of dust.
"That's the one!" Monica broke free from her mother's hand, ran to the corner of the room, and pointed to an old computer with a large spherical monitor.
Coulson immediately rushed over with his men and connected their equipment.
The computer booted up, and a password input box appeared on the screen. Below it was a small line of text: Three incorrect attempts, and the system will permanently lock and format all data.
"Damn it!" Coulson cursed under his breath.
Everyone's hearts were in their throats.
"Monica," Carol Danvers knelt down, her voice very gentle, "Do you remember... how Dr. Lawson opened the computer? Did she do anything special?"
The little girl tilted her head, trying hard to remember. Her brows were tightly furrowed.
"I... I don't remember the password. But..." A hint of confusion appeared on her small face, "Dr. Lawsonalways touched that... that winged horse on the desk before opening the computer..."
Everyone's gaze shifted to the desk. In the corner of the desk, there was a half-worn wooden Pegasus carving.
Coulson immediately picked up the carving and examined it repeatedly, looking for a hidden switch.
"Not like that." Monica shook her head. "She just... touched it."
Fury's brow furrowed even deeper.
Chu Hang walked over. He glanced at the wooden carving, then at the computer screen, and said to Monica: "You try."
He picked up the little girl and sat her in the chair.
"Just like Dr. Lawson did in your memory."
Monica nodded, half-understanding. She extended her small hand, and mimicking what she remembered, gently touched the wing of the wooden Pegasus carving.
Then, she turned her head, looked at the keyboard, hesitated for a moment, and extended her tiny index finger to type three letters.
S - K - Y.
Sky.
She pressed Enter.
The password box on the screen disappeared. A deep starry sky wallpaper appeared before everyone's eyes.
It worked!
Coulson and his SHIELD Agents let out a suppressed cheer. Carol Danvers excitedly hugged Monica and kissed her on the forehead.
Fury watched this scene, his expression complex. The most advanced technology, the most professional SHIELD Agents, were all helpless. In the end, it was a child who unlocked it with her purest memory. It was too ironic.
Coulson quickly found a multi-encrypted folder on the computer. The folder was named "Home."
He began the tense cracking work again.
This time, Chu Hang didn't intervene. He just stood by, watching them work. He knew that the final key was still with Monica.
Sure enough, after trying more than a dozen solutions and failing, Coulson was once again at a dead end.
"Monica," Carol Danvers pleaded again, "Do you remember anything else? About this folder?"
Monica looked at the little house icon on the screen, thought for a moment, and suddenly her eyes lit up.
"I know! Dr. Lawson used to sing when she opened it!"
"Sing?"
"Yes! She would sing... Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are..."
Coulson was stunned. He turned his head and looked at Fury with a "Are you kidding me?" expression.
Fury's face was already as black as the bottom of a pot. He felt his intelligence was being repeatedly humiliated.
"Voiceprint password." Chu Hang leaned against the wall, speaking lightly, "Let her sing."
Under everyone's expectant or skeptical gazes, Monicacleared her throat and, with her tender, slightly off-key child's voice, sang into the computer's microphone.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star..."
The moment she sang the first line of the song, the "Home" folder on the screen automatically opened.
There was only one file inside.
A coordinate.
A long string of numbers and symbols, orbital coordinates pointing to an unknown location deep in the Universe.
Found it!
Fury's eyes lit up instantly. He didn't even have time to feel the joy; almost at the same moment he saw the coordinates, he picked up his satellite phone again.
This time, his voice carried an irrepressible excitement and decisiveness.
"Connect me to Quartermain. Activate the quinjetprototype. I don't care what test phase it's in, I want it fueled up and waiting for me in the hangar within an hour."
Hanging up the phone, Fury looked at Chu Hang. He knew that next, it would be Chu Hang and Carol Danvers' stage. S.H.I.E.L.D. could only watch from the ground.
"Very good." Chu Hang nodded. "Coulson, you take Mariaand Monica back to the helicopter first. It's going to get lively here."
Coulson immediately took the order, escorting the mother and daughter away.
Only Chu Hang, Carol Danvers, and Fury remained in the office.
"You have the coordinates you wanted," Fury said, looking at Chu Hang. "The aircraft you wanted is also ready. Now, it's time to tell me your next plan, isn't it?"
"My plan?" Chu Hang smiled. "My plan is to have no plan. I'm just a spectator. The real protagonist is her."
He pointed to Carol Danvers.
Carol Danvers took a deep breath, her eyes now incredibly firm: "I'm going up there, finding the lab, and then I'm going to find the Kree and settle this score."
"Very good." Fury nodded. He looked at Chu Hang. "You're not going up?"
"Of course I am," Chu Hang said. "I need to make sure she doesn't tear down the lab in a fit of rage. Also, Talosneeds to go; he needs to confirm the coordinates with his own eyes."
Fury's brow furrowed: "Let a Skrulls board S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most advanced aircraft?"
"Is there a problem?" Chu Hang retorted. "Director Fury, you need to understand. This isn't the time for you to make demands. You're just providing the venue. Besides, aren't you curious what expression the Skrulls will have when they see humanity's highest technology? This is firsthand intelligence."
Fury was speechless. He found that he never gained the upper hand when talking to Chu Hang.
"Alright," he finally conceded. "I'll arrange it. But ground command must be in my hands."
"Whatever." Chu Hang shrugged indifferently.
The three walked out of the office and headed towards the secret hangar deep within the Base.
Before boarding the aircraft, Chu Hang suddenly stopped, turned around, and said something to Fury, who was following behind.
"Director Fury."
"What?"
"Your 'Avengers' initiative, the idea is good." Chu Hang's tone was flat, as if evaluating a dish. "Find some special people to fight some special battles. But, you need to remember one thing."
He took a step forward, leaned close to Fury's ear, and in a voice only the two of them could hear, said:
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket. And don't assume that the ace you found is the biggest card on the table."
With that, he patted Fury's shoulder, turned, and boarded the futuristic-looking quinjet.