A Little Story from Chapter 260

When Coulson and the others returned to the Air Command, Skye had already found Ian Quinn’s address online. But when she handed the information to Coulson, she still refused to believe Quinn was the one who had kidnapped Dr. Hall. She could not help saying, "Sir, could there be some misunderstanding here? Quinn is a good man. His charitable donations amount to nearly eight billion."

As he read through the information, Coulson casually retorted, "The money he donated was earned by draining Earth’s resources. He is nothing but a greedy transporter of nature."

Skye froze for a moment. Coulson’s words left her unable to argue back. Since her life revolved around exploring mysteries online and frequenting major forums year-round, she knew full well what excessive resource exploitation would do to Earth.

Still, Skye felt there was something wrong with Coulson’s assessment. For example, the workers supported by Quinn International, and the people who had survived hardships thanks to Quinn’s donations.

Skye turned to Li Feng, hoping he would stand up and say something.

Unfortunately, not only did Li Feng fail to help her argue that Quinn was a good person, he even mocked her. "Whether someone is good or bad isn’t determined by how much they donate. Seriously, how have you lived all these years? You don’t even know how dangerous people’s hearts can be?"

"Maybe I’ve just been lucky and never encountered anything sinister," the optimistic Skye said with a shrug.

Girl, that really hits where it hurts. I don’t have luck like that. Li Feng thought with a dark expression, then said, "As for whether someone is good or bad, an old man once told me a story and asked me a question. I’ll repeat it to you."

"There was a group of soldiers who obeyed their king’s orders and invaded a neighboring country suffering from famine. Along the way, they killed anyone who resisted, even women and children." After a pause, Li Feng looked at Skye and asked, "Tell me, were the soldiers good people or bad people?"

Skye thought for a while before saying, "The soldiers were only following the king’s orders. The king was the bad one, right?"

Li Feng nodded without commenting and continued the story. "Every time the soldiers captured a city, the king in the rear sent food there, even though he knew the people inside still considered themselves citizens of the neighboring country. He fed those famine-stricken people. Tell me, was the king bad?"

Skye looked somewhat lost and shook her head. "I don’t know. Although the king was trying to win people’s hearts, he did save civilians. Does that make him a good person?"

Li Feng smiled. "When the soldiers had wiped out half the neighboring country’s population and occupied half its land, the people there had enough food to survive because the population had dropped so sharply. Meanwhile, the soldiers received the king’s order to lay down their weapons and return home, because the war was over."

"Afterward, the king treated the people who had once belonged to the neighboring country equally and focused on developing his nation, ensuring that all his subjects had bread and meat at every meal." Li Feng looked at Skye seriously and asked, "Tell me, after they died, should those soldiers who invaded another country and killed even women and children go to Heaven or Hell? And where should the king who ensured his people had meat at every meal go after his death?"

"Here’s a hint: even if the king hadn’t invaded the neighboring country, as long as that country’s king had the heart to kill half his own people, he could have survived the famine too."

Skye frantically rubbed her hair and looked toward Coulson as if asking for help, hoping he would analyze it for her.

Coulson fell silent for a moment before saying, "This is politics. It has nothing to do with whether people are good or bad. At least, not for the soldiers."

Li Feng curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Don’t give me that politics nonsense. I’m asking where they go after they die. What, do you think where someone goes after death depends on their political leanings in life? Those who advocate tax cuts go to Heaven, while those who advocate tax increases go to Hell?"

"Then leave it to God’s judgment." Coulson shrugged. "I’m only human. I don’t have the authority to decide where anyone goes after death."

God was the one who asked me this story. Could I really answer right in front of Him that it had nothing to do with me? Li Feng rolled his eyes at Coulson, then turned to Skye and motioned for her to think of the answer herself.

After finishing Quinn’s file, Coulson casually set it aside, sat across from Li Feng with curiosity, and asked, "How did you answer back then?"

Li Feng scratched his head awkwardly, forcing a stiff smile as he said quietly, "I said to leave it to the judges. They’re the professionals."

"Who are the judges?" Coulson asked in confusion, unfamiliar with chinese mythology.

After Melinda quietly explained to Coulson what the judges were, she rolled her eyes at Li Feng and said, "He was clearly asking about Heaven and Hell, yet you dragged it into the underworld? You’re really something. I’m curious—how did that old man react after hearing your answer?"

What reaction could there be? He nearly beat me up. Li Feng turned his head away, making it clear that he did not want to answer.

But Skye clearly had no intention of letting Li Feng off. In a coquettish tone, she pressed, "Uncle Austin, just tell us. I’m really curious how the old man evaluated your answer."

Li Feng glared irritably at Skye for exposing him, rubbed his face, and said, "The old man didn’t comment on my answer. Instead, he told another story."

"What story?" Skye asked curiously.

