The data on the blue screen is still refreshing rapidly.
Countless photos flashed past the crowd: modern surveillance footage, old newspapers, film reels, and group photos uploaded to the internet, all of which JARVIS compared one by one.
Tony raised his hand and dragged a few of the historical photos aside.
"They've lived for thousands of years and managed to evade population registration, tax authorities, and insurance salespeople. These people are really something."
"Sir, we've found two sets of highly consistent results."
Two faces were magnified.
The first image is of the obese Black man projected on the screen.
The target's current registered name is Phastos, residing in a Chicago suburb. Their occupation is listed as an architectural design consultant. They are married to Ben Fastos and have two adopted children.
A photo of a two-story house then pops up.
The lawn was neatly trimmed, a family car was parked beside the driveway, and two children's bicycles were placed under the porch. Based on publicly available information, this appears to be an ordinary gay family, the kind you'd see anywhere.
Natasha stared at the file for a moment.
What about his birth record?
"An investigation revealed irregularities."
JARVIS retrieved several identification documents.
" Phastos's earliest identity record appears in 1947. His identity has been updated six times since then, each time between twenty and thirty-five years. All relevant documents were entered into the legitimate system, but the responsible personnel could not be found."
Tony reached out and zoomed in on a black and white photograph.
The photo was taken more than fifty years ago. The man standing at the back of the crowd has a beard, but his face is no different from what it is now.
"It seems our architectural consultant is quite adept at renovating himself."
The second face then lit up.
The Indian man in the photo, dressed in a glamorous suit, is standing under a barrage of flashing lights, waving to reporters.
The target's registered name is Kingo, currently residing in Mumbai, and publicly identified as Bollywood actress.
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean? An alien who has lived for thousands of years finally chose to make musicals?"
According to publicly available information, Mr. Kingo has a large number of fans.
" JARVIS, that's not an explanation."
More footage from older movies was retrieved.
From black-and-white silent films to color movies, you can always find a similar face. Sometimes it's the protagonist, sometimes the director, and once it was the father of the lead actor. Every few decades, he reappears in a different role.
Natasha crossed her arms.
He didn't even try to hide it.
"Perhaps he believes that if he were to add a mustache to himself, humanity would collectively lose its ability to recognize him."
Tony stroked his goatee.
"This method has proven to be effective."
Chen Mo did not participate in their discussion.
Phastos.
The black man kneeling in repentance in the story.
He wrote down the address for Chicago.
"Alright, I'll kill this one first."
The underground facility fell silent for a moment.
Tony turned his head.
"Excuse me, did you mean to visit first or kill first? I think I misheard you."
"Kill them first."
"Very good, I didn't mishear."
Tony walked up to Chen Mo and blocked the projection of Phastos's residence.
"Perhaps you can now explain what he did. Destroy the city? Start a war? Or violate Chicago's community rules regarding lawn area?"
Fury lay on the stretcher, his one eye fixed on the family photo.
" Stark is right. They're a family of four living in a residential area. You can't just go there and kill them because they've lived a long time."
Chen Mo glanced at him.
"Have you all forgotten who was just begging me to explain what the Eternals are?"
"I asked you to provide intelligence, not to publish a kill list."
Fury raised his hand to signal the medical staff to stop, his voice hoarse from blood loss.
"You should at least tell us why they came to Earth."
" The Eternals are life forms created by the Celestials."
Chen Mo pointed to the face in mid-air.
"They possess Cosmic Energy from the Celestials, and their mission is to cleanse the Earth of the Deviants."
Tony immediately grasped the key point.
" The Celestials, the advanced race that created those two biological weapons?"
"Almost."
"What technologies did they use? Biomodification, energy infusion, or the fusion of artificial intelligence with an organic body?"
" Stark, you ask too many questions."
"This is just normal curiosity. You can't throw out a cosmic civilization that has created life and then expect me to stand quietly by."
Tony opened Phastos's file.
"Especially this one, judging from his file, he's very likely their engineer. He might possess a technological system that surpasses Earth's by thousands of years."
So what?
So you're planning to devour a treasure trove of mobile technology?
"To correct you, it should be 'devour'."
"Thank you, but your statement does not reduce waste at all."
Natasha looked at Chen Mo.
"Now that you've eliminated the Deviants, why are they still on Earth?"
Chen Mo turned his head to the side.
Natasha's problem is closer to the crux of the matter Tony's.
The Eternals' so-called protection was a lie from the very beginning. Their elimination of the Deviants was merely to ensure the smooth growth of Earth's population and provide enough energy for Tiamut, which slumbers underground.
There's no need to give away this intelligence for free.
"They have another mission."
Fury waited a few seconds.
What mission?
" Fury, this is paid content."
Fury stared at him, tapping his fingers on the edge of the stretcher.
" Chen Mo, you always start charging fees when you get to the crucial points. At this rate, S.H.I.E.L.D.. will have to set up a special fund for you sooner or later."
"Okay, remember to tell Hill to inflate the budget a bit."
Tony sneered from the side.
"Then I'll be in charge of the audit. I guarantee he won't get a single cent."
You can give it a try.
Chen Mo raised his hand and pushed aside the projection, revealing Phastos's residential address again.
Fury said in a deep voice, "I need to send someone to check the scene first. The two children and their spouse may know nothing."
"They had nothing to do with this in the first place."
"Are you going to let them go?"
"I don't eat everything."
Chen Mo glanced at the gauze on Fury's abdomen.
"You can rest assured, I'm not a black hole that devours everyone it sees."
Tony noticed this detail.
"Congratulations, everyone, we have just received a promise that will allow human civilization to sleep a little more soundly tonight."
"Sir, more than seven billion people worldwide are still unaware of this commitment."
"Then don't notify them, lest we all suffer from insomnia."
Fury was not swayed.
"But you said you would provide compensation."
"Once I've gathered everyone, I will naturally tell you the true purpose of the Eternals' presence on Earth."
Chen Mo pointed to the image of Phastos.
"As for their technology, you can study it if you want. That stuff is useless to me."
Fury fell silent.
As long as I can obtain the Eternals' true mission and technology, this exchange is acceptable.
Tony raised a finger.
"Wait, what do you mean 'useless to you'? You're planning to completely remove him from the physical plane by devouring him, and then have me study a family photo?"
Aren't you a genius?
"Even geniuses need samples; God creates things from nothing."
"Then hurry up."
Chen Mo pointed to an address in the suburbs of Chicago.
The surrounding light was slightly distorted, and spatial fluctuations radiated outwards from beneath his feet.
Tony's mask closed quickly.
" JARVIS, lock onto him!"
"Trying, sir."
Fury propped himself up.
" Chen Mo, wait for my men to evacuate the nearby residents."
Chen Mo waved to the group.
"No need for evacuation; he can't escape my grasp."
Chen Mo's figure gradually faded away in the distorted space.