Ten minutes later...
Xiao Han held a Skrull by the throat with one hand, lifting the alien high into the air.
Its green skin shimmered eerily beneath the sunlight as it struggled desperately in his grip.
"Turing, start recording," Xiao Han said coldly.
"Recording has begun, sir," Turing replied through his smartwatch.
Looking straight ahead, Xiao Han's golden eyes shone with unquestionable authority.
"I am Superman."
"Everyone, this is the alien race attempting to invade Earth—the Skrulls."
He gave the alien in his hand a slight shake.
"They can silently transform into your family..."
"...or even into you."
His voice turned solemn.
"Imagine waking up one day to discover that the person sleeping beside you has become one of these aliens."
"What would you do?"
The Skrull let out a hoarse roar.
Its skin rippled violently, constantly shifting into different human faces, as though proving Xiao Han's words.
"Recording complete, sir," Turing reported.
"Upload it to every major platform."
Xiao Han casually tossed the Skrull onto the ground.
Within minutes...
The video spread across the internet like wildfire.
Social media exploded.
Governments around the world immediately convened emergency meetings.
Ordinary citizens were thrown into panic and outrage.
"Support Superman!"
"Exterminate these alien monsters!"
"They've probably already infiltrated our governments!"
Similar comments flooded every corner of the internet, igniting a worldwide wave of condemnation against the Skrulls.
Xiao Han activated his super vision, peering through the Skrull spy lying on the ground.
Its cellular structure...
DNA sequence...
Shape-shifting mechanism...
Everything was laid bare before his eyes.
"So that's how it works."
He murmured quietly.
"They imitate others through memory replication and cellular reconstruction..."
"They can even duplicate abilities."
Wanda walked over, crimson Chaos Magic binding more than a dozen captured Skrulls in place.
"Where are we going next?"
"Outer space."
Xiao Han opened a portal.
"It's time to take possession of their ship."
The three of them stepped through the portal and instantly appeared inside the command bridge of the Skrull mothership.
Adam floated calmly in midair.
Dark blue antimatter energy swirled around him.
Dozens of Skrull corpses lay scattered beneath his feet.
"You're here."
Adam slowly descended.
"I've secured everyone who's left."
Xiao Han nodded.
Using his super hearing, he scanned the entire vessel.
"No survivors."
He placed a hand on the central control console.
With a single thought...
The enormous mothership vanished without warning, disappearing into his System Storage Space.
The three of them were left floating in outer space.
Fortunately, Xiao Han had already enveloped them within his biological force field.
Though...
Each of them was capable of surviving in space on their own.
Adam's pupils contracted.
"What was that?"
"Just a little trick."
Xiao Han offered no further explanation.
Another portal appeared before them.
"Let's go."
"It's time to head back."
Long Island Villa
The setting sun painted the ocean in shimmering shades of gold.
Standing beside the balcony railing, Xiao Han instructed Turing,
"Notify Tony and the Avengers."
"Tell them to come over for dinner tonight."
"I have something important to announce."
"The invitations have been sent, sir."
Turing paused briefly.
"Mr. Stark says he'll bring the wine."
Wanda walked over.
Her crimson hair danced gently in the evening breeze.
"What are you planning to tell them?"
Looking toward the distant horizon, Xiao Han smiled confidently.
"It's time for this world to learn..."
"...who its true protectors are."
Night soon fell.
Warm lights illuminated the villa.
Tony Stark was the first to arrive.
As promised, he carried two expensive bottles of champagne.
Soon afterward came Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and Adam Bernard, who had just returned from visiting his family.
Tony pushed open the villa door and strode inside.
The moment he entered the living room, he spotted Wanda standing near the dining room entrance.
Her scarlet hair fluttered softly.
Crimson Chaos Magic coiled around her fingertips.
A perfectly grilled steak floated gracefully through the air before settling gently onto the dining table.
"Whoa."
Tony raised an eyebrow dramatically.
"So Xiao's little witch can cook too?"
Wanda rolled her eyes.
With a flick of her finger, the steak landed perfectly on the table.
"What?"
"You thought all I could do was tear buildings apart?"
Natasha chuckled as she walked in behind Tony.
"Looks like someone finally found a hobby more entertaining than blowing up laboratories."
Clint casually grabbed an apple from a floating fruit platter.
"This is way more advanced than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s automated food delivery system."
Banner adjusted his glasses with a gentle smile.
"At least it's safer than asking Hulk to carry the dishes."
Adam crossed his arms.
A faint smile finally appeared on his usually expressionless face.
"Efficient."
Tony spread his hands dramatically.
"If I'd known magic was this convenient, I would've hired Xiao as my personal chef."
Natasha sighed helplessly.
She grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it directly into Tony's mouth.
"Be quiet."
"Unless you'd like Wanda to twist you into a pretzel."
Everyone burst into laughter.
