Droplet Ship's hasty jump left a weak space ripple at the edge of Kuiper Belt, which quickly dissipated in the cold cosmic dust. Carina sat expressionlessly on the main control chair, his purple Crystal eyes quickly scanning the completely disconnected monitoring interface and the final sensor data fixed on the devastating red light.
"Loss assessment: All 'Mimic' nanoclusters and 'Void Stalker' probe-1 are confirmed to have been destroyed. The mother ship has not been attacked, and the concealment status has not been broken." She reported in an absolutely calm tone, as if the loss was just insignificant dust, "Target counterattack method: long-range precision thermal strike, suspected to have space spanning properties, energy efficiency cannot be calculated, defense possibility assessment: zero."
Her fingers worked quickly on the control panel, encrypting all the battle records (if that could be called a battle), energy readings (although most of the instruments failed due to overload in an instant), and the final, heart-stopping visual data, and sent them to Knowhere through the hyperspace channel.
"Mission summary: Non-contact observation failed due to the target's zero-tolerance attitude towards stealth monitoring. The target has the ability to instantly identify and eliminate extreme stealth technology units, and its sensing range and accuracy far exceed expectations. Recommendation: Any follow-up actions must be based on absolute distance isolation or ultra-dimensional observation. The direct risk is extremely high."
After the message was sent, she set the automatic course. The destination was not Knowhere, but another preset safe transit point. She needed to ensure her absolute safety and observe whether there were any signs of tracking before returning to the Collector.
Knowhere, the Collector Tanlia·Tivan looked at the data returned by Carina, especially the last two red light images that spanned space and accurately obliterated all reconnaissance units. For the first time, the fanatical curiosity on his face was replaced by an extreme solemnity.
He waved his hand to close the miniature star that was still screaming in the force field cage, and the entire hall fell into a brief silence.
"Space operation... combined with such exquisite energy control..." He murmured to himself, his eyes flickering no longer with pure desire for collection, but with a mixture of shock and extreme caution, "This is by no means a simple energy creature... This almost touches... the level of rules?"
He was pacing back and forth, his gorgeous robe dragging on the ground without noticing.
"The failure of Kree was no accident. I'm afraid that barbarian Ronan didn't understand what he was causing." He stopped and called up the energy model of Xiao Han again. At this moment, the model was marked with countless red warning signs, "The risk of forcible acquisition... exceeds the value of the collection."
Although he longs for this unique collection, he cherishes his own life and the existing collection even more. An existence that can instantly cross space and accurately attack any snooping in an incomprehensible way, its danger level has jumped to another dimension.
"Temporarily... shelve the direct acquisition plan." The Collector made a difficult decision, but there was a hint of unwillingness in his eyes, "But... the observation cannot stop. Start 'Long-Distance Eye' and conduct indirect observations through the gravitational lens effect and background radiation deflection. Perhaps... we can find a breakthrough from the indigenous people who have been in contact with him..."
His eyes turned to Tony·Stark that occasionally appeared in the holographic image.
"Redirection of information collection: Focus on analyzing the target's interaction patterns with specific indigenous individuals. Analyze their technology, their social structure, their desires... Weaknesses often lie in the connections."
New instructions were quietly issued. The Collector's desire for Xiao Han has not subsided, but has become more cautious and circuitous. He has changed from a fanatical the Collector to a patient hunter.
Earth, Malibu.
Xiao Han After cleaning up those annoying "flies", he felt significantly better. The surrounding air seemed to be much fresher, the omnipresent sense of peeping completely disappeared, and the world returned to tranquility. He adjusted the angle of the recliner so that he could more fully absorb the afternoon sunlight, and soon entered the semi-dormant energy-saving state again.
In the laboratory, Tony·Stark could not calm down.
"Friday, that... how high was the energy reading just now?" He stared at the energy curve on the screen that had returned to normal, his heart still beating fast.
"Unable to accurately measure, boss. The burst time is too short, and the peak value is far beyond the upper limit of the sensor. Based on the residual effect of atmospheric ionization, the instantaneous energy release is equivalent to a 10-million-ton nuclear bomb being completely converted into heat energy in the upper atmosphere, but the scope of action is extremely precise and is limited to microscopic targets."
Tony took a breath. "It's equivalent to... but he only evaporated those invisible spies? This control..."
He couldn't imagine what kind of power level and control accuracy it was. This was no longer a weapon, this was simply a miracle.
"And... he seems to know where those things are and what they are..." Tony felt a chill, "How strong is his perception? Is it true that everything we say and do here, he..."
"Unsure, boss. But based on his past performance, he usually ignores non-targeted, low-intensity environmental activities."
Tony was slightly relieved, but the sense of crisis became heavier. The stronger Xiao Han is, the more it appears how small and powerless the earth and its technology are. And such an existence is still attracting malicious intent from the universe.
"What about the falling object? The one on the bottom of the sea?"
