·Chapter 722: Skye
After picking up Shang-Chi, Razor Fist quickly went to Hong Kong to fetch Xialing.
There was some unpleasantness when they met Xialing, but with Shang-Chi's intervention, everything was resolved.
Xialing, hugging Shang-Chi tightly, said angrily, "You said you would come back soon..."
"Five years! It's been five whole years! Why did you wait until I left to come back?"
Shang-Chi, holding his sister, replied sorrowfully, "Father is gone..."
"What?"
Shang-Chi then explained what had happened and, along with Xialing and Razor Fist, returned to the Ten Rings' headquarters.
As they flew in the helicopter, Shang-Chi looked down at the now-leveled headquarters, memories of his childhood life there flooding back.
Xialing, covering her mouth, had tears welling up in her eyes.
"Oh my God, how can this be...?"
"Our home, our home is destroyed..."
The helicopter soon landed, and Shang-Chi took in the surroundings. The entire headquarters was in ruins, with only one corridor left intact.
Shang-Chi walked over to a wall and gently touched the murals there. This was where he had spent his childhood, and now it was the only thing left.
At that moment, Razor Fist approached with a stack of documents and said, "These are the materials the master was researching about Ta Lo. They might be of help to you."
"Now, the underground base is still functional. I'll be waiting for you there."
Xialing came up to Shang-Chi, her expression sorrowful, "I still can't believe it—Father is really gone."
Shang-Chi, stroking the mural and looking at the dragon head in front of him, recalled his mother's words from his childhood.
"Shang-Chi, one day in the future, you will find your way home."
"Ta Lo will truly appear before you."
Touching the dragon's eyes, Shang-Chi noticed that the size of the spot where the eye was located was similar to the necklace his mother had left him.
Seeing that this was the only place in the headquarters that remained, it felt like some kind of destiny. Shang-Chi removed his necklace and placed it in the right eye of the dragon, where it fit perfectly.
He turned to his sister and said, "Give me your necklace."
Xialing, puzzled, still followed her brother's request and removed the necklace from around her neck.
"Are you going to place the necklace here?"
"What's the point?"
Despite her confusion, she handed the necklace to her brother.
Shang-Chi placed the other necklace in the dragon's left eye. In the next moment, light began to shine from within the dragon's eyes.
Water droplets suddenly flowed from the dragon's head, and in the next instant, a large amount of water gushed out of the mural, spraying into the air and then hovering in place.
The droplets then fell to the ground, forming a map of Ta Lo.
A golden light emerged from within, resembling a route on the map.
Seeing the scene before him, Shang-Chi immediately understood that this was the treasure their mother had left for them, showing them the way to Ta Lo.
Xialing, looking at the sight in front of her, asked, "Is this... Ta Lo?"
Shang-Chi nodded, "This should be Mother's home, Ta Lo."
The map then disappeared, turning back into water. Shang-Chi stepped forward, retrieved the necklaces, and said, "Maybe we should study the materials Father left behind."
"There's hope for our revenge in them."
"They destroyed our home; we need to avenge it."
Xialing nodded in agreement with her brother's words, and the two of them headed to the underground base.
Before they could head to Ta Lo, there was still much to prepare.
…
Meanwhile, in East Los Angeles, California-
A young boy gazed longingly at superhero action figures in a store window. His father, noticing this, turned to him and said, "Your birthday is coming up in a few months."
"Which one do you like the most?"
Looking at the Avengers and ninja action figures in the display, the boy, showing maturity beyond his years, replied, "It's okay, I don't need one."
The father's face showed a flicker of sadness. He knelt down, looking into his son's eyes, and said, "Hey, times are tough right now, but I'll find work soon."
"Not back at the factory, but I'm confident."
The father smiled at his son, asking again, "What are we, you and me?"
The boy responded, "A team."
They fist-bumped, and the father laughed, "That's right."
He then pulled his son closer and asked, "So, which figure do you want?"
Before the boy could respond, a massive explosion suddenly erupted from the top floor of a nearby building, sending flames shooting out of the windows.
"Boom!"
Panic immediately ensued among the people nearby. The father instinctively pulled his son into his arms, glancing toward the source of the explosion.
Seeing the explosion, the father's eyes widened in disbelief. He turned back to his son, asking, "Are you okay?"
"Look at me, Ace."
Ace nodded, indicating he was unharmed.
The father looked at the Charles action figure in the window and said, "Stay here with Charles, okay?"
"Maybe someone's hurt. I'm going to see if I can help."
With that, the father ran toward the building where the explosion had occurred.
As people evacuated the building, he looked up toward the room where the explosion had taken place and quickly heard a woman's desperate cries for help from the top floor.
"Help! Somebody, help!"
Recognizing the voice, he glanced around to ensure no one was watching. Satisfied that he was alone, he pulled up his hood, took a deep breath, and faced the wall.
"Ha!"
He punched the wall, creating a deep indentation, and then kicked it, forming another foothold.
Using his fists and feet, he continued to punch and kick his way up the side of the building, quickly reaching the floor where the explosion had occurred.
Inside the burning room, he found the woman who had been calling for help. Just as a second explosion rocked the room, he grabbed her and leaped from the top floor, performing a classic superhero landing as he safely brought her to the ground.
After ensuring the woman was out of danger, he pulled down his hood and hurriedly left the scene.
Unbeknownst to him, everything had been captured on video by a bystander named Skye, who had recorded the entire incident on her phone.
After the hooded man left, Skye approached the rescued woman, checking to make sure she was okay and finding that she was no longer in immediate danger.
-1-
·Chapter 723: Coulson is back!
Paris, France-
After a period of unhappiness following the news of Kabuto's betrayal, Ward threw himself back into his work with renewed intensity.
"Agent Ward, we've tracked down the package's location. We need to abort the mission," came the voice of another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent through his earpiece.
Ward, speeding toward the target location on his motorcycle, responded, "I can retrieve the package in five minutes."
The agent on the other end, who was coordinating the operation, warned, "Others are also five minutes away."
"They've posted the coordinates online."
By the time this conversation ended, Ward had already arrived at his destination. Parking his motorcycle, he said with a smirk, "If the mission were easy, it wouldn't be any fun."
