Chapter 96: Repelling the Corruption

Tony had no choice but to settle for a secondary plan: equipping the Anti-Skrull armor with a large shield, which he hoped would effectively block the Skrull’s attacks.

The Anti-Skrull armor was powered by three reactor cores, each supplying energy to the armor itself, the laser weaponry, and the shield. This setup ensured Tony could both withstand the Skrull’s assault and counterattack effectively.

Moreover, the armor was outfitted with numerous mobile laser launchers, capable of striking the target from every angle without any blind spots. Considering the Skrull’s ability to consume matter, the armor also incorporated a piece of unstable research from S.H.I.E.L.D.: the Gravity Ray.

This Gravity Ray was a byproduct of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s studies on the Cosmic Cube, able to manipulate gravity to create artificial gravity fields. Unfortunately, its power was still insufficient for combat use and was originally only deployed on space vessels to generate artificial gravity.

However, Tony quickly realized the Gravity Ray’s potential against the Skrull and “borrowed” it from S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury, as usual, couldn’t stop him and had no choice but to go along.

“Face your doom, Skrull!” Tony shouted his battle cry, fully aware that the creature below wouldn’t surrender. After all, he was the Avengers’ finest.

With the Anti-Skrull armor aboard the ship, Tony’s confidence soared. Even the colossal monsters transformed by the previous cosmic event seemed worthy adversaries. Yet, Tony refused to underestimate the Skrull, fully aware of the immense threat it posed to humanity if it escaped.

Without hesitation, Tony unleashed his full arsenal, activating every weapon system and employing the Gravity Ray to lift the Skrull into midair.

“Now this is what I call no blind spots. Enjoy your sunbath!” Tony struggled to maintain control of the experimental Gravity Ray. The reason he called it unstable research from S.H.I.E.L.D. was because it was still in the trial phase and prone to malfunction. It was not meant for the battlefield, but once Tony discovered it, he copied the data and uploaded it to J.A.R.V.I.S.

The Skrull’s hissing echoed through the energy shield. The concentrated fire from the Anti-Skrull armor transformed the Skrull into a glowing, flickering orb. Just as Tony was about to strike the final blow, the creature emitted a pained hiss beneath the blinding light.

Had Tony understood the Skrull’s language, he would have ceased his leisure, for the creature’s last command was to warn its scattered brethren not to approach, urging them to infiltrate human society and wreak havoc from within.

As a sentient Skrull, it understood that eliminating Tang Chuan was only a secondary goal; its true mission was to offer sacrifices to the gods. En route, it had dispersed numerous Skrull duplicates, sending them drifting with the wind toward the American mainland.

This scattering explained its significantly weakened combat strength. Yet, despite this, it remained a formidable foe and immediately attempted to break through Tony’s defenses toward Tang Chuan’s location.

Tony, of course, was not idle. He continuously tested his experimental weapons on the Skrull, including the arc generator.

Since lasers inflicted severe damage on the Skrull, Tony wondered if electrical arcs could do the same. Unfortunately, he lacked a Skrull specimen for detailed study, otherwise, he would have unraveled the creature’s immunity mechanisms.

Thus, the Anti-Skrull armor carried a variety of weapons Tony theorized could harm the Skrull, with the electrical arcs being his favorite.

As the Skrull prepared to breach Tony’s laser barrage, blue arcs of electricity sparked across its surface.

The arc’s power did cause some effect, fueling Tony’s curiosity further and intensifying his desire to extract a piece of the creature for research.

Being sentient, the Skrull also sensed the experiments Tony was conducting and grew enraged, fiercely resisting the controlling forces. It knew that once it reached the ground, Tony would lose his grip.

Sure enough, the experimental gravity device failed under the Skrull’s relentless struggle. The mobile laser turret beneath it couldn’t evade in time and was crushed under its weight as the Skrull returned to the ground.

However, sharp-eyed J.A.R.V.I.S. immediately reported that the crushed turret had not been pulverized, which alerted Tony to an important realization.

The Skrull in the Antarctic had been lethal to anyone it touched; only the Captain’s vibranium shield had successfully blocked its attacks. But this turret was not made of vibranium, indicating to Tony that this Skrull was not the same as the one Nanny had encountered.

Tony quickly concluded this was a Skrull attempting to intimidate him. Perhaps other weapons might cause it greater harm, so he activated the “might as well equip it all” Gauss turrets and missile launchers, unleashing a furious bombardment on the ground.

The intelligent Skrull recognized Tony’s response and swiftly disintegrated its form to vanish quietly.

Indeed, this was part of the Skrull’s plan. As a juvenile, it lacked the power of an adult Skrull—no physical immunity or crushing strength. Its strategy was to buy time, allowing its essence to infiltrate Tang Chuan’s body.

An intelligent Skrull would naturally use its infectious powers to kill Tang Chuan, rather than engage Iron Man in direct combat. But corruption required opportunity: the Skrull’s tendrils, at least finger-thick—akin to small snakes—needed to bite Tang Chuan’s wounds.

Thus, the Skrull planned to exploit Iron Man’s attacks, using the smoke and chaos from missile explosions to stealthily bite Tang Chuan.

All these plans hinged on the asymmetry of information; Tony had no way of anticipating that the Skrull spread infection through snake-like bites.

Now, the Skrull’s plan had succeeded. It had infected Tang Chuan and those unconscious nearby, promising a shocking revelation for the human government.

Though most of its body would be destroyed by the explosions, the Skrull only needed some flesh to fully regenerate, so it had no fear for its survival.

The blasts not only eliminated much of the Skrull but also cleared a landing zone in the sky for aircraft. Happily, the plane piloted by Happy successfully touched down here, while most of the corrupted citizens around lay fallen under soldiers’ gunfire.