Chapter 919

In the medical room of the S. . . . . . base, several Skrulls stood inside discussing something; Barak, who had been disguised as Captain America, spoke with a grim expression:

"Ganar is likely dead. Having lived on Earth this long, you know the temper of the Sorcerer Supreme and Odin. We were merely tenants here, but Ganar tried to seize the house—they won't allow it."

Taros, standing opposite him, said: "I refused to join Ganar in infiltrating human society and waiting for an opportunity, because I knew his plan would fail."

"If humans were truly this easy to defeat, they could never have held onto this place. Odin rules the Nine Realms, but he cannot be everywhere. For millennia, Earth has been targeted by countless factions—this is no isolated case."

"They've stayed silent partly out of fear of Odin and the Sorcerer Supreme, and partly because many aliens like myself, who have lived peacefully in human society for years, have accepted this life."

"We are the generation born aboard ships, where there is no vast blue sky, no fragrant soil, no stable sun shining over all things. All we saw through the portholes was the black void and fleeting trails of meteors."

"Since the Skrulls have never had a stable homeland, why can't I live on Earth? How many aliens long for this beautiful greenhouse but cannot integrate into this society?"

Taros maintained Natasha's appearance, seemingly with no intention of reverting—he said: "Being human isn't so bad. Since we have the ability to shapeshift and disguise ourselves, this life is ours to claim. Barak, stop dwelling on those glorious days—the New Skrull Empire isn't our home."

Barak closed his eyes in pain and said: "But he was still great, still powerful. Perhaps we could…"

Taros sighed: "Barak, these pointless fantasies blind you. You should know better than I do: Ganar's ship, the Polaris, had communication devices linked to the Skrull Empire. Even if he hid it in a fractured dimension, if the Empire truly wanted to find us, they could."

"The Skrull Empire has reclaimed its position as the foremost of the Three Empires. They can use diplomatic language to demand Asgard hand over Ganar, the criminal who stole the ship—Odin won't care about a bunch of stowaways like us."

"But they didn't. That means they no longer need us. Perhaps in our era, the Polaris was a rare flagship, but now it's worthless trash—and so are we."

Alengai, the scientist disguised as Stark, had already reverted to his true form. He said: "Taros, I know you split from Ganar because you were utterly disillusioned with the military."

"We never wanted to follow Ganar. My research students were swayed by his manipulative words and tricked me onto the Polaris—so I was forced to wander with his fleet. And you, you were likely taken by force too."

"What disappointed you was that the commander knew there were innocent, kidnapped Skrulls like us aboard the Polaris—and still ordered the ship destroyed."

"True, if the ship couldn't be recovered, reducing the enemy's chance of seizing it was necessary. Ganar exploited this logic precisely—he took innocent hostages to force the main fleet to hesitate."

"But as innocent hostages, we could never accept this outcome. Whether Ganar or the commander—they both abandoned us."

"I didn't leave with you not because I liked Ganar, that shameful thief and kidnapper, but because I couldn't bear ordinary human life. I wanted to dedicate my life to exploration and science—not to live as a human, hiding my identity, marrying, having children, and ending my days in obscurity."

Taros nodded: "I understand you, Alengai. You're our most driven and inquisitive scientist. But Ganar's selfishness and stupidity destroyed your research career…"

Yet Alengai smiled and shook his head: "No, my research career wasn't destroyed. I've already found new joy."

"Yesterday, using Stark's identity, I went through his database and found many fascinating things. Taros, can you believe it? His energy utilization methods are unlike anything I've ever seen."

"At first, I thought he was just a hot-headed fool, like my research students—blindly charging ahead. But later, I realized he truly deserves the title of humanity's greatest scientist. This species has given me too many surprises."

Taros glanced at Alengai's glasses and smiled: "You're becoming more human, just like me."

Alengai didn't argue. He simply said: "Humans aren't weak. Living among them and choosing to integrate isn't shameful. And doing research with them… I've never tried it, but it sounds interesting."

"So we both want to stay. What about you, Barak? What do you and Maner and Talbert think?"

Before Barak could answer, Talbert, disguised as Spider-Man, scratched his head: "I was just a guard in the Polaris's communications room. I'd only been on duty two months when Ganar hijacked the ship."

"I'm young, inexperienced, only know how to follow orders. General Ganar told me what to do, and I did it. But this time, the task was too hard—I told him I couldn't do it, and he even wanted to yell at me…"

He shook his head: "I'll stick with Captain Barak. Wherever he goes, I go. Honestly, I don't care where I end up."

Barak thought for a moment and said: "I want to wait for Doctor Maner. You all know—he's the son of the vice-commander. Though he once quarreled with his family over marriage, he's still the one among us with the best background, the highest education, and the broadest perspective."

