At this moment, Diana's question had touched on the core secrets of the Skrulls. If they could gather all of the Skrull intelligence, it would be a great help in eliminating these cockroaches lurking on Earth.
However, when Malek heard Diana's question, his body, bound by the Lasso of Truth, began to tremble violently, even rolling his eyes. Despite his condition, Malek couldn't resist the power of the Lasso. As the divine power from the Lasso surged, the resistance in Malek's heart grew weaker and weaker.
"Some people were killed. Others, still of value, were imprisoned…" Even though Malek gritted his teeth, information still slipped from his mouth.
"Keep going!" Diana urged, seeing that Malek was slowing down. Her divine power surged again, pressing further on Malek's mind, making his consciousness blur even more.
"We Skrulls do not act as one; we are divided into many small teams, coordinated by the leader of this secret invasion…" Under the effect of the divine power, Malek revealed more information.
"Our team consists of five people, including myself. They've taken the place of several senators. While not the highest ranking, they are essential. They are…"
"Some of the more important senators were imprisoned. As for the less important ones, we killed them…"
"And the place where they're held is…"
At first, under the power of the Lasso, Malek was cooperating well. Kara was even recording the entire conversation to aid the Avengers later. However, just as Malek was about to reveal the most crucial information, his body began to shake violently. Although the Lasso's power was still in effect, Malek could no longer speak.
"Huh? What's going on?" Diana had never encountered this before. She'd dealt with strong-willed people resisting the Lasso before, like Robert, but this was different. Malek seemed to be experiencing some internal problem.
"His energy is fading!" Robert, standing nearby, noticed the change immediately. He stared at Malek, and just then, Malek's face rapidly aged, his flesh disappearing as though weathered by time, leaving only skin hanging from his bones, making his green complexion all the more horrifying.
But it wasn't just his face. His entire body transformed, looking like skin stretched over a skeleton.
"A curse!" Robert had seen similar situations before, but this was different from the genetic defects of the animal warriors he had encountered. This was more like Malek had been cursed!
"I feel it too! The curse is fading quickly, just like his life force!" Diana nodded slowly, her expression heavy. "It seems getting all the Skrull intelligence won't be easy."
"Yes, these Skrulls are really cautious!" Robert said, staring at Malek, who was already dead, without even enough time to use healing spells. "Even with such perfect disguise abilities, they still curse themselves to prevent revealing crucial information. But we can still investigate those senators he mentioned for more clues…"
"Let's give it a try. At least when they haven't been cursed, they can't resist the power of the Lasso. We'll catch as many as we can!" Diana said, putting away the Lasso.
"I know two of those senators. They're right here in Gotham, and they were even trying to calm the public recently!" Alfred, standing by, spoke with cold determination.
"I was wondering why those two senators, who weren't close to Master Bruce, suddenly got funds and connections so easily from him. Turns out they were imposters!"
"Wait, what did you say?" Robert raised an eyebrow, turning to Alfred.
"They're imposters?" Alfred repeated, a bit confused.
"No, it's that they weren't close before, but now their relationships have improved!" Robert shook his head, realizing something. "This could be the Skrulls' flaw!"
"What flaw?" Kara and Diana asked, puzzled.
"I originally thought that Skrulls would act in character, matching the personalities of the people they replaced. Malek and the others did this too…" Robert explained slowly, his gaze thoughtful.
"But clearly, while playing their roles, these Skrulls also collaborate, sharing resources and connections to elevate their disguises' influence and status."
"So, we can investigate which prominent figures have gained influence recently, especially those who've formed new connections!" Robert continued. "I'm not the best at this, but Jarvis and Tony Stark should be able to uncover some leads. Once we start tracking, we might find more Skrulls…"
"Even if we can't find where the real people are being held, exposing more Skrulls will force them to reveal their own flaws!"
"I can help with the investigation!" Alfred offered.
Alfred had now made it his mission to find and stop the Skrulls. After all, Batman's fate was still unknown, and Malek hadn't revealed whether Batman was truly dead before succumbing to the curse.
Now Alfred had two goals: capture as many Skrulls as possible to find Batman's whereabouts and avenge him by killing more Skrulls.
Clearly, both tasks would require Robert's cooperation. Alfred couldn't fight the Skrulls alone, especially since Malek had died impersonating Batman, leaving Alfred as one of Gotham's most influential figures. This made him a likely target for the Skrulls.