Ward took off his helmet and pulled out a tray from inside his jacket as he entered the hotel's restaurant.
He quickly changed into a waiter's uniform, while updates about the target's position continued to come through his earpiece from his S.H.I.E.L.D. colleagues.
"Red tie, by the window."
Following the team's instructions, Ward approached the target, carrying the tray, and asked, "May I take your glass, sir?"
The target glanced at the waiter before him and nodded.
Ward smoothly took the used glass, placed it on the tray, and walked away. The cloth on the tray immediately scanned the fingerprints from the glass.
With the fingerprints secured, Ward made his way to the target's home.
Upon entering the apartment, he heard a woman singing in the bathroom, but he paid no mind to it. Ward twisted the tray in his hands, and the bottom edge of the tray transformed into a scanner, which he used to sweep the room.
Soon, Ward detected a safe hidden behind a painting.
He removed the painting, revealing the safe's keypad, and promptly entered the password. He then placed the cloth that had scanned the fingerprints onto his hand and pressed it against the fingerprint scanner.
A soft "ding" signaled that the fingerprint had been accepted. The fireplace below the painting began to rise, revealing a hidden compartment behind it.
Inside, Ward found stacks of cash, gold bars, and several unopened briefcases.
In the center of the cash piles was a small black pouch—the target item. Ward grabbed it and stuffed it into his pocket.
As he exited the secret compartment, a woman dressed in a nightgown walked in. Without missing a beat, Ward said, "Your fireplace is broken."
Just then two armed guards burst through the door.
Ward reacted instantly, hurling the tray at one guard with such force that it knocked him out. He then swiftly disarmed and subdued the second guard with a few quick moves.
The woman in the nightgown, unfazed by the confrontation, returned to her room to change clothes and calmly walked out.
Ward's earpiece crackled to life with a delayed warning from his teammate: "Ward, just a heads up—you might have company nearby."
Ward glanced at the two unconscious guards on the floor and dryly remarked, "Oh, really?"
With the threats neutralized, Ward left the apartment and made his way to the building's rooftop, where he boarded a helicopter to leave Paris.
…
S.H.I.E.L.D. Field Office, Agent Hill's Outpost-
Ward sat at a round table, waiting for further instructions from Agent Hill. Agent Hill asked, "What does S.H.I.E.L.D. stand for, Agent Ward?"
Ward calmly responded, "Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."
"And what does it mean to you?"
Ward smirked and said, "It means someone really wanted our initials to spell out 'shield.'"
Noticing that Hill was not satisfied with his answer, Ward continued, "It means we're a line of defense, standing between the world and the much weirder world. We keep people from knowing things they aren't ready to know."
"And if we fail, we make sure to keep them safe."
Ward then pulled out the target item from his pocket, "Like this Chitauri neural link."
"We got to it before the bad guys did."
He slid the neural link across the table toward Hill.
Hill picked up the item, examined it briefly, then stood up and asked, "Do you know who Von Strucker planned to sell this to?"
As she spoke, Hill placed the Chitauri neural link into a case held by another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent standing nearby.
Instead of answering her question, Ward asked, "I'm more interested in how the Rising Tide learned about this. Aren't they just a bunch of hackers? Has something changed?"
Hill turned to Ward and shook her head, "Everything's changed."
"The Battle of New York was the end of the world as we knew it. Now it's a new world."
"People are different now. They have access to advanced technology, enhancers, and secrets they're not ready to handle."
Ward wasn't particularly concerned about any of this.
Leaning forward, Ward looked at Hill and asked, "Why was I pulled back from Paris?"
Hill glanced at him before answering, "That's a question you'll have to ask Agent Coulson."
Ward sighed, "Come on, I have Level 6 clearance. I know Agent Coulson died during the Battle of New York."
"I read the full report. After all, he and I were both overseers for that person."
At that moment, Coulson stepped out from the shadows and said, "Welcome to Level 7."
Ward stood up, shocked, unable to believe his eyes.
Coulson smiled and said, "Sorry, that corner was pretty dark, and I just couldn't resist."
Ward moved forward and gave Coulson a hug, "Man, it's so good to see you alive."
Coulson hugged Ward back, joking, "Did you mourn for me?"
"Yes, I did, buddy."
Ward playfully punched Coulson in the chest, but Coulson didn't flinch.
After Coulson had been revived, Director Nick Fury had sent a physical enhancement serum to Coulson on the island of Tahiti. Freshly revived, Coulson underwent another physical enhancement.
Now, Coulson was an enhanced individual, on par with the likes of Hawkeye, Captain America, and Crossbones, although he was not particularly known for hand-to-hand combat as an agent.
"Director Fury faked your death to rally the Avengers," Ward remarked.
Hill added, "The death of a mutual friend can effectively unite people."
The three of them left the office and proceeded to another level, passing through a door after facial recognition confirmed their identities.
Coulson, still smiling, said, "And it wasn't as dramatic as it sounds. I was only dead for 40 seconds."
Hill countered, "It was just eight seconds, but you make it longer every time you tell the story."
--2--
·Chapter 724: Coulson's Invitation
As they entered the room, dozens of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were busily working inside. Coulson, walking alongside Ward, said, "If you got stabbed by Loki of Asgard, you can describe it however you want."
"I saw a white light at that moment, and it felt like more than 8 seconds."
Coulson and Ward walked up to a workstation and pinned their respective badges to their chests. Ward looked at the two and asked, "Do they know? Do the Avengers know Fury deceived them?"
Hill replied calmly, "They don't have Level 7 clearance."
Coulson continued, "As soon as I was out of intensive care, Fury locked me up in a glass room on the island of Tahiti."
He turned to Ward and said, "It was brutal. Mai Tai cocktails, Detective Mackey reruns, and a physical therapist who couldn't speak a word of English properly."
Soon, Coulson led them into a command room. Ward asked, "But what brought you back to work?"
Hill opened a screen in the command room, and it immediately began playing footage of the Hooded Man descending from the sky to save a young woman.
Ward was astonished, "What's this? A superhuman?"
Coulson, standing with his arms crossed, responded, "He's a superhero, Agent Ward."
