Healing Spell Device

Over the next few days, Li Feng never brought up handing Alexander Pierce over to Fury again.

Alexander’s soul was already sitting in Li Feng’s shoulder bag. Where was Fury supposed to find Alexander Pierce? Any one he found would only be a cheap knockoff.

But Coulson didn’t know that. He was still worried that Li Feng was bottling something up and planning to cause a huge mess. Whenever he had nothing to do, he hovered around Li Feng, fussing over him. He even handed the hacker investigation over to the team and personally accompanied Li Feng in building the sailing ship.

After a while, the sailboat’s keel had been completed, and Coulson vaguely realized that Li Feng didn’t seem to care about Alexander Pierce anymore.

Though he couldn’t understand what Li Feng was thinking, Coulson began joining the team on missions every few days.

Of course, Coulson invited Li Feng to participate in field missions on the grounds that being alone all the time might make him sick from boredom.

Li Feng could see what Coulson was thinking. He was simply worried that Li Feng would get so bored he’d start causing trouble everywhere.

The thing was, I, Li Feng, am not that kind of person. Seriously.

But agents… Agents in movies and TV shows always had beautiful women and sports cars around them.

And so, driven by curiosity, Li Feng decisively joined Coulson’s team. Every day, he followed behind Coulson and the others with a lecherous grin, experiencing the life of an agent.

Only, agent life was a little different from what Li Feng had imagined. Staying up all night staring at computer screens and endlessly reviewing street surveillance footage was one thing, but without booze or beautiful women, who could stand such a dull life?

There was a vehicle, though—a one-of-a-kind, globally limited model. Namely, his motorhome. As for the motorhome’s driver, there was no need to say it: naturally, it was Melinda May, the woman capable of driving a motorhome like a fighter jet.

Even now, Li Feng couldn’t figure out how his vehicle had somehow been requisitioned by Coulson.

How had it suddenly become Coulson’s team’s temporary base?

Between Coulson and me, who exactly cast a spell on whom?

After enduring several boring days without catching a single member of the hacker organization, Li Feng declared that he was done. What’s fun about this boring life? I might as well go home and build my sailboat.

How could Coulson let Li Feng go so easily? On the surface, Coulson agreed to let Li Feng return to his lakeside home. In reality, Coulson simply moved the team’s base into the cabin by the lake.

In Coulson’s words, he did it so Li Feng, their "doctor," could conveniently check on his physical condition at any time.

In truth, Li Feng knew perfectly well that aside from wanting to keep an eye on him whenever possible, Coulson was reluctant to give up the convenient Portal.

After all, the thing really was convenient when going out.

For example, when they changed shifts during a stakeout, they only needed to step through the Portal to go home, take a nice bath, and get a proper night’s sleep.

In the past, Melinda May and Ward wouldn’t even have dared dream of that. When they went on field missions, they were lucky if they got a piece of bread to chew on.

Of course, Coulson wouldn’t stay in the cabin forever.

For instance, as Christmas approached, everyone on Coulson’s team packed their luggage and asked Li Feng to send them to a S.H.I.E.L.D.-affiliated airport. The reason was obvious: the airborne command center Fury had given Coulson had finally finished its modifications.

Li Feng was delighted by this and decided to eat a few extra plain steamed buns that day. My motorhome finally won’t be tormented by Melinda anymore. Damn thing was practically falling apart.

When Coulson’s team arrived with their luggage and knocked on the motorhome’s door, Li Feng waved his hand and opened a Portal, bringing everyone to the airport.

After boarding the airborne command center, Coulson, as the host, took the interested Li Feng around for a tour. When they reached an enclosed room resembling an interrogation chamber, Coulson casually shut the door and gestured toward a seat. "Please, sit."

Li Feng scratched his head, opened a Portal, and poured himself a beer from inside the motorhome. Making it clear that Coulson’s little room was nothing special and couldn’t hold him at all, he asked, "You wanted to see me?"

Coulson sat upright in his chair, his expression solemn. "Happy was injured in a bombing and hospitalized."

Li Feng paused mid-drink. His relationship with Happy hadn’t reached the point where he would avenge him, but they did check in on each other from time to time.

Narrowing his eyes, Li Feng turned his head and asked, "Do you know who hurt Happy?"

Coulson nodded, took a phone from his pocket, and played a recording. "Afterward, this ‘Mandarin’ claimed responsibility. Stark has also issued him a challenge because of it."

After Li Feng finished watching the Mandarin’s recording, Coulson continued, "Let’s get back to Happy. On the second day after Happy was admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment, Stark ignored the doctors’ orders and took him from the hospital back to Stark Tower. A few days later—today—someone saw Happy appearing at Stark Tower, completely unharmed."

As he spoke, Coulson took out Happy’s medical report from when he had been admitted. "Given Happy’s injuries at the time, him surviving at all was already God’s blessing." After a pause, Coulson looked seriously at Li Feng and continued, "We can’t think of any medical method currently available that could restore someone on the brink of death to full health in just a few days."

