Barbecue at Stonehenge

Coulson’s words plainly told Li Feng that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been monitoring his calls. Li Feng grumbled inwardly in irritation: Even someone like Selvig, who only cares about research, knows you monitor citizens. Aren’t you people getting a little too rampant with this surveillance business?

Li Feng shot Coulson a glare and bared his teeth. "That’s why I don’t like buying phones."

"No." How could Coulson not know what Li Feng was thinking? He quickly shook his head, denying the phone surveillance. "Actually, we’re monitoring Dr. Selvig and Jane. As for your phone…" Coulson glanced at Li Feng’s shoulder bag, as though he could see the satellite phone inside, and said helplessly, "We have no way of cracking the satellite phone Stark made for you."

So it wasn’t that they didn’t want to monitor him—they simply couldn’t? Li Feng slung an arm around Coulson’s shoulder and walked toward the office with a grin. "As Thor’s friend, I think it’s necessary for me to tell him that S.H.I.E.L.D. is openly spying on his girlfriend. Are you courting death, or are you courting death?"

After a pause, Li Feng waggled his eyebrows and quietly asked, "Did you happen to catch Jane’s bath time?"

Even if there was footage, would a weakling like you dare watch it? Do you believe Thor wouldn’t come chop you up with an axe? Coulson’s mouth twitched. Wearing the fakest smile imaginable, he said, "Precisely because Jane is Prince Thor’s girlfriend, we’ve been protecting her in secret."

Coulson spread his hands and stressed, "We don’t want some idiot provoking Jane and bringing Thor’s or the Asgardian royal family’s displeasure upon us. In any case, regardless of anyone’s identity, no one is allowed to smear Ms. Jane’s innocence."

The way he said that made it sound like he was implying Li Feng was smearing Jane’s reputation. The problem was, Li Feng hadn’t monitored Jane. Still, someone as protective of his own life as Li Feng had no desire to be misunderstood by Thor. He shrugged, thinking about how to end the topic of Jane, but his mouth remained as sharp as ever. "Not even ghosts would believe that."

Coulson smiled mildly and led Li Feng into the office.

Coulson sat behind his desk and took out a bottle of mineral water, offering it to Li Feng. Li Feng shook his head, looked around the office, where he couldn’t find so much as a wineglass, and complained, "I think you should keep some alcohol in your office."

Right, so you can come here and wreck it? Coulson put away the mineral water and asked, "What does the Nine Realms mean?"

"It means the nine major kingdoms." Li Feng fiddled with the little trinkets on Coulson’s desk as he casually explained.

Coulson leaned back in his chair, fell silent for a moment, then asked, "You mean the nine realms such as Asgard, Midgard, and Jotunheim?"

Li Feng nodded. Coulson asked curiously, "And what does Convergence mean?" As he spoke, Coulson interlaced his fingers and held them up before him. "Does it mean crossing over each other like this?"

Li Feng looked at Coulson’s gesture, scratched his head, and explained, "The Convergence of the Nine Realms means that the nine worlds will line up. When that happens, certain regions on Earth will overlap with other worlds, causing phenomena like gravity distortions and compressed space."

Coulson frowned, just about to ask something when Li Feng continued, "Gravity distortions are easy enough to understand. For example, a car in an affected area might weigh less than a sparrow, or it might become as heavy as a ten-thousand-ton cargo ship. As for compressed space… just think of it as a Portal created by nature."

Coulson’s expression stiffened. After lowering his head to think for a while, he suddenly looked up and asked, "You mean that some regions will open Portals, sending people or creatures to other worlds? Or allowing aliens from other worlds to come to Earth?"

When Li Feng nodded, Coulson instinctively picked up the phone on his desk, preparing to inform Fury so that Fury could make the appropriate preparations.

Li Feng did not stop him. He rose to his feet and said, "I don’t know when the Convergence of the Nine Realms will happen. At present, the only person who can calculate the date is…"

With the phone in one hand, Coulson listened blankly to Li Feng’s explanation. When Li Feng paused just as he was about to name the person who could calculate the Convergence, Coulson’s mind immediately raced. He guessed, "Dr. Selvig can calculate it?"

Li Feng nodded and opened the office door. "Oh, and space will be very fragile during the Convergence of the Nine Realms, so Ancient One will be busy and won’t have time to interfere with Earth’s spatial overlaps. But she specifically came to me and asked me to deal with some minor troubles. So I’ll be hanging around Selvig in England lately. Don’t come looking for me if there’s nothing wrong, and definitely don’t come looking for me if there is. I’m busy."

After saying that, Li Feng instantly turned into Black Mist and vanished before Coulson’s eyes.

Watching Li Feng disappear, Coulson rubbed his forehead and recalled what Li Feng had said. He tapped the desk thoughtfully, thinking: At present, I know Ancient One’s responsibility is protecting Earth. So when she says she’ll be busy, it’s highly likely that battles will break out in the Magic World during the overlap of the Nine Realms…

With that thought, Coulson sat upright at his desk, took out a pen, and wrote down every sentence Li Feng had said on a sticky note. He carefully considered the meaning of each sentence and analyzed: The trouble Ancient One asked Austin to handle is highly likely related to alien creatures…

Austin is going to England to find Dr. Selvig, and he reminded me not to look for him during this period. Is it because the location where the nine worlds overlap is in England? Does he want to make arrangements in the area before the spatial overlap to prevent aliens from invading Earth?

