The last ray of the setting sun sank into the sea level, and Malibu Beach was dyed with a quiet blue-gray tone. Xiao Han was still lying on the chair, as if it had become a part of the coast. Only the extremely slow breathing showed that it was a living body. Then come From the Shi'ar line of sight in the distant deep space, to the weak Vibranium fluctuations in the Wakanda ground, and even the dark restlessness that quietly grows on the earth, they are all like fine dust, unable to break the tranquility on the surface for the time being.
However, now that the spotlight of the universe has been turned on, other characters on the stage cannot remain silent forever.
Thousands of kilometers away from Malibu, deep in an A. I. M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) offshore base on the high seas disguised as an abandoned drilling platform, a feverish demonstration was taking place.
The leader of the base, the self-proclaimed mad scientist "MODOK" (whose brain enlarged due to an experimental accident and was placed in a suspended mechanical life support device), is using his high-pitched and distorted voice to demonstrate their latest "results" to several potential investors (including shadow representatives of some multinational consortiums and some remaining power-hungry Hydra executives).
In the holographic projection, edited and exaggerated scenes were played: the wreckage of Chitauri Leviathan was dragged into the base, the blurry image of the explosion of the Kree assault ship, and the strength assessment report (full of speculation and exclamation points) about the existence of Malibu obtained through various means (mainly hacking and bribery of low-level personnel).
"... Gentlemen! Ladies!" MODOK's voice trembled with excitement, "Times have changed! The old power structure is vulnerable to real power! Chitauri? Kree? Even the so-called 'god on earth'? They have all proved one thing: cosmic-level energy exists and can be contacted, understood, and even mastered!"
His huge brain swayed slightly in the container. "And we, A. I. M., are already at the forefront! By reverse engineering these alien debris, combined with our unique gene splicing and energy manipulation technology, 'Prometheus Project' is about to make breakthrough progress!"
On the platform in the center of the demonstration hall, an armor with a rough shape but full of dangerous power was raised. The core of the armor is a dark red energy core that is constantly twisting and trying to swallow up the surrounding light. Its energy characteristics are obviously a mixture of Chitauri and Kree technology, but it is extremely unstable.
"Look! This 'Titan' prototype armor! It can absorb and convert many forms of energy! Although the efficiency is far from... that existence, it proves that the direction is correct!" MODOK shouted enthusiastically, "As long as there are enough resources and... samples, we can mass-produce 'gods' belonging to us humans! By then, we will no longer need to fear any alien threats, and can even... redefine the order of the earth!"
In the audience, the investors hidden in the shadows breathed heavily. Fear and greed intertwined in their eyes. The existence of Xiao Han made them feel desperate and powerless, and at the same time ignited a kind of deformed ambition - if that kind of power cannot be used by us, then we will create it ourselves!
"We need more alien wreckage! More energy data! Especially... biological information about that individual!" MODOK said, "Invest in us! Support us! A. I. M. will lead mankind to a new era!"
Similar scenes are also taking place in other dark corners of the world. The remnants of Hydra are trying to find the power to fight against "gods" from mythology and black magic; some arms giants have increased their investment in reverse engineering of alien technology; there are even some extremist organizations that regard Xiao Han as false gods or demons, and plan crazy and futile "purification" operations.
The dark side of the earth begins to boil due to the squeeze of cosmic pressure and the temptation of the supreme power.
S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly captured these unusual capital flows and gatherings of people.
"A. I. M. is seeking death again." Maria·Hill handed the report to Fury, "They seem to think this is an opportunity for them to rise."
Fury snorted coldly, "A group of idiots blinded by greed. They don't understand that they are playing with fire." He glanced at the rough Titan armor image on the report, "This kind of thing, in the eyes of that existence, is probably worse than a toy. The real trouble is that their crazy actions may detonate a situation beyond our control in advance."
"Do we need to take action? Attack those known A. I. M. bases?"
"No." Fury shook his head, "Moving them now will only alert them, and may even drive them to more extremes. Monitor closely and collect the list of all participants and investors. We have to wait for them to jump out on their own, and then... catch them all." A cold light flashed in his single eye, "The top priority now is still the stars above our heads."
The laboratories of Wakanda, Princess Shuri.
"Succeeded! Hahaha!" Shuri looked at the complex device in front of him that constantly made a soft buzzing sound and consisted of Vibranium coils and strange Crystal, and danced excitedly.
"Your Highness, what is this?" Okoye asked curiously.
