Old Acquaintances

"They’re clearly foreigners. How did they know the preserved tangerine peel duck at this place is the best?" Master Wong was full of confusion. He was utterly baffled by both Salomon’s source of information and the information itself, but that did not stop him and Salomon from walking faster.

Questions could wait. If the preserved tangerine peel duck sold out, then it was truly gone.

The stewards of the Hong Kong Sanctum often frequented that old shop. Master Wong knew that it would not be long before the delicious food sold out.

"There’s a Chinese person among them!" The Arcanist curled his lip, speaking in Cantonese. As if trying to please him, the machine deliberately sent over a photo of that S.H.I.E.L.D. team. They could be considered old acquaintances. The one who had placed the order at that shop was Coulson’s team—or rather, Agent Melinda May. She seemed to want her teammates to taste the food from her hometown.

The Artificial Intelligence created by Mr. Finch stated that it had estimated the shop’s output. It could alter the order sequence and even create traffic congestion to ensure that Salomon bought enough food first. After hesitating for a moment, the Arcanist decided to forgo the convenience of technology. "No." He shook his head. "Don’t even think about it. I won’t let you meddle in my life, little one."

"Seriously, who are you talking to? There aren’t any spirits around here…"

"It’s good to see you, Salomon." Agent Coulson smiled brightly. Though they had just gone through a less-than-perfect mission, after all that danger, he was still happy to see an acquaintance. Aside from Grant Ward and Melinda May, the others on the team had only a faint impression of Salomon. Enchantment Magic had erased only their memories of that visit to the apartment. As they saw Salomon more often, the spell’s effect would grow weaker and weaker, until they remembered that experience.

"I think I’ve seen him before." Skye and Simmons whispered to each other. "But I just can’t remember where."

"Me too… He looks really familiar." Simmons’ eyes darted about. "He might be on the list."

"Then what’s his superpower?"

"I don’t know either…"

Agent Melinda May glanced at them but did not tell them Salomon’s identity. That was classified information, not something low-level agents like Skye and Simmons were entitled to know. In fact, even Agent Grant Ward did not know Salomon’s true identity. He had only mentioned the strange things he encountered after going to that apartment—things he believed to be some sort of unusual high technology.

"I didn’t know you were here. I thought you were in New York." Coulson glanced at Master Wong beside Salomon and quietly noted down his physical characteristics.

"Is there anything you need help with?" Agent Coulson raised his brows. He knew absolutely nothing about the Hong Kong Sanctum. He merely assumed Salomon had come here to deal with a magical disaster—an assumption based entirely on experience. Though he remembered little about Salem, whenever Salomon appeared in a city other than London or New York, Coulson could not help feeling uneasy, until Salomon gave him another answer.

"I came here to eat, Agent Coulson." Salomon sounded somewhat helpless. He only hoped Agent Coulson would not be bored enough to investigate why he was in Hong Kong. Suddenly, he regretted not taking the machine’s suggestion. At least then he would not have run into Agent Coulson and avoided this minor inconvenience. "You’ve recovered well." The Arcanist changed the subject. "Any aftereffects?"

"No. I don’t know what material the doctors used to repair my heart, but overall, it’s stronger than before." Coulson smiled. "If you don’t mind, eat with us. Agent May recommended this place to us. She said the decor was terrible, but it was the best restaurant in Hong Kong. In the past, I’ve only had… what was that called again? Chenpi Duck?"

While the others went to order, Skye pulled over a plastic chair and sat across from Salomon. She was now very interested in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s surveillance list, because just a few hours ago, she had carried out a mission involving someone on that list—a special individual capable of releasing flames. Based on her vague impression of Salomon, she believed he might also be someone on that list.

Skye had originally wanted to lean closer to intimidate Salomon, but when she saw the shop owner take out a rag and casually wipe the greasy tabletop in a Z-shaped motion, she abandoned the idea. "Have we met somewhere before?" She nervously looked around. Once she was sure Agent Melinda May was not paying attention to her, she lowered her voice and urgently questioned Salomon.

Master Wong looked at Skye’s Eurasian face, then looked at Salomon. He shook his head disdainfully and made a sound of disgust. Likewise, Salomon wore a disgusted expression as he looked at Skye. He rolled his eyes and did not answer her question.

"Oh, wow!" The Arcanist’s attitude greatly irritated Skye. "Sorry, this isn’t some bar pickup. You look too… Well, your body is pretty good, but you’re too young. You’re not even old enough to drink legally. I’m not interested in you, okay? I’m just conducting an investigation! That’s right, a S.H.I.E.L.D. investigation!"

"Skye!" Simmons hurriedly tugged on Skye’s sleeve, because Melinda May and Coulson had finished ordering.

"Don’t interrupt… How much do you know about the list? Tell me. Maybe I can help you get some surveillance that isn’t quite so bad…"

Salomon and Master Wong rolled their eyes and ignored Skye’s nonsense. She wanted to continue, but Agent Coulson caught her in the act. "You’re making contact with a special target." Agent Coulson dragged over a chair and pulled Skye away from Salomon’s table. "You can’t speak to him without submitting a request."

Skye did not look flustered in the slightest. She merely curled her lip, openly dismissive of Agent Coulson’s strictness. Agent Melinda May shot Skye a glare. This time, she shrank back in a panic like a frightened mouse. Under Agent Melinda May’s sharp gaze, she obediently sat with Fitz, Simmons, the science team, and Agent Grant Ward.

She was teaching the other three how to use chopsticks.

"Would you mind telling me what you’ve been doing lately, Salomon?" Agent Coulson maintained that amiable smile. Just as he was about to put his hand on the table, Agent Melinda May grabbed his sleeve. "All right." He pulled out a tissue and wiped the tabletop as he continued, "I know your recent class schedule. Don’t worry, I just want to know if there’s anything we can help with. Our previous cooperation… went fairly well, didn’t it? Agent Ward told me that you agreed to my proposal."

"You haven’t encountered a magical incident. If you did, I would definitely show up. But that isn’t because I agreed to your suggestion. It’s because it’s our job."

"I don’t mind helping proactively…"

"You and Nick Fury have already become annoying…"

During the conversation, Salomon noticed Skye frequently looking back at him. He also lowered his head to look at his constantly vibrating phone.

She is hacking into your phone's network signal.

Hacking attempt blocked.

Reverse-infiltrating the target's hard drive.

Infiltration successful.

Salomon snapped his fingers, and Skye’s laptop inside her backpack erupted in choking smoke and sparks.