"But he…" Taros paused, then said: "When Ganar successfully boarded the Polaris, it's unlikely Maner had no hand in it. He wanted to retaliate against his father—that's why he came here with Ganar. If Maner still stands with Ganar…"

Barak shook his head: "No. He spoke with me before. He asked me about our future."

Taros was about to speak again when Maner himself walked in—still wearing Sheer's appearance.

Sheer turned and closed the door, his expression grave:

"One good piece of news, and one bad one. Which do you want to hear first?"

Natasha, transformed from Taros, stepped forward and patted Sheer's shoulder: "Don't play games. There are no humans here—just say it plainly."

"The good news: Ganar is dead. The bad news: He died at the Kree Empire's First Starport."

Everyone in the room stared wide-eyed. Sheer continued: "Ganar flew the Polaris straight into the Kree Empire's First Starport. The Kree believe the Skrull Empire has declared war. The alarm has been sounded. The Supreme Intelligence has issued a Level One readiness order."

Barak immediately stood up: "What? How did Ganar even get the Polaris to crash into the Kree's First Starport?! Is he insane?! That's their pride and joy! Attacking it like this—of course they'll retaliate!"

"Regardless of how he did it, we now have two choices," Sheer said, taking a deep breath. "Either Ganar was a shameless thief, and we're stranded on Earth, ignorant and powerless."

"Or—we hijacked Ganar, intended to return to the Skrull Empire, but lost control of the ship during the struggle. We chose to ram the First Starport and die as martyrs for our homeland."

Silence fell over the room. Taros spoke: "This isn't that simple, is it? Do we even have a real choice?"

"I choose the second," Barak slammed his fist on the table. "I don't want to return to the New Skrull Empire, but I won't let them call me a coward. I'm not Ganar's lapdog. If everything's already beyond saving, at least I can give comfort to the families of those who died under Kree hands."

Alengai shrugged: "I bet there's human involvement here. Let's be clear—Tony Stark, the identity I've been playing, had the capability to control the Polaris."

He began pacing the room. "Humans did this deliberately—to incite conflict between the Kree and the New Skrull Empire, then exploit the chaos to advance their own interests…"

As he spoke, Barak rose anxiously: "But we can't let the Skrull Empire face another thousand-year war—that will cost countless lives!"

Alengai snorted: "When they planned to abandon me, I gave up all hope for them. But you're right—another thousand-year war benefits no one."

"Precisely because of that, we must accept the second narrative. This is merely internal Skrull strife that accidentally dragged in the Kree. That way, everyone saves face—no war needed to resolve it."

Taros added: "Correct. Technically, the Kree's First Starport is outdated. Even if destroyed, the material loss is minor. The only issue is pride."

"If the Kree react violently and retaliate, the Skrull Empire won't back down. Both sides will fight—and that's what we all want to avoid."

"What the hell are these humans doing?!" Talbert's face twisted in disgust. "Are they insane? Provoking war between two of the Three Empires—don't they fear being caught in the crossfire?"

"They probably want the crossfire," Alengai said. "Don't forget whose territory this is. They'd never dare provoke Asgard—even if they devastated the entire universe."

"Odin was once a legendary war fanatic. Maybe he's grown old, or changed his nature—but these past two years, he's finally calmed down. Neither the Kree nor the Skrull Empire dares provoke Asgard. Once Odin turns his gaze on you, there's no peace for eternity."

At this, the other Skrulls' expressions darkened—they had all heard of Odin's reputation.

Taros added: "And don't forget the Sorcerer Supreme. That guy fights for fun—he can't sleep unless he's beating someone up."

"During our campaigns with the Skrull fleet, we once saw him punch the Cosmic Entity. I've never heard an energy-based being scream like that…"

"I get it! Humans want to ignite war between these two empires—and the collateral damage will be their future rivals. These humans aren't just insane—they're ruthless. But on a civilizational level, it's brilliant. This move works."

Barak shook his head: "The Kree's base is in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The New Skrull Empire… is either on the edge of the Hecate Constellation or near the Milky Way."

"Before they fight, all surrounding civilizations will be wiped out. The entire Milky Way could be shattered—this is perfect for humans."

"I'd rather prevent this war," Taros said. "Though it no longer concerns me, if this war erupts, none of the Three Empires will remain untouched. Asgard might get dragged in too. I don't want that."

"But how do we stop it?" Barak frowned tightly. "We're trapped. We can't let humans discover us, yet we must foil their plot to spark a war among the Three Empires. It's impossible."

At that moment, Sheer cleared his throat: "I have an idea…"