The night at Louisiana was humid and sultry. The air was mixed with the smell of earth that had just rained and the smell of rotting and fermenting unknown plants. It stuck to the skin stickyly, making people very uncomfortable.
Chu Hang and Carol descended slowly from an altitude of several thousand meters without making a single sound or even a gust of wind. Their toes tapped lightly on a neatly trimmed lawn, like two leaves blown silently by the night wind, making no sound.
In front of you is a typical United States southern-style single-family wooden house. It has two floors and a wrap-around porch. The white paint looks mottled in the cold moonlight, showing the traces of time. On the lawn in front of the house, there is an old Ford pickup truck parked crookedly, with a few empty beer bottles thrown in the truck bed. Next to it stands a basketball stand with a tattered net that is gently swaying in the night wind.
Everything seemed so ordinary and lifelike, incompatible with the supersonic flight and energy resonance they had just experienced.
Carol stood blankly, motionless, just staring at the house. Her body trembled slightly uncontrollably, not because of fear, but from a throbbing deep in Soul Law.
Here... she has been.
She couldn't remember how she came or when she came, but she just knew it. Her brain was like an old-fashioned projector with poor connections, and it began to flash some fragmented black and white images without sound.
She saw herself wearing a pair of dirty overalls, sitting on the rocking chair on the porch, holding a bottle of cold beer in her hand, talking and laughing with a black woman whose face could not be seen clearly, and seemed to be arguing about something.
She saw herself on this lawn, holding a little girl with braids high above her head. The little girl's laughter seemed to span time and space, ringing in her ears like a string of crisp silver bells.
She saw herself and the black woman lying half on the hood of the old pickup truck, pointing at the stars in the sky, with a daring smile on her face.
"Maria..." She squeezed out the name from the depths of her throat almost unconsciously. Her eyes became moist uncontrollably, and her vision began to blur.
Like a puppet pulled by invisible threads, she took steps and walked step by step towards the house that held all her past. Her fingertips gently touched the slightly peeling white railings of the porch, touched the familiar rocking chair, and finally stopped in front of the old wooden door painted dark green.
Chu Hang did not follow, but stood quietly in the shadow of the lawn, like a sculpture. He knew that this was Carol's own moment, and anyone's interruption would be a kind of blasphemy. What he needed to do, just being a qualified and invisible bodyguard to ensure that nothing unsightly will destroy this hard-won reunion. His perception has long been like an invisible net, covering a radius of several kilometers, and no disturbance can escape his monitoring.
Carol raised her hand and hung it in mid-air. The door was clearly close at hand, but it felt so far away. She didn't dare to knock on it.
Six years.
To her, it was just a gap between several missions, a few bizarre dreams, and a false memory that was forcibly instilled. But to the people in the room, it was a real 2,190 days and nights. A person who was officially declared to have died heroically in a test flight accident suddenly appeared at her door late one night six years later. Will this bring a surprise or a shock? She didn't dare to think.
Just when she was hesitating and having a war between heaven and man in her heart, the light in the room suddenly turned on with a "pop" sound.
Immediately afterwards, the door shaft made a slight "squeak" sound, and the door opened a crack.
A tall black woman wearing a gray cotton nightgown appeared at the door. She clutched an aluminum baseball bat tightly in her hand and looked warily at the strange figure outside the door who cast a long shadow in the moonlight.
"Who are you? This is a private residence. Please leave immediately, or I will call the police!" Her voice was hoarse as if she had just been woken up, but her tone was extremely firm and without the slightest hint of timidity.
Carol-El looked at that familiar yet unfamiliar face, her lips moved, but no sound came out. It was her, it really was her. The years had left some faint traces on her face, and there were a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes, but those eyes were still as bright and stubborn as in her memory, like two obsidian stones.
"Maria..." Carol finally squeezed out the name from his throat, his voice hoarse like sandpaper being rubbed.
Maria·Rambo, who was standing behind the door, froze suddenly. Her fingers holding the baseball bat turned white from the force. This voice... this name is only used by those closest to her...
She subconsciously squinted her eyes and took a closer look at the blond woman in front of her through the dim light coming from the room. That face, and the face she remembered most deeply, slowly and clearly overlapped little by little.
"Stuck...Carol?" Maria's voice was full of incredible trembling, as if she was talking in her sleep that she couldn't believe, "No... this is impossible... you... you have..."
"It's me." Carol's tears finally couldn't be controlled anymore. They rolled down her cheeks like broken pearls. "Maria, it's me. I'm back."
"Oh, my God..." The baseball bat in Maria's hand fell to the wooden floor with a clang. She covered her mouth with both hands, trying to suppress the cry that was about to blurt out, but tears suddenly came out. Come out. She rushed forward and hugged Carol, hugging him so tightly, as if she wanted to rub him into her body, as if if she let go, the person in front of her would completely disappear from her world again just like six years ago.