"This is 'Deep-Space Echo Amplifier'!" Shuri explained proudly, "Using the unique resonance characteristics of Vibranium, we can extremely sensitively capture the distorted and hidden information flows in deep space! Although we cannot completely decipher the signals of those advanced civilizations, we can at least know more clearly what they are 'listening' and 'seeing'!"
She activated the device, and a complex holographic star map unfolded, with light bands representing different signals flowing through it. Among them, a stable and cold light band from outside Pluto was extremely conspicuous.
"Look! This is that Shi'ar Watchers! Their signal directionality is very clear, almost all focused on..." Shuri enlarged the image, and the end point of the light band accurately fell on Malibu Beach, "... that's him."
T'Challa and Okoye looked solemn.
"Can you analyze the details of their observations?" T'Challa asked.
"Still trying, but it's difficult. Their encryption technology is too powerful. But..." Shuri did a few operations and called up another set of data, "I found something interesting. In addition to Shi'ar, there are also some very weak signal fragments with completely different technical styles. They are also trying to spy on Malibu, but the way is more... weird, like seeping out from the gaps in the dimension, intermittently."
"Another Watchers?" Okoye became alert.
"It's not like organized observation. It's more like some... scattered and curious 'eyes'." Shuri tilted his head, "Maybe it's some self-employed people in the universe, or a more mysterious existence? There is too little information."
The number of unknown snoops is still increasing. T'Challa feels the pressure on his shoulders is getting heavier.
"Continue monitoring. Prioritize ensuring our shielding system is effective," he ordered.
Malibu.
The night is dark and the stars are shining brightly.
Xiao Han is still lying there, absorbing Cosmic Rays and weak Clair de Lune (although the efficiency is far less efficient than sunlight). His Super-Senses is like the most sophisticated radar, scanning the world.
The restlessness of the underground world, the ridiculous experiments of A. I. M., the Vibranium fluctuations of Wakanda, the anxiety of S.H.I.E.L.D., and even the scattered new "eyes" in space... all of these are like the chirping of different bugs in the grass on a summer night. Although noisy, it has not reached a noise level that requires him to raise his hand to slap him to death.
But his brows were frowned more tightly than during the day.
It is an indisputable fact that the "background sound" of the environment is becoming complicated. An extremely subtle feeling of displeasure, stemming from some kind of intuition, began to accumulate in his heart.
He likes simplicity and purity. But now, the "voice" surrounding him is becoming more and more complex and confusing.
If this trend continues...
His eyes inadvertently swept across the night sky, scanning the seemingly peaceful stars.
The sensor of the Shi'ar reconnaissance ship hidden outside Pluto suddenly captured an extremely brief and almost unmeasurable high-frequency jitter in the energy field of "Individual Alpha". As if a stone was dropped into a calm lake, the ripples instantly spread to the entire Solar System and then calmed down instantly.
"Abnormal fluctuation!" the sensor operator immediately reported, "Duration 0.0001 seconds, intensity level Delta! Unable to analyze the cause!"
Captain Varik immediately sat up straight. "Record! Analyze its impact on the surrounding space-time structure!"
Data scrolls rapidly.
"During the fluctuations, the local space-time solidification effect appears resonance in the corresponding frequency band... but it is impossible to judge whether the fluctuations cause the resonance, or the resonance generates the fluctuations..."
Varik's eyes are solemn. This existence is far more complex and unpredictable than they imagined. Can an unconscious energy vibration cause the resonance of the space-time structure?
"Mark this fluctuation data as the highest priority and send it back to the home planet. Apply to dispatch 'Theoretical Sages' to assist in analysis." He felt that things were beyond his control.
On the earth, almost all hidden observers, whether it was Wakanda's Shuri, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s specific sensors, or even A. I. M.'s unstable equipment, all captured the brief and terrifying energy fluctuation at the same instant.
Although it was incomprehensible, the profound power displayed in that moment, which seemed to shake the foundation of the universe, made everyone who knew about it feel a tremor from the depths of their souls.
"What's wrong with him?" Tony looked at the energy curve displayed by Friday, which instantly exploded and then returned to zero, and his heart skipped a beat.
"Unknown. Inactive energy release, more like an... unconscious physiological reaction?" Friday speculated.
"Physiological reaction?" Tony swallowed, "What kind of physiological reaction can scare the instrument into tears?"
No one can answer.
Xiao Han was completely unaware of the brief commotion he caused. It was just an unconscious expression of his impatience. He turned over and stopped looking at the stars, trying to block out the complicated "insect chirping".
But the prologue has already begun, and all the forces on the stage are in place. With that silent "thunder", all the actors know that the real drama is about to take place.
And tranquility is destined to become a luxury product.