Chapter 913: Radiant Stars Gone Rotten (Part 2) (Patreon)

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As they were on their way to the inspection ship headed for the crash site, Stark turned his head to Schiller and asked, "Is your ultimate goal really just to salvage some new ports and spaceship remnants, provoke another war between two major empires, and share the spoils with mutants, giving them some technology, and so on..."

Pausing for a moment, Stark let out a sigh and continued, "Well, those goals are crazy enough, and the entire plan is insane."

Taking a deep breath, Stark recalled, "Back then, Nick told you about the possibility of a perfect disguise by an extraterrestrial race ready to replace us and control humanity."

"So, you and Nick devised a fake death plan, hiring assassins to kill Nick while using the Resurrection slot you had to get him into Heaven."

"Then, by exploiting Nick's death and the vacancy in the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. position, you prompted Spider-Man to venture into the Multiverse to find allies, accomplishing your and Nick's Multiverse labor trafficking plan that had been on your minds."

"When everyone's attention was fixated on Peter, you used the New Warriors Team and the mutants Twin to orchestrate a massive explosion powerful enough to kill Spider-Man, intensifying the already nervous conflict to its peak."

"You knew that once Steve learned about Peter's death, he would be devastated and desperate to uncover the secret behind Spider-Man's demise. Using his distraction, you set a trap and killed him."

"Then, I joined you in Heaven, and all the superheroes capable of defending New York perished."

"Upon returning to New York, you used the looming shadow of the Iron Curtain to pressure the puppeteers behind the scenes, forcing them to seek help from mutants, thus pulling mutants back into the power core of society. You made everyone realize that only Professor X had the ability to balance your power."

"Subsequently, with the absence of all superheroes and the simultaneous invasion by vampires, those puppeteers behind the scenes chose to save themselves rather than the public. This allowed you to execute them without hesitation."

"After dragging their souls into Heaven, you coerced them into revealing the location and access codes of their secret bases, depleting their resources and stashing the unused items in Nick's secret warehouse."

"And because of the superhero vacuum, the Skrulls, as you anticipated, impatiently took the stage, masquerading as us and usurping our positions."

"But being a superhero is no easy task. You exploited their insecurities, orchestrating various conspiracies to make them doubt themselves."

"Utilizing the warehouse full of junk from before, you concocted numerous fictitious attacks, ensnaring the impostor Spider-Man in a whirlwind of public opinion, causing him to doubt himself. You subjected the counterfeit Captain America to physical trauma, leaving him exhausted. You kept the counterfeit Iron Man busy with academic competition, pushing him to a mental breakdown."

"More importantly, there was a faction of peace-loving Skrulls who refused to invade humanity. They reached out to Nick, and their leader, Talos, informed you about the true nature of the war-mongering Skrull leader, Gana."

"You used your cunning methods to manipulate him, making him attempt to control Spider-Man, constantly pressuring Captain America, and resorting to violence against Iron Man, shattering their spirits."

"Then, using mutants with shape-shifting abilities, you shattered his psychological defenses, causing him to flee in desperation. Finally, you intercepted his teleportation signal with the Earthmagic defense network, located the Polar Star's position, and rammed it into the Kree's star port."

"And now, I have only one question..." Stark narrowed his eyes and looked at Schiller. "Since when did you devise this entire plan, from the moment Nick informed you about the Skrulls?"

Upon hearing this question, Schiller chuckled and replied, "As I told you earlier, it was when I faced Gana at Stark Tower for the last time. Mystique and She-Devil had infiltrated Stark Tower in advance and informed that Skrull scientist, Gana General, of our intentions."

"This scientist named Alengel already had distrust towards Gana and was willing to hide according to our instructions, with Mystique continuing to impersonate Iron Man."
"Mystique possessed innate shapeshifting abilities, allowing her to flawlessly impersonate Iron Man. However, as you should know, She-Devil lacked such capabilities. Nevertheless, she managed to assume my identity," Stark furrowed his brow and commented.

"I've heard of Sprite, or She-Devil as she's known, and her unique ability to absorb the mutant powers of others. It's possible she absorbed Mystique's shapeshifting abilities, allowing her to transform as well," he continued.

"But how can both of them shapeshift simultaneously?" Schiller posed a question but then answered his own query, "When I first encountered the female Rakshasa, Professor X informed me that she was an exceptionally promising mutant. On several occasions, she acquired the ability to use absorbed powers for an extended period. The catch was that she needed prolonged contact with the other mutant."

Stark seized upon the crucial point in Schiller's explanation and said, "So, when you initiated contact between She-Devil and Mystique for the power absorption, you already had a comprehensive plan in motion. When did this plan begin?"

"Do you recall when I lent the Ship of the Underworld to Professor X as a school bus?" Schiller chuckled.

