**"The strong wind rises, the clouds fly high! How can brave men guard the four corners!"**
**Bandits! They must be eradicated at all times!**
**There's no other choice!**
**Think about it!**
**You leave the city, with your wife, eating hotpot and singing songs...**
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**Suddenly, you're ambushed by bandits!!!**
**So, a day without bandits is truly a good day!**
This sums up Leon's perspective in the conversation.
In essence, he believes that all gang members deserve to die, and he was merely providing a small service.
On the other side of the table, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson clearly doesn't agree.
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"How did you find me?"
Leon was genuinely curious.
Leon's actions are highly random and unpredictable. His presence on this street tonight was a complete coincidence, totally unplanned. Unless he's being monitored every second, there's no way they could have known.
Although Coulson had just been teased about his bald head in front of many subordinates and acquaintances, he still maintained a professional demeanor, offering a standard polite smile. "Sir, I must say, this is purely a coincidence." His tone was measured and calm, with a gentle strength that instinctively made people feel he was trustworthy.
That's the charm of Coulson!
"Oh! What a surprise!"
"Translate that."
"Translate it: what does surprise mean?"
Coulson showed no sign of tension at the doctor's sudden excitement. Internally, though, he downgraded his evaluation of this person's mentality and character, and started to question whether S.H.I.E.L.D.'s usual "active recruitment" and "forced cooperation" approaches were suitable for this individual.
"No matter the reason, you don't seem to be very secretive about your whereabouts."
Hmm?
Don't talk nonsense! I care a lot about that! Don't you see I always come out only in the middle of the night?
"So, you know my true identity?"
Although he didn't care much, having his true identity exposed—especially to an official organization like S.H.I.E.L.D.—would have significant consequences. Leon didn't want to collaborate with Hydra, but he also couldn't afford to go against them at this early stage of his own power.
What a dilemma...
Leon couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. Would his peaceful night life be disrupted?
How ironic!
He was just lecturing Daredevil moments ago, and now it's his own cover that's blown!
What a bitter pill to swallow!!!
Coulson continued, "We haven't been monitoring you, nor do we have your personal information."
This explanation didn't sound very convincing.
"Our knowledge about you mainly comes from the testimonies of gang members."
Oh. Got it!
Still not ruthless enough.
"Tonight, we were supposed to execute a capture mission, but then we received a notification about a shootout at the southwest dock. Considering the past incidents where the victim was Mr. Fisk, we suspected this incident might also be your doing."
Even the wording is very particular!
The "victim," Mr. Fisk~
And so, is this a happy accident? Although I did intend to head there, both Kingpin and I were beaten to it! I even saved that kid!
But in the end, the blame still falls on me!
Though Leon's mind was racing, externally, he remained still, listening intently, sitting cross-legged in mid-air, his expression hidden behind the shifting shadows of his mask, silently observing Coulson.
"We arrived on the scene, but came up empty. The search was fruitless. Just as we were about to withdraw, we detected a 911 call."
Smiling at Leon, Coulson left the rest unsaid, but the implication was clear.
Ahhh...
It really is... a surprise!
Leon scratched his head and awkwardly said, "I didn't do anything at the dock. I was just here to watch the moon."
Coulson kept smiling.
This was embarrassing. Leon had always been cautious, and this was one of the rare times he acted on impulse. Who would have thought the odds of getting caught were so high!
As he spun in mid-air, turning slowly, Leon met the gaze of every member of the tactical team, all of whom were nervously pointing their weapons at him.
He had no interest in continuing the standoff; reinforcements would arrive if he delayed any longer.
"Let's get straight to the point. What do you want?"
Coulson was still smiling, but now Leon found that smile a bit more irritating.
"Dr. Lister, perhaps we could go inside to talk. How about some coffee?"
Coulson gestured behind him, inviting Leon to join him.
Leon considered his actions, his abilities, Coulson's character, and the nature of S.H.I.E.L.D. (or Hydra)...
It's fine. Might as well go.
"Do you have aniseed beans?"
Of course, they didn't, so only one person ended up drinking coffee at the table.
As Coulson quietly savored his instant coffee, he pondered whether "aniseed beans" were worth mentioning in his report.
No matter how powerful S.H.I.E.L.D. was, they couldn't exactly carry a hand-cranked coffee grinder and espresso machine everywhere. Fortunately, there was already a S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house nearby, which served as a makeshift meeting room; otherwise, just securing the area and maintaining confidentiality would have been a huge problem.
"So, what are your intentions, or rather, your goals? Let's be straightforward. You didn't even have aniseed beans, so I'm not feeling the sincerity. I need to go home and sleep soon, so speak quickly."
Before Coulson could respond, Leon cut to the chase, skipping the pleasantries and probing, and getting right to the last 30% of the conversation.
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And so, we arrive at the scene described at the beginning.
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From S.H.I.E.L.D.'s perspective, the issue of gangs will always exist; they will be born with humanity and perish with it.
In the current situation, having one gang control the entire underworld and consolidate power is, from a stability standpoint, something S.H.I.E.L.D. would be happy to see.
Leon clearly didn't share this view, leading to a stalemate in their negotiations.
No matter what Coulson said, Leon maintained his "I don't care, I'm not listening, you're being unreasonable" stance.
At this point, there wasn't much left to discuss. Barbara, who had been standing behind Coulson the whole time, was ready for a fight, and the team outside was waiting for the command to storm in.
In the crucial moment, Leon, who had been dismissive and nonchalant, suddenly said, "Maybe we can make a deal."
Coulson, stuck in a difficult position, leaned in. This was supposed to be a routine mission, and out of caution, he brought along Barbara, a brilliant and capable agent.
Unexpectedly, the honey trap failed, and Coulson realized they had severely underestimated their target's combat capabilities.
Though Coulson himself wasn't a fighter, his years of fieldwork had honed his judgment.
Barbara clearly wouldn't be much of a challenge for Dr. Lister.
A shootout?
No need to think twice—at this range, he would definitely be the one to suffer!
Let him go?
The report would be impossible to write!
At this moment, Leon's words were music to Coulson's ears, saving the few remaining hairs on his head.
Leaning forward, hands clasped on the table, Coulson adopted the posture of a good listener.
"Dr. Lister, what kind of deal are you proposing?"
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