The system notification echoed in Linen's mind:
[The trust level of the spoiler system owner has reached 90%. The host has obtained a new skill: Immunity.]
[Skill Introduction: With this skill, the host becomes immune to all forms of mental control, mind reading, mental pollution, and similar effects.]
"Mental pollution?" Linen raised an eyebrow as he read the description.
"System, what exactly do you mean by mental pollution?"
[In a certain multiverse, one universe has decayed into a cancerous world. All living creatures there have mutated into indescribable beings.]
[If the host accidentally enters such a cancerous universe during future multiverse travel, Immunity will prevent mental pollution and stop the host from turning into one of those indescribable things.]
Linen froze.
A cancerous universe? All life mutated into… indescribable things?
"That sounds familiar… Where have I heard that before?" He thought for a few seconds, but nothing came to him.
"Forget it. If I can't remember, I can't remember."
He dismissed the thought for now. The viewing room had already upgraded to Level 225. Next time they watched a movie, everyone would be able to gather inside.
After shutting down the system, Linen poured himself a glass of juice and turned on the TV.
On-screen, an expert being interviewed was swearing up and down that the show "Mysterious Files" was completely fake.
He insisted that undead beings, vampires, and similar things were nothing but myths.
Everything strange seen on the live broadcast, he claimed, was fabricated by the production team.
He even dismissed the so-called "No. 1 Psychic in the United States"—Linen himself—saying the title was manufactured purely for ratings.
He vowed that if the program crew ever invited him on set, he would expose all their tricks live.
Linen wasn't bothered.
Such comments were far less important than the glass of juice in his hand.
After spending a relaxing day, Linen eventually lay down and drifted off to sleep.
He had a peaceful night.
But for others—Natasha, Steve, and Nick Fury—this night was anything but peaceful.
In Nick Fury's Office
When Alexander Pierce entered Nick Fury's office, he found Fury sitting behind his desk, with Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers standing at his sides. The moment Pierce stepped inside, Maria Hill quietly closed the door behind him.
Pierce's heart tightened at the scene, but his expression remained calm.
"Fury," he said with an easy smile, "it's awfully late for a meeting. And you even brought Black Widow and Captain Rogers. Looks like something serious happened."
"It is very serious."
Fury's one eye locked onto Pierce, cold and sharp.
"I never expected the person I trusted most… to be the leader of Hydra."
"Pierce, you betrayed my trust."
Pierce's pulse jumped, but his expression stayed composed. "That's a terrible joke, Fury. If you have something to say, say it."
Seeing he would not confess, Fury didn't waste his breath.
Instead, he gestured toward Natasha and Steve.
"After learning that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated by Hydra, Captain Rogers insisted on declaring war on them immediately. No compromise—no matter the consequences. Even if he stood alone. Even if he became a wanted man."
"You know I won't let that happen to him."
"So, Pierce… I can only act now."
Before Pierce could respond, he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
He turned instinctively—
and froze.
Maria Hill's face warped and shifted into a green-skinned alien form.
A Skrull.
Pierce's eyes widened in shock. "Fury—what are you doing?!"
"What else?" Fury replied coldly. "Replacing you."
The Skrull who had mimicked Hill instantly shifted again—this time into a perfect copy of Alexander Pierce.
Natasha and Steve both stared, stunned.
"Director Fury," the Skrull said calmly, "Pierce is indeed the leader of Hydra. According to his memories, the number of Hydra agents is extremely large."
Pierce thrashed wildly. "You… you bast—!"
Before he could finish, the Skrull chopped him on the neck and knocked him out cold.
Steve turned to Fury, confused and alarmed.
"What is going on? Hill turned into an alien—and now Pierce?!"
"She's a Skrull," Fury explained. "A shapeshifting alien race. As long as they touch someone, they can copy their appearance—and their memories."
Natasha and Steve exchanged shocked looks.
The Skrull carried the unconscious Pierce away as Fury continued:
"This is one of my trump cards. I prepared it ever since I found out Pierce was Hydra. I wasn't planning to reveal it yet, but since you wouldn't compromise… you had to know."
"And with the spoiler system around, you two would find out eventually anyway."
"If we took down Pierce now or wiped out Hydra inside S.H.I.E.L.D. all at once, the organization would be crippled. Maybe even destroyed."
"Replacing Pierce lets us eliminate Hydra quietly, one by one."
Steve, still shaken, asked, "Where is the real Hill? And if Skrulls can impersonate anyone… how do we even know who's real? How do we know you're real?"
"Relax." Fury lifted a hand and sliced a shallow cut across his fingertip.
Red blood welled up.
"Human blood is red. Skrull blood is blue."
"As for whether they'd ever replace me—don't worry. They wouldn't dare unless I asked them to."
A dangerous smile crossed his face.
"After all… I was the one who chose where the Skrull tribe lives."
"And if they ever grow other ideas…"
He didn't finish, but the chill in his voice said enough.
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