"Unless it was me," Li Feng interrupted, pointing at himself. "You think Stark asked me for help? The thing is, I’ve been busy building my sailboat these past few days. I haven’t gone out, and I haven’t received any calls from Stark asking for help."

"We know," Coulson said with a gentle smile. "If you had treated him, Stark wouldn’t have needed to take Happy to Stark Tower for several days of treatment. Happy would probably have been lively and kicking by the time he left the hospital."

Li Feng froze for a moment. One hand rubbed his beer glass while the other stroked his chin. In a certain tone, he said, "You suspect Stark has already figured out the Healing Spell and recreated it through technology?"

Coulson didn’t deny Li Feng’s guess. He spread his hands openly. "What else could it be? We can’t think of any other method capable of healing Happy’s injuries in a few days."

So what if he recreated the Healing Spell through research? My Healing Spell can already regenerate severed limbs. Li Feng curled his lip, looking utterly unconcerned.

But what was Coulson’s purpose in talking to me? Was he trying to confirm whether I helped Stark?

Wouldn’t it be easier to just ask Stark directly?

Suddenly, Li Feng realized something. He looked at Coulson with a faintly amused smile and asked, "You wouldn’t happen to want Stark to hand over the Healing Spell technology, would you?"

Coulson hurriedly shook his head, denying that he intended to ask for it for free. "We’re willing to buy the technology. Even a finished device would do."

"Heh." Li Feng rolled his eyes and sneered. That almost sounded convincing.

If Coulson had been the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Stark might have sold him a device for the sake of their decent private relationship.

The problem was that Fury was the one in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. now, and Stark had plenty of complaints about Fury.

If Fury could buy even a single screw from Stark, Li Feng would quit drinking on the spot.

Still, wasn’t Stark’s cheat code a little too overpowered? How long had it been, and he’d already worked out a technological version of the Healing Spell?

Li Feng scratched his head. Whatever. I already taught Stark Merlin’s Ring. What’s one Healing Spell?

"Go on. What are you plotting?" Li Feng pointed at the airtight room. "I don’t believe you specifically found this room just to tell me all that."

"Uh…" Coulson gave an awkward fake smile and said apologetically, "I want to ask you for a favor. Could you buy a Healing Spell device from Stark for me?"

Li Feng was a little dumbfounded. He couldn’t understand Coulson’s logic at all. Pointing at his own nose, he said, "You want me to buy a Healing Spell device? Stark’s Healing Spell machine still needs several days to heal Happy. I can fix it in seconds, stopwatch and all. Do you really think Stark won’t guess that you’re the ones buying the device?"

Coulson shrugged. "Guessing is one thing, but the odds of success are different depending on whether we make the purchase or you do."

So you want me to burn favors so you can profit? Li Feng twisted his neck, raised his beer glass, and took a large drink, looking as though he were saying, Go on. I’m listening. Entertain me.

"What do you want?" Coulson kept smiling, but his tone lacked confidence. "We won’t ask you to help for nothing. As long as S.H.I.E.L.D. has it, we can negotiate. Or, like Stark, we can help you search for magical items such as the Darkhold in exchange for you buying the device."

They even know the Darkhold’s name. Li Feng glanced at Coulson and mocked, "A mighty organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. is actually monitoring Happy. I wonder how Happy will feel when I tell him that every move he makes is being watched. Honored? Or will he hire a lawyer and sue you for violating his privacy?"

In any case, Li Feng didn’t believe Happy had searched for the Darkhold while waving a banner around, especially in the United States, where people valued privacy more than life itself.

And if Stark decided to get involved then, heh, S.H.I.E.L.D. could just wait to become famous—like a rat crossing the street, with everyone wanting to beat it.

No one liked government agencies that went out of their way to monitor them.

By then, even the United States Congress would probably find a way to drive S.H.I.E.L.D. out.

Coulson hurriedly shook his head in denial. "We were protecting Happy. In fact, aside from providing protection while Happy was searching for the Darkhold, we had no intention of prying into his privacy."

"Who would believe that?" As he spoke, Li Feng stood and opened a Portal. As he stepped through it, he reminded Coulson, "If it’s for your own use, I think Stark might sell or lend you one. But if Fury is the one asking, forget it."

With that, Li Feng closed the Portal.

Standing by the lake, Li Feng thought for a moment, then beckoned, causing a phone to fly into his hand. He dialed Stark’s number.

Before long, Jarvis’s voice came through the receiver.

"Hello, Mr. Austin. How may I assist you?"

Li Feng grinned. "I heard Stark is depressed, so I specifically called to show some concern. And while I’m at it, make myself happy."

Jarvis seemed to freeze. A few seconds later, he said, "Mr. Austin, I should remind you that Mr. Stark’s anxiety is because of you."

This time, Li Feng’s brain froze. After staring blankly for several seconds, he asked in confusion, "What do you mean? Has that guy imagined me as some villain trying to kill him? Jarvis, I’m not saying this to criticize you, but you should read some books on mental health. With Stark’s psychological resilience, he’ll play himself to death sooner or later."