Taking Peter on a roller coaster, John calmly made a phone call, ignoring the pig-like screams of Peter and Ned next to him.
"We've investigated it thoroughly. The owner of that ship is named Kaito Desmond, the boss of a ship leasing company involved in energy and multiple medical companies," Hattie reported from the other end of the phone, having already found the person based on the information John provided.
"That guy disappeared for a while. He's German, and during college, he joined an organization called the Mitter Brotherhood," she continued. In Western universities, it's popular to form fraternities, and not everyone can join. The brotherhood Desmond joined was an exclusive one.
The period he was missing was after graduation. After that, Desmond's path was smooth; he made a fortune in the financial market with his considerable intellect. Hattie used her MI6 identity to find out some other things. "This guy is the financial backer behind several Middle Eastern organizations and provides election funds for many powerful figures in politics," Hattie frowned and said helplessly, "I can't find out anything more."
"That guy has been active in America in recent years, and you know where I'm from," she added. Although she said not much, Hattie had practically dug up Desmond's entire life.
"Alright, it seems I still need to find some other people." The people and funds involved behind Desmond were definitely not something one person could control; John needed a little patience to uproot him completely.
During their conversation, a phone call interrupted. John answered, and Natasha's voice came through.
"What's the situation with the person you gave me," Natasha said in a low voice from S.H.I.E.L.D., "I found I didn't have enough clearance when I investigated."
"You don't have enough?" John looked surprised. Natasha had level seven clearance in S.H.I.E.L.D., and above her were only the deceased Coulson, Nick Fury, and Agent Hill. A businessman required clearance above level seven to be viewed? Watson Wick was only classified as level eight. This guy couldn't be higher than his Dad, could he?
"This is very strange." Natasha tilted her head, holding the phone with her shoulder, and typed quickly on the keyboard. "It's like someone is deliberately hiding this person's information." After Natasha finished speaking, she pressed the enter key. A red 'Access Denied' symbol popped up on the display. She frowned tightly, sensing something was wrong.
Unless Nick Fury deliberately hid Desmond's information. No, that's not right. It's not just Fury who can do it; the previous directors could too. Natasha seemed to have discovered something significant.
She said solemnly, "I will investigate this thoroughly. Don't alert them."
With that, she hung up the phone and turned to look behind her. Barton leaned against the door frame, holding a handful of nuts and taking a bite. He asked, "Need help?"
In S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha's most trusted person was Barton, and Barton's most trusted person was also Natasha. He witnessed Natasha attempting to bypass clearance to access files but didn't say anything, instead asking if she needed help. Hearing this, Natasha said, "I don't want to involve you."
"Me?" Barton smiled. "It's us, Nat."
Natasha's heart warmed. No matter when, she could trust Barton, except for the last time she was controlled by Loki.
John handed the matter of Desmond over to Natasha to investigate. The frequent displays of 'father-son affection' with Peter were quickly noticed by Fisk. Fisk watched the video of the 'father and son' in harmony, and his hatred grew heavier. If it weren't for John, he would be with Vanessa right now; they might have a child and be just as harmonious in the future. Instead, he was staying in this hotel, and Vanessa was forced to go abroad.
Fisk looked up at the camera. The monitoring FBI agents thoughtfully turned off the camera. The red light on the camera in the room went out, and Fisk went to the secret door in the wardrobe. He walked inside and looked at the information about Dax that had been sent. When he saw the beginning, he smiled. This kind of person was too easy to control.
He held a box of cassette tapes in his hand, taken from Dax's home. He put one into the tape recorder and played it, listening to the recordings of Dax's past therapy sessions, gaining even more confidence.
At this moment, Dax was still feeding pigeons in the park, a pastime he had recently started. He would always subconsciously imitate people he admired. He scattered a handful of breadcrumbs, and the pigeons flew down to peck at the food. Dax suddenly froze. He saw a familiar person. The woman laughing and talking with her colleague walked by. He recognized her.
That was the North Star. Dax had relied on day and night in the past. She was still so kind, full of love for the small animals on the roadside. But Dax no longer had that kind of obsession he had before. She didn't notice Dax; perhaps in her impression, he was just a colleague she had helped in the past. That was all. She didn't know that there was once a person who was obsessed with her to the bone, who wanted to be her husband, and who saw her as his guiding North Star.
Now, Dax smiled and waved slightly. He was saying goodbye to his past self.
"Buzz buzz—" His phone rang. It was Ray calling. After Dax answered, Ray's serious voice came through: "Hell's Kitchen operation." It seemed Fisk had said something again.
Dax nodded. He stood up and looked at the woman's retreating back. This scene was captured by someone. The person who took the photo sent it out. Dax sensed something and looked back; that person was holding their phone and taking pictures elsewhere, seemingly not specifically taking pictures of him.
"Illusion?" Dax muttered. Since getting the super spine implant, his physical condition was getting better day by day. His body had undergone some special changes; not only was he stronger, but his vision and hearing had also improved. The passerby, unable to figure out how he was noticed, quickly left. The woman who had left earlier walked back at this time, her friend asking, "What are you looking at?"
"I..." The woman looked at where Dax had been standing and shook her head. "I thought I saw a former colleague."
John saw the news that the FBI had once again led a team to bust an illegal organization. Fisk's name also entered the public eye, and many people were surprised to find that the man who should have been in prison was now assisting the FBI in solving cases. This was difficult for many to accept, and they gathered at the hotel entrance holding banners and shouting slogans in protest, though it had little effect.
John watched for a while and asked Moss, "What's the plan for today?"
Moss replied, "Pick Peter Parker up from school and go play in Brooklyn, Mr."
Hearing the arrangement, John frowned in dissatisfaction and said, "Why haven't they come to kidnap Peter yet?" He was annoyed. How long had it been? Couldn't they be more efficient? As villains, they should feel ashamed for not having this much initiative. John sighed melancholically, but the good news was that there was progress on Desmond's matter.
The first thing Natasha said when they met was, "S.H.I.E.L.D. has a traitor."
John was not surprised by this. Natasha hadn't expected that there were traitors within S.H.I.E.L.D., otherwise, she couldn't explain Desmond's clearance level.
"What are you going to do now?" John raised an eyebrow at Natasha.
After a brief pause, Natasha said, "I need to tell Fury." As the director, it wouldn't be bad for them if Fury knew about this. "We need to find more traitors lurking in S.H.I.E.L.D. through Desmond," Natasha said, "I hope you can temporarily put him aside."
"Oh?" John stroked his chin. "For how long?"
Natasha said confidently, "Very quickly. A few traitors are not a problem for S.H.I.E.L.D. to investigate."
Seeing her confident look, John said meaningfully, "What if there's more than just a few?"
Natasha's expression was questioning, "How many traitors could there be in the mighty S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
John just smiled profoundly. Well, that wasn't certain. After all, the last organization where everyone was an enemy mole was called the Winery.
(End of Chapter)
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