The doorbell rang.
Ding dong.
The sound was not loud, but it was like a cold awl, piercing the tight membrane in the living room.
Carol's body froze instantly, his palms clenched subconsciously, and a few golden arcs flashed between his fingers.
Maria gasped, there was an alien standing in the backyard, and there was another uninvited guest at the front door. This small house seemed to have become the center of the storm.
Chu Hang smiled. There was no nervousness in that smile, but a hint of playfulness.
He glanced at Maria and said in a relaxed tone, "Go and open the door, Maria. We are here, we can't let people stand outside."
Maria moved his lips, wanting to say something, but looking at Chu Hang's confident look, he finally nodded and turned towards the door.
"Are you crazy?" Carol lowered his voice and leaned into Chu Hang's ear. His voice was full of disbelief, "Let S.H.I.E.L.D. and Skrull meet? There will be a fight!"
"Why not?" Chu Hang shrugged, looking past Carol, looking at the Skrull man in the backyard who was also on high alert, "Look, one wants to retrieve his memory, one wants to find a new home, and the other wants to understand all the uncertain factors. It is most efficient if we all have clear goals and sit down to talk together. It saves me the trouble of explaining it to you one by one."
Carol was speechless by his absurd reasoning. She found that she could not keep up with this man's thinking. In his eyes, this was not an interstellar conflict that was about to break out, but a community mediation meeting that could be manipulated at his will.
The front door opened.
Maria led Nick Fury in.
As soon as Fury entered the room, his one eye was like the most sophisticated scanner, completing the tactical assessment of the entire living room in a few tenths of a second. His eyes quickly swept across the nervous Maria, Carol who exuded hostility, and finally, like two nails, nailed Chu Hang to death.
When his peripheral vision caught the figure standing under the dark green spaceship in the backyard, the pupil of his one eye shrank imperceptibly. This was the most instinctive reaction of a top agent's body when faced with variables beyond his plan.
But the expression on his face did not change at all, and he still wore that calm professional smile, as if what he just saw was a raccoon that broke into the backyard.
"Mr. Chen, we meet again." Fury spoke, his voice so calm that no emotion could be heard, "I hope I didn't disturb your family gathering. However, with all due respect, that... undeclared private aircraft in your backyard may cause some unnecessary trouble in the community."
He deliberately emphasized the word "private aircraft", as if to test and exert pressure.
"Mr. Fury, ringing the doorbell is a good habit and deserves praise. But next time, maybe you can call in advance to make an appointment?" Chu Hang completely ignored his subtext, lazily pointed to the sofa and made a "please" gesture, "You are here, let's have a cup of hot tea before leaving. Maria, please give this gentleman who has come from afar a cup too. Seeing how busy he is, it's quite hard."
Fury felt like he had punched the cotton with a fully charged punch. He had prepared a complete negotiation plan including threats, inducements, and pressure, but the other party directly regarded him as a door-to-door insurance salesman and politely invited him to tea. This completely unconventional way of dealing with things instantly disrupted his rhythm.
He sat down on the sofa in silence and decided to wait and see what happened. He had a strong intuition that the protagonist of today's scene was not him.
Chu Hang ignored Fury who was deep in thought, but turned around and shouted in the direction of the backyard, "Friends outside, please come in and sit together. Don't your legs feel sore just standing there in the sun?"
In the backyard, the Skrull man was obviously stunned. He didn't expect that the other party would take the initiative to invite him. He glanced at the one-eyed dragon in the room wearing a Black Noir windbreaker, his eyes full of deep vigilance and distrust. That was the S.H.I.E.L.D. man, the most difficult intelligence chief on earth, and the trouble that outsiders like them needed to avoid the most.
"Don't worry, he won't bite anyone today." Chu Hang's voice was not loud, but it seemed to have penetrating power and reached his ears clearly. "There are no traps in the house, just a few cups of hot tea and a few people who can talk to each other on an equal footing. If you don't believe me, then you can continue to wander in the universe until you are found by Kree, or you may use up your last fuel on a deserted planet."
The last sentence, like a precise dagger, pierced the softest and most painful part of Skrull man.
Wandering.
This word is engraved in the bones of their generation Skrull.
After a few seconds of dead silence, the man took a deep breath and seemed to have made some kind of difficult decision. He took steps, step by step, towards this ordinary-looking but weird house.
When he walked into the living room and stood under the bright light, Carol's body tensed up again.
She could clearly feel that this person exuded the aura of those green-skinned and pointed-eared intruders in her memory.
The fighting instinct she had acquired over the past six years made her attack almost uncontrollably.
"Hello, Vers." The Skrull man ignored Carol's hostility, but looked at her and said in a hoarse voice that was extremely tired, "Or, I should call you, Carol·Dan Vers."
His eyes were complicated, scrutinizing and vigilant, but more importantly, there was an almost desperate expectation.
"Stop standing, please sit down." Chu Hang pointed to another empty single sofa, "Everyone here may have some misunderstandings. Let me introduce In-Betweener to everyone. My name is Chu Hang, and I am the temporary landlord here."