"Disappeared. The sensor detected a brief high temperature reaction, and then the signal disappeared. It is presumed that it was destroyed in the same way."
"So, in just a moment, he cleared away the spies all over the sky that we couldn't detect at all, and also killed the rat at the bottom of the sea." Tony concluded, with a sense of absurdity in his tone, "And we don't even know who those spies are, how many there are, and where they come from."
This absolute asymmetry in information made him feel deeply frustrated.
He immediately contacted Nick Fury.
"Fury, just now... he took action again." Tony said concisely and to the point, "This time the target was the alien spy equipment hidden in the atmosphere and on the seabed around us, the kind we have not detected before. In an instant, it was all gone."
Fury on the other side of the screen was silent for a few seconds, with one sharp eye. "Are you sure it's an alien spy? It's not his... random act?"
"One hundred percent sure. There were abnormal fluctuations before, then a small thing fell into the sea, and then there was an undetectable vibration on the sea floor, and then he took action. The logical chain is very clear: he was annoyed." Tony said with certainty, "Moreover, the scope of his cleanup is very wide, and it is not just for the one in the sea."
"... I understand." Fury's voice became even deeper, "This shows that there is another alien force, which has adopted a far more covert method than Kree, and has penetrated right under our noses, without us even realizing it. If it hadn't been for him..."
The consequences are disastrous.
"We need to hold a meeting. The highest level." Fury said decisively, "World Security Council must know about this matter. The threats we face are escalating, and our defense and detection capabilities... are almost zero."
A few minutes later, a highly encrypted virtual meeting was held urgently. After Tony and Fury explained the situation, the meeting fell into a long silence.
"So," a representative said in a dry voice, "Not only do we have an uncontrollable 'god' living on California beach, but now there are at least two more alien forces that come and go like visiting our own backyard, and even install bugs above and around us? And we can only know what happened after that 'god' is annoyed?"
It's hard to hear, but it's the naked reality.
"This is indeed the current situation." Fury admitted expressionlessly, "Our technological gap is too big. The only good news is that... Mr. Xiao Han seems to have no interest in protecting the earth, but has an absolute requirement to maintain the 'purity' around him. Any extraterrestrial activities that create 'noise' or 'trouble' within the scope of the earth, especially in areas close to him, will trigger his counterattack."
"What kind of good news is this? We're trusting our global security to... a landlord who's paranoid about quiet?" another representative nearly slammed the table.
"This is the only effective 'deterrence' at present." Tony couldn't help but say, although he also felt ridiculous, "At least he is still lying on the beach! If he leaves, or if he feels that the earth as a whole is too 'noisy', what do you think those Kree or the invisible spies just now will do?"
The conference room was silent again.
"What Stark said makes sense." Another representative said with difficulty. "Although it is difficult to accept, the status quo is... his existence objectively constitutes an obstacle to those alien invaders. We need to... learn to take advantage of this."
"How to use it? Are we going to ask him: 'Please, can you help us see if there are any spies in the sky?'" someone sarcastically said.
"No." Fury interrupted, "We cannot and will never try to 'command' or 'request' him to do anything. That will only be counterproductive. The only thing we can do is to do our best to reduce the activities generated by the earth itself that may be regarded as 'noise' by him and avoid unnecessary conflicts. At the same time, we should do our best to develop science and technology, and at least... we must be able to see clearly who the enemy is and where he comes from."
The meeting finally ended in a heavy and depressing atmosphere. All parties reached a helpless consensus: they acquiesced in the strange status quo of Xiao Han as the "involuntary Guardians" of the earth, and fully supported Tony and S.H.I.E.L.D. in accelerating the research on alien technology and improving the earth's early warning and basic defense capabilities.
Tony exited the meeting, feeling the pressure on his shoulders was greater than ever before. He looked out the window, the setting sun was shining golden light on the beach, and the figure was still lying there, as if he had just brushed away a little dust.
Quiet, powerful, yet so remote and uncontrollable.
Tony took a deep breath, turned and walked towards the workbench. He needed to work harder, at least... to be able to see clearly what the "bugs" trying to break into his door looked like.
In a certain corner of the universe, the border outpost of the Shi'ar Empire also captured the brief "Leviathan Echo" broadcast and the subsequent information flow of abnormal activities of the Kree reconnaissance ship.
A high-ranking Shi'ar commander looked at the "unknown high-energy individual" and "Earth" mentioned in the message, with a flash of interest in his eyes.
"A primitive planet that can make Kree suffer? Interesting. Mark this coordinate and include it in the long-term watch list. Maybe... it is worth getting in touch to see if it can become a potential ally against the Kree Empire... or, a new vassal."
New eyes once again turned to the third planet Solar System.
An impatient cleanup by Xiao Han failed to prevent the follow-up effects of the cosmic broadcast. Instead, it further revealed his existence and power to the broader cosmic stage. The Earth, this small blue planet, is unknowingly being drawn into an increasingly complex interstellar political whirlpool.