"Sir, the live broadcast signal has been physically cut!"
Just after demonstrating that more than one Skrull could transform into Captain America, Hakimi's notification sounded in Luca's earpiece.
Luca, who knew this "show" couldn't last long, wasn't surprised.
He asked calmly:
"Before the signal cut out, was the previous scene broadcasted completely?"
"Yes, sir!"
"That's enough! Since the live stream is gone, there's no need to waste time with them!"
As he said this, Luca's tone was indescribably cold.
Just as the ignorant Skrull Caps behind him dodged the corpse he casually threw and tried to pounce on him again...
Hummm~
With a pleasant hum.
The blue-grey Stasis Field expanded rapidly, freezing everything nearby.
Within the Stasis Field, Luca further activated his Speed Force state.
In an instant, the chests of all eight knockoff Caps collapsed. They vomited blood and flew backward, reverting to their original forms.
When the Stasis Field dissipated, the few remaining reporters and staff in the studio hadn't even reacted to what happened before they realized "Captain America" had quietly disappeared.
Looking at the messy studio scene.
The reporters exchanged glances, then hugged their camera equipment and fled in terror.
Luca knew very well that besides the fake Caps he killed in the studio, there must be quite a few Skrulls still hiding in the station building.
At the very least, the person who physically cut the broadcast signal must be a Skrull.
They couldn't possibly control the station just by arranging a few "security guards."
However, given the current Skrull population, killing one or two wouldn't change the big picture.
So Luca didn't linger. After the broadcast ended and he dealt with the guys who showed their faces, he chose to retreat.
Of course, another reason was that Luca didn't intend to startle the snake just yet, or provoke the Skrulls hiding behind the scenes too much.
Yes, that's right.
Although Luca's appearance seemed reckless—destroying the Skrulls' control over the official narrative and their plan to issue warrants—it wasn't just impulsive revenge.
Luca not only used Steve Rogers' identity but also showed restraint in front of the camera, killing the fake Caps cleanly.
He didn't reveal detailed intel about the Skrulls.
Even the fact that creating a wound could identify a Skrull disguise wasn't fully exposed to the general public watching TV.
In this situation, even if people knew about shapeshifting Skrulls, they couldn't just confirm it by killing suspects.
Naturally, this was far from pushing the Skrulls to a desperate, mutually assured destruction scenario.
Although from Luca's perspective, he didn't care much about how much chaos the Skrulls caused in the US.
But he couldn't ignore the hostages held by the Skrulls and the nuclear launch buttons that could drag the whole world down with them.
Luca's action was more about muddying the waters and making the world vigilant against existences like them.
Of course, there was a deeper purpose...
Time passed quickly.
Perhaps accustomed to hiding in the shadows, or simply because the broadcast had already gone out and silencing the reporters was pointless...
Only after most of the "outsiders" in the station building had fled did a few people with varied attire and unknown identities return to the studio with serious expressions.
"Report the situation here to the Queen!"
The leader shed his disguise without hesitation, revealing his Skrull appearance. Even on his green goblin face, intense anger was visible.
But just then, his deputy, who had stepped forward to check the corpses, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"Kus is still alive! And... Roland too! Quick! Get the medical team!"
Looking at his kin whose chests had caved in but were still breathing, the deputy didn't dare move them rashly but couldn't hide his joy.
Clearly, even he didn't expect two of them to survive such severe injuries.
The leader wasn't as emotional, but a flash of joy crossed his eyes.
The Skrull population was small and scattered across Earth.
Having one more kin survive beside him was a fortunate event.
Maybe the attacker underestimated Kus and Roland's strength?
The leader thought.
As far as he knew, these two survivors were indeed the strongest among them, aside from the one assigned to give the speech.
Although with current Skrull biotechnology, strength after transformation depended on the original target's genes and abilities...
Individual differences in strength still existed.
Moreover, while they were indeed transformed when hit...
After being critically injured and reverting, their resistance to secondary damage and worsening injuries depended on their own vitality.
With these factors combined, it wasn't too surprising that the two strongest ones survived.
However, unlike the others, the leader was more concerned about the true identity of the "Captain America" who appeared earlier.
Did another kin defect? Or is this a remnant of the conservative faction?
Although he wasn't there in person because he hadn't uploaded combat transformation genes...
He watched the live broadcast and saw the opponent taking on ten enemies alone.
Leave it to the Queen to decide.
Shaking off his doubts, he looked back at the two kin being treated.
However, among this group of relieved Skrulls, no one noticed.
In the pupils under the eyelids of the two seemingly comatose, critically injured Skrulls...
A faint yellow light, strikingly similar to the Mind Stone, flashed occasionally.
Two spies had been planted. Naturally, there would be a time for them to play their role!