At this critical moment...
A sudden change has occurred!
The old woman, who looked frail and on the verge of death just a moment ago, was now bending backward at an angle that completely defied human anatomy.
Then came a series of incredibly smooth backflips, landing steadily at the other end of the hall.
She still looked old and frail, but her posture was completely different from before.
The entire nursing home fell silent.
The elderly people playing chess, along with several caregivers, all stared in disbelief at the scene.
The Skrulls, disguised as an old woman, moved her neck, making a cracking sound as if her bones were dislocating.
Its voice is no longer hoarse and slow, but has become a sharp, metallic, neutral tone.
"How did you find out? Was it because of the way I knitted? When did you Kree become so observant?"
Wei let out a long sigh of relief, her heart returning to its normal position.
Thank goodness, it didn't hit.
If that punch really killed the old lady, she felt like she would live the rest of her life in the PowerPoint presentation of that devil Hans Landa.
Vers slowly withdrew his fist, a smile appearing on his face.
"I was just guessing."
"But now, I'm sure."
The Skrulls ' expressions turned to furious resentment at being mocked.
It stopped pretending and charged straight at Vers with all its might!
The five fingers transformed into sharp claws and clawed at Vers's throat.
Vers's eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.
The lobby of the nursing home instantly transformed into a battlefield.
Wei stood there, looking at everything before her.
Just as the weight lifted from her shoulders, an even bigger one pressed down on her.
She couldn't do it.
At the very least, we shouldn't lay a hand on a creature that presents itself as an "innocent old man."
She could imagine that if there were even a single photograph of her using those metal boxing gloves to attack an enemy who looked like her grandmother, regardless of the background, she would become the target of worldwide condemnation.
Hans Landa, that devil, might smile and praise her "decisiveness" while sending her to the guillotine of public opinion as the perfect sacrifice to quell public anger and demonstrate Vought's "humanitarianism."
"Damn PR department!"
Wei muttered a curse under her breath.
She hated this feeling of being restricted.
For her, fighting should be a clash of strength, not this frustrating game where she has to think things through.
"Wei."
Nina's calm voice came through the earpiece.
"Your mission is to control the scene, prevent the target from escaping, and protect civilians."
"Receive."
Wei answered through gritted teeth.
She saw a terrified old man sitting in a wheelchair, on the route where the Vers and Skrulls were fighting.
Wei rushed over and, as the two men crashed into a pool table, pushed the old man, wheelchair and all, to a safe corner.
Hey! You two! If you want to fight, go outside and fight!
Vi roared at the battle circle.
"This is a nursing home, not your wrestling ring!"
Her roar only earned her a disdainful glance from the Skrulls.
The Skrulls was exceptionally cunning. It didn't confront Vers head-on at all. Instead, it used its familiarity with human form and its agile movements to wander around the hall, constantly dragging innocent old people into the battle, thus limiting Vers's attacks.
Vers noticed this as well, and her attacks became more hesitant. Several times, she forcibly stopped firing her photon cannons to avoid disturbing others.
"Hahaha! Is this all the elite warriors of the Kree are capable of? Didn't your Supreme Intelligence teach you how to fight?"
The Skrulls dodged while verbally provoking Vers.
Just then, the Skrulls smashed open the glass doors of the hall and rushed into the courtyard outside.
Vers and Vie followed closely behind.
In the courtyard, several elderly people who were taking a stroll were taken aback by the sudden turn of events and didn't know what to do.
The Skrulls changed its target and charged at the nearest old woman, who was leaning on a cane and looked terrified.
"Stop!"
With a roar, Vers accelerated to his maximum speed.
But that's exactly what the Skrulls wanted.
It twisted strangely in mid-air, avoiding Vers's interception, and at the same time, its body began to undergo violent changes.
She was no longer that kind-faced old lady.
Its bones are lengthening, its muscles are reorganizing, and the color and texture of its skin are changing rapidly.
In just a second, a man with a cold and stern face, dressed in the uniform of the Kree Empire Starforce, appeared in front of Vers.
It's Yon Rogers.
That commander she knew so well.
