Plan for Chapter 261

With Li Feng joining them, the rescue plans Coulson and the others came up with were so simple they were outrageous. Li Feng’s eyelids twitched as he read them, and he could only marvel at how wildly Coulson and the others’ imaginations ran—so wildly that even Earth could no longer contain them.

For example, one plan came from Melinda May.

The plan was for Melinda May to put on Loki’s Mask and sneak into Ian Quinn’s home once the moon rose, then use the mask’s superhuman sense of smell to find Dr. Hall.

And with the mask concealing her, what if Ian Quinn spotted Melinda May? Had he ever seen a green-headed human before? A green-headed person with all sorts of superpowers, no less.

Even if Ian Quinn photographed green-headed Melinda May, he would have no way to explain it to the public.

Naturally, the operation would have nothing to do with S.H.I.E.L.D.

Honestly, Li Feng’s first reaction after reading the proposal was to slap it into Melinda May’s face and ask, "Ma’am, what breed of Werewolf are you? Why do you need to wait for the moon to rise before transforming?…"

Then there was another plan written by Coulson.

Coulson’s plan was simply not to go out and rescue Dr. Hall at all. Instead, he wanted Li Feng to bring out the Genie Lamp and wish Dr. Hall back to the Air Command.

He even suggested having Skye make the wish, so Li Feng would not have to worry about anyone using the Genie Lamp recklessly.

Wasn’t that ridiculous? If the Genie Lamp ended up in Skye’s hands, Li Feng would bet a whole box of spicy strips that Skye would definitely wish to find out where her family was.

Then she might find her family, only to discover that her biological father went crazy every so often while her biological mother had devoted herself to figuring out how to take revenge on society. What would Skye think then?

She would probably suspect that she had phrased the wish wrong, which was why her family had turned out abnormal…

Of all the plans, the most reliable one was Fitz and Simmons’s.

They suggested that Li Feng and Ward enter Ian Quinn’s home while invisible through a Portal, then open another Portal back to the Air Command after finding Hall and the Gravity Well.

As for why they did not let Ward, a combat operative, go to Ian Quinn’s home alone, Fitz explained that no one besides Li Feng should touch the Gravity Well.

That thing was too dangerous. Other than a Mage, Ward could not handle it.

But Li Feng said that he did not want to go out with Ward. The kid was an unlucky fellow Mephisto had his eye on. Who knew whether spending time with him would rub off some bad luck?

After reading all the plans, Li Feng crumpled them into balls in front of Coulson and tossed them into the trash. "Man, can we not do it like this?"

Li Feng rubbed his temples as though he had a headache, then put an arm around Coulson’s shoulder and led him to an empty corner. In a low voice, he said, "Have you considered the side effects of Melinda May using the mask? I don’t have much Eternal Spring left, and I don’t want to waste even a drop for nothing. And as for the Genie Lamp, believe it or not, once the Genie finds out about your relationship with me, its first reaction won’t be to flatter you. It’ll be to find every possible way to screw you over."

Not much Eternal Spring left? The Genie Lamp had a grudge against Austin? Coulson frowned slightly, then smiled gently. "What do you think we should do?"

Li Feng tilted his head and thought for a moment before spreading his hands. "Why the hell do we need a plan? I’ll just take you in and control Ian Quinn directly. Then forget asking where Dr. Hall is—even if you want to know the code to Ian Quinn’s safe, I can make him tell you obediently."

The moment Li Feng finished speaking, Melinda May’s voice sounded over the cabin broadcast. "Coulson, we’ve arrived above Ian Quinn’s location."

"Made up your mind?" Li Feng asked with his arms folded, sounding utterly casual. "If you agree to my plan, I’ll take you flying straight to Ian Quinn right now."

"Flying?" Coulson asked curiously. "On your Dark Cloud?"

"What else?" As he spoke, Li Feng took out the Dark Cloud from his shoulder bag and patted it. Raising his eyebrows suggestively, he asked, "Want to try it?"

Coulson did not stand on ceremony. He immediately climbed onto the Dark Cloud and smiled. "Looks like I’ll have another ‘flight experience’ report to write afterward."

"Heh." Li Feng gave a fake laugh, cast an invisibility spell on Coulson, then turned into Black Mist and flew out of the Air Command, drifting leisurely toward the Former Maltese Prime Minister’s Residence below.

Coulson was somewhat puzzled. He had never seen the Dark Cloud at full speed, but S.H.I.E.L.D.’s equipment had detected its flight speed before.

So why could it only drift along slowly when he was riding it? How was he supposed to report this to Fury? Was he supposed to write that the Dark Cloud moved about as fast as an ox cart, and that the thing S.H.I.E.L.D. had previously detected flying at high speed was not the Dark Cloud at all, but one of Stark’s toys?

"Austin, can’t we go any faster?" Coulson asked in confusion.

Li Feng curled his lip and said disdainfully, "How much wind do you think that scrawny body of yours can take? Believe it or not, the inertia from the Dark Cloud’s instant acceleration alone could throw you off?"

Throw him off? Did that mean the Dark Cloud had incredible acceleration? Coulson nodded thoughtfully. At least I have something to put in the report now.

After a long while, Coulson and Li Feng finally landed in Ian Quinn’s garden.

Coulson glanced at the bodyguards patrolling back and forth around them. Although he knew perfectly well that he was invisible, he still felt a little nervous inside. Cautiously, he whispered, "How do we know where Ian Quinn is?"

