"What happened?"
Anton's expression turned serious as he asked about the situation.
Now that the matter had been passed on to the Men in Black Organization, it meant the discovery of aliens was likely real. Otherwise, Z wouldn't have called him personally to explain.
"Just after the Super Skrull incident, the Daily Bugle exposed information about the Skrulls. This led to a public movement to hunt for aliens. Many thrill-seeking young people joined in, turning it into a trend. Most of their efforts have been a wild goose chase, but… there are always exceptions."
Z continued, "The night before last, someone spotted a meteor streaking across the sky. The news spread quickly online, catching the attention of these young alien hunters. They followed the meteor's trajectory and found a crater on a farm on the outskirts of New York. But here's the critical part—they discovered a damaged spaceship inside the pit."
"A broken spaceship?" Anton raised an eyebrow. "Aside from that, anything else?"
"After finding the spacecraft, the group was attacked by the farm's owner," Z explained. "Thankfully, these kids were smart enough to escape. A few of them were injured, but there were no fatalities."
"The New York Police Department received the report and forwarded it to our agents. When we arrived at the scene, we found the body of an exterminator in the farm's warehouse. Cause of death—poisoning. He had ingested a large amount of insecticide. Estimated time of death—less than 24 hours ago."
Z's voice turned more serious. "We also found the farmer's girlfriend inside the house. According to her, ever since the meteor landed, her boyfriend—Jakarta—started acting very strangely. He ate all the sugar in the house, and his skin… she said it looked like it was peeling away from his body. His limbs were stiff, his movements jerky, almost like an epileptic seizure. But most disturbingly, he turned violent—he even pulled a gun on her."
Anton thought for a moment. "So, as of now, the only confirmed casualty is the exterminator?"
"That's correct," Z confirmed.
Anton's gaze sharpened. "Did you check the warehouse? Was there a large number of insects inside?"
Z hesitated, slightly thrown off by the question. "Of course. Otherwise, Jakarta wouldn't have called an extermination service to begin with."
He wasn't sure why Anton was focusing on this detail, but something about the way Anton spoke made him feel like he was onto something.
After a brief pause, Z added, "There were no security cameras on the farm, so we couldn't find any additional footage or clues. But here's something odd—the spacecraft itself is a metallic disc, roughly two meters in diameter. The design is vastly different from anything associated with human technology or previously known alien races."
"I see."
Anton nodded, comparing this information to what he remembered. His mind pieced together the puzzle.
"A disc-shaped spaceship?" he muttered. "Did you bring it back?"
"It was just transported to headquarters," Z replied, his tone growing more concerned. "Anton, I think we might be dealing with an entirely new alien species. We need to be extremely cautious."
"Agreed," Anton said. "Wait for me at headquarters—I'll be there soon."
After a brief pause, he issued instructions. "Jakarta needs to be tracked immediately. Distribute his information to every police department in the country, especially the NYPD. Mobilize all available resources to locate him as quickly as possible."
Z frowned. "You think he's been… impersonated?"
"Yes." Anton's voice was firm. "I suspect an alien has taken his place."
A heavy silence hung between them.
Z's expression darkened as an ominous thought crossed his mind.
First the Skrull infiltration, and now this?
Just when they had finally started driving the Skrulls off Earth, another alien species had seamlessly arrived to cause trouble?
"Aliens are really coming to Earth in waves now," Z muttered. "When did our planet become such a hotspot?"
After a while, Anton arrived at the Men in Black headquarters, where the spacecraft recovered from the suburban farm was being examined.
Just as Z had described over the phone, the object had a distinctly "dry" appearance—matching the stereotypical UFO from human folklore.
It was a disc, approximately two meters in diameter, but only about thirty centimeters in height.
The Men in Black's scientific researchers had already begun disassembling parts of the spacecraft's exterior. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that its design was remarkably intricate, with narrow internal passageways.
One of the researchers hesitated for a moment before speaking. "This... looks like a mark left by a cockroach."
