Mystique Discovered the Truth

The mutant problem was the sharpest internal conflict within humanity.

The Inhumans could barely be considered descendants of the Eternals. Like mutants, they had first appeared among humans on Earth, but Black Bolt had led the entire race to the Moon.

This race, which also possessed extraordinary abilities and could climb the Technology Tree, was not a threat to humanity. On the contrary, people could regard them as a sub-branch of humanity, a force that could be united with.

In some Parallel Universes, Black Bolt was even a member of the Illuminati, a pillar in the defense of Earth.

But mutants were different. This group, which could barely be considered descendants of the Deviants, should really have counted as a branch of humanity. They should have been an important part of mankind to begin with, far more so than vampires.

Yet humanity and mutants were locked in a bitter conflict. In many people's eyes, it had become a matter of one side surviving while the other perished. That was extremely bad.

"I understand your concerns, but the truth is, I don't believe certain mutant organizations, such as the Brotherhood, know nothing about the extinct Deviants. They are trying every possible way to prove that they are nobler than humans. They will inevitably investigate historical matters." Duva spread his hands.

Coulson nodded. "That field is called 'Mutant Origin Studies.' It's very popular among mutants."

What worried him most was that if those mutants identified Ikaris, an Eternal, as one of the ancient Deviants, things would become troublesome.

But unfortunately, what he—or rather, S.H.I.E.L.D.—feared was precisely what Duva wanted to see.

Duva held no ill will toward those eleven Eternals, but he had no goodwill toward them either. He had even less goodwill toward the inferior Deviants, who were like wild dogs. Both groups were merely tools Arishem had used over and over for millions of years.

They were fundamentally different from the Eternals and Deviants on planets like Skrull Planet and Earth, who could reproduce and build civilizations.

Besides, Duva had already crossed paths with Ikaris, the strongest fighter among the eleven Eternals.

He has abilities like the Superman next door. A bargain-bin version of Superman, perhaps, but if I can use him as a host, it will definitely be useful, Duva pondered.

Seeing Duva's expression, Coulson stood up. "Then let's end this meeting here. I still have many other missions to handle. But, Mr. Duva, you don't want to see this world descend into chaos either, do you?"

Coulson gave the Xenomorphs around him a meaningful look, deep wariness flashing in his eyes.

One of his major purposes in coming here was to take the risk of observing these terrifying creatures up close.

They could parasitize Abomination and, after being born, clearly demonstrate combat power beyond Abomination's. Even someone as experienced as Coulson felt a chill in his heart at the thought.

He just did not know how capable these creatures were at reproduction, where the limit of their parasitism lay, whether they could only parasitize mammals, or only ordinary lifeforms. Then... what about gods?

There was no shortage of gods in this universe. Some interstellar civilizations that had developed over many years had even established their own pantheons.

For example, the Skrulls had the Skrull Gods.

Xenomorphs. Coulson had learned the name of these creatures this time, and had also confirmed that they obeyed Duva to an extremely high degree, though the reason remained unknown.

There were too many mysteries surrounding the Xenomorphs, and Duva, who controlled them through unknown means, was even more baffling.

Coulson left. Before departing, he pointed at Elektra and said, "If you don't mind, I would be happy to take her away. The Japanese Hand is notorious and has committed many major crimes."

"I mind. I'm keeping her."

"All right." Coulson would not butt heads with Duva over something like this. He left with a heavy heart.

That only left Elektra, trapped in an impossible position. Her face was pale, and her spirits were low.

After listening in for so long, she had learned much strange information. The Deviants seemed to be related to the Eternals? And Flying Man was not a Deviant? It was a complete mess.

Elektra did not want to know any of this. She only wanted to escape as quickly as possible.

"The problem now, Ms. Elektra, is that you can't escape, and you can't beat me. Whether you came to hunt down Kingpin's people or acted on orders from The Five Fingers, you have fallen into my hands."

Duva walked up to Elektra and looked her over from head to toe before deliberately saying, "And you've learned many secrets you shouldn't have. The Deviants in Alaska—this is not something you should know."

To be honest, Elektra was quite capable. If properly used, she might provide some help.

"Then kill me."

Elektra watched Duva approach. Her words remained tough, but her eyes lit up.

She could not defeat these Xenomorphs, but could she not defeat a human? When they were only a meter apart, Elektra moved. A dagger shot from her sleeve and stabbed straight toward Duva's neck.

Elektra did not intend to kill him. She only wanted to take Duva hostage, use him to intimidate these creatures, and then escape.

She had seized the speed, timing, and courage. As a world-class assassin, she did not believe she could fail at this distance.

Smack! Duva merely extended two fingers. They looked casual, yet were terrifyingly precise and swift, effortlessly pinching the tip of the dagger.

Elektra felt as though she had stabbed Adamantium. No matter how hard she exerted herself, she could not push it forward even half an inch.

"How is this possible?!" Elektra froze, her expression shifting as she blurted out, "You're actually a superhuman? Otherwise, how could you have this kind of strength?"

"By your standards, I am. But there's no need to envy me, ma'am, because you'll be one soon as well. Then you won't be so tough-talking."

Duva opened his hand.

A Facehugger crawled over.

"It's beautiful and obedient, isn't it? And it likes you very much."

"Wait, no!"

Elektra's face drained of color. She immediately prepared to fight for her life, but the moment she moved, a large number of Xenomorphs pounced on her and pinned her down. She tried to bite down on the deadly poison hidden in her teeth, but a Courier Xenomorph forcibly pried open her mouth.

After the white thing entered her soft mouth, Elektra felt a warm current flow all the way into her esophagus before she lost consciousness.

Don't misunderstand. Duva had no intention of making Elektra undergo Chestburster for the time being. Even if it succeeded, the Xenomorph born from parasitizing an ordinary human would ultimately only be a Drone Xenomorph. Its combat strength would not be high enough to withstand even a single punch from an Abomination Xenomorph.

What Duva needed was only the "parasitism" stage for Elektra.

Few people knew that Facehuggers had another use: parasitize without causing Chestburster!

That way, the host could obtain the power contained within the Facehugger's genes! Only Duva could do this, because he could make Facehuggers never trigger Chestburster. This was also why Duva had been an ordinary person not long ago, yet had now become a superhuman capable of taking a punch from a severely injured Abomination! With this method, in the near future, the stronger the Xenomorphs became and the better the genes they acquired, the more Duva's strength would rise in tandem! Duva waved his hand, dismissing the Xenomorphs. He left Elektra where she was and ignored her, because from this moment onward, Elektra could never escape Duva's control again, whether in life or in action.

Before leaving, Duva casually glanced at a Courier Xenomorph in a corner.

As the Xenomorphs scattered, a seemingly ordinary Courier Xenomorph in the corner showed no outward signs of anything unusual. Yet, from an angle Duva and the other Xenomorphs could not see, it took out a signal transmitter and sent a signal to the outside world.

"This is Mystique. I have successfully infiltrated the target and acquired critical intelligence: Flying Man is a Deviant, and the location is Alaska!"