Some people are happy, and others are naturally not.
At the same time,
Nick Fury looked at Phil Coulson, who had just submitted the mission report, and fell into thought.
The existence of aliens…
He already knew about that long ago, after dealing with them back in the 1990s.
Marcus had no records before this.
Combined with the falling meteor and that level of power,
It was basically confirmed.
But his purpose…
“Are you sure what he said is true?
That he came to Earth to expand his group?” Fury asked again.
Coulson nodded firmly.
“Based on his behavior, he cares more about the opposite s*x.”
“Other than that, he shows some interest in weapons.”
“From his interaction with Barton, he leans toward being cooperative and prefers not to solve things with violence.”
“My suggestion is to approach him in a friendly way.”
Fury stayed silent.
After a long pause,
“Pull Natasha Romanoff out of Stark Industries and have her make contact with the target.”
“If possible…”
“Keep him here.”
…
The next morning.
Marcus, who had been busy all night, was still full of energy.
With the [Horse Talisman], he didn’t feel tired at all.
But Darcy…
Even in her sleep, her brows were tightly furrowed.
She really went through it.
It was her first time, so it made sense she couldn’t keep up.
Marcus activated the [Horse Talisman] and smoothed her expression.
He nodded in satisfaction.
But…
“System, why didn’t I get a reward?”
“Even if Darcy is ordinary, she still counts, right?”
[This system is not for collecting women.
It is a family system.
Rewards are only given after a legal marriage with the opposite s*x.]
So…
Yeah, that made sense.
He took a quick shower and walked out of the room.
Looking around,
He easily spotted Barton watching from next door.
Barton wasn’t even trying to hide.
In a flash,
Marcus appeared right in front of him.
“Need something?” Barton asked.
“I need some of your planet’s currency,” Marcus said.
“In return, I can heal you once.
As long as you’re still alive, even serious injuries can be fixed.”
Barton had already seen how effective Marcus’s healing was.
“No problem.”
He took out a bank card and handed it over.
“Anonymous card.
100,000 dollars.
Password is six zeros,” Barton said.
“I’ll add another 2 million later.”
2.1 million dollars for one use of that healing ability.
Worth it.
It was basically buying a life.
Marcus took the card, nodded, and turned to leave.
For someone with abilities, making money was easy.
Back in the living room,
He ran into Jane, who had dark circles under her eyes.
She clearly didn’t sleep.
Her expression when she looked at Marcus was complicated.
Annoyed, curious, and a bit excited.
“Sorry, it was a bit loud,” Marcus said directly.
“Our race focuses on reproduction and growth, so it’s hard to refuse when the opposite s*x approaches.”
That blunt honesty caught Jane off guard.
She didn’t know how to respond.
“By the way,” Marcus continued, “what’s the process on your planet for getting officially recognized as spouses?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, how do you get legally married?”
Jane froze.
Wait…
Marriage already?
She thought Marcus was just messing around, and what happened with Darcy was a one-time thing.
Didn’t expect…
He was serious?
Jane’s mind went blank.
At that moment,
A calm voice came from the door.
“If you want to get married, you’ll need a legal identity first.”
They turned around.
A woman in a tight leather outfit walked in confidently.
Her figure and looks were both striking.
Even Jane was momentarily stunned.
Marcus narrowed his eyes.
He recognized her.
“S.H.I.E.L.D agent Natasha Romanoff,” she said, extending her hand.
“I’ll handle your security assessment today.
After that, we’ll set up your identity, and you’ll be able to legally marry Ms.
Darcy Lewis.”
Marcus shook her hand lightly.
Just a brief touch.
“Didn’t expect another beautiful agent,” Marcus said with a smile.
“I’m heading out for breakfast.
Want to join?”
“Sure.”
“Let’s go then.”
Natasha turned and walked out.
Marcus paused and looked at Jane.
“You coming, or should I have someone take you back?”
“Huh?
I can go too?” Jane asked.
“Of course,” Marcus said.
“They’ll just ask about my background.
You’re curious too, right?”
“Yeah, I’m going!”
Jane followed quickly.
This was valuable information.
They went to the same restaurant as yesterday.
After sitting down,
The other customers started receiving calls one after another, then quickly left.
Soon,
Only Marcus and the others were left.
Even the staff serving food had changed.
“Looks like I don’t need to pay this time,” Marcus joked.
“Just don’t tell me this is forced business like with Jane earlier.”
Natasha understood right away.
“Dr.
Jane Foster’s research materials and equipment will be fully returned before we leave.”
Jane’s eyes lit up.