He glanced at Anton and Agent Z before continuing, "I'm certain this is a spacecraft, but from what we've found inside... it seems more like a roach nest."
"Figures. It really is Men in Black..."
Anton narrowed his eyes slightly at the researcher's words, though he wasn't particularly surprised. Instead, he found himself feeling strangely nostalgic.
From the moment he met Z, Anton had suspected that the Men in Black he was dealing with might be connected to the Men in Black he remembered.
And now, with the arrival of a disc-shaped spacecraft and the discovery of cockroach traces, he was almost certain.
This was Men in Black.
That being said, the Men in Black movies were adapted from a comic series of the same name.
And, as Anton recalled, Marvel had published its own Men in Black comics at some point.
Even though Marvel didn't hold the rights to the Men in Black franchise, the two were connected in a way—similar to how Transformers and Marvel had an early association.
Hasbro, the rights holder for Transformers, had once authorized Marvel to create an official Transformers comic series.
So, in a way, everything Anton was experiencing wasn't entirely disconnected from the Marvel Universe.
Of course, none of that really mattered.
He had already prepared himself for the possibility of encountering the Men in Black storyline.
"Understood."
Anton nodded. By now, he was confident that things were unfolding exactly as he had expected.
"It must be the Zerg."
His tone was firm as he looked at everyone present.
The room fell into a brief silence as the researchers exchanged uncertain glances. However, despite their surprise, something about Anton's words felt instinctively right.
"Zergs are a naturally hostile alien race," Anton explained. "They consume, invade, and massacre the native species of any planet they infest. Destruction is in their nature. Think about it—cockroaches thrive in garbage dumps, and the Zerg share many similarities with cockroaches. In essence, they're just giant, highly evolved versions of them."
The researchers listened intently, a mix of awe and apprehension in their expressions.
Anton continued, "We all know that Superman has traveled across the universe for years. According to the information he's gathered, this species—the Zerg—is widely feared."
"They're powerful, incredibly adaptable, and spread like a plague. Nearly every galaxy has encountered them in some form. And now, it seems they've finally set their sights on Earth."
His voice grew more serious.
"We need to be prepared. If we don't contain this now, the situation could spiral out of control."
A heavy silence hung over the room.
The name lingered in the air like an unspoken threat.
Zerg.
The Zerg—a villainous alien race often seen in Men in Black movies.
However, despite their terrifying nature, the Men in Black films never provide a detailed overview or introduction to the Zerg. It's only through various dialogues that Anton inferred there are over 7,800 Zergs spread across the galaxy, with most of their kind resembling giant cockroaches.
Hearing Anton's explanation, everyone finally accepted the reality.
After all, he had mentioned Superman, and no one dared to question that.
At present, the organization with the most knowledge about the universe wasn't the Men in Black, despite their specialization in extraterrestrial affairs under the directive of the World Council. Nor was it any other Earth-based group.
It was the Justice League, where Anton himself was a key member.
Superman—one of the Justice League's strongest assets—was an alien who had grown up on Earth. He had spent years traveling through the cosmos, exploring other planets. This was a well-established fact.
No one was foolish enough to deny it or challenge Anton's claims.
Meanwhile, Anton continued examining the spacecraft before him, recalling the events of the first Men in Black movie. A strange expression flickered across his face.
If this truly was the beginning of Men in Black, then that meant Earth was already home to a massive number of aliens.
But the real situation seemed... different.
After the Skrull incident, the world's nations and the Men in Black organization had practically turned the planet upside down in their investigations.
And yet, aside from the Skrulls, no other alien species had been uncovered.
Maybe the Men in Black story had changed slightly.
Anton pondered for a moment but found no immediate answer. So, he decided to follow the clues, move forward, and take things one step at a time.
After all, he had more than enough power to handle anything Earth could throw at him.
Unless some major cosmic players got involved, there was nothing to fear.
And how could a simple Men in Black case possibly involve those kinds of beings?
Meanwhile...
Suddenly, Z's earpiece crackled with incoming communication. His expression sharpened—it was good news.
"Anton, we've found Jakarta."