"Uh…" Seeing everyone on Coulson’s team surrounding him with expressions that clearly said they wanted to hear a story, Li Feng scratched between his brows and said, "It was about a farmer. To make sure his family had enough to eat, the farmer constantly guarded the little food growing in his fields. During that time, he killed countless Field Mice and birds that came to steal food. He even crippled a homeless man who had stolen some grain. The old man pointed out that the homeless man eventually starved to death because of his disability, then asked me how the farmer should be dealt with after death. Should he go to Heaven because he fed his family, or descend into Hell for killing living beings?"

After hearing the story, Skye could not think of an answer and only felt her head aching. She scratched her hair and asked, "How did you answer?"

To the side, Coulson inexplicably felt that the old man Li Feng spoke of was no ordinary person, because all these questions involved human nature.

For example, in the soldiers’ story, the king had boldly embarked on the great endeavor of expanding his territory while the neighboring country was down on its luck. Judging by how he devoted himself to developing the nation after the war, he had done fairly well.

But how should the soldiers who had been killed for resisting the invasion be counted? What about the women and children? Coulson did not believe the king would record such people in his memoirs.

Perhaps as time passed, people would only praise the king’s wisdom. No one would spare a second glance for the dry bones buried beneath the wheels of history.

As for the farmer’s story, although the farmer had not personally killed the homeless man, legally speaking, he still bore some responsibility for the man’s death.

Besides, in God’s eyes, creatures like Field Mice and birds were also living beings, equal in status to the homeless man.

After carefully reconsidering the stories and pondering the old man’s identity, Coulson asked curiously, "Yes, where exactly should the farmer go?"

Li Feng spread his hands. "I answered that they should ask the farmer where he wanted to go. If he chose Heaven, then pave the road to Heaven with Hellfire. If he chose Hell, then give the farmer a knife, sneak him into Hell after avoiding the Demons’ attention, and let him fend for himself."

You could answer like that? Skye was a little bewildered. "What did the old man say?"

"The old man told me to get lost," Li Feng said indifferently.

In truth, what Li Feng had cared about at the time was not how to answer God’s question, but why God had asked him about who should go to Heaven and who should go to Hell in the first place.

He was only a Mage, not God. Why should he ponder who went to Heaven and who went to Hell?

Besides, God had told so many little stories like this that Li Feng was now full of little stories and questions.

"That’s enough stories about good and evil." Li Feng clapped his hands, signaling everyone to stop dwelling on the stories. "Now, please come up with a plan to seize the Gravity Well—no, to rescue Dr. Hall."

"Maybe don’t say the quiet part out loud," Coulson said helplessly. "You’re making it sound as if we’re all kidnappers."

With that, Coulson pointed at Ian Quinn’s file and said, "I have reason to believe Quinn kidnapped Dr. Hall. But Quinn is in the Republic of Malta in the Mediterranean. He is currently living in the former prime minister’s residence, which is protected by laser fencing."

"There is another problem. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cannot enter the Republic of Malta, because if we are caught, they can legally shoot us."

"Also, Quinn International will hold a shareholders’ meeting this week. All kinds of celebrities are already staying in or near the former prime minister’s residence. So if we are captured, S.H.I.E.L.D. will immediately distance itself from us."

Finally, Coulson summarized, "In other words, our rescue mission has no inside support, no backup, carries mortal danger, and could provoke global outrage against S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Tch. S.H.I.E.L.D. really feels pathetic," Li Feng muttered before waving his hand. "Let me go. I refuse to believe some laser fence can stop me, or that anyone can stop me."

After saying all that nonsense, this was the line you were waiting for. Coulson smiled warmly, then turned and ordered, "May, head for Malta’s airspace immediately. Everyone else, get back to what you were doing."

Seeing Coulson so efficiently give May the order, Li Feng stared blankly for a moment before getting up and dragging Skye into the wine cabinet. Pointing at the bottles inside, he said, "Girl, help me find out which bottle is the most expensive. I’m drinking it right now."

Skye glanced back at the smiling Coulson. Seeing that Coulson had no intention of stopping Li Feng, she opened her laptop to search while smiling. "Uncle Austin, are you getting back at Coulson for setting you up?"

"Obviously." Li Feng casually opened a bottle, drained it in two or three gulps, wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth, and said, "Do you know why S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Fury has such a shiny bald head? It’s because Fury loves overthinking everything for no reason, and he eventually went bald. Now think about Coulson’s position in Fury’s heart, then look at Coulson’s hairstyle. So don’t be fooled by Coulson’s good-guy face. That heart of his…"

Coulson wordlessly touched his hair. What did my hairstyle ever do to you? And Fury shaves his head himself. It’s not that he can’t grow hair.

And why did he feel that Li Feng was not targeting Fury at all, but some other bald man?