"The readings are still skyrocketing! It… it looks like it's incubating something!" someone else cried out in alarm.
On the surface of that colossal shadow, a violent rupture suddenly tore open. Dozens—then hundreds—of smaller but extremely fast shadows burst out like an enraged swarm from a disturbed nest, shooting straight toward Earth's atmosphere! Their targets weren't concentrated in one place—they split up, scattering toward different densely populated cities across the globe!
"Global alert! Highest level! Notify the Avengers—notify every ally we can reach! This isn't a single incident. This is an invasion!" Hill gave the order immediately, her voice calm but edged with urgency. "Sync the footage and data to Stark, Mister Fantastic, and Wakanda!"
New York, inside a supermarket.
Saitama was holding a discounted pack of beef, carefully comparing weight and price. He didn't notice that the TV hanging in the corner of the store was cutting to breaking news, showing scenes from around the world where unknown objects were crashing down.
"Mm… this one seems like the better deal." He made his decision and, satisfied, placed the pack into his cart.
Just then, the entire supermarket trembled lightly, goods on the shelves rustling. A wave of commotion spread through the crowd as people looked around in confusion.
"What was that? An earthquake?"
"No—look outside!"
Outside the window, several blocks away, a dark green pillar of light shot into the sky. A massive impact followed, along with faint explosions!
Saitama also glanced up, blinking. "Oh? There's more… what a pain. Hope it doesn't affect the store hours." His concern was, as always, completely off-beat.
Only now did the shrill alarm begin wailing across the city.
The supermarket lights flickered a few times—then died completely. Only emergency lights and the glow spilling in through the windows provided limited illumination. The crowd immediately panicked and surged toward the exits.
Saitama sighed and protected his cart. "Careful… my eggs…"
Outside on the street, chaos erupted again. People ran in terror, cars jammed and blared their horns. And in the direction of the green light, a monster roughly three stories tall rose upright—shaped like a gigantic beetle, but its entire body was made of rock that shimmered with green light. It let out a sharp, piercing screech, and the sound carried a mind-disrupting force that made nearby fleeing people freeze for a split second, clutching their ears in pain. It swung its scythe-like forelimbs and effortlessly sliced a bus in half!
"Is that another variant of those monsters from earlier?" Captain America's voice came through the comm channel—he clearly hadn't gotten far yet.
"Looks like it, but it's more agile—and it has a psychic attack!" Spider-Man's voice was mixed with rushing wind as he swung at high speed between buildings. "I'm trying to evacuate this area, but it's too fast!"
Iron Man cut across the sky, repulsors hammering the rock beetle's shell again and again. Sparks of debris flew, but the effect was minimal. "The shell's even tougher! Friday, analyze its weakness!"
"High-intensity energy core detected in the center of its chest cavity, Mr. Stark. However, the external armor shows extremely high resistance to both energy and physical attacks."
"Then we open a hole in it!" Tony's shoulder weapon bay popped open again.
But the rock beetle's back plates suddenly split apart, revealing pulsing energy veins underneath. In the next second, dozens of dark green energy bomblets poured out like rain, carpet-bombing the surroundings indiscriminately!
(End of Chapter)
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