Z turned to Anton and reported, "That farmer—no, the Zerg—we tracked him down."
Anton's gaze turned sharp. "Where?"
"He just entered New York City. Based on his current trajectory, he's heading toward a block in Manhattan."
Z relayed the information swiftly.
"Block off that area. Trap him in the streets. Bring some agents with me."
Anton issued his orders without hesitation.
Immediately, the team mobilized.
VROOOM!
Engines roared as black, armored vehicles shot out of the Men in Black headquarters, speeding through the streets.
Anton sat inside one of the cars, glancing around at the agents beside him.
Dressed in black suits and sunglasses, they looked exactly like the agents from his memory—detached, professional, and almost too cool for their own good.
Breaking the silence, Anton suddenly asked, "By the way, aren't you going to introduce yourselves?"
One of the agents, with a serious expression and composed demeanor, spoke up first.
"K, sir. My name is K."
His tone was calm, yet there was an unmistakable weight behind his words.
Anton raised an eyebrow.
His gaze settled on the younger version of the Men in Black's most iconic agent—the K he remembered, but not quite the same.
A grin tugged at Anton's lips.
"K, huh? I like that letter."
His eyes gleamed with amusement.
"I hope you don't disappoint me."
"You won't be disappointed, sir."
K answered lightly.
This version of Agent K in the Marvel timeline was much younger than the original and, at the same time, noticeably more confident.
Anton could sense the energy of youth radiating from him.
"K has already appeared… I wonder if J will show up too."
The thought flashed through Anton's mind.
However, whether it was K or J, they were just minor figures to him now.
The only reason he cared at all was the strange intertwining of his past and present lives.
Of course, since he had now met K, there was no reason not to nurture him.
In his past life, K had been a fan-favorite in the Men in Black movies. His personal abilities and professionalism were top-tier.
And right now, the Men in Black organization lacked elite agents like him.
Z was competent, but juggling both internal operations and fieldwork alone was overwhelming.
If Anton could cultivate K into a top field leader, it would make things much easier.
And, most importantly—having K in place would give him more freedom to do things his way.
Anton smirked at the thought.
Before departing, Anton's Men in Black had notified the New York Police Department.
With their assistance, patrol officers quickly evacuated the street, leaving only a medium-sized truck parked in the center.
Standing in front of the truck was a man—his skin oddly loose, yet his body was undeniably strong.
He scanned his surroundings with an unsettling expression, as if he still hadn't fully grasped how he had been surrounded.
Yet, despite the watchful gazes of those around him, there was something eerily off about his eyes.
They weren't cruel.
They weren't even vicious.
They were… empty.
Like the vacant gaze of a wild animal that had wandered into a city it didn't belong in.
"This guy is weird…"
"Notify the task force."
"No need. The task force just arrived."
As the patrol officers exchanged words, another truck rumbled into the blocked-off street.
The citizens watching from a safe distance erupted into cheers.
The Turtle Tank had arrived.
Everyone knew what that meant.
New York's mascots—the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—were here.
Of course, while they might be seen as mascots, no one actually dared to underestimate them.
Anyone who did usually ended up getting their shell kicked.
After all, since joining the special task force, the turtles had repeatedly proven just how formidable they were.
"Ugh, it stinks."
Michelangelo wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"That guy reeks…"
The other turtles weren't any more comfortable. Donatello, ever the tech expert, adjusted his scanning goggles as his expression darkened.
"Be careful," Leo warned. "I heard this is a joint operation with the Men in Black, and Anton himself issued the order. That means this guy is not normal."
Quickly, Donatello's scanner beeped, making his eyes widen.
"This guy… he's not human!"
"What?"
"Not human?"
"What do you mean?"
The other three turtles turned to Donatello, waiting for an explanation.
Adjusting his goggles, Donatello's voice came out strained.
"I scanned him… He's wearing human skin."
A tense silence followed.
Then, swallowing hard, Donatello added:
"And underneath the skin… he's a cockroach. A huge cockroach."
…
patreon.com/Vks_sh