Two close friends who had been separated for six years hugged each other and cried in the silence of the night, venting their longing, pain and grievances over the past six years with suppressed cries.
"Mom? What's wrong? Who is outside?" A sleepy childish voice came from the house.
An eleven or twelve-year-old girl, wearing pajamas with cartoon spaceship patterns on them, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and poked her head out from behind Maria. She looked curiously at the blond aunt at the door who was holding her mother and crying, with a trace of confusion and vigilance on her little face.
Carol slowly let go of Maria, slowly squatted down, and looked at the little girl. The memory gate was completely opened at this moment. She remembered, this is Monica, the daughter of Maria, the little one she once swore to protect with Life Law, the "little troublesome" who always liked to follow her and clamored to learn to fly a plane.
"Hi, Lieutenant, trouble." Carol choked with sobs and greeted gently with an exclusive nickname that only the two of them understood.
Monica·Rambo's eyes widened instantly, and her sleepiness disappeared without a trace in this second. There was only one person in the world who would call her this name. That Aunt Carol would secretly take her to the air force base to see the latest fighter jets, teach her to make various faces, and tell her stories about the universe and stars before going to bed.
"Aunt Carol?" The little girl's eyes suddenly turned red. Without any hesitation, she threw herself into Carol's arms like a small cannonball and burst into tears, crying heartbreakingly.
Chu Hang, standing in the shadow of the lawn in the distance, looked at this scene with the corners of his mouth slightly raised. Fortunately, it is not too late. Some regrets in this universe will eventually have a chance to be made up for.
He did not step forward to disturb this touching scene of reunion, but once again expanded his perception range to the extreme. He knew that those flies from S.H.I.E.L.D. were coming soon. Their efficiency was higher than expected.
Sure enough, less than half an hour later, when Maria finally calmed down and invited Carol and Chu Hang into the house, the three of them gathered around an old photo album that had fallen a little dusty, weeping and reminiscing about the past, when several dazzling car light beams came from a distance, cutting through the tranquility of the town like a sharp sword.
In the photo album, young Carol-El and Maria are wearing handsome flight suits, leaning high-spiritedly next to an F-15 fighter jet. In the photo, Carol smiles openly and confidently, and her eyes are full of longing for the future and love for the sky. She is completely different from the current one who is a little confused and fragile.
"They are coming." Chu Hang put down the cup of cold coffee in his hand and said lightly.
The faces of Maria and Carol became nervous instantly. They ran to the window, opened a corner of the curtain, and saw several Black Noir Chevrolet SUVs quietly Stopped silently outside the house, a group of men wearing Black Noir suits and headsets got out of the car, dispersed quickly and skillfully, and quietly surrounded the entire house. At first glance, they were no ordinary police officers.
"Who are they?" Maria's voice was trembling, and she subconsciously protected her daughter Monica behind her.
"People from the government." Carol's eyes became solemn, "They have been chasing me since I returned to Earth."
"Don't worry." Chu Hang stood up and walked in front of them. His tall figure blocked the window and blocked their nervous sight. "As long as I am here, no one can touch a hair of yours."
As soon as he finished speaking, the doorbell rang.
Boom, boom, boom.
Three tones, neither urgent nor slow, with an even rhythm. Very polite, but also with a sense of oppression that cannot be refused.
Maria looked nervously at Chu Hang and Carol. Chu Hang gave her a reassuring look and motioned for her to take Monica upstairs, then walked over slowly and opened the door.
There were two people standing at the door. One was Phil·Coulson with a standard professional fake smile on his face. The other was the iconic one-eyed dragon, Nick·Fury.
Fury's gaze was like a searchlight, directly past Chu Hang blocking the door, and fell on Carol in the living room behind him. His single eye flashed with an extremely complex light, which was surprised and vigilant, but more importantly, it was a dignified feeling of seeing something beyond the scope of understanding.
"Good evening, sir." Fury spoke first, his voice was low and powerful, with the majesty of giving orders all year round, "I am Nick Fury from the Strategic Territorial Intervention, Execution and Logistics Bureau. We have some problems and we need to talk to the lady behind you and you."
Good guy, as soon as he opened his mouth, he reported the long and awkward full name of S.H.I.E.L.D. in full. This was because he wanted to use his official title and organization to pressure people first.
Chu Hang didn't even raise his eyelids. He just leaned lazily on the door frame, with his arms crossed, his tall body like a wall, and didn't even have the slightest intention of letting them enter the house.
"She doesn't want to talk now." He refused concisely and concisely, his tone as calm as if he was saying "the weather is nice today."
