Robert knew that Tony Stark and the others would not give up on the Extremis Virus. After all, stable methods for mass-producing superhumans were incredibly rare, and even the Super Soldier Serum hadn't reached full stability.
If the Super Soldier Serum had truly been perfected, the military and other official organizations wouldn't have limited its use to just a few successful cases. Instead, every operative would have been transformed into a super soldier.
Who wouldn't want a serum that enhanced the body without side effects? Even the wealthiest and most powerful individuals, who don't necessarily need to fight, would want a strong and healthy body. However, the Super Soldier Serum had many failures and deaths, so those elites were unwilling to gamble with their lives.
Aside from the Super Soldier Serum, there were other experimental drugs and items, such as the Heart-Shaped Herb, gamma radiation experiments, and Animal Warriors, but their success rates were even lower. The Heart-Shaped Herb's success rate remained unknown due to limited sample sizes, but the others had worse results than the serum.
Now that the Extremis Virus had emerged, the Avengers were determined to study it. If they could create a version without side effects, it would be a huge boost to their overall strength.
Of course, the likelihood of that happening was slim. Much like how the Super Soldier Serum had been elusive for so many years, it seemed that some cosmic rule was limiting the emergence of extraordinary powers, preventing humanity from easily advancing.
And it wasn't just humanity—most races in the universe lacked superhuman abilities. Even many star-faring civilizations that were famous across the galaxy relied solely on technology, and their physical abilities were not necessarily superior to humans.
"Good idea!" Johnny Storm's eyes lit up at Robert's suggestion. He just needed to wait for those injected with the Extremis Virus to resurface, then capture them and let Tony Stark's team handle the research.
Of course, if Killian and his men decided to hide instead of showing up again, the Avengers wouldn't focus on them for long. While Killian had targeted Pepper, the Skrulls had done the same, and their threat was far greater.
With the Skrulls now on their radar and the Martian Manhunter's undercover mission underway, the Avengers had little attention to spare for Killian and the Extremis Virus.
Johnny's excitement quickly turned to disappointment as he muttered, "If those guys get scared and hide to research their virus, who knows how many years it'll take before we see them again..."
"You said they've already shown up several times before going after Pepper, right?" Robert laughed, reassuring him. "That means they're not that great at hiding. Since their abilities are unstable and they still need food, they'll reveal themselves sooner or later. Once Jarvis spots them, I'll help you track them down. How's that?"
"Perfect! I'm sure they won't escape your tracking!" Johnny grinned. Robert didn't have Clark's X-ray vision, but his ability to sense energy was much more useful. Anyone injected with the Extremis Virus emitted a similar energy, so once Robert found one, finding the rest would be easy.
"Alright, I'll leave the Extremis Virus to you. We'll continue dealing with the Skrulls," Tony Stark chimed in, nodding at Robert. "Please catch them quickly, so Pepper can get some peace."
"Don't worry. Once they show up, it'll be easy to find them," Robert replied with a smile, then looked toward the sky. "But what's Superman doing so far away?"
"I know!" Kara spoke up before Johnny could respond. "There's a war going on, and Superman's helping maintain order."
"A war? Why doesn't he just force both sides to stop fighting?" Robert asked, surprised that Clark had spent so much time on something so minor. He could have ended it quickly with his strength.
"One of the fighting sides is our very own America!" Kara explained with a smile. "If Superman interfered directly, the U.S. military would retaliate. If he accidentally killed someone, the government would smear his reputation."
"The U.S. military is in Africa? What are they doing there? It's the modern age—why would they start a war?" Robert frowned. Clark might be cautious about public opinion, but Robert wasn't. He could always shape-shift or disguise himself as a Skrull to avoid attention.
That's it—he could transform into a Skrull and make it seem like aliens were invading. Surely, with an external threat, the U.S. would halt their war in Africa. He could even blame some past incidents on the Skrulls, exposing their presence and making the world wary of them. Maybe some hidden Skrulls would even surface to investigate.