Ward was puzzled, "Did he buy an enhancement serum? "
Hill interjected, "Unregistered, gifted, identity unknown."
The video continued to play, and Skye's voice was heard: "The secret's out. For decades, your organization..."
Several short clips were played, including footage of ninjas and Thor.
Coulson added, "Another little gift from the Rising Tide organization."
Ward was perplexed, "How did they get this information before we did?"
Coulson replied, "Just like how they cracked our RSA encryption system."
"They're good. That's why I need someone even better."
Ward looked at Coulson, still confused, and Hill explained, "Agent Coulson has requested a mobile command team, and you're going to be part of it."
Coulson clarified, "The Rising Tide wants to draw us out, so let's give them what they want."
Ward, serious, asked, "You want me to eliminate them?"
Coulson laughed, "Whoa, not at all."
"I want to use them to find this guy."
Coulson pointed to the Hooded Man on the screen.
"This man's world is about to get very strange. He needs help."
Ward glanced at the man on the screen, then looked back at Coulson, and said, "I'm sorry."
"Coulson, are you aware of what happened with Kabuto?"
Hill's expression turned uneasy, and Coulson's smile faded.
He slowly responded, "I saw the mission report Natasha submitted."
Ward, visibly upset, said, "We trusted him so much, gave him energy blocks to study."
"We brought hundreds of energy blocks to exchange for ninja techniques, and all we got in return was deception."
"Coulson, I'm not going to be part of a welcoming committee for new recruits anymore..."
Coulson listened to Ward's words in silence before finally saying, "I understand you..."
"I don't like it either, buddy, but I need your help."
"We've both been hurt by this."
Ward looked at Coulson and asked, "If there are more rogue ninjas or unknown superhumans, will you still trust them?"
Coulson looked back at Ward with a serious expression and replied, "Yes, I will."
At that moment, the command room door opened, and an elderly scientist with white hair, dressed in white, walked in.
"The team has been approved. They're all in good shape," he said, holding a file as he approached Coulson.
"Fitz and Simmons can't fight, but the higher-ups said that's not an issue."
"Agent Ward's physical condition is exceptional."
Ward stepped forward and remarked, "That's a problem. That should be a problem, right?"
"Maybe I shouldn't be part of the team because I..."
Hill, unimpressed, said, "Oh, for heaven's sake, you can go now..."
Ward, feeling a bit helpless, reluctantly left the command room, knowing Hill outranked him.
Hill turned to Coulson and said, "Ward isn't the only one you need. The others aren't quite suitable."
Coulson dismissed the concern, "The higher-ups approved it anyway."
"And besides, I'm super strong now!"
As he spoke, Coulson struck a bodybuilder pose, indicating that he was no longer the same person he once was.
The scientist commented, "I'd be more than happy not to approve you, Phil."
"I wish you'd take some more time off, learn to control your new strength."
Coulson smiled and said, "I've rested long enough, but thanks."
Hill approached Coulson and asked, "Are you sure?"
"You should go there someday too."
"Where to?" Hill asked.
"To the island of Tahiti, it's a magical place."
Hill laughed, "I wouldn't last three days there before begging for a mission."
"Exactly."
Coulson then left the command room as well.
Once Coulson was gone, the scientist remarked, "Tahiti..."
"He really doesn't know, does he?"
Hill nodded solemnly and said, "He must never find out."
…
Meanwhile, on the other side-
Charles used the Merlin Array to enter the magical world.
Seeing the wooden clone stationed inside the magic tower, Charles asked, "How many magical items have you collected?"
The wooden clone looked at Charles Doyle and said, "See for yourself."
With that, the wooden clone dispelled itself, transferring a vast amount of memories to Charles Doyle.
Due to the high quality and vast amount of chakra, this wooden clone had spent quite a long time in the magical world, and the influx of memories gave Charles a slight headache.
Soon, the memories were sorted out, and Charles understood what had happened in the magical world.
As per his request, some of the best blacksmiths in the magical world had been invited over to forge magical equipment using magical materials. Even his teacher and junior brother had been called in to help.
During this time, 30 magical items had been forged for Charles. These items were made from the bodies of extraordinary creatures, combined with mithril and inscribed with magical arrays.
The only regret was that during the Hell invasion, the enemies' bodies were completely shredded by Tobirama, leaving little material behind.
---3---
·Chapter 725: Lack of Materials
After absorbing all the memories from the wood clone, Charles ascended to the top floor of the magic tower.
Pushing open the door to the top floor, he saw that what was once an empty room was now filled with stone pillars resembling display stands.
On these stands rested thirty pieces of magical equipment, including armor, swords, rings, necklaces, crystal balls, cloaks, and robes, among other items.
The thirty pieces of magical equipment were all of different styles, each protected by a blue energy shield.
Charles approached the nearest piece of magical equipment, a necklace, and noticed an inscription on the display stand introducing the item.
Wind and Moon Necklace: A finely crafted accessory made by the renowned Lynette Lide, it provides a significant boost to magical power when worn.
The necklace, predominantly gold, featured a pendant with a circular ring and a blue moonstone, adorned with a purple azalea flower. The craftsmanship was impressive, befitting a master smith from the magical world.
Despite its beauty, Charles intended to use it for recharging.
Looking at the Wind and Moon Necklace within the energy shield, Charles used magic to deactivate the shield and took the necklace in hand.
A notification sounded.
Ding! A rechargeable item has been detected. Would you like to recharge it?
Recharge!
Ding! Recharge successful, 3,000 gold coins obtained.
Satisfied with the amount of gold coins received, Charles nodded in approval. This necklace was far more valuable than those magical items seized from sealed evil wizards.
Charles glanced at the remaining magical equipment and proceeded to recharge each one. Soon, all 30 pieces of magical equipment were fully recharged, yielding a total of 100,000 gold coins.
Due to the varying abilities, materials, and creators of each piece of magical equipment, their values fluctuated accordingly.
Ding! Congratulations, Charles Doyle, on reaching VIP Level 13. You have received a privilege package.
Ninja Shop Privilege: Each display window can now be purchased from up to 10 times per day!
