Gravity Well

At the bar, Li Feng sipped his drink while silently watching Skye, her eyes damp, speak of the past as though pouring out her grievances.

When Skye mentioned that the Hawaiian grass-skirt doll Li Feng had given her years ago had become her emotional anchor, Li Feng lightly tapped the bar, conjured a box of tissues, and handed it to her.

To be honest, even Li Feng himself did not know how to describe what he was feeling right now.

Back then, he had merely treated little Skye like any ordinary kid. He had never deliberately tried to win her favor, and even the gift he had given her had just been some ordinary little trinket.

Li Feng had simply never expected that a gift casually given all those years ago would make Skye remember him for so long. She had even come to see that Hawaiian doll as a symbol of home, and by extension, regarded him as an elder.

All of a sudden, Li Feng remembered something God had once said in The Fake Angel: do one random good deed every day.

Li Feng did not deny that he had only wanted to cheer Skye up back then, but…

Did cheering up a child forced to wander from place to place count as a good deed?

Maybe it did. Li Feng scratched his head. No matter what, since Skye saw him as an elder, it was a good thing for him. After all, she was a long-term member of Coulson’s team.

Li Feng figured there would be plenty of times when he could make use of Skye.

After a long while, Li Feng saw Skye still grinning foolishly while clutching the Magical Artifacts. He pointed at Coulson and said with a smile, "Kid, before you start smiling, take a look at your commanding officer’s constipated face."

Skye blankly glanced at Coulson and suddenly realized that Coulson had something to discuss with Li Feng. After apologizing, she happily hugged her pile of artifacts and went to seek Fitz and Simmons’s help.

Both Li Feng and Coulson could tell that aside from wanting Fitz to modify the artifacts, Skye also wanted to show off the fact that she had family.

Coulson sighed. "Look at your face, then look at young Skye. I always feel like something is off. And don’t you think you’re doing a pretty embarrassing job as her guardian?"

Guardian? Li Feng felt that Coulson had misunderstood something, but he did not care. Instead, he asked about Dr. Hall.

Coulson suddenly understood. "Fury asked you to check whether this so-called invisibility was caused by magic?"

"What else would I be here for?" Li Feng spread his hands. "To come here and drink with you?" He cast a disdainful glance at the wine cabinet. "What kind of random junk is this? It doesn’t even taste as good as the wine I brew myself."

Coulson’s eye twitched. Most of the wine in the cabinet was indeed mediocre, but there were quite a few high-end bottles as well.

Watching Li Feng drink wine as though it were plain water, Coulson inexplicably recalled a saying Melinda May had once mentioned: curse the cook after finishing the meal.

Wasn’t Li Feng doing exactly that now? Drinking the wine, then complaining that it tasted bad?

Unable to do anything about Li Feng, Coulson helplessly shook his head. He raised his hand to check the time and said, "We’re almost at the place where Dr. Hall was abducted. You should drink less, so you don’t delay the mission."

After saying that, Coulson prepared to leave the common area, out of sight and out of mind.

Half an hour later, the plane landed on a desolate rural highway under the cover of night.

When Coulson’s team arrived at the scene of Dr. Hall’s abduction, Coulson and Melinda May were busy questioning the people involved, while Fitz, Simmons, and Ward were busy fiddling with equipment. Li Feng had already noticed a faint source of energy emanating from a spot on the road.

Li Feng walked over to the energy source and silently smiled after looking at the little object on the ground.

He already knew what the so-called invisible enemy was.

Gravity Well, a good thing capable of controlling gravity. In an instant, Li Feng began considering how to get the Gravity Well for himself, so he could use it later when converting the motorhome into a spaceship.

After narrowing his eyes in thought, Li Feng picked up the little object from the ground and called out, "Fitz, look what I found."

Fitz, who was still setting up equipment, glanced at Li Feng’s palm and hurried over with a pair of tweezers. "We still don’t know what that is. Touching it so casually could be dangerous—"

Before Fitz could finish, Li Feng dismissively waved a hand. "I know what this is. It’s worth a fortune."

Coulson, who had followed Fitz over to Li Feng, curiously examined the Gravity Well and asked, "What is it?"

Li Feng pointed at the earwax-sized Gravity Well and said, "This thing is called a Gravity Well. Even in Outer Space, it’s a valuable item." After pausing, Li Feng looked around. Seeing that everyone nearby wore S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms, he bluntly said, "Earth’s technology can’t control it yet, but I can."

"You want the Gravity Well?" Coulson frowned. "Is it spellcasting material?"

Fitz, who had once attended one of Dr. Hall’s lectures, spoke up to interrupt. "A Gravity Well can destroy the gravitational field within it, creating an oscillating amorphous state—"

Before Fitz could finish, Coulson interrupted, "Fitz, what are you trying to say?"

Fitz looked at the people gathered around him. Aside from Simmons, who seemed to understand, everyone else looked utterly confused. He shrugged. "With technological methods, the Gravity Well can alter gravitational fields. Sir, imagine how much changing the gravity inside a spaceship could help spaceflight." Scratching between his brows, Fitz curled his lips. "So it isn’t merely spellcasting material. It would also be incredibly useful for technological development. Of course, it’s dangerous too."