"They're after vibranium. Wakanda is the one fighting against America," Johnny explained. "Wakanda has a lot of vibranium, similar to the material from the meteor you caught, and it's what Steve's shield is made of. They've used vibranium to develop advanced technology, even rivaling the Chitauri. They might even be ahead of the U.S. military right now!"
Robert paused, recalling an old memory of when Clark clashed with Wakanda during a battle with dimensional invaders, even facing their gods. That memory quickly cooled Robert's initial excitement. "Oh, Wakanda? In that case, I don't care. Let them fight. No wonder Clark isn't stopping the war."
Yes, it sounded cruel, but Robert didn't feel any sympathy for Wakanda. He thought that not helping the U.S. against Wakanda was already quite merciful. No matter how many people died on either side, it wouldn't affect him at all.
"It's only because Clark has such a kind heart that he's trying to prevent the war from escalating," Robert mused.
So, Robert didn't interfere in the war in Africa. Instead, he stayed at the Avengers base, awaiting the next steps in the Martian Manhunter's undercover plan and the reappearance of the Extremis-infected individuals.
The Martian Manhunter, having discussed his plan in detail with Tony Stark and Reed Richards, soon perfected his Skrull disguise. Confident, he transformed into a Skrull and vanished from the Avengers base.
"He really does look convincing—except for his powerful aura..." Robert noted. "His strength might be a disadvantage in this case. Maybe the Skrulls can disguise so well because they lack extraordinary powers."
Though the Martian Manhunter had suppressed his power as much as possible, Robert could still sense it. This made him wonder if Super-Skrulls, with their enhanced abilities, might not be as adept at disguising as ordinary Skrulls due to their energy signatures.
On the outskirts of the base, the Martian Manhunter, now in human form, made a call. "My team is gone," he said with a sad voice.
"What happened? How did the whole team get wiped out? This is our first major loss!" The Skrull on the other end of the line sounded shocked and angry.
"It's a long story. Contact the others, and let's meet in person. I'll need more personnel sent to me," the Martian Manhunter sighed.
"We don't have that many people. We've already sent a lot to Earth. Since you failed, join another team—it's your punishment for failing." The Skrull on the line, seemingly the Earth operation's leader, refused to send reinforcements.
"So, what now?" The Martian Manhunter asked hesitantly.
"Two other teams have suffered losses. I'll connect you with one of them. You'll meet in New York at XX Café," the Skrull replied after some thought.
"Got it." The Martian Manhunter's eyes gleamed as he hung up, but he stopped after teleporting just 100 meters away. "Wait, I'm supposed to be a Skrull with no superpowers. If they see me moving too fast, it'll raise suspicion."
He slowed down, walking normally until he reached the main road, where he hailed a car to his destination.
At the café, the Martian Manhunter didn't immediately locate his target. It was understandable—Skrulls disguised as humans were nearly impossible to detect.
"Let's go. We'll talk somewhere else," a man said, approaching cautiously after eyeing the Martian Manhunter.
The Martian Manhunter nodded and followed the man through winding streets to a secluded villa.
"This is my cover's home—a wealthy guy. What happened with your team? I heard everyone was wiped out except for you," the man said, reverting to his Skrull form.
The Martian Manhunter followed suit, turning into a Skrull before replying, "It was a mess. We found a former Stark Industries employee with a team using tech to pose as superhumans. We thought it was a good plan to infiltrate the Avengers, so we went along with it..."
He recounted the original Skrulls' thoughts and emotions honestly, even mimicking their feelings.
"Maybe the Avengers saw through our tech, or perhaps there was another reason. But they captured everyone, and I barely escaped. When I returned, our meeting place was empty, so I relocated."
"Sounds like the Avengers might already know our true identities," the Skrull said gravely. "We've lost track of several others. They might have been caught by the Avengers too. We don't know how much they've learned about us."
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