Nina Williams walked up to Nick Fury and handed him a document.
The Mandatory Superhuman Regulation Act.
"Agent Fury, pursuant to Section 7B of this Act, any Class A security incident involving unregistered Superman or extraterrestrial species shall be under the sole jurisdiction of the Vought World Security Council."
She put the tablet away.
"You can choose to cooperate, or we will arrest you on the spot on charges of obstructing Earth's strategic security."
Holy crap!
Fury clenched his teeth so tightly that he almost crushed his back teeth.
arrest?
Arrest on the spot?
He, Nick Fury, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., is about to be arrested by a company's security personnel on charges of "obstructing Earth's strategic security"?
This is simply a fantasy!
You can't do this!
A clear yet angry female voice pierced the stagnant air.
Carol Vers stepped forward, blocking Fury's path.
Where are you taking them?
Nina Williams looked back at her.
" Vought's designated Class A isolation facility will be used for comprehensive physiological testing, psychological evaluation, and intelligence interrogation."
"Issuing us?"
Talos understood, his green face twitched violently, and he could no longer remain silent.
"We are refugees! We are Skrulls, our homeworld has been destroyed, we are just seeking refuge in the universe!"
He pointed to himself and the two compatriots behind him who were huddled together, trembling.
"We are not prisoners! You can't treat us like this! This is inhumane!"
"Humane?"
Despite being tightly bound by the energy restraints of the Vought Tactical Squad, Yon Roger still managed to lift his head with a contemptuous and malicious smile.
"A Skrulls, talking about humanity? That's the funniest joke in the universe."
He turned to Nina Williams and spoke in a tacit, informant-like tone.
"You'd better not trust these green-skinned liars. They are the most despicable race in the entire universe, born spies and Ravagers. They can transform into anyone—your comrades, your family, even yourself."
"They can replicate not only appearances, but also memories! They'll infiltrate your organizations and devour you from the inside out!"
He let out a series of low, guttural laughs that sounded particularly grating.
"Why do you think they became refugees? Why are they hunted down by the Kree Empire? Because they are a plague on the universe! Every orderly civilization despises them! We are eliminating pests for the entire universe!"
"You're talking nonsense!"
Talos was trembling with rage as he roared at Yon Rogge.
"It was your Kree Empire that started the war! It was you who destroyed our homeland! It was your Supreme Intelligence that sought to exterminate us!"
He turned to Nina and pleaded his case.
"We just want to survive! We would never intentionally hurt anyone!"
"Not taking the initiative?" Yon Roger scoffed. "Then what were you doing infiltrating Earth? What were you doing disguising yourselves as them? What are you looking for? Don't tell me you're just here for sightseeing!"
An interstellar war of words is unfolding passionately in Earth's desert.
Nina Williams ignored it.
She didn't care at all about the grudges and feuds between the two alien races.
Who is righteous, and who is evil?
Who are the aggressors and who are the victims?
None of these matters.
The important thing is that Vought needs a reason to take over all of this.
Now, the reason has come to them of its own accord.
Nina's gaze was fixed on Carol Vers.
"You saw it too."
"The situation is complicated. It involves two hostile alien races, one of which possesses perfect mimicry and infiltration capabilities."
"For the safety of the planet, Vought International must conduct a thorough investigation of all those involved."
"This is our duty."
Then, she took half a step forward.
" Carol Vers, remember who you are, you are an Earthling."
"Your actions should prioritize the interests of Earth, not be about putting your own side against the sake of a few alien refugees of unknown origin."
Not far away, the Soldier Boy took a deep drag on his cigar, exhaled a thick smoke ring, and watched the scene with great interest.
In his view, these so-called "new heroes" are like this: sentimental, with unclear stances, and always being held hostage by hypocritical morality.
Unlike his era, when an enemy was an enemy, and you just did it, no need for all the nonsense.
Hey! Hey! Hey!
A light and casual voice suddenly broke the tense standoff.
"What's wrong with you all? Why are you all wearing such long faces, like we owe you millions?"
Vi ignored the bound aliens and the humiliated Fury, and walked straight to Carol's side.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, she naturally stretched out her arm and casually put her arm around Carol's shoulder.
"Hey, Golden Sparkles, don't be so nervous."
"It's just a few aliens fighting, no big deal."
She patted Carol's arm with her other hand, feeling the taut muscles.
"Let the guys in suits and ties handle this dirty and tiring work. We shouldn't get involved."
Carol was stunned.
She hadn't expected things to turn out this way at all.
The grand narratives of justice, truth, and promises in my mind were thrown into chaos by Wei's sudden banter.
Vie seemed oblivious to Carol's confusion, and instead pressed her advantage, leaning close to her ear and whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Let me tell you, the company just opened a new geothermal resort in Iceland, it's absolutely amazing! You can soak in a volcanic mud spa while drinking an ice-cold beer and watching the Northern Lights, the feeling is just... wow."
She winked at Carol, her smile as bright as the midday sun in Piltover.
"How about it? Interested? Shall we leave now, dump all this rubbish on them, and go relax in a hot spring? Let me tell you, with muscles like that, it'd be a shame not to get an aromatherapy massage."
Carol was completely stunned.
Iceland? Hot springs? Aromatherapy massage?
What is all this nonsense?
But for some reason, Wei's nonchalant attitude and the warmth from her arm miraculously calmed the violent energy within her that was about to erupt.
Wei held her arm like an anchor, stabilizing her from the Stormfront of emotions.
Carol looked at Nina's serious face, at Fury was full of anger but had nowhere to vent it, and then at the Kree and Skrulls on the ground who were still spitting at each other.
She suddenly realized that what Wei said... might have made some sense?