"Alright, once you have more information, contact me. I'll take this body back and head to Lex Luthor's place," Robert nodded, accepting Alfred's offer of help.
Robert knew Alfred was a powerful ally. Batman had thrived in Gotham partly thanks to Alfred's assistance. In fact, Alfred was to Batman what Jarvis was to Iron Man, making Alfred's abilities and importance clear.
With this kind of ally, Robert wasn't about to pass up the opportunity, especially with the Skrull issue and Lex Luthor needing careful handling. There was no way Robert could catch every Skrull by relying solely on his own ability to sense them.
Even though Robert had already encountered several Skrulls, he still couldn't sense their true identity once they successfully disguised themselves. He needed to rely on recognizing people who had been replaced to spot Skrulls. Investigating each person one by one wasn't feasible.
Soon, Robert left with Malek's body, alongside Diana and Kara. After handing over Malek's dried-up corpse to Tony Stark, Robert set out to track down Lex Luthor using Stark's intelligence.
Unfortunately, Robert couldn't find Lex, whether at his home or LexCorp.
Still, Robert didn't leave empty-handed. He discovered a secret base beneath LexCorp, uncovering many of Lex's secrets, proving that Lex wasn't a simple person.
But the trail went cold there. Lex had seemingly vanished, and not only Robert and the Avengers were searching for him, but even the Skrull-impersonating Nick Fury and his new group.
Others might not know about Doomsday and kryptonite, but Nick Fury and his team, who had worked with Lex to establish a new alliance, definitely suspected something.
They were frustrated with Lex for going rogue, making such big moves behind their backs. Lex had valuable technology that could've boosted their organization immensely, but he hadn't shared it. If Lex had, their group would have grown powerful quickly.
Unfortunately, no one knew where Lex had gone. His base was too well-hidden, completely self-sufficient and cut off from the outside world.
At this time, Lex was still working on the Martian Hunter clone experiment. He had completed the consciousness modification, and the clone's body was perfected. The only thing left was to awaken it.
What Lex didn't realize was that, in another dimension, a large yet somewhat ethereal soul was wandering. When it saw a body identical to its own memories, it instinctively merged with it…
"It's time to wake you up! My identity has been exposed, and I'm not sure how the Avengers found out. Was it Nick Fury's slip-up? Or that new group?"
Still unaware, Lex muttered to himself as he stood in front of the control panel.
"No, it couldn't have been that new group. If they were exposed, the Avengers would've attacked by now. Their exposure would be bad for all of us, especially after Doomsday was defeated by the Saiyan!"
"Forget it. The outside world is too dangerous now. I'll wake up the Martian Hunter and let him act in my place. That'll be much safer for me…"
Click!
Zzzzzzz!
With Lex's decision made, he pressed a button, and a surge of energy flowed into the Martian Hunter clone, giving it life.
"Huh?!" Not long after, the Martian Hunter opened his eyes in the nutrient solution. Confusion flashed across his face as he looked at Lex outside.
In an instant, the Martian Hunter seemed to realize something. His green face turned pale, and his body trembled and struggled. If it weren't for the breathing apparatus on his face, it looked like he might drown in the solution.
"Hm?" Lex's expression shifted slightly as he watched the scene unfold. "Were you planning to harm me?"
"Mmm mmm!" The Martian Hunter first nodded, then shook his head, looking panicked.
"Calm down. As long as you don't harbor ill will towards me and follow my every command, you'll be fine!" Lex said calmly. "But if you ever think of betraying me, you'll lose your powers. Even half-hearted efforts will lead to the same result…"
"I gave you this life. I am your master. From now on, all your actions must follow my orders. Understand?"
"Mmm!" The Martian Hunter nodded quickly. As he calmed down, his pale complexion returned to normal, and he floated out of the nutrient tank.
"Now tell me, why did you want
to harm me earlier?" Lex asked coolly, showing no fear at the Martian Hunter's intangible form.
"When I first saw you, Master, I instinctively tried to read your mind, but then I felt the sensation of losing my powers…" The Martian Hunter explained respectfully.
"Remember that feeling. Now, I have a task for you," Lex nodded, instructing the Martian Hunter, "Disguise yourself, go outside, and gather information…"
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