Lu Xi was both amused and annoyed, and he could not help letting out a derisive snort:
"Are you really that certain you've already monitored every single Skrull?"
Nick Fury barely needed to think about the question before answering as if reciting figures from memory:
"Of course. There were 559 Skrull survivors back then. Including the newborns from recent years, their current total is 1,278!"
"Ha ha ha ha!" Lu Xi nearly laughed himself breathless.
"You're the kind of guy who spends all day hunting geese only to get his eyes pecked out by one. You've got ghosts living in your own house and don't even know it!"
Lu Xi finally stopped laughing and said:
"Your old buddy Talos secretly sent a signal across the entire Universe, calling all the scattered Skrulls to Earth for refuge."
"Once there are too many people, all kinds of competing interests emerge. Is it really so surprising that a rebellion would break out?"
Fury's eye twitched furiously. Talos's actions already counted as a betrayal of him.
ヽ(#`Д▼)ﾉ
Talos, screw you!
With a wave of his hand, Lu Xi condensed boundless Divine Power into a curtain of light before him.
It displayed scenes from the TV series Secret Invasion that he had watched on Earth in the past.
In the footage, high-ranking officials from various countries were imprisoned in a secret base.
Green-skinned, goblin-like Skrulls were stealing their memories, transforming into their likenesses, and replacing their identities.
Inside an abandoned nuclear power plant, countless green-skinned goblins lived together. At a glance, there were at least ten thousand of them.
The final scene showed a much older Nick Fury raising his gun and firing.
Before him, Maria Hill stared in disbelief as she slowly collapsed into a pool of blood.
Seeing this, Maria in the office immediately shot to her feet and looked at Fury in shock.
"Fury, you..."
Fury's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief as he declared firmly:
"No, that has to be fake. I would never do something like that. I would never lay a hand on Agent Hill."
Lu Xi nodded lightly, his expression calm.
"It was indeed fake. That version of you in the footage was a Skrull."
Fury first let out a breath of relief, but then he realized what that meant. His face instantly turned incomparably grim. This was still damn serious.
The Skrulls had actually dared to impersonate him and shoot Maria. That rebellion was absolutely confirmed.
Lu Xi followed up with another blow:
"Even if they don't rebel, once every remaining Skrull in the Universe gathers on Earth..."
"What do you think the Kree Empire will do? Might they decide it's easier to simply blast straight through Earth with a Star-Destruction Cannon?"
At that point, Lu Xi could not help asking:
"Hey, hey, black egghead, can I interview you for a moment? What the hell were you thinking?"
"With your own technology, you can't even leave the Solar System. How did you dare shelter the Skrulls? Did you think S.H.I.E.L.D. had become stronger than the Universe's three great empires?"
Hearing that, Fury felt as if his very convictions were about to collapse.
He lowered his head, clenched his teeth, and his fists trembled slightly from the force.
At that moment, Maria Hill stepped forward, gently patted Fury on the shoulder, and said softly:
"Fury, we still have a chance to change all this."
Fury slowly raised his head. His eyes were full of desolation as he said hoarsely:
"I need to know how to prevent this from happening."
Lu Xi spread his hands and replied casually:
"It's simple. Those who are not of our kind will surely harbor different intentions. Just drive every Skrull off Earth."
After hearing that, Fury nodded. The desolation in his eyes was replaced by resolve, and he gradually regained the bearing of the king of spies.
If the Skrulls would bring about such a terrifying disaster, then they truly could not be allowed to remain.
Lu Xi looked at Maria Hill, and an idea suddenly flashed through his mind.
Every day, crowds lined up outside his villa, wanting to make deals with him, and it was becoming unbearably irritating.
But he was also worried about missing valuable deals, so he could not simply drive them all away.
Lu Xi had long considered finding someone to screen those people's requests first.
However, none of the people currently in the villa seemed suitable.
Although Daisy had gained the power of an Angel and could manage as a city vigilante,
she clearly could not handle the various factions and their bizarre deal requests.
Wanda and Pietro were even less suitable. They were two completely inexperienced rookies who would probably help count the money after being sold off.
No matter how much he considered it, he had never found a reliable candidate.
But as he looked at Maria Hill now, Lu Xi felt that she was quite suitable.
Lu Xi narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a smile:
"Agent Hill, are you interested in working for me?"
Maria froze slightly and asked in confusion:
"Do you also want to make a soul deal with me, sir?"
Lu Xi quickly waved his hand and explained:
"Not this time. You probably know that the people wanting to make deals outside my house are already lined up for more than two blocks. I need someone to help me screen the information, organize it, and then bring it to me."
After hearing that, Maria's face darkened, and she could not help saying:
"Lord Lucifer, I am S.H.I.E.L.D.'s deputy director, a Level Nine agent! Are you asking me to be the receptionist at your house?"
Lu Xi shrugged, looking as though it were only natural.
"Why not? First, you're attractive, and looking at you is pleasing to the eye."
"Second, you're in management and have more than enough ability. You can completely handle these complicated deal requests."
Hearing Lu Xi praise her appearance, Maria actually blushed slightly.
As if suddenly remembering something, Lu Xi continued:
"Oh, right. S.H.I.E.L.D. still owes me one blank-check condition. I think I'll take this."
Maria instinctively looked toward Fury, seeking his opinion.
The black egghead considered it for a while, weighed the pros and cons, then slowly nodded.
Although losing Maria, his capable assistant, would make it more troublesome for him to misappropriate public funds in the future,
if it allowed them to get close to Lucifer, it might prove even more beneficial to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Seeing this, Maria sighed helplessly and said:
"All right. Since that is your condition, we agree."
Lu Xi stood up in satisfaction, preparing to leave.
"All right, now that everything has been said, let's go home."
He had already scanned S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters with his mind.
Other than the two before him, he had not found any souls worth contracting at the moment.
Maria's face reddened slightly again as she said reproachfully:
"Could you not make that sound so ambiguous?"
Fury hurriedly said:
"Please wait, sir. You still haven't told me how to deal with the other two disasters."
Lu Xi shook his head lightly, his expression turning serious.
"If you know the future too clearly, certain changes will occur, leading to even worse disasters. That is the price of meddling with time, and it is not a price you can bear."
Lu Xi paused, then continued:
"I can only give you two pieces of advice. First, the idea of forming the Avengers is correct."
"Second, stop always thinking about dealing with crises using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s power alone. Think more about how to reduce civilian casualties."
Fury pondered this, then asked with a frown:
"If learning about the future and changing it would lead to worse consequences, why can you tell me about the Skrulls but not the details of the other two events?"
Lu Xi gave Fury an approving glance and said:
"Good question. There is a term in the East called [cause and effect]. Here, you would probably call it [Karma]."
"I can tell you about the Skrulls because I will bear the Karma of changing that matter in the future."
"If a butterfly effect occurs, whether it brings the Universe's three great empires or dimensional demon gods, I will personally deal with them."
Lu Xi looked deeply into Fury's eyes and said seriously:
"This is the true value of this transaction. Do you understand?"
Hearing that, Fury suddenly understood and slowly nodded.
Lu Xi turned around and beckoned. "Agent Hill, let's go."
Before you continue