It's clear that the Skrulls have their own unique capabilities. After all, while ordinary Skrulls cannot replicate the powers of superhumans, they are exceptionally adept at retaining memories of their targets for disguise. Such a level of mastery requires a strong willpower, which is why Schneider wasn't scared off by being bitten by vengeful spirits.
"Don't bother, I won't say a word!" Schneider took a deep breath and, locking eyes with Robert, spoke in a low voice, "If you want to kill me, go ahead. Being bitten by some vengeful spirits is nothing to me."
"It's fine. Even if you don't talk about the Skrulls, it doesn't matter. I just need to kill all the Hydra members, and there won't be many Skrulls left." Seeing Schneider's stubbornness, Robert wasn't angry. He just smiled calmly and replied.
Schneider tried hard to control his emotions, but when he heard Robert's words, his pupils couldn't help but react. He instinctively avoided eye contact with Robert, worried that he might reveal something, but this act of avoidance was, in fact, his biggest tell.
"It seems that not many Skrulls were sent to secretly invade Earth. You wouldn't disguise yourselves as lower-level Hydra members, so as long as I find the upper echelon of Hydra…" Robert chuckled as he continued, seeing Schneider avoiding his gaze.
"Moreover, disguising yourselves as Hydra members gave me a clue. Hydra is good at infiltration, and you Skrulls are even better. Together, it makes me wonder if there are many of you hidden in high-ranking official institutions?"
Schneider stayed silent, but his heart was already trembling. He began blaming the Skrull disguised as Alexander Pierce. If Pierce hadn't decided to target Robert's family after discovering his identity and sent people to capture Alex, Robert might not have traced everything back to him!
"Buzz!" As Schneider was silently cursing, Robert placed his hand on his head. Just when Schneider thought Robert was about to kill him again, Robert suddenly used telepathy.
"Alexander Pierce, are you really going after the Saiyan's family?" Schneider had hesitated on the phone, "You know, now isn't the best time to provoke him. Our plans aren't fully in motion yet…"
"Waiting isn't an option either. The Saiyan is too powerful; we have no chance against him in the short term. Even if we activate the new Insight Program and find ways to enhance our power through potential superhuman events, we'll still struggle to deal with him," Alexander Pierce had said firmly.
"Besides, the Saiyan doesn't know we exist yet. This is our opportunity. I've gathered the forces of Hydra, SHIELD, and the World Security Council to act. You just need to cooperate!"
Although the memory in Schneider's mind ended there, Robert had already learned plenty. He had heard of Alexander Pierce, a figure Tony Stark and Steve often discussed. Pierce despised the Avengers even more than Nick Fury and frequently pushed to limit their power in the World Security Council.
After seeing Schneider's memories, Robert immediately understood why Pierce was targeting the Avengers. Whether or not Pierce had been replaced by a Skrull, he was still a Hydra member. So, of course, targeting the Avengers wasn't surprising.
"Damn it!" Schneider sensed that Robert had discovered some of his key memories. Skrulls are particularly sensitive to this ability. Schneider had earlier realized that Robert was disguised as Alex because he couldn't perfectly imitate Alex's abilities.
Of course, at first, Schneider didn't know it was Robert. He suspected Robert might even be a fellow Skrull, which is why he tried to trick Robert and investigate further. But he hadn't expected Robert to appear before him disguised as Alex and uncover so many Skrull secrets.
"Alexander Pierce... He's a big fish. If that's the case, could Nick Fury be compromised as well?" Robert smiled at Schneider and said, "Oh, and where might your secret base for capturing impostors be? Would it be in one of Hydra's bases? And your invasion leader, where is he hiding?"
Having gained valuable intel, Robert now intended to provoke Schneider further, hoping to break his defenses and extract even more information about the Skrulls through telepathy.
"Damn it! Who leaked all this to the Saiyan?!" Schneider guessed Robert's motives, but a flicker of rage still crossed his mind. Robert now knew far too much about the Skrulls.
The Skrulls operated in small teams, and except for the Hydra group, other Skrull teams avoided contact to prevent exposure. Only the invasion leader knew the identities of all the Skrull teams infiltrating Earth.
"Buzz!" As Schneider briefly lost control of his thoughts, Robert acted swiftly, using his telepathy. He saw an image of a gathering of Skrulls, but none of them were disguised, and they all looked identical. Robert couldn't discern their identities.
However, based on the number of Skrulls gathered, there were at least ten thousand Skrulls on Earth!
