On the other side.
After returning to the safe house through Spot's portal, Luca didn't even have time to catch his breath before realizing something.
Gwen and the others present were all staring at him with dumbfounded, dazed expressions.
Thinking about it, it wasn't hard to understand.
Here they were, racking their brains about how to confront such a tricky enemy and solve the various troublesome issues that would follow.
The enemy was even using their propaganda platform to smear them on live TV, trying to issue warrants for their arrest.
And then, good lord, you just turned around without a word, "jumped into the TV," and went on a killing spree against the enemies who showed their faces.
Broadcasted live to the whole world?
Using Steve's identity?
All of this took only a few minutes back and forth.
Anyone would be hard-pressed to react that quickly.
"This... Luca... acting like this, will those Skrull green-skins take their revenge on... on the hostages?"
Harry asked with a troubled face, his heart pounding nervously.
He couldn't help it. While the others were also worried about the safety of their captured partners...
Harry Osborn's own father had been taken by them. In this situation, he really couldn't afford not to be cautious.
Luca wasn't too surprised by this; it was human nature.
He simply explained his considerations to Harry, assuring him that his actions hadn't pushed the Skrulls too far, telling him to relax.
However...
"Luca, can you change back before speaking..."
Watching Luca, wearing Steve's face, talk eloquently about how he used Cap's identity to strike at the imposters and muddy the waters gave everyone present an indescribably awkward feeling. After all, even though they knew Luca's "virtual projection" transformation wasn't the same as the Skrulls'...
It was normal for them to have some PTSD regarding this kind of thing right now. Hearing Gwen's words, Luca realized he hadn't deactivated his disguise since returning. He quickly twisted the watch.
After a flicker of blue projection, he returned to his original appearance.
For some reason, seeing this, several people present breathed a sigh of relief.
"What? Did you guys think I was a Skrull disguised as me coming back??"
Seeing their visibly relaxed expressions, Luca was speechless.
"Uh... well... not really..."
Seeing Dr. Banner's awkward look, Luca rolled his eyes and steered the topic back on track.
"To be honest, although I temporarily stopped part of the Skrulls' plan this time, the impact I caused is ultimately limited."
"Whether these Skrulls continue to cause destruction in disguise or expose themselves openly for physical intimidation, we don't have very good countermeasures."
"What's more, there's that Super Skrull who knows when they'll appear!"
"So next, no matter what, we need to come up with a plan to resolve this crisis as soon as possible!"
Hearing Luca's words, the room fell silent again.
The current situation was that none of the tricky aspects of the Skrulls they learned about earlier had been resolved.
The live TV broadcast confirmed this again.
So many officials from various states and the military stood up for the fake Cap, and the enemy indeed demonstrated the ability to field multiple knockoff Caps.
These advantages alone couldn't be completely offset just by exposing them to the general public.
"Actually, our priority right now is still rescuing the hostages and removing the Skrulls' control over America's nuclear arsenal."
"Yeah, and that space station floating in space..."
Natasha, the calmest among them, spoke first. But when she mentioned the "space station," the corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably, cursing Nick Fury countless times in her heart.
"Shouldn't we think of a way to deal with those exposed, replaced officials first?"
Dr. Otto, who had been contemplating with his head down, asked hesitantly. However, Natasha shook her head quickly, rejecting his suggestion.
"No. First, we don't have enough manpower to deal with all the officials who appeared on the broadcast simultaneously. Taking them out one by one will only trigger a strong counterattack from the Skrulls."
"Besides, there's no way to confirm right now if those exposed people were merely deceived and misled or truly replaced by Skrulls."
"If we really launch an operation against these people, those guys can just switch identities and go back into hiding, continuing to guide the situation."
"We must continue to hide now. Only after gathering more intel through covert investigation can we launch an operation!"
Hearing this, everyone's headache worsened.
But just then, Luca spoke up suddenly.
"Maybe we can switch our thinking. Set up a target to attract the attention of these green-skins."
As he spoke, Luca looked at everyone with burning eyes, clearly having a definite idea.
"What do you mean?" Natasha asked with some anticipation.
"No rush. Just in case, I think we need a two-pronged approach: attracting attention openly while simultaneously finding Tony and the others in secret."
"Although I secretly controlled two Skrulls, it's not very safe."
"Natasha, you might need to exercise your old profession next."
Natasha, a world-class spy, naturally understood Luca's meaning.
Although investigating aliens naturally suited for espionage like Skrulls would be fraught with danger, she didn't hesitate at all.
"Sure!"
"Hmm... but don't worry, I'll find you a good helper. Though he might be a bit old~"
Seeing Luca's slightly weird expression, Natasha looked puzzled.
But since Luca didn't plan to say it now, she didn't press further, focusing back on the plan.
"Tell us, what's your arrangement!"
Not long after the live broadcast farce.
Soon, online platforms worldwide were hacked by an unknown hacker, releasing a somewhat ambiguous message.
"The Avengers have developed a device capable of identifying shapeshifting aliens."
"In the coming period, a super-large scanning spire will be test-built on the ruins of New York, making New New York a forbidden zone for these imposters!"