Privilege Package: Includes 60,000 copper coins, 600 reputation points, 6 ninja recruitment scrolls, and 50 bowls of delicious ramen.
Reaching VIP Level 13 had been a long journey for Charles, and he couldn't help but marvel at the achievement.
After so many years, finally reaching Level 13, the privilege package—though only worth about a thousand gold coins—was better than nothing.
What truly excited Charles was the reward he will get at VIP Level 14: the Konoha Jōnin, Kakashi card.
This was the legendary "10,000-yen card" of Kakashi Hatake. When he fuses it with Kakashi again, perhaps the embarrassing shortage of chakra will finally be resolved.
Charles stroked his chin, pondering whether the physical enhancement would also boost Obito's Sharingan.
After all, various versions of Kakashi—Anbu Kakashi, Jōnin Kakashi, Kamui Kakashi, War Arc Kakashi, and even Summer Kakashi—all possessed Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan. What if this enhancement resulted in an unbeatable Kamui...
That... shouldn't happen, right?
Charles wondered curiously, though he knew that fusing the same eye wouldn't grant the Eternal Mangekyō; otherwise, every Uchiha would have Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Entering the system space, he noted his total gold coins had reached 120,199.
Charles went straight to the battle column. After spending 118,000 gold coins, Charles obtained two additional battle slots, leaving him just one slot away from completing the roster for the Cloud Village emergence.
Glancing at the remaining number of gold coins, Charles shook his head before exiting the system space.
Fortunately, there was still time, and he could afford to wait for now.
As he looked at the now-empty stone pillars in the room, Charles briefly considered having all the master smiths forge identical magical equipment to speed up the process.
However, based on the clone's memories, gathering these masters together and having them forge magical equipment was already a feat made possible only because of Charles's role in defending against the Hell invasion.
These master smiths were meticulous and slow in their craft, valuing quality over quantity, making it unlikely that they would mass-produce standardized items.
Moreover, the clone speculated that if the quality were compromised, the value of the items for recharge might be significantly lower, or they might not be considered valid for recharging at all.
Deciding not to dwell on the matter further, Charles stopped thinking about it.
Just then Balthazar entered the room, carrying a piece of magical equipment.
Seeing the empty room, Balthazar remarked in surprise, "Did we get robbed? Where did all the magical equipment go?"
Charles turned to face his teacher and said, "Teacher, I had other uses for those items, so I took them."
Balthazar nodded, not inquiring further about what Charles intended to do with those equipment.
Instead, he waved his hand, causing a stone pillar to rise in the room, leaving information about the magical equipment he held, though he handed it directly to Charles instead of placing it on the pillar.
"Since you're back, I'll hand this equipment directly to you."
Charles accepted the magical equipment and stored it in his inventory space.
"Thank you, teacher, and thank you for all your help during this time."
Balthazar shook his head and replied, "It's no trouble. But there's something you should know. We're running low on high-quality magical materials."
"Once the materials are fully forged, these master smiths will return to their own work."
"If you need a large quantity of magical equipment in the future, you'll have to start paying the masters. This time they did it for free because you're the Supreme Merlin and successfully repelled a Hell invasion."
"But next time, it won't be free."
Charles nodded at his teacher's words and responded, "I'll find a way to solve this problem."
"I trust you," Balthazar said before turning to leave, explaining that the forging process still required his assistance and some material coordination.
After Balthazar departed, Charles walked to the window and looked out at the magical world. This world, too, should be utilized.
With materials running low, it seemed he would need to find a way to exploit the Hell dimension's resources once again.
…
Elsewhere-
The hooded man who had saved a woman from an explosion was now sitting in a café, sifting through job advertisements in a newspaper, searching for useful information.
On the nearby television, a news report was playing, covering the story of his heroic actions.
"The identity of the Hooded Hero remains a mystery."
"Is there any way to thank him?" the woman he had saved asked during an interview.
"Unfortunately, the identity of the Hooded Hero is still unknown," the reporter responded.
"The research team at the Los Angeles Medical Center reported today that supernatural…"
The man glanced at the news on the television, a small smile playing on his lips, clearly pleased with the outcome of his actions.
----4----
·Chapter 726: Team Recruitment
As the hooded man was looking through the newspaper, a woman approached and sat down directly across from him. It was Skye, who had witnessed everything at the explosion site.
Lowering her voice after sitting down, Skye said, "Act natural."
The hooded man looked at her with confusion and asked, "What?"
"Just pretend we're talking," Skye replied.
"But we are talking," the hooded man responded, still puzzled.
"Exactly!" Skye glanced around the café, then continued, "You never know who might be listening."
Realizing there might be some truth to her words, the hooded man asked, "I don't even know who you are."
"I'm Skye. And you're the Hooded Hero," she said, a smile playing on her lips.
"You're not planning on sticking with 'Hooded Hero' as your name forever, are you?"
"Wait, what? No, no... I'm just a worker," he quickly denied.
Skye grabbed a sticky note from the table and, still smiling, said, "Sure, but only during the day."
"I saw you with my own eyes—you're a hero. A real superhero..."
"I'm not a crazy fan or a stalker, but..."
"You were really, oh my god, so handsome!"
After expressing her excitement, Skye tried to calm herself down before continuing, "You're in danger."
The hooded man, serious now, replied, "You've got the wrong person, miss."
"No, you're doing this wrong," Skye insisted.
"The girl you saved at the hospital really wants to thank you. It might even be 'that kind' of thank you."
"And here you are, hiding. The video of you saving that girl has the highest view count right now. Yet, you can't even find a job," she said, clearly having noticed the marked job ads in his newspaper.
The hooded man closed the newspaper, leaned back, and asked, "What do you mean by 'danger'?"
Seeing him finally acknowledging his identity, Skye said, "S.H.I.E.L.D."
"What shield? Should I be carrying a shield?" he asked, still not fully understanding.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.," Skye repeated, "the government. They hunt people like you. Scary, black-suited government agents. They knew New York was about to go to war before it happened, and then they cleaned it all up overnight. Nobody even realized what was happening."
"How long do you think it would take for them to deal with you?"
The hooded man replied, "And you wonder why I'm hiding?"