That may not seem like a lot, but given that the Skrulls had infiltrated high-ranking positions, like Hydra's upper ranks, they only needed to control a few key figures to dominate the entire organization!
And this was only one gathering Schneider had remembered. The true number of Skrulls was likely much higher.
"I didn't expect there to be so many of you..." Robert murmured, a little surprised. "Looks like wiping you all out will take some effort."
"Saiyan! Even if you know everything, you can't stop the secret invasion!" Schneider, hearing Robert's muttering, took a deep breath and calmed himself. Now that he was in Robert's hands, caught between life and death, he realized Robert could continue to extract valuable information from him. This was unacceptable to Schneider.
So, Schneider tried to suppress his anger, calming his mind and relying on the Skrulls' mental defenses to resist telepathy, preventing Robert from learning any more crucial secrets.
"No problem. We'll take our time." Seeing Schneider's calm demeanor, Robert smiled faintly. "Now, take me to Alexander Pierce and continue your Hydra plans…"
"Buzz!" With a hum, Robert's mental power surged, casting a hypnotic spell over Schneider.
Robert had developed his telepathic abilities after learning that the Martian Manhunter might be under Lex Luthor's control. Although his telepathy was far from perfect, his hypnotic skills had significantly improved.
Robert knew the Skrulls had strong mental defenses, but as long as he didn't touch their core secrets, their defenses wouldn't activate. Skrull warehouses and detailed information were considered core secrets, but Hydra matters weren't. Hydra was just a disguise for the Skrulls, and even if Hydra were destroyed, the Skrulls could retreat safely if they acted quickly.
"Yes…" After a moment of struggle, Schneider responded, agreeing to take Robert to see Alexander Pierce.
The Skrulls were indeed more troublesome than regular Hydra members. Dealing with Hydra often didn't even require hypnosis, but with the Skrulls, it was a different story…
"Boom!" A controlled explosion rocked the underground base, killing all the Hydra members without destroying the facility or making a sound, as Robert used his telekinesis to contain the blast.
"Let's go. Just a warm-up. Return to your Hydra persona—there's much more to come!" Robert ordered the hypnotized Schneider as they left the office building.
To Robert's surprise, Schneider led him straight to SHIELD's headquarters!
This confirmed that after the Skrulls' secret invasion, Hydra and SHIELD had become one and the same. While lower-level Hydra soldiers still hid their identities, ready to strike at their colleagues, the upper ranks had already unified.
SHIELD was in a strange situation now, with all its members being villains yet still playing the role of a respectable institution. The constant charade must have been exhausting…
Schneider's presence in SHIELD's headquarters also revealed his SHIELD identity, and he effortlessly led Robert into the heart of the building.
At that moment, Alexander Pierce and Nick Fury were sitting together. Both of them, whether in their official roles or as Skrulls, were in perfect sync. Pierce's plan couldn't be hidden from Fury, and the information about Robert and Clark had also reached Fury, who made the same decision as Pierce.
"Schneider, wasn't Alex supposed to be handled by you? Hmm!?" Alexander Pierce turned to speak to Schneider, but both he and Schneider noticed something was wrong. Their pupils shrank, and cold sweat broke out.
"Decisive as always! And Nick Fury's aura is different too. When did you replace him?" Robert revealed his true form, smiling as he addressed Nick Fury.
"Saiyan?!" Upon seeing Robert, both Pierce and Fury stepped back and pressed a button on the desk. A secret passage opened beneath them.
However, neither Pierce nor Fury could escape. Their bodies hovered above the passage as if gravity had no effect on them.
"What is this?" Pierce and Fury looked down, realizing they were floating and had no chance of fleeing.
Robert had no intention of searching their memories just yet. He planned to keep these important Skrulls alive, waiting until all the Hydra members were killed. Then, he would use the emotional toll on them to extract even more valuable information.
"Don't rush. Now, summon all of Hydra. A formidable enemy capable of destroying Hydra has appeared, and only by gathering all your forces can you defeat this threat!" Robert appeared beside Pierce and Fury, his mental powers compelling them.
"Okay." Pierce and Fury responded, beginning to call in all Hydra members, regardless of their current missions.
Originally, Pierce's control over Hydra wasn't this absolute. After all, he was only one of several leaders, and other Hydra branch leaders were on equal footing with him, often refusing to follow his commands.
But since the Skr
ulls' secret invasion, Hydra's leadership had been replaced, and the organization was now stronger than ever. Hydra had become a united front, with no more selfish leaders trying to escape when things got tough. Following Pierce's orders, they all rushed to the scene...
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