But why didn’t Austin ask Stark, Captain, and the others for help? Is it because there will be very few aliens invading Earth this time, or because they’re all weaklings and Austin is confident he can handle them alone?

After a long while, Coulson stared blankly at the words on the sticky note. The more he thought, the more his head hurt. After considering it, he picked up the phone and reported his guesses and analysis to Fury.

As for what Fury would think and how he would handle it, Coulson felt his rank was too low and his experience too limited. He would leave the headache to Fury. He was just a little soldier; following the orders of the big shots could never be wrong.

Meanwhile, Li Feng returned to the lakeside and lay in a recliner, drinking beer in the breeze, when the satellite phone in his shoulder bag rang shrilly.

Li Feng glanced at the caller ID. Seeing that Fury was calling, he casually pressed the hang-up button. As he tossed the phone into the motorhome, he called out, "Kreacher, have you prepared the picnic stuff?"

Kreacher instantly appeared before Li Feng with a suitcase in hand. Blinking his watery eyes, he said, "Boss, Kreacher prepared lots of pastries and drinks."

Just then, the phone inside the motorhome rang again. Li Feng curled his lip and muttered, "Fury, Fury, are you ever going to stop being annoying?" Then he lowered his head and instructed Kreacher, "Prepare some barbecue ingredients. We’re going to Stonehenge now to grill skewers and drink beer."

Kreacher nodded blankly, then turned and ran into the motorhome to prepare the ingredients.

Just as the phone rang for the third time, Li Feng waved a hand to open a Portal and took Kreacher to the vicinity of Stonehenge. As for how long the phone in the motorhome would keep ringing, what did that have to do with Li Feng?

Fury could go cool off somewhere. Just look at how worried he was over Earth—the man’s hair could not even grow anymore.

Stonehenge was located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. Built on Salisbury Plain around 4000 to 2000 BC, it was the most famous and mysterious prehistoric site in the British Isles, as well as a renowned prehistoric cultural temple site in Europe.

However, there were usually plenty of tourists visiting the place, and Li Feng could not find a suitable spot for a barbecue at first.

After thinking for a moment, Li Feng pointed at the stones of Stonehenge and said, "Kreacher, carve a Repelling Charm onto the stones. Then put the grill over there. Call me when the meat skewers are ready."

"Yes, Boss." After receiving his orders, Kreacher eagerly ran to one of the stones and began carving the Repelling Charm.

Meanwhile, Li Feng lay on another stone with a blade of grass between his teeth and one leg crossed over the other, reviewing the plot of Thor 2 when a cloaked Quinjet appeared in the distance beyond Stonehenge.

Noticing the Quinjet, Li Feng glanced at it and narrowed his eyes. I only didn’t answer your calls. Did you really have to fly all the way to England to find me? Do you even know what misuse of public resources means?

Before Li Feng could finish grumbling inwardly, Fury, dressed in a black trench coat and wearing an eyepatch over his poker face, ran directly toward a stone as though he knew exactly where Li Feng was.

I’m not dealing with you. Li Feng glanced sideways at Fury, turned into gray mist, and flew to another stone. He watched Fury foolishly pat the stone with a smile on his face and said, "These are all ancient relics, Austin. Isn’t this a little uncivilized? Besides, you can’t afford to pay for them if you break them."

Before Fury could finish speaking, Natasha’s voice came through his earpiece from the Quinjet, informing him that Li Feng had changed positions.

Fury’s eye twitched. With his veins bulging as he clenched his fist, he ran to another stone. Looking up at the invisible Li Feng, he suppressed his anger and asked, "Is this fun?"

Li Feng did not leave stealth mode and lazily replied, "Whether it’s fun or not, what business is it of yours?"

Fury pressed the communicator in his ear, confirming that Li Feng was still in front of him. Then he roared in a low voice, "Get down here. Do you believe I’ll arrest you for destroying cultural relics?"

"Cut the crap." Li Feng snapped irritably, "Arrest me for destroying cultural relics? Don’t you think those words disgrace S.H.I.E.L.D., a major international organization? Besides, do you have any evidence? Can you even see me?"

Fury’s face twitched. He truly could not see Li Feng, nor could he produce any evidence. The Quinjet’s detection equipment could only prove that someone was lying on the stone; it could not scan the face of the person on it.

Moreover, Fury could hear Li Feng’s dissatisfaction with him.

Fury understood that it all stemmed from how he had promised Li Feng that he would hand over the person who ordered the Nuclear Weapon to be launched, only to refuse to turn that person over afterward.

But what could he do? That was Alexander Pierce. The intelligence in his hands was far too extensive and important. How could Fury simply hand him over?

Besides, Pierce had mysteriously vanished after being attacked. Fury could only vaguely discover that Pierce was hiding in the shadows and carrying out some grand plan.

Fury wanted to know where Pierce was even more than Li Feng did.

"Austin," Fury sighed and persuaded him patiently, "the Convergence of the Nine Realms is a major event concerning Earth. I hope you can properly explain what will happen then."

Li Feng glanced sideways at Fury. "What, have you prepared a few more Nuclear Weapons? How many times are you planning to sink England?"