"Based on the battle between Captain Marvel and Superman, our chances of defeating him and forcefully taking his blood are very slim."
"Fortunately, there's another way—we still have one more option!"
"Nick Fury once had us investigate Superman. During that investigation, we discovered something."
"All of Superman's DNA-related fluids and tissues from the past had been retrieved from various institutions by Tony Stark and are now stored in Avengers Tower!"
"If we hadn't been inexplicably detected by that AI, we would've already secured that blood and genetic material."
"So now, our mission is to take back what should have belonged to us from the start!"
"The plan is simple!"
"Superman's strength is immense, so we'll move in three teams!"
"Team One, with five hundred members, will wreak havoc across the globe—destroy human cities and slaughter!"
"Team Two, with a hundred members, will capture all of Superman's friends and family!"
"Team Three, thirty members, will come with me—to Avengers Tower!"
"The rest will remain behind to guard the fleet and await our return!"
A gleam flashed in Gravik's eyes.
Weren't those so-called Superman cultists always preaching that he was part of a divine trinity?
He would nail Superman to the cross and let the entire world of humans witness what their so-called god really looked like!
"If he's Superman—if he's truly the kind and righteous superhero they claim—then we'll use his fellow humans to scatter his attention and use his loved ones to split his focus!"
Gravik said, "When the world descends into chaos, and the lives of those close to him are threatened—that's when we'll seize his blood!"
"Members of Team One and Team Two, you may face death at any moment. But for the glory of the Skrulls, all sacrifices are worth it!"
"I will charge into the most dangerous front lines with you! We will not retreat, and we will not fear death! But anything can happen—if the plan fails, the remaining forces must immediately lead the fleet through the jump point and escape!"
Gravik truly was an exceptional leader.
He had even considered what to do in the event of failure—how to deal with Superman's wrath.
"After the retreat, head for a weak, primitive life-bearing planet. Take Captain Marvel with you and hide there. With her endlessly regenerating blood, the day will come when we Skrulls return to Earth in force!"
Gravik pounded his chest with a fist: "One day, we will die for the Skrull cause together!"
All the Skrulls slammed their chests in unison, voices rising into a deafening chant: "Die for the Skrulls!"
…
Over six hundred Super Skrulls piloted invisible ships and descended upon Earth.
They arrived in complete silence—and scattered in complete silence.
A global storm was about to erupt.
Tari and Vara landed in Manhattan.
These two were Gravik's trusted aides.
The city they were assigned to destroy was New York.
At the first signal, they were to obliterate this international metropolis—along with the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island.
"Vara, do you think we can win?" Tari licked his lips as he looked at the bustling streets filled with cars and crowds.
"Whether we can win or not, we have to do it. And I believe in Gravik—his plan can't be wrong," Vara replied.
Tari nodded, photon energy faintly radiating from his body. "Same here. I won't hesitate to kill every human in front of me. After hiding and disguising ourselves as these humans for so many years, I'm utterly disgusted by their appearances."
"Exactly!" Vara agreed. "Who isn't? Once we become the rulers of Earth, I'm going to dye every human on this planet green!"
Elsewhere—
G'iah and Somalia were crouched in a tree outside Midtown High School.
They were both pacifist Skrulls. G'iah was even Talos's daughter.
To her, invading Earth—or kidnapping Superman's loved ones—felt deeply wrong.
In truth, they were a million times unwilling in their hearts. But things had come to this point.
It was now truly a matter of survival for their entire race. Individual thoughts no longer mattered.
Even if they became Super Skrulls, they were nothing more than slightly larger whirlpools in the tide of their species.
G'iah gazed toward the school. From the classroom window, she could see Sherry answering a question from the teacher.
Suddenly, she let out a sigh. "I don't want to do this."
"Then don't dwell on it, G'iah. After this mission is over, let's take everyone and leave the Skrulls behind," said Somalia. "With the strength we have now, we could live comfortably anywhere in the universe. Why must we kill humans, right?"
G'iah nodded slightly. "You're right. I plan to take my mom to the planet Gandal. I heard the social benefits there are great!"
The two young Skrulls fantasized about the future after the war. And it wasn't just them. Other Super Skrull squads across the globe were the same.
For the Skrulls, war had already become a distant concept.
They had been on the run for over a decade, and the clearest memories in their minds were all of a life filled with hardship and displacement.
Now, finally catching a glimpse of hope for a better life, they were desperate to seize it with both hands.
Soon, all Skrulls were in position. From major international cities like New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Paris, to small villages and coastal fishing ports, Super Skrulls were present everywhere.
Gravik stood in the Amazon rainforest where his ship had landed, confirming via the communication map that all forces were ready.
Pressing the communicator in his ear, he issued the command: "Commence operation. Wolf, wolf, wolf!"
The triple repetition of "wolf" was the code confirming full activation of the mission.
Gravik saw himself as a wolf. Wolves were pack animals; they only attacked once they were certain of victory. And when they did, it was a coordinated assault—one with no retreat.
That's why this time, their operation would be just like a wolf hunt: all victory, no defeat.
All across the world, six hundred Super Skrulls received the attack signal simultaneously, and at that exact moment, they launched their assault.
Some burst forth from the forests; others leapt from among human crowds. All of them unleashed their photon energy without restraint—like six hundred divine beings descending from the heavens.
These gods had divine energy surging from their palms, raising heavy fists as they plunged toward the ground like falling meteors.
In mere seconds, nations across the globe fell into simultaneous crisis.
Not a single pedestrian on the streets had time to react. They only saw a blur before their eyes—then suddenly, a figure appeared in the sky, rapidly diving downward with a long tail of fire trailing behind.
Normally, the next instant would bring a violent shockwave that would snuff out all life around them without warning.
Zzzz~
But just as the momentum of the Super Skrulls reached its peak, a formless ripple abruptly swept across the Earth.
Immediately, all Super Skrulls froze mid-air.
At speeds exceeding hundreds of Mach, their figures came to a dead halt—no deceleration, no shockwave, as if their kinetic energy had vanished like a droplet of water evaporating into nothingness.
______
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