The atmosphere instantly became much more relaxed as they took their seats.
Still chewing his bread, Tony mumbled,
"The bread's pretty good..."
"...though the feeding method was a little violent."
Xiao Han emerged from the kitchen carrying a bowl of salad.
His golden eyes swept across the room before he smiled.
"Looks like everyone's getting along."
Tony swallowed his bread and raised his wine glass.
"Of course."
"No one can resist the charm of a billionaire."
Natasha smiled faintly.
"Let's hope your sense of humor is capable of saving the world."
"All right."
Xiao Han took his seat.
"Let's eat first."
"We'll discuss business afterward."
As everyone gathered around the long dining table, the atmosphere gradually became more serious.
Xiao Han raised his wine glass.
His golden eyes moved across everyone present.
"To the arrival of a new era."
Tony set down his glass with a crisp clang.
"All right, Xiao."
"Can you finally tell us why you gathered everyone here?"
Natasha rubbed her temples wearily.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is a complete mess right now."
"Fury's gone."
"And the Skrulls have infiltrated far deeper than we imagined."
Clint continued chewing his bread.
"I must've taken out several hundred green-skinned freaks today."
Banner adjusted his glasses and smiled bitterly.
"Hulk certainly enjoyed himself."
Adam leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.
"So."
"What's your plan?"
Xiao Han lightly tapped the tabletop.
"Finish eating first."
Tony rolled his eyes.
"There you go again."
Wanda chuckled softly.
Using Chaos Magic, she floated another piece of steak onto Xiao Han's plate.
Only after everyone had nearly finished eating did Xiao Han finally speak.
"The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. has disappeared."
"But that's not the real problem."
He paused briefly.
"The real issue..."
"...is that an ordinary human trying to command a team of superheroes was never realistic to begin with."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"So?"
"So..."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. needs a new Director."
Xiao Han looked directly at Tony.
"You'll take the position."
Pfft!
Tony sprayed his mouthful of red wine across the table.
"What?!"
Banner adjusted his glasses and nodded.
"I agree."
"You're the strongest among us."
"You should be the one making the decisions."
Natasha exchanged a glance with Clint before shrugging.
"No objections here."
Adam nodded calmly.
"Neither do I."
Tony stared at everyone in disbelief before pointing at himself.
"Wait."
"Why me?"
"I'm just a billionaire..."
"A playboy..."
"A philanthropist..."
"An inventor..."
"I save the world every now and then..."
"But I have absolutely no interest in becoming Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
Smiling, Xiao Han pointed back at him.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded by your father and several others."
"It's only natural that you inherit it."
Tony scratched his head in frustration before standing up.
"You know what?"
"I hate bureaucracy."
"But..."
Xiao Han calmly looked at him.
"You hate watching people ruin things even more."
"Think about it."
"If extremists continue controlling S.H.I.E.L.D...."
"What happens next time?"
Tony fell silent.
After several long moments...
He slowly sat back down.
With a sigh, he nodded.
"Fine."
"But I have conditions."
"I want complete autonomy."
"I decide S.H.I.E.L.D.'s budget."
"I choose its personnel."
"And I refuse to spend every day sitting behind a desk."
He paused before grinning.
"Of course..."
"You could always do it instead."
Xiao Han nodded.
"Deal."
Natasha folded her hands together.
Her sharp gaze focused on Xiao Han.
"So..."
"What do we do next?"
Xiao Han's expression turned cold.
"First..."
"We eliminate every Hydra agent and every Skrull hidden inside S.H.I.E.L.D."
With a wave of his hand...
A holographic projection unfolded before everyone.
It displayed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s complete organizational structure.
Several names were highlighted in bright red.
"Especially..."
"Alexander Pierce."
"He's Hydra's biggest leader."
Tony let out a whistle.
"Wow."
"Things just got interesting."
Banner frowned.
"Should we really eliminate him immediately?"
"Isn't that a little too extreme?"
Xiao Han answered calmly,
"Extreme?"
"No."
"I call it efficiency."
Adam nodded slightly.
"I'll clean up the European branches."
Natasha and Clint exchanged another glance.
"We'll handle headquarters."
Tony spread his hands.
"So..."
"What about me?"
Xiao Han looked at him.
"You'll be the new Director."
"And while you're at it..."
"Go through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s entire database."
"Make sure no one slips through the cracks."
Tony pursed his lips.
"Sounds like all the hard work falls on me."
Xiao Han chuckled.
"You can let J.A.R.V.I.S. help."
Tony rolled his eyes.
"Wonderful."
"So now my AI butler gets promoted to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secretary too."
Xiao Han rose to his feet.
His golden eyes slowly swept across everyone at the table.
"The balance of power within S.H.I.E.L.D. is about to change."
"And all of you..."
"...will be the ones who carry out that change."
Tony raised his wine glass with a helpless smile.
"To the new era."