Fury's brows furrowed almost invisible. He had dealt with all kinds of difficult people, but this was the first time he saw someone so direct and disrespectful. The professional smile on Coulson's face next to him also stiffened, and he obviously didn't expect this kind of start.
"Sir, I need to remind you that this is not a request." Fury's tone became a little more serious, and invisible pressure began to spread. "This is related to national security. We have the right to take away any potential threats. I hope you will not hinder us from performing our official duties."
"Threat?" Chu Hang finally raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and smiled. There was a trace of undisguised ridicule and contempt in the laughter, "Are you referring to her?" He pointed at Carol behind him with his chin, "Or are you referring to me?"
Fury's one eye suddenly narrowed. He felt an extremely dangerous aura from Chu Hang's body. It was not an aura that ordinary people would have. It was a kind of self-confidence derived from absolute power, and a kind of indifference that regarded everything as nothing. He had only experienced this feeling in a very few legendary characters.
"We are also very interested in your identity." Fury said in a deep voice, trying to regain the initiative.
"My identity," Chu Hang put away his smile, his eyes became cold and indifferent, "You are not qualified to know."
He paused and continued, "Director Fury, let me give you a suggestion. Now, immediately, take your people and get out of here. Don't disturb their hard-won reunion as a family."
"Are you threatening a senior federal agent?" Coulson finally found the opportunity to interrupt. He took a step forward and said righteously and sternly.
Chu Hang didn't even bother to look at him, as if he was just a ball of air. His eyes were always locked on Fury like two scalpels.
Suddenly, he stretched out a finger and tapped the air beside Fury gently.
Buzz--
There was an inaudible sound, as if the space was being moved.
Fury Under a tall oak tree about three meters away, a muffled groan suddenly came from the dense grass. Immediately afterwards, a sniper wearing a ghillie suit, with his face covered in oil paint, almost blending in with the environment, and even the person With his expensive Barrett anti-materiel rifle, he was lifted into the air out of thin air by a completely invisible terrifying force, and then lightly thrown to the feet of Fury like a casually discarded sack.
The sniper was as limp as mud and had completely fainted, but there were no obvious injuries on his body.
Fury's pupils shrank suddenly and became the size of a pinhead.
Coulson The blood on his face instantly faded completely, and cold sweat suddenly broke out.
They didn't see what Chu Hang did at all! They didn't even feel any energy fluctuations! That person seemed to be caught by an invisible ghost hand!
"I'll say it again." Chu Hang's voice was not loud, but it was like a cold hammer, knocking hard on the hearts of Fury and Coulson, "Get out."
Fury stared at Chu Hang, his brain running crazily at a speed of hundreds of millions of times per second. The opponent's ability was completely beyond his cognitive scope. Controlling objects through the air? Telepathy? Or a more terrifying space ability? Moreover, he could so accurately detect the sniper with top-level camouflage hidden dozens of meters away. This perception ability is simply inhuman.
It's absolutely impossible to force it. Fury has no doubt that if the other party wants to kill their entire team, they may really just need to move their fingers.
"What do you want?" Fury quickly changed his strategy and softened his tone. He knew that when dealing with such an unfathomable existence, threats are the stupidest and lowest means. Only interests can become a bridge of communication.
"I don't want anything." Chu Hang said calmly, with a hint of indifference in his eyes, "I just want to tell you one thing. This world is much bigger and more dangerous than you think. Your self-righteous 'Avengers' plan hidden in the deepest part of the drawer is not even a child's play house where you can't see it."
Fury's heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible big hand, and almost stopped beating.
Avengers Initiative!
This is the top secret inside S.H.I.E.L.D.! It is a top-secret initiative that he just drafted after seeing the power of Carol and the existence of Kree! Except for himself and a handful of high-level officials he absolutely trusts, it is impossible for a fifth person to know! How did he know?!
At this moment, Fury finally fully understood that what he faced today was not a simple Metahuman at all. This was a ghost with an intelligence network and unfathomable power that he could not imagine. A Observer.
"We... have to talk." Fury took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. His tone was unprecedentedly serious, even with a hint of request.
"Talk to me?" Chu Hang finally looked away from Fury and looked him up and down. His eyes were like looking at an item without Life Law, with a hint of playfulness and evaluation, "Are you worthy?"
After saying that, he ignored the two people who were frozen like two stone statues at the door, and closed the door neatly with a "bang".
Outside the door, Coulson looked at the closed door, then looked down at the unconscious top sniper on the ground. The cold sweat on his forehead had gathered into a stream and slid down his face.
"Sir, we are now..."
"Withdraw." Fury said only one word, his voice a little hoarse. He turned and walked towards his car, his single eye shining with an unprecedented light, which was mixed with fear, frustration, and a trace of... inspired, almost crazy excitement.
The game is becoming more and more interesting.