In just a day and a half, the captured Skrull looked noticeably paler.
William couldn't help but ask Sunday with curiosity, "How much blood and bone marrow did you actually extract from him? He looks like he's about to drop dead any second now."
"Well..." For once, Sunday didn't respond immediately. After a brief pause, he replied, "Sir, for the sake of your future appetite, I suggest we change the subject. Just know that this Skrull is not in any life-threatening danger."
Damn, that definitely meant it wasn't just blood and bone marrow. He had probably had samples taken from all over his body.
The thought alone made William lose interest in continuing the conversation.
His gaze shifted to the two combat robots securing the rescue pod inside the spaceship. By this time, the ship had already arrived at the temporary settlement in the canyon.
As the metal gate of the settlement automatically opened to let the spaceship in, two Skrull scouts, controlling their surveillance devices, followed the ship into the settlement.
The footage was quickly transmitted back to the Skrull mothership.
Things were going a little too smoothly. Talos looked at the nearly completed settlement and, with a smile, said to Nick Fury,
"In just a few days, they've managed to build most of this place. This is probably because, in ancient times, you humans lacked the ability to resist wild beasts and nature, so you're the most adept species I've seen when it comes to spending vast amounts of time and effort on construction."
Fury had no interest in engaging with that comment. Seeing William's ship opening its hatch, he changed the subject and reminded,
"Make sure the surveillance devices stay hidden. The target's ship is opening its hatch."
Hearing this, Talos, who had just been teasing Fury, refocused on the holographic display.
He saw two combat robots pushing the rescue pod out of the spaceship and into an isolated room within the settlement.
Through the surveillance devices, Talos could easily see through the glass casing and confirm that one of their own was in stasis inside the rescue pod.
The captive looked a little pale, but Talos and his crew assumed it was just a side effect of the stasis, so they didn't dwell on it.
Their only real concern was the two combat robots.
However, after scanning the robots' weapons, the Skrulls quickly relaxed.
Firearm-based kinetic weapons like pistols weren't much of a threat to Skrulls equipped with protective armor.
"Confirmed—Hart is inside. Rescue team, move out."
Aboard the Skrull mothership, two small aircraft launched from the hangar, carrying ten warriors toward the settlement's cave entrance.
As soon as the aircraft left, a spherical surveillance drone floating outside the Skrull ship maneuvered toward William's ship's hatch, taking advantage of the still-closing door.
The moment the hatch was about to seal, three pre-prepared spider drones leaped inside.
Once inside, the spider drones carefully observed their surroundings for a while. After confirming there were no detection systems nearby, they scuttled along the short flight deck, moving deeper into the ship.
Upon reaching the interior airlock, they saw through the glass that it led to a decontamination chamber. The three spiders immediately changed their route, searching for a more hidden access point.
At that moment, a tiny portal appeared, and a few drops of Xenomorph blood, controlled by William's telekinesis, dripped onto the metal wall.
Instantly, the metal began to corrode. And because this method of damage wasn't overtly violent, the Skrull ship's self-diagnostics system completely failed to detect the breach.
Moments later, a swarm of additional spider drones leaped through the small portal, entering the Skrull ship through the damaged section.
Meanwhile, the ten Skrull warriors piloting the two aircraft reached the metal gate of the settlement. They were just about to open fire and blast their way in—when, to their surprise, the cave's metal door automatically opened.
The rescuers froze in confusion. None of them dared to enter the settlement immediately.
After a brief discussion, they opted to deploy a large number of surveillance devices to thoroughly scan both the interior and exterior of the cave.
But even after confirming there were no defensive weapons inside, no one was willing to step in right away.
Because an entrance automatically opening for outsiders like this was far too abnormal. It was impossible not to suspect a trap.
Inside the Skrull mothership's control room, Talos, unable to make a decision, turned to Nick Fury.
Fury's expression was grave as he said, "I think this is a trap. In fact, I'm pretty sure we're already inside one. But if you must have an answer from me—have your two aircraft pull back first. Then, send someone to approach the metal door.
"If it still opens automatically, then it can only mean that William Devonshire left in a hurry and didn't consider the possibility that someone besides him might arrive here."
Talos's eyes lit up at this explanation. After thinking it over for a moment, he followed Fury's suggestion and ordered the two aircraft to withdraw.
Sure enough, as soon as the aircraft flew a certain distance away, the metal door automatically closed.
Then, two Skrull scouts cautiously approached the entrance.
As Fury had predicted, the door automatically opened again.
This time, the Skrulls felt reassured, and their underestimation of William deepened.
Not only did they enter the settlement without hesitation, but even the two aircraft that weren't supposed to enter at the same time joined the scouts in heading into the cave.
Talos chuckled and said to Fury, "It seems your so-called genius still has a lot to learn. Maybe when we meet him, we can exchange more advanced technological knowledge and interstellar security protocols for his magical expertise."
"Are you joking?" Fury looked at the grinning Talos in alarm. "Are you seriously thinking you can learn magic?"
"Whether we can or not, we'll only know after trying. But the technological knowledge I offer is exactly what your people need most at this stage," Talos said, his eyes glinting. "Only by mastering spatial jump technology can you truly step into space."
Spatial jump? Fury's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. But moments later, he realized something was off.
It wasn't that he knew a lot about space travel—rather, it was because, for the past eight years, the Skrulls had strictly controlled what technology he had access to.
Forget acquiring outdated tech; the Skrulls had even interfered whenever Fury tried to buy advanced technology from other alien species.
They always had plenty of reasons and justifications, but in the end, the result was always the same: they refused to let humans gain access to higher-level technology.
With that kind of history, there was no way Fury could suddenly believe that Talos was acting out of goodwill now.
"Warning! Warning!"
Before Fury could respond, everyone saw two combat robots stepping out of the isolated chamber where the Skrull named Hart was being held.
"Unauthorized visitors detected. Step back. Step back."
The two combat robots issued their warning. When the Skrulls took a few more steps, closing the distance to just five meters from Hart's cell, the robots stiffly and slowly placed their hands on their sidearms.
"Final warning. Final warning. Step another two meters closer, and we will engage automatically."
"Hah! And here I thought these metal guys were some kind of high-tech marvels. Turns out they're just for show," one Skrull mocked.
"Enough playing around. Let's get Hart out of there."
The two Skrull scouts, following Talos's orders, pulled out their energy pistols and fired at the two combat robots.
But the result stunned everyone.
(End of Chapter)
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