At that moment, Simmons suddenly remembered something and softly said, "Sir, I recall that years ago, Dr. Franklin Hall and Ian Quinn jointly published a paper about Gravity Wells and their related applications."

Ian Quinn, the prominent figure who had appeared on the cover of Forbes. A Gravity Well left behind at the scene… Coulson fell silent for a moment, then gave a fake smile. "Looks like we have a problem."

With a sigh, Coulson ordered, "Skye, use the internet to find Ian Quinn’s exact whereabouts. May, be ready for takeoff at any moment. Fitz and Simmons, inspect the scene again and see whether we’ve missed anything. Ward and I will move the unnecessary equipment back onto the plane."

At that point, Coulson looked at Li Feng and said, "Sorry, but I need to report the Gravity Well to Fury. I don’t have the authority to decide who it belongs to."

"I knew you’d contact Fury," Li Feng said with a shrug. "I’m not bragging, but you really can’t handle a Gravity Well. Even after studying it for decades, you might not succeed. Besides, I don’t intend to take all the Gravity Wells. I only need enough for research and to convert my motorhome into a spaceship."

"About two bottles’ worth of Gravity Well should be enough for me." After thinking for a moment, Li Feng added, "If we end up with too much, I hope S.H.I.E.L.D. can give me half. This stuff can be traded with other civilizations for plenty of good things."

Trade with other civilizations? Coulson clearly understood what Li Feng was getting at. He nodded slightly and said, "I’ll relay your words exactly."

After saying that, Coulson waved a hand, signaling the team to carry out their previous orders.

Seeing that Coulson had not assigned him any work, Li Feng scanned the surroundings. After confirming that there were no other energy sources, he leisurely returned to the cabin, opened a Portal, and called out, "Kreacher, bring me two beers and a plate of snacks."

Not long after, Kreacher stepped through the Portal carrying a tray with two beers and snacks. Just as he was about to set it down, Li Feng closed the Portal and said, "Kreacher, I’ll introduce you to someone."

"Yes, Boss." Kreacher blinked his large eyes, carried the tray, and followed behind Li Feng with small steps.

Li Feng led Kreacher into the common area and placed a beer in front of Skye, who was busy at a computer. "Kid, let me introduce you to a Genie."

"A Genie?" Skye turned from the computer screen to Li Feng with a confused expression. Then she noticed Kreacher standing behind him and shuddered in fright.

Li Feng smiled, pushed Kreacher forward, and said, "This is Kreacher, my butler. He may not look like much, but Kreacher belongs to the Genie race and knows many spells. If you cause any trouble in the future, I won’t help you, since my identity is somewhat special. But if trouble comes looking for you, you can ask me or Kreacher for help."

Kreacher seriously studied Skye. After spending so many years with Li Feng, it was the first time he had seen Li Feng formally introduce him to someone. It made Kreacher feel that Li Feng valued Skye highly.

Just as Skye felt as though Kreacher had seen straight through her, Kreacher turned to Li Feng and timidly asked, "Boss, is Miss Skye the little boss?"

Li Feng’s mouth twitched. He shook his head slightly and said, "You know where my family is. She’s only…" Halfway through his sentence, Li Feng noticed that Skye seemed to understand what Kreacher meant by "little boss." She looked at him with a subtle hint of expectation in her eyes.

After a moment of silence, Li Feng understood Skye’s longing for family. But Skye’s biological parents… Skye was a rather unfortunate child too, wasn’t she?

You and I are both searching for home. The difference is that I have a home but cannot return to it, while your home does not feel like home.

With an inward sigh, Li Feng smiled and introduced her. "She’s only half a little boss."

Kreacher nodded in confusion. He did not quite understand what half a little boss meant, but he understood that as long as Li Feng’s interests were not involved, he only needed to take good care of Skye.

After Kreacher respectfully bowed to Skye, he asked, "Miss Skye, is there anything Kreacher can do for you?"

Seeing that Kreacher called Skye "Miss" rather than "little boss," Li Feng knew that Kreacher had understood his meaning. He smiled with satisfaction inwardly.

Skye was still somewhat excited and confused. She blankly asked, "What can you do?"

I can’t even answer that question. Li Feng opened a Portal with a wave of his hand, signaling Kreacher to return to the motorhome. Then he said to Skye, "You asked the wrong question. Kreacher is a butler, and the kind who handles everything personally. He knows quite a lot, like magic, animal husbandry, farming, housework, and especially cooking. After Stark tasted Kreacher’s food, he couldn’t help trying to poach him from me."

Skye raised an eyebrow and asked in surprise, "Stark? Iron Man?"

Li Feng nodded, took a large gulp of beer, and said irritably, "I taught him meditation and magic, so I can count as half a mentor, right? Yet it wasn’t enough that this guy ate and drank at my expense. He even packed up food to take away. Honestly…"

Skye froze for a moment, then asked with sparkling eyes, "Uncle Austin, since you’re friends with Iron Man, could you help me get a few autographed photos from him?"

"What?" Li Feng asked with a puzzled expression. "Why do you want Stark’s autographed photos? What use are they?"