He pointed at Fury: "This is Nick Fury, the regional manager of a little-known security company on Earth. He is mainly responsible for handling some neighborhood disputes and community safety issues."
Fury's mouth twitched, but he did not refute.
Chu Hang turned to the Skrull man again. "This is..."
"Talos." Skrull The man himself took the words. He straightened his back, which was a little rickety due to long-term exile, "Skrull, General."
In an instant, the atmosphere in the living room became extremely weird.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s senior agent is said to be in charge of neighborhood disputes.
The exiled General Skrull, the future Captain Marvel, and an unfathomable mysterious figure who manipulated everyone sat down around a coffee table.
Maria hugged her daughter Monica tightly and hid at the door of Kitchen, watching all this nervously. Monica poked his little head out from behind his mother and looked curiously at this "guest" with strange green lines on his skin.
"Okay, now that everyone is here, let's get straight to the point." Chu Hang picked up the tea that Maria had just made and blew the white air from the cup, as if he was not presiding over a meeting to decide the fate of two races. It was an ordinary company weekly meeting, "Ta General Ross, tell me first. You risked being discovered by Earth officials, you came all the way, and you brought your family with you and a boatload of old, weak, women and children. You couldn't come to Earth to experience the pastoral scenery, right?"
Talos's eyes swept over the faces of Fury and Carol. Finally, he fixed his gaze firmly on Chu Hang, who seemed to be the most capable of making the decision.
"We are here to seek asylum." There was unconcealable exhaustion and sadness in his voice, "Our home planet, Skrullos, was destroyed by the Kree Empire decades ago. The rest of us have been wandering in the universe for decades, avoiding the pursuit of Kree like rats on the street. We are refugees, not the invaders you remember."
Carol's brows knitted into a knot. Everything Kree taught her and Supreme Intelligence she believed in screamed in her mind, telling her that the person in front of her was lying. Skrull is a cunning, evil shape-shifting race and a cancer in the universe.
"Ma Wil, you people on Earth call her Doctor Lawson." Talos ignored Carol's almost overflowing hostility, and his voice became slightly softer, "She is Kree, a great scientist. But she is different from those war lunatics. She saw clearly the meaningless nature of this war. She sympathized with our plight and decided to use her knowledge to help us."
"She used Lightspeed Engine's technology to find a coordinate for us in her secret laboratory that can avoid Kree's tracking, a coordinate that allows us to rebuild our home. She promised us that she would lead us there."
"But she died." Talos's eyes dimmed, like two extinguished stars, "Six years ago, in that crash, she died. We lost our last hope. We only know that if we find her laboratory, we can get the coordinates, find our people and the future. And the key to finding the laboratory is in your memory, Carol·Dan Vers."
As he spoke, he took out a small, old-fashioned voice recorder from the inner pocket of his jacket and gently placed it on the coffee table.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the small metal creation.
Talos pressed a button above.
"Shasha..."
After a burst of electric noise, a slightly distorted female voice slowly flowed out of the device.
"Talos, it's me, Lawson. The plan has changed, Yong Rogg has discovered my intention, and he is coming. I must leave with the core immediately. If I fail... remember, the coordinates are in my laboratory, which can guide you to find a new home. Don't believe Kree, never..."
The recording stopped abruptly here.
But this voice, this tone, and this content were like a bolt of lightning that penetrated time and space, severely splitting open Carol's chaotic memory that had been blocked for six years.
It's Doctor Lawson!
That's the voice! She remembered it! Before the crash, in the cockpit, Doctor Lawson used this extremely anxious tone to ask her to destroy the engine and never let it fall into the hands of Yong Rogg!
Kree has been lying to her!
Yong Rogg, Supreme Intelligence... all of them are lying to her! They are not maintaining the peace of the universe, they are invaders, the executioners of a race Carnage! And Skrull is the real victim!
The anger of being deceived, the humiliation of being taken advantage of, the grief over the death of Doctor Lawson, the regret for what he had done in the past six years... all the emotions burst through at this moment.
"Boom!"
An uncontrollable, violent golden energy suddenly burst out from Carol. The light bulb in the living room could not withstand the impact of this energy for a moment, and exploded one after another, with glass fragments flying everywhere.
The TV screen flashed with dazzling snowflakes, and then completely blacked out with a "bang". Maria let out a short scream, and subconsciously hugged Monica tightly in his arms, protecting her with his own body.
Fury's reaction was extremely fast. He jumped up from the sofa almost at the same time as the energy exploded. He leaned back and stretched his right hand to his waist like lightning, where the pistol he never left was hidden.
This is the reaction that is ingrained in his bones when facing a deadly threat as a top agent.
Talos was also startled. His body lost its fixed shape in an instant, like a puddle of melted green wax. He seemed to instinctively want to blend into the floor to avoid this destructive force.
"Quiet."
The voice of Chu Hang was not loud, it could even be said to be very light, but it seemed to have some kind of magic power from Words Become Law, instantly covering the entire chaotic living room.