Skye countered, "But what if you didn't hide? What if you stepped out into the public and told everyone you're a hero? Just like those other superheroes."
He shook his head and said, "I'm just a regular guy."
"Regular people have jobs, benefits—I can help you," Skye offered.
"I'm great with computers, super great. I can help you create a brand-new identity, a mask to hide behind."
At this, the hooded man's interest faded. He stood up and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Seeing him stand up to leave, Skye hurriedly tried to stop him. As the hooded man stood up, Skye bumped into him slightly.
"Of course, you can keep using your old name, Hood," she said quickly, realizing he wasn't interested.
"Listen to me," she urged, "you've already stepped into the public eye, and there's no escaping that now."
"With great power..." she hesitated for a moment before continuing, "comes even stranger problems. You won't be prepared for what's coming."
"My office is..." she tried talking, but the hooded man turned to leave, sarcastically saying, "You have an office?"
Skye blocked his path, insisting, "Yes, I do. It's a... mobile office."
"It's a van. I live there—by choice. It's parked in the alley around the corner, free Wi-Fi, you're welcome anytime."
The hooded man looked at her, nodded, and said, "Thanks."
But then he still walked around her and left the café.
Watching him walk away, Skye wasn't disheartened. She smiled and waved, saying, "They'll come looking for you."
Once he was out of sight, Skye pulled out a work ID badge she had stolen from him when they bumped into each other. The photo and name on the badge confirmed his identity: Michael Peterson.
"Michael, I know your name now," she whispered to herself before exiting the café through another door.
…
S.H.I.E.L.D. –
Administration Division -
Melinda May was stamping documents when she heard Coulson's voice behind her.
"Agent May."
Without turning around, May refused directly, "No."
Coulson walked over to her, smiling. "Looks like you already know."
May continued sorting through her files, not even looking up, "I'm not going back into the field."
"Yeah, I get it. It's nice and cozy here," Coulson remarked.
"Ever considered adding a moat?"
May glanced up at him with a smirk, but Coulson continued, "I just need you to fly the Quinjet, handle ground transportation, and oversee the scene. It's not a combat mission."
May, still organizing her files, replied, "Then you don't need me."
"Oh, I do. We're going to be operating on our own now—choosing our missions, making our own decisions, no more red tape."
Coulson looked around the office and added, "This place is all about red tape, isn't it?"
May chuckled softly, a hint of self-mockery in her tone.
May looked at him, asking, "Are you really only asking me to fly the Quinjet?"
Seeing that he had piqued her interest, Coulson smiled as he walked away, saying, "This isn't a request. But the Quinjet is pretty nice."
Coulson then left May's office—he had another person to meet.
As she watched him leave, May smiled to herself.
"Maybe I should consider changing jobs. The Quinjet doesn't sound too bad."
…
Leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson drove his beloved car towards Chinatown.
He soon arrived at a sushi restaurant, the same place where he had first met Kabuto Yakushi.
Coulson ordered two servings of salmon sashimi, tempura, and miso soup. Once the food was served, a man walked over and sat down across from him.
It was none other than Kabuto Yakushi.
Without saying a word, Kabuto picked up a piece of salmon sashimi with his chopsticks and ate it.
-----5-----
·Chapter 727: Coulson's Team
Kabuto looked at Coulson, smiled, and said, "I knew it—you wouldn't die so easily."
Coulson also smiled and responded, "I thought the same, so here I am, alive again."
"But at that moment, my heart stopped for 50 seconds."
Kabuto remained indifferent, commenting, "50 seconds? That's a brief moment."
Coulson thought to himself, 'A miscalculation—holding one's breath for a while probably means nothing to a ninja.'
He then asked, "Can I still trust ninjas?"
"Or, if more wandering ninjas show up, should I recruit them?"
Kabuto pondered for a moment, thinking, 'Could it be that Lord Charles has brought more wandering ninjas into this world?'
"What I say doesn't matter," Kabuto replied.
"What matters is how you feel about it, isn't it? More importantly, how do you plan to keep them?"
Coulson nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, it was up to him to decide how to retain the ninjas, and if given the chance, S.H.I.E.L.D. would likely recruit them again, even if they were spies, to extract as much knowledge as possible.
Just the small bits of training they had gathered from Kabuto had already been highly beneficial to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Coulson pulled a stack of documents from his pocket—Kabuto's intelligence file, containing information S.H.I.E.L.D. had purchased from Charles agency.
"Given our relationship, can you tell me if this information is accurate?"
Kabuto took the documents, scanning through them. Though the details were incorrect, he still reviewed them.
After closing the file, Kabuto placed it back on the table and nodded. "Indeed, this is accurate intelligence from the Shinobi world. No mistakes."
Coulson whispered, "Thank you."
Kabuto wiped his mouth with a napkin, then softly said, "Thanks for the meal."
He stood up and left the restaurant.
After Kabuto departed, Coulson stared at the file in front of him. His main concern had been whether the intelligence provided by Charles Agency was genuine.
If it were false, could S.H.I.E.L.D. still trust them? How would they verify future information, or should they abandon this intelligence source altogether?
Surprisingly, Kabuto confirmed the information as true. If Kabuto wasn't lying, it meant that he might have been covertly recruited by Konoha's shinobi later on.
However, if Kabuto was lying, then Charles Agency might no longer be trustworthy.
Coulson pondered for a moment. He partially believed Kabuto but wasn't entirely convinced.
Still, the fact that Kabuto was willing to meet with him suggested the possibility of future cooperation.
Having resolved some of his doubts, Coulson left money for the bill on the table and exited the restaurant.
…
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters-
In the hangar, a black Quinjet was parked. Ward, carrying his luggage, walked towards it.
As the cargo door beneath the Quinjet opened, Ward removed his sunglasses and stepped inside.
Two team members were busy organizing their luggage when they quickly began arguing over something. Seeing this, Ward dropped his own luggage, the thud catching their attention.
Ward spoke up, "Fitz, Simmons?"
Simmons pointed to her male companion and said, "Fitz."
Fitz, in turn, pointed to Simmons and introduced, "Simmons."
He then added, "I specialize in engineering and mechanics; she specializes in biochemistry."
