At the first glance at him, Mavuika was certain: this was not a human from Earth.
This was an extraterrestrial visitor, an alien life form disguised as a human.
Mavuika's gaze darkened.
He recalled the abnormal fluctuations in Earth's energy field he had perceived earlier, and the Ancient One's words about "some visitors from outside."
It was obvious now; these were the "guests from other Worlds in the Universe" that even the Ancient One had acknowledged.
Mavuika did not hail a taxi, nor did he use any means of transportation.
He just walked along the sidewalk with a seemingly leisurely pace, but every step was calculated precisely in distance and angle, always keeping the Lincoln sedan within his line of sight.
Or more accurately, within the range of his energy perception lock.
The sedan passed through the bustling streets of Manhattan, heading towards a relatively quiet residential area.
The buildings on both sides of the road gradually changed from high-rise buildings to detached Villas, and there were fewer and fewer pedestrians and vehicles.
Just as the vehicle drove into a tree-lined avenue with tall maple trees on both sides, Mavuika decided to act.
There were almost no other vehicles on this road, and the residences on both sides were hidden by dense trees, creating a relatively secluded environment.
Mavuika's figure flashed out from behind a maple tree like a ghost, standing directly in the middle of the road, blocking the Lincoln sedan's path.
Inside the car, the driver was clearly startled by the figure that had suddenly appeared in front.
He instinctively slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching against the ground.
But Mavuika's movements were faster.
At the moment the sedan was about to hit him, he raised his right hand, palm forward.
A gentle yet irresistible force surged from his palm, wrapping around the entire car like an invisible cushion.
The sedan's speed dropped from forty miles per hour to Zero in less than a second, the divine power turning into an invisible buffer, forcefully stopping the speeding vehicle in a gentle way; although Howard Stark and Maria were frightened, they were not injured.
After the car stopped, the driver was stunned for two seconds, and then an expression mixed with terror and anger appeared on his face.
He unbuckled his seatbelt, pushed open the car door, and rushed out.
"Madam!" His voice was somewhat loud with anger: "Are you crazy? Do you know how dangerous it is to suddenly rush into the middle of the road like that! I almost hit you!"
Meanwhile, the rear door also opened.
Howard Stark got out of the car with his cane, Maria following behind him, both of their faces showing expressions of lingering fear.
"Oh my god, honey, are you okay?" Maria's first reaction was to care for her husband.
Howard Stark shook his head, his gaze locked onto Mavuika.
This old man who had experienced many storms was much calmer than the driver, and he keenly realized that what had just happened was not quite right.
Such an urgent stop, yet there was almost no major shaking inside the car; this did not conform to physical laws.
"Madam." Howard Stark's voice was steady and cautious: "Are you hurt? Do you need an ambulance?"
Mavuika did not answer immediately.
His gaze passed over Howard Stark and Maria and landed on the driver.
He looked the impostor up and down, from hair to shoes, from eyes to standing posture...
And the driver felt his heart crawl under Mavuika's gaze.
That gaze was too sharp, as if it could pierce through his skin and flesh to look directly at his soul.
He involuntarily took a small step back, his right hand subconsciously reaching towards his waist, where an energy weapon disguised as a car key was hidden.
Mavuika noticed this small movement.
He tilted his head slightly, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Skrull, right?"
This sentence exploded in the driver's ears like thunder.
His face instantly turned pale, although it could not be seen under the external disguise, but Mavuika could clearly perceive the violent fluctuations in his life energy field.
His hand on his waist froze, and his whole body remained motionless as if Frozen.
"You... what are you talking about? I don't understand!" The driver's voice was a bit dry, and he forced himself to be calm.
He quietly moved his feet, wanting to retreat back to the car.
His body slightly hunched, entering a ready posture for combat or escape.
Mavuika noticed his change, his internal divine power surging slightly, and an invisible pressure Swirled out from him as the center.
His pupils began to glow slightly, with golden-red light flowing within them, like two miniature Suns.
The temperature of the surrounding air quietly rose by a few degrees, and the maple leaves rustled without wind.
Seeing this scene, the last trace of the Skrull impostor's wishful thinking disappeared.
He recognized this energy signature; in the Skrull Empire's intelligence database, in the files regarding the Nine Realms Guardian Asgard, this unique, stellar-hot, and majestic divine power fluctuation was clearly recorded.
"You are... an Asgardian?" His voice trembled, filled with unbelievable terror.
Mavuika nodded, dispersing the outward release of divine power, but that invisible pressure still remained.
"Hmm, not stupid."
He recognized the identity of the alien creature in front of him.
In Asgard's database, there was a record of a race named Skrull.
This race possessed a rare shapeshifting ability in the Universe, capable of perfectly imitating any life form they had seen, not just the appearance, but even DNA, biological characteristics, and even certain behavioral patterns could be replicated.
Their disguise was almost flawless, making them the top spies and infiltrators in the Universe.
But the Skrull Empire was quite far from the Nine Realms; by cosmic standards, it was almost another sector.
Why would they appear here? Why disguise themselves as humans?
Mavuika crossed his arms, his amber eyes staring at the Skrull.
"Tell me, what are Skrulls doing on Midgard?" His voice was calm, but every word carried unquestionable majesty.
"Deliberately bypassing Asgard's detection system and sneaking into the Nine Realms territory privately is no different from smuggling. If you cannot give me a reasonable explanation, I am afraid I will have to forcibly deport you."
Howard Stark and Maria looked at each other, completely unable to keep up with the rhythm of this conversation.
Skrull? What does that mean? Aliens?
And Asgard? Is it that Asgard from norse mythology?
"Wait..." Howard Stark raised his cane, interrupting the standoff between Mavuika and the Skrull.
"Madam, whoever you are, can you first explain what is going on? What Skrulls? What Asgard?"
Just then, the Skrull moved.
He knew his identity had been exposed, and continuing to disguise was meaningless.
In the moment Mavuika was distracted answering Howard Stark's question, he made a decision: run!
But he did not turn and run directly; instead, he adopted a more cunning strategy.
The Skrull suddenly rushed forward, but not towards Mavuika, but towards Howard Stark.
At the moment of approach, he reached out and shoved Howard Stark's shoulder hard, attempting to push the old man towards Mavuika, creating chaos and a blockade to buy himself time to escape.
"Careful!" Maria exclaimed.