Li Feng scratched his head, said, "Watch me," then grabbed Coulson and kicked open the residence’s front door. He shouted, "Ian Quinn, your mom told you to come home for dinner!"

After shouting, Li Feng turned to watch the bodyguards’ movements inside and said, "See? Just follow the bodyguards, and you’ll find the owner of the house. Simple enough, right?"

Coulson’s mouth twitched. Following the bodyguards would indeed lead them to Ian Quinn, but how were they supposed to deal with the pile of bodyguards surrounding him then? Kill them all?

I never should have believed Austin would have a reliable day. Coulson sighed inwardly. As he followed the hurried bodyguards, he softly reminded Li Feng, "Austin, we’re here to rescue someone."

Coulson pointed at the communicator in his ear, indicating that he was still connected to the Air Command. Skye and the others on the plane would know immediately what the two of them did. "Are you planning to put on a demonstration of how magic kills people?"

"You’re overthinking it." Li Feng understood what Coulson meant. He was warning him not to put on a violent, bloody display in front of the kids.

In the past, Li Feng might not have cared. If he killed them, he killed them. So what?

The problem was that Li Feng now understood the importance of maintaining the bottom line in his heart, and he drank beer brewed from God-brand wheat every day.

It could not be said that Li Feng had learned to respect life, but he did know that as long as Ian Quinn did not provoke him first, he would not start killing for no reason.

It was laughable, really. Living in a relatively peaceful era, the bottom line for being a decent person was simply not killing people…

What a damn joke…

Before long, the two followed the bodyguards into a room and found Ian Quinn surrounded by a tight circle of guards.

Coulson pointed at the communicator in his ear, silently took a step back, and signaled for Li Feng to begin his performance.

Li Feng shrugged, snapped his fingers lightly several times, and walked straight up to the motionless Ian Quinn. He hoisted the petrified Ian Quinn over his shoulder and carried him out of the room. "Come on. Let’s find somewhere private and ask this guy how many mines he has at home."

Coulson stared blankly at the motionless guards in the room. Curious, he placed a finger beneath one guard’s nostrils. After feeling that the man was still breathing, he turned and followed behind Li Feng. "What spell was that? It’s more convenient than the ‘Sweet Dreams’ Fitz invented with cobra venom. At least there’s no gunfire."

"Petrification Spell. On the surface, its effects are time-limited, so it counts as a nonlethal spell," Li Feng said with a hint of pride. "But if I cast it at full power, those guards in the room wouldn’t recover for months. When those unlucky bastards woke up, the first thing they’d probably do would be to gnaw on their belts and shoes, their eyes glowing Green Light from hunger."

Coulson frowned, wondering whether he should call a hospital after taking Dr. Hall away, when Li Feng said, "Don’t worry. I didn’t cast it at full power. They’ll recover after one day, and I specifically altered their memories so they’ll think they inhaled some kind of neurotoxic gas and passed out."

As he spoke, Li Feng kicked open a room, turned himself and Coulson into Johnny Blaze, then released Ian Quinn from the Petrification Spell.

While Coulson was still wondering how his black suit had turned into a leather jacket, Li Feng widened his bright eyes and growled in a low voice, "Kid, Hell is watching you."

Seeing Li Feng dressed as Johnny Blaze, Coulson could not help twitching his mouth. He pulled Li Feng aside and asked, "Mr. Quinn, where is Dr. Franklin Hall?"

Ian Quinn was also someone who had seen his share of big scenes. The instant he heard Coulson, he understood that S.H.I.E.L.D. had come knocking. Straightening his collar, he smiled. "Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you’re here for money, I can pay each of you ten million dollars. If you’re willing to work as my bodyguards, I can offer an annual salary of two million, with bonuses calculated separately."

"Do we look like people short on ten million dollars?" Li Feng had no interest in arguing with Ian Quinn. As he spoke, he directly extracted the man’s memories.

Before long, Li Feng found out that Dr. Hall was hiding in the basement of the residence. He struck Ian Quinn across the neck with the side of his hand, intending to knock him unconscious through physical means.

Unfortunately…

Li Feng awkwardly looked at Ian Quinn, who was clutching his neck and crying out in pain, then at Coulson’s faintly amused expression. Stiffening his neck, he said, "What the hell are you laughing at? I found Dr. Hall. Aren’t you going to hurry up and silence this guy?"

Ian Quinn, who had been crying out in pain moments earlier, instantly fell silent as though an invisible hand had clutched his throat. He looked at Li Feng in terror.

He could not understand it. He had not said anything, so how did the other man know where Hall was? And besides…

Wasn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. supposed to avoid killing people unless necessary? Why did the rules suddenly not apply to him?

As Ian Quinn felt like crying without tears, Coulson looked at Li Feng with a stern face and asked, "Where is the doctor?"

Li Feng pointed beneath his feet. "This idiot bought the Prime Minister’s Residence because the basement was big enough for him to mess around in."

As an agent, Coulson knew very well that when a person was frightened or experienced intense emotional fluctuations, their pupils would change subconsciously.

So when Li Feng bluntly said that Dr. Hall was in the basement, Coulson had been watching Ian Quinn’s pupils and expression closely.

When he saw the unnatural shift in the man’s expression and the dilation of his pupils, Coulson knocked Ian Quinn unconscious with a chop to the neck.

Li Feng snapped his fingers lightly to erase Ian Quinn’s memories, then led Coulson toward the Gravity Well—no, toward Dr. Hall.