"Are you Agent Ward?" Fitz asked.
Ward took out a communication receiver from his pocket and said, "Coulson mentioned my receiver needs encoding."
"I don't know if you've used one of these before, it's..."
Before Ward could finish, Fitz walked over, took the receiver, and promptly smashed it with a small hammer before Ward could even react.
Ward paused for a moment, then calmly said, "New one."
Simmons, standing nearby, explained, "He's going to reset the intrusion detection and recognition system chip."
Fitz used tweezers to extract the chip from the device and said, "The in-ear communication system no longer requires an external receiver."
Ward removed the earpiece from his ear and asked, "So how do I...?"
Before he could finish, Simmons approached him with a cotton swab and, without warning, poked it directly inside of Ward's mouth, saying, "Silicone gel embedded with your DNA and nerve endings. Very trendy."
Ward sensed Simmons' sudden move but restrained himself from reacting.
Simmons placed the swab in a test tube and smiled, "Are you excited to join our exploration mission?"
Ward, adjusting his mouth, replied dryly, "Feels just like Christmas."
At that moment, Coulson drove up in his beloved car. Fitz, noticing it, commented, "One of Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D. antiques—a flamethrower, the world's first GPS. He's obsessed with that junk."
Coulson stepped out of the car and warned a ground crew member who was about to touch it, "Don't touch Lola."
Fitz, chuckling next to Ward, remarked, "He even gave it a girl's name."
Coulson led Ward towards the plane, saying, "Lola is more than just a collectible. People always assume that newer means better."
"This mobile command center was running full throttle throughout the 1990s, but then we got the Helicarrier."
"Have you ever heard the joke about the guy afraid of flying?"
Ward responded, "I successfully completed a night jump into a drop zone under heavy firepower, Coulson."
"I can handle it."
Coulson smiled, "Just kidding."
At that moment, Melinda May emerged, addressing Ward, "If you need to unpack, you'd better hurry. We're taking off in five minutes."
She then handed a file to Coulson and said, "We might have found a Rising Tide organization's route."
Coulson took the file and nodded, "Good, we need to follow up on the latest intel."
------6------
·Chapter 728: Centipede Project
Melinda handed Coulson the file and then walked towards the cockpit. Ward, intrigued by her, asked Coulson, "Is she who I think she is?"
Coulson looked up briefly at Ward, then went back to reading the file, saying, "She's just the pilot."
Ward, surprised, remarked, "Melinda May is just a pilot…"
"Coulson, what game are you playing here?"
Coulson finished reading the file, closed it, and said to Ward, "Go stow your luggage."
Soon, the cargo door of the plane closed, and Melinda piloted the aircraft out of the hangar. After a short run on the runway, the plane took off smoothly.
…
Meanwhile-
Skye was in her van, continuing making her video.
"How do they plan to catch us? Airborne assault? Roadside attack?"
"How are you going to keep us silent this time?"
"How can you do that?"
"The truth is out there, and everyone knows it."
"You can't stop the Rising Tide."
"You can't find us; you'll never know our identities."
"But trust me, we will rise against those who hide the truth from us."
"Nothing, nothing can stop me…"
As Skye was recording her audio, the van door suddenly opened. Coulson stood there with a professional smile, and beside him was Ward, dressed in a suit.
Skye turned to see the two men who had opened her van door, realizing she was in trouble, but she still greeted them, "Hey, guys."
However, what greeted her was a hood over her head. Then she was taken, along with her van, to an airport.
Ward escorted Skye into an interrogation room, where he removed the hood from her head.
Sitting in the chair, Skye looked at Ward and said, "You guys made a big mistake."
Ward sarcastically replied, "You don't look that big."
Coulson, standing nearby, added, "Sorry, no special treatment here."
"Agent Ward has a bit of a history with your organization."
"The Rising Tide."
Skye tried to defend herself, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Ward, standing in front of her, spoke coldly, "There are two ways this can go."
Skye asked curiously, "Is one of them the easy way?"
"There isn't."
Skye, feeling awkward, muttered, "No easy way…"
Ward asked, "What's your name?"
"Skye."
"What's your real name?"
Coulson intervened, "We can get to that later."
"Right now, we need another name, a hero's name."
Skye shook her head, "Why do you think I would know that?"
Coulson smiled, "Well, you made a small mistake."
He then sat down across from Skye and said, "The phone you used to record the Hooded Hero has the same encoded signature as some of the Rising Tide's posts."
As he spoke, Coulson tossed a file onto the table in front of Skye.
"Wow, really?"
"Was that a mistake?"
"Because right now, I'm sitting in your secret headquarters, aren't I?"
"What is this, a plane?"
"I got in, and now you've realized you can't hack my equipment. So, you got nothing."
Coulson pointed to the file and said, "It's quite a coincidence that you were right there just before the explosion happened. Care to tell me what my team is going to find?"
…
Meanwhile-
Melinda, Fitz, and Simmons arrived at the explosion site, bringing their equipment to examine the remnants of the scene.
…
Coulson continued, "How did you know the Hooded Man was in that building?"
Ward chimed in, "Did you blow up the building to draw him out?"
Skye looked directly at Ward and retorted, "Maybe that's what you did."
Coulson shook his head, "That's not our style."
Skye countered, "I was just tied up by your style."
"SHIELD covered up what happened in New Mexico, the Pegasus Project, the African incident. Of course, you'd want to cover up Centipede too."
Ward, surprised, glanced at Coulson and asked, "What's the Centipede incident?"
Seeing Ward's reaction, Skye smirked, "No way... you don't even know what Centipede is?"
"You've got billions of dollars in equipment, and I beat you with a laptop I won in a bet?"
Coulson, maintaining his calm and professional demeanor, said, "You should be thinking about your friend."
"We're not the only ones interested in superpowers."
"Yes, we want to recruit him."
"But the next people who come looking for him... they'll want to use him."
"And the ones after that? They'll want to dissect him."
As soon as Coulson finished speaking, Ward leaned in closer, adding pressure, and asked Skye, "What is Centipede?"
It was clear that Coulson was playing the good cop, while Ward was taking on the role of the bad cop.