Stark paused for a moment, then exclaimed, "You've been planning this since then... Wait, could it be because of the Resurrection slot?"

Stark took a deep breath, covering his forehead. He felt Schiller's intricate web of plans entangle his highly intelligent mind, making it temporarily difficult to unravel.

Who was the cause, and who was the effect in orchestrating Death's acquisition of a Resurrection slot and igniting an interstellar war?

Who played the role of the process, and who was the result in assisting mutants while reaping rewards and advancing the next stage of the plan?

How many individuals were tested and elevated in this plan?

How many factions gained substantial interests within their grasp?

How many factions were consequently purged and cleansed?

What did humanity gain, and what did the Solar System gain?

What price would the Kree Empire and Skrull Empire have to pay?

In the vast expanse of space, as a colossal star appeared in Stark's field of vision, he witnessed a dark and profound force that eclipsed the star's fervent brilliance.

This Sun, due to its madness, irrationality, and conspiracies, suddenly turned black. Yet, it still continued to shine brightly, illuminating the myriad of human stars, both radiant and rotten.

Stark remained silent throughout the journey until they arrived on the planet impacted by the inspection vessel.

The impact had been devastating, directly affecting the planet's rotation. Everyone could immediately spot the enormous spaceship, adorned with the insignia of the Kree.

Polaris suddenly spoke up, "Hold on! The magnetic field is telling me there are survivors... inside the spaceship!"

Schiller inquired, "How many survivors are there?"
"There's only one." Polaris frowned, trying to concentrate, and said, "Most likely... in this location, his vital signs are steadily weakening. He's probably bleeding, likely suffering from severe injuries."

"Let's just make a hole straight through," Schiller looked at the section of the spaceship that Polaris was pointing to and said, "There's a good chance there's a Kree officer on the other side. If we capture him, he could provide us with more significant interest."

Stark, clad in Mech armor, flew over and said, "I'll handle this. Who knows who's on the other side? It's best not to make too much noise. I'm not the kind of guy who'd rather die than ambush someone."

Originally, Iron Man's lasers couldn't easily penetrate the Kree spaceship's defensive armor, but because the entire spaceship was nearly falling apart from the collision, the outer hull panels had been blown off, making the entire spaceship thin-skinned and spacious. Stark used his lasers to create a passageway wide enough for one person.

Upon seeing the interior of the spaceship, Stark spoke up, saying, "I think I know why that Kree got injured. The explosions in here haven't stopped, and it's impossible to move around without some serious skills."

"Alright, I'm the guy you said lacks skills. You two go in and get him, and I'll stay out here," Schiller shrugged and said, "Symbiotes are afraid of loud noises and explosions. Just before the spaceship crashed, I used a portal to escape to another location."

Stark glanced back at him but didn't say anything. He and Polaris flew inside together.

Once inside the spaceship, both of them had means of self-preservation. Stark had brought plenty of power cores, so he had no fear of activating the maximum shield strength. Polaris had a magnetic field protecting her, rendering the explosions harmless to her.

They encountered obstacles head-on and cleared the way efficiently, making their way to the survivor's location as sensed by Polaris.

Stark looked at Polaris and asked, "Shall I go or do you want to?"

Polaris glanced around and replied, "I'll go. I think I can make this look like an accident."

After saying that, she looked at Ronan, who was inside the spaceship's connecting chamber, desperately searching for an escape spaceship. She extended her hand and, with a firm grip, brought down an overhead beam directly onto Ronan. He quickly dodged to the side, and with a loud crash, he was knocked to the ground by a door that had flown over.

Confirming that he had lost consciousness, Polaris and Stark lifted Ronan and flew him out. Schiller, who had been listening to their actions, rubbed his chin and asked, "Are you saying that you didn't let him find out, and it was a human who attacked him?"

Polaris nodded and said, "I've improved my control over the magnetic field due to recent high-intensity work. I was very cautious, and he definitely didn't notice."

Schiller flashed a malicious smile, and after seeing his expression, Stark and Polaris both took a slight step back.

Between blinks of Light, a sharp pain pierced Ronan's forehead one after another. He could feel himself lying on a cold surface, wanting to wake up but unable to do so.

The next second, he felt an electric current running through his body, and Ronan let out a painful scream before finally waking up.

Standing in front of him was a human wearing a white coat with white skin.

Ronan saw the human smile and say to him, "Hello, Kree general. I am a human doctor. We found you among the wreckage of the spaceship and brought you back..."

Ronan lay on the cold bed, looked at the seamless ceiling above, and the massive, indistinct Sun outside the window next to him. He snorted and then said, "Skrulls, your tricks are outdated."

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 914: A Visit (Part I)