"Your power comes from us, and it must be used for our benefit."
"Remember, the enemy is everywhere."
They will exploit your weaknesses, your emotions.
These voices echoed in her mind, overlapping with the identical face before her.
" Vers."
The "Yon-Rog" disguised as Skrulls spoke, and its voice was remarkably lifelike.
"Look at what you've done. To associate with these inferior beings, to disobey the commands of the Supreme Intelligence."
Its tone was filled with the disappointment and reproach that Vers was most familiar with—the kind of disappointment and reproach that belonged to a superior.
You have disgraced us!
Vers stood still, motionless.
Her eyes, burning with photon energy, were filled with confusion and pain.
She knew what she was seeing was fake.
Reason told her that this was an enemy's disguise, a low-level psychological tactic.
But that face, that voice...
She hesitated.
This was the first time she hesitated during the battle.
For top warriors, a moment's hesitation is a fatal flaw.
Your weakness has never been that you are not strong enough.
"It's because your heart is too soft."
The Skrulls grinned triumphantly.
Without warning, it pulled out a weapon, a ball of dark green energy aimed directly at Vers was frozen in place due to his wavering mind.
Just a fraction of a second before the energy was about to be released.
"Hold!"
An uncontrollable curse rang out. Wei could no longer bear it.
A pink afterimage crashed rudely and unreasonably between Vers and the Skrulls.
Her Hextech Gauntlets were crossed in front of her, forming a solid metal barrier.
"Boom!"
A violent energy shockwave spread out like ripples, tearing the fragile wooden bench to pieces.
"Oh shit."
Wei lowered her arm, a broad, joyful smile spreading across her face.
"You're not an old man or woman anymore, are you?"
She stared at the Skrulls still resembled Yon-Rog.
Every word was filled with long-suppressed anger and excitement.
The Skrulls were stunned.
It never expected that this pink-haired wild girl, who had seemed like a bystander from beginning to end, would actually be able to block its energy attack head-on.
Vers also snapped out of her shock. She looked at the not-so-tall but incredibly reliable figure standing in front of her, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Wei gave no one time to react.
Order?
Evaluate?
Public relations image?
Fuck it!
All she wanted to do right now was beat this pretentious bastard in front of her to a pulp!
"Drink!"
Wei let out a roar, and the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked open.
She charged towards the Skrulls.
There are no fancy techniques or energy boosts, only the most primal violence!
The Skrulls instinctively tried to deform or create distance.
But it was too late.
NIO's speed far exceeded its expectations.
The first punch landed squarely on his face.
The face that had been so perfectly mimicking Yon Rogge was deformed by the heavy blows from the metal boxing gloves, resembling a piece of smashed clay.
"Bang!"
The Skrulls sent flying backward, crashing violently into an ornamental tree and snapping it in two.
"This punch was for that old lady!"
Vi's offensive continued without pause. She took a step forward, leaped into the air, and brought her fists together, slamming them down like warhammers onto the Skrulls who had just landed.
The Skrulls rolled to the side in a sorry state, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.
Wei's fist slammed into the ground, shaking the entire courtyard and creating a shallow crater more than two meters in diameter on the lawn.
"This punch is for all the old men you scared!"
Wei missed her first attack, then used her waist to twist her body forcefully in mid-air, and her right leg swept out with a whistling sound.
The Skrulls hastily blocked with his arm.
"Snap!"
The crisp sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.
Faced with Vi's power, its disguise began to flicker erratically, with Yon Rogge's face alternating with a strange, green-skinned, pointed-eared face.
"And this punch!"
Wei gave it no chance to breathe.
"It's because I've disliked you for a long time!"
The punch landed squarely on the Skrulls's chest.
It traced a parabola in the air before crashing into the wall of the nursing home, sinking deep inside and shaking down bricks and stones from the wall.
Vers stood still, his long golden hair swaying slightly in the aftershocks of the impact.
She watched the woman with short pink hair, watching her defeat her enemy in the most direct and brutal way, and a huge wave of emotions surged within her.
Is this how Earthlings fight?
No energy, no tactics, just anger and fists?