The Skrulls Arrive

Half a month later, in the wilderness outside Louisiana.

Carol floated ten feet above the ground, her eyes closed. She held out her hands, palms facing each other. Between them, a fist-sized ball of highly condensed golden energy slowly revolved.

It was no longer a raging blaze of light, but an almost perfect sphere. Liquid-gold patterns flowed across its surface, while nebula-like structures flickered in and out of existence within. Under her control, this tiny "planet" was as quiet as a work of art.

Monica sat on a large rock nearby with her chin in her hands, watching in fascination. Maria leaned against a pickup truck, her eyes filled with both relief and a trace of unconcealed concern.

Carol slowly spread her hands apart, and the energy planet began orbiting her body in a stable elliptical path. One lap, two laps...

On the third lap, her brows furrowed slightly. A memory of flying at the Air Force Academy flashed through her mind, and her emotions wavered ever so slightly.

That tiny fluctuation instantly shattered the perfect balance.

The energy planet's orbit became unstable. It shook violently, and the golden patterns on its surface turned chaotic. The next second, like a comet thrown off course, it streaked toward a distant hill with a long blazing tail behind it.

"Damn it!" Carol cursed under her breath, opening her eyes and preparing to chase after it.

But it was already too late.

Just as the energy sphere was about to strike the hill and trigger an explosion no less powerful than a heavy aerial bomb, Chu Hang, who had been standing nearby as though nothing was happening, finally moved.

He did not even look at the out-of-control energy sphere. He merely raised his right hand lazily, held his index and middle fingers together,