…
Meanwhile-
At the same time as Coulson and Ward were interrogating Skye, Michael Peterson was looking at the eviction notice in his hand when he received a call from the doctor who had injected him with the Centipede serum.
"Yeah, I understand, but..."
"Doctor, people saw me—they saw what I can do."
"If I go public, it might actually be a good thing."
"It would show that your drug works, that it has noticeable effects, and..."
But the doctor on the other end of the line reminded him of the contract they had signed.
Michael glanced at the Centipede device on his arm and said, "Yeah, I know what I signed."
"But if we control the situation, maybe we could..."
"And what, you want me to go back to the factory and beg?"
"Those bastards wouldn't even give me severance pay—I don't think so..."
"Yeah, Doctor, I just want to..."
"Fine!"
Michael reluctantly hung up the phone. It was clear that the doctor wouldn't allow him to reveal himself and was insisting that he return to work as if nothing had happened.
However, having been fired from the factory, Michael couldn't even find a decent job, and now the immigration authorities had sent him an eviction notice.
This left Michael feeling extremely frustrated. Perhaps if he followed the doctor's advice and tried to talk to the factory supervisor, he could get his job back.
...
Elsewhere-
Simmons and Fitz arrived at the site of the explosion with their equipment. As they surveyed the room, Simmons remarked, "This was a laboratory."
"Was it a rented lab?"
Melinda May looked at the sign on the door and said, "Self-Recovery Center."
"Equipped with top-notch motion sensor security systems."
Simmons, observing the contents of the room, marveled, "A secret laboratory."
May added, "And a superhero showed up here—that's no coincidence."
"Was this explosion deliberate sabotage?"
"Was it aimed at him, or did they just lose control of their experiment?"
---------7--------
·Chapter 729: Truth Serum
Fitz approached with his toolbox and said, "This will solve the problem."
"Ladies, if you could step aside... Sorry."
Fitz maneuvered around May and Simmons, found an open space, and opened his toolbox, preparing to use his equipment to survey the scene.
May looked at him and said, "Agent Fitz, if you're going to be in the field, you can't shy away from getting your hands dirty."
Fitz responded while controlling a small drone that took off, "No need."
The drone flew up into the room and began scanning the entire area with its built-in scanner.
…
Meanwhile-
In the interrogation room, Skye began revealing information about Centipede:
"Centipede appeared online, then vanished."
"I tracked the MAC access point to the building where the explosion happened."
Ward asked Skye, "What do you want?"
"The truth," Skye replied.
She then countered, "What do you want?"
Ward calmly answered, "World peace."
Ward continued, "You so-called anarchist hackers love to stir up trouble."
"But when things go wrong, you vanish without a trace."
"Secrets are kept for a reason, Skye."
Skye looked at the approaching Ward and said, "Just because you're somewhat reasonable and physically strong doesn't mean you're not just a cold-hearted, soulless government tool."
Ward's tone shifted, growing more impatient, "Just give us your friend's name."
"He's not my friend."
At this moment, Coulson intervened, "You know he's in danger."
Skye turned to Coulson and said, "Then let me go. Let me talk to him."
She pointed at Ward, "I'll talk to him, not this T-1000 robot."
Ward, still expressionless, asked, "You want to talk to him alone?"
"Of course."
Ward ignored Skye and turned to Coulson, saying, "She's just an extremist, hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D. and chasing after superpowers."
"She's probably one of those girls who play dress-up under Stark Tower."
Skye, surprised that her past was exposed, angrily responded, "What?"
"It was just one time."
Coulson then opened the door to the interrogation room and said, "Ward, step outside."
Coulson and Ward left the interrogation room, and as they walked, Coulson asked, "Is it her?"
"Did she get under your skin?"
"Or is it because of the mission?"
"Are you trying to sabotage the interrogation just to get out of this team?"
Ward replied, "Coulson, give me just one minute alone with her, and I'll get the answers."
Coulson looked at Ward and said, "She's valuable."
Ward countered, "She's just a..."
"Wait... valuable?"
Coulson nodded and continued, "We know nothing about her."
"Do you know how unusual that is?"
"The last time we encountered someone like this was with those ninjas. We need everything she knows."
As he spoke, Coulson pulled out a case, opened it, revealing a gun-like injector.
Ward looked at Coulson, frowning slightly, and asked, "Do you think she's connected to the ninjas?"
"Or do you think she might be one of them?"
Coulson replied, "Who knows? But someone who leaves no traces like this isn't simple."
"Ninjas, Norse gods, wizards—which one do you think she is?"
Ward fell silent, realizing that the person they had captured was hiding significant secrets.
…
Meanwhile-
Simmons watched the drones flying around the room, scanning everything, and explained to May:
"We've designed each device with different capabilities. Some are for recording the room's dimensions and textures."
"Others detect material density, radiation levels, and one just handles smells."
Fitz, controlling the drones, suddenly exclaimed, "Wow!"
"I found something inside some of these objects."
Simmons quickly asked, "What did you find?"
Fitz pointed to a spot, "Over there."
May walked over to the indicated area, removed some debris, and uncovered a camera.
"A surveillance camera, destroyed."
Fitz smiled, "Yes, but this model has a flash memory backup in case of a power failure."
"I can sync it with the motion detector's data."
"If we're lucky, we might find images from before the explosion."
At that moment, Simmons said, "We detected some chemicals."
May looked at Simmons and asked, "Is it an explosive?"
Simmons walked over, picked up an item from the floor, and said, "Oh my, it's not from Earth."
…
Meanwhile-
Coulson and Ward reentered the interrogation room.
Coulson was holding a small vial and said, "This is QNB-T16."
As he loaded it into the injector, he explained, "It's an advanced cocktail derived from thiopental sodium. It's the latest and strongest truth serum."
"Don't worry, the effect lasts only an hour."
Ward walked over to Coulson, raising his hands toward Skye, and said:
"You'll just take a little nap, and we'll get all the answers..."
Before Ward could finish his sentence, Coulson injected the serum into Ward's arm.
"What?"
Ward winced in pain and looked at Coulson, "What are you doing?"
"Sorry, did that hurt?"