He just put the tea cup in his hand gently on the coffee table in front of him.
"Ta."
There was a crisp, soft sound.
It was this soft sound, like an invisible switch, that pressed the pause button on the entire world, and then pressed the rewind button.
Carol's golden energy, which was so violent that it could knock off the roof, seemed to be instantly smoothed by a big invisible hand and retracted obediently into her body.
Fury froze in place, his right hand still holding the posture of touching the gun. Looking at Chu Hang who was slowly picking up the teacup and drinking tea, fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead for the first time.
What ability is this?
All the files about Metahuman in his mind, all the knowledge about physics and energy, all collapsed at this moment.
This man was ten thousand times scarier than he imagined. He was not a powerful individual, he was just a rule.
Talos also returned to his human form from the liquid state. The way he looked at Chu Hang had changed from initial vigilance and scrutiny to complete awe that came from the depths of Soul Law. He had been wandering the universe for decades and had seen countless powerful civilizations and individuals, but he had never seen such incredible power.
"If you lose control of your emotions, you can't solve any problems." Chu Hang put down the tea cup and his eyes fell on Carol, who was pale and lost. "Now, do you believe it?"
Carol nodded weakly. The impact of the truth made her feel more painful and weak than any physical attack. She had been deceived for six years, working hard for her enemies, chasing down the people she was supposed to protect. Her hands were stained with the blood of innocent people.
"So, you came to her just to ask her to help find the laboratory?" Chu Hang turned his attention to Talos.
"Yes." Talos nodded with difficulty, "We intercepted Kree's communication and know that she is still alive and has returned to Earth. She is the only clue and our last hope."
"Okay, things are very clear." Chu Hang clapped his hands and stood up, as if he was summarizing the final meeting, "Skrull needs to find Doctor Lawson's laboratory, get the coordinates, and find a new home. Carol needs to find the laboratory, retrieve his complete memory, atone for his stupid behavior in the past six years, and fulfill Doctor Lawson's last wish. And Mr. Fury, you..."
Chu Hang looked at Fury with a meaningful smile on his lips, "You probably want to understand all these aliens, alien spacecraft and alien technology, and then incorporate them into your Control, right? After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Fury's one eye narrowed. He neither admitted nor denied. He just looked at Chu Hang deeply and asked the most critical question, "What about you, Mr. Chen? What do you want in this game?"
"Me?" Chu Hang leaned on the sofa, changed to a more comfortable position, and said lazily, "I want a quiet vacation, but unfortunately there are always people disturbing you uninvited. So, I can only help you solve the matter as soon as possible so that my ears can be clear."
He stood up and walked among the crowd, like a stage director, and began to assign roles.
"The plan is simple. First, find Doctor Lawson's laboratory. Talos, do you have any clues about the specific location of the laboratory? For example, orbital parameters, or some kind of signal frequency?"
Talos shook his head dejectedly. "We only know that it is in the orbit of the earth, but it is in a completely invisible state. We have exhausted all methods and can't find it."
"I know where it is."
A clear child's voice suddenly sounded.
Everyone's eyes were instantly focused on the little girl who had been hiding behind her mother.
It's Monica.
Being stared at by so many big shots, the little girl shrank back behind Maria in fear, but she still mustered up the courage and said in a clear voice, "Aunt Lawson took me there once... on her computer. She said that it was her 'office on the stars'."
Chu Hang laughed. Very good, the plot is finally back on the track it should be.
"Well done, Monica." He praised without hesitation, and then looked at Fury.
"Mr. Fury, I think you need to use the resources of your security company. We need to go to Project Pegasus's old base and need a plane that can fly out of the atmosphere. In return, S.H.I.E.L.D. can share all the information about this operation."
Fury's eyes lit up instantly. This is exactly what he wanted! Full monitoring, front-line contact and evaluation of the value of all alien technologies and personnel, this deal is a sure profit.
"Deal." He agreed without hesitation.
"Carol," Chu Hang looked at Carol again, his tone became more serious, "This is your business, you make the decision. Find the laboratory, find the truth, and then decide what to do."
Carol nodded heavily, her confused eyes rekindled with fighting spirit. She needed an answer and a redemption.
"As for the tower General Ross," Chu Hang finally looked at Skrull, "Let your people wait patiently in the spacecraft. After you find the things, I will ensure that you can leave the earth safely."
Talos stood up and bowed deeply to Chu Hang with the most solemn courtesy of Skrull.
A huge crisis that could trigger an interstellar war and plunge the earth into a sea of fire, in this small living room, was lightly arranged by Chu Hang in a few words into a treasure hunt mission with a plan, division of labor, and everyone getting what they needed.
Fury Looking at the man in front of him who seemed to Control everything, he felt a little shaken for the first time about his magnificent "Avengers Initiative" future.
He originally thought that a strong person like Carol was the top trump card in his plan.
But now, a being who could regard Carol's violent energy as if it were nothing was sitting opposite him, drinking tea.