She looked at Marcus gratefully.
That was years of her work.
As for how he knew…
Darcy must have told him.
Good friend.
“We can start now,” Marcus said.
“What do you want to know?”
Natasha got straight to the point.
“We want to know, how large will this group you’re talking about become?
Will it replace the current system and become the new authority?”
“In other words…”
“Are you planning to enslave this planet?”
Marcus blinked.
That direct?
He thought S.H.I.E.L.D sent Natasha to ease things a bit.
But this…
“I’m curious,” Marcus said.
“Aren’t you worried I’ll get pissed if you ask like that?
Or just lie to you?”
Natasha smiled slightly and brushed her hair back.
Calm and composed.
“I’m good at interrogation,” she said, “but Phil Coulson suggested that you prefer direct communication.”
Her attitude was very straightforward.
Marcus smiled.
“Coulson reads people well.
I don’t like wasting time or playing games.”
He organized his thoughts,
Then told the story he prepared last night.
“Our race focuses on producing strong offspring.”
“Collecting powerful items is just a personal hobby.”
“As for power and control…”
“Too much trouble.”
“With that time, I’d rather find a strong partner and enjoy life.”
He avoided giving too much background, since mistakes could happen easily.
But he made one thing clear.
He likes expanding his family and prefers peace.
Basically harmless.
Natasha nodded, not questioning it.
“Can you tell me more about the M78 Nebula?” she asked.
Just a routine question.
But this time,
Marcus didn’t cooperate.
“I can’t,” Marcus said, shaking his head.
“Because of the Dark Forest Theory.
I can tell you where I’m from and what I’m doing, but I can’t reveal more about my home.”
Natasha paused, then focused on the key point.
“Dark Forest Theory?
What’s that?”
Marcus raised his right hand and held up two fingers.
“This is a survival rule our race follows.”
“Survival is the top priority of any civilization.”
“As civilizations grow, the total resources in the universe stay limited.”
He raised his left hand and held up two fingers.
“First, the Chain of Suspicion.
No civilization can be sure if another one is friendly.”
“Second, Technology Explosion.
A weaker civilization can surpass another very quickly with the right breakthrough.”
“Put together,”
“If a civilization wants to survive, it must compete for resources.”
“Because of suspicion, the safest choice is to treat others as threats.”
“And because of sudden technological leaps, the safest move is to eliminate threats early.”
Marcus lowered his hands and sighed.
“The universe is like a dark forest.
Every civilization hides in the dark, both hunter and prey.”
“If you see something move, and you’re not sure what it is, the safest move is to strike first.”
“That’s the Dark Forest Theory.”
Silence filled the restaurant.
Natasha and Jane both looked shaken.
This idea…
Was terrifying.
Whether it was Natasha, who protected Earth,
Or Jane, who studied space,
They both felt a chill.
After a few seconds,
Natasha recovered first.
“Then your arrival…
does that mean you’re here to strike?”
“Our M78 group is small.
We don’t need many resources,” Marcus said.
“In this dark forest, we’re not hunters or prey.
At most, we’re just grass.”
Natasha pressed her lips together, unsure if she believed him.
Suddenly,
“It’s the Voyager Golden Record!” Jane grabbed Marcus’s hand, speaking quickly.
“Did you detect Earth’s coordinates from the Voyager probe signal?”
Marcus paused, then remembered.
Back in the 90s,
The US launched Voyager 1 and 2, carrying golden records with Earth’s location.
“Yeah,” Marcus nodded.
“I picked up that signal, found the solar system, and came here.”
Jane and Natasha both reacted immediately.
“Those idiots!
They exposed Earth’s location!” Jane said angrily.
“humanity could be wiped out at any time!”
Marcus nodded.
“Good thing I found it first.
If Thanos found it, you’d already have an army here.”
“Thanos?” Natasha focused.
“Who is that?
Some kind of cosmic tyrant?”
Marcus thought for a moment.
“He’s called a tyrant, but I prefer calling him the Director of Population Control.”
Natasha and Jane looked confused.
What kind of name is that?
“Population control…” Jane guessed.
“Someone who limits population to manage resources better?”
“Close,” Marcus said.
“But his method is simple.
He goes to a planet, kills half, leaves half alive.
His goal is to reduce the universe’s population in half so the rest get more resources.
He calls it balancing the universe.”
Jane froze.
Natasha’s pupils shrank.
Kill half?
Jane’s voice shook.
“There are 7 billion people on Earth…
that means 3.5 billion would die?”
3.5 billion.
What kind of monster is that?
Marcus shook his head and said.
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