Ward released his grip on his arm, calmly responding, "No."
"But you must be out of your mind. You shouldn't do this to your team members."
Ward felt a twinge of anxiety. What was Coulson planning? Had he discovered something? It didn't make sense.
Ward knew the serum had little effect on him due to his enhancements, but he couldn't let Coulson know that. He wanted to see what Coulson was up to.
A second later, Ward added, "Okay, maybe it does hurt a bit."
"But I usually try to hide the pain in front of pretty women—it makes me more manly."
As he finished speaking, Ward glanced at his arm.
"Wow, this stuff works fast."
Skye, her mouth agape, watched everything unfold, unsure of what was happening.
Ward sat down in the chair, remaining silent.
Coulson, still smiling innocently, said to Skye, "You don't trust us, right?"
"Go ahead, ask him anything."
---------8----------
·Chapter 730: Bad Luck
As Coulson turned to leave the interrogation room, Ward quickly spoke up, "Wait, you can't do this…"
"This definitely isn't by the book…"
But before Ward could finish, Coulson had already closed the door, leaving the room.
Seeing Coulson leave, Ward internally sighed with relief.
However, he knew he still had to put on a good act, knowing there were cameras in the interrogation room.
He understood Coulson's strategy—he needed to play along to earn Skye's trust without giving himself away.
With Coulson gone, Skye's interest was piqued. Recalling Ward's earlier comments, she removed her jacket, revealing her figure.
"You look tense, Agent Ward," she teased.
Ward glanced at her, then raised his head, saying, "I'm recalling my training."
As an agent, he had undergone training on how to handle truth serums.
"I would never reveal any classified information to someone who's out to sabotage us."
Skye stood up from her seat and moved closer to Ward, leaning in and whispering, "How many have you killed?"
Ward hesitated briefly, then closed his eyes as if trying to recall something difficult. Eventually, he responded, "High-risk targets. But they were all bad people."
Skye circled around him, leaning forward on the table, looking at him closely.
Ward continued, "They were trying to kill good people, but even after that, I didn't feel great."
Skye asked, "Does your grandmother know about these things?"
Ward looked at Skye with a pained expression, "Grandma?"
The two then engaged in a long conversation that lasted for an hour.
…
Meanwhile-
Michael Peterson returned to the factory where he used to work, pleading with his supervisor to give him his job back.
However, the supervisor, while inspecting the workshop, paid little attention to Michael and said, "There's nothing I can do, Mike. It's company policy."
"You didn't meet the workload requirements, so I had to let you go."
Michael walked alongside the supervisor, pleading, "Gary, I've got nothing else. It's just me and my son."
"I need a job to support us."
The supervisor stopped walking and once again refused, "There are no positions available."
"Even if there were, Mike, there are a hundred other guys just like you waiting in line, but they don't complain when their backs hurt."
Michael tried to explain, "I was injured back then, but I'm much stronger now."
"I can do twice the work I used to," Michael offered, desperate to get his job back.
But the supervisor wasn't convinced and responded, "Didn't you hear me? You're not up to the task. When I say push the stuff away, I need…"
At that moment, Michael glanced at a cart stacked high with goods and, in a show of strength, shoved it several meters away, knocking over a shelf.
"Like this?"
Seeing Michael's display of power, Gary yelled in anger, "Are you out of your mind?"
Hearing the supervisor's scolding, Michael placed his hand on the supervisor's face and pushed him with such force that the supervisor was sent flying.
Gary tumbled through the air and crashed into a stack of steel pipes, knocking them over as he hit the ground, unconscious.
Looking at the fallen supervisor, Michael pointed to the nearby workers and said:
"These are people, Gary."
"People."
"Not parts you can just replace when they're broken."
As he spoke, Michael grabbed an oxygen tank from nearby and held it in his hand.
Gary, lying on the ground, pleaded, "It's not my fault. Blame the company—it's the company's policy."
"I'm not a bad guy, I'm not the villain here."
Michael stared coldly at the supervisor and replied, "No, you are."
"It's simple, just like the stories I used to read—you're the villain."
"And I am the hero."
With that, Michael swung the oxygen tank and brought it down on Gary's head.
…
An hour passed, and as the effects of the drug wore off, Ward passed out in the interrogation room.
Skye had already left and made her way to Coulson's command room.
Coulson glanced at the screen showing Ward and asked, "What did Ward tell you?"
"He said he went to Paris but didn't see anything."
"He also said you should have stayed on Tahiti."
Coulson chuckled and replied, "It's a magical place."
Skye looked around the room and then said, "Ward doesn't like your style, but I do."
"And what about his?"
Just then, Coulson received a message, and with a wave of his hand, he projected the video onto a nearby screen.
A female reporter appeared on the screen, saying, "The situation remains critical. Employees didn't recognize the attacker, but surveillance footage confirmed it."
"This man assaulted the factory supervisor and then caused thousands of dollars in damage to factory equipment."
Soon, Michael's image appeared on the news, along with footage of him damaging the equipment.
Seeing this, Skye froze, then turned to Coulson and said, "This isn't right."
"This isn't…"
"The man I met—he just needed a bit of luck or a job."
Coulson looked at Skye, nodded, and said, "Then let's give him some luck."
"What did you find?"
Skye, realizing that there was no longer a need to keep secrets, handed over the employee ID she had stolen from Michael.
…
At the same time-
May, Fitz, and Simmons, who had been investigating the explosion site, had all returned to the plane.
Coulson pressed his earpiece and said, "May, Fitz, Simmons, come here."
The three of them quickly entered, and Coulson handed the employee ID to Fitz.
"Fitz, check his records."
Fitz took the ID and placed it on the workstation in the command room for scanning.
Soon, all of Michael's information appeared.
"Michael Peterson, factory worker, married, has one child."
"Injured, laid off, wife left."
After hearing Fitz's report, Coulson said, "He's a good man, just had a bit of bad luck."
"The most likely scenario is that someone told him they could make him stronger, give him superpowers."
May then asked, "Who would have that kind of technology, and what's their purpose?"
Coulson didn't answer immediately but instead asked, "Fitz, any clues from the surveillance footage before the explosion?"