PTSD

Why had Agent Ward been targeted by a demon? It was a sad story.

Perhaps Ward had been positioned incorrectly when he was reincarnated, causing him to be born into a family that enjoyed abuse. That gave Ward a miserable childhood and doomed his personality to be shaped by his family.

When he grew older and could no longer endure the abuse, Ward decided to do something outrageous to his family, such as setting fire to his own home.

Unfortunately, lacking experience, he was eventually sent to prison.

During his sentence, Ward was discovered by John Garrett, a Hydra spy planted within S.H.I.E.L.D. After John Garrett’s careful training, he became an expert-level killer—ostensibly a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, secretly a Hydra spy.

Later, thanks to his outstanding marksmanship, he was selected to carry out the Witch Demon mission alongside Li Feng.

At first, it had seemed like nothing much. He was just acting as a bodyguard for researchers. At worst, he would take a few long-range shots at the demon as a gesture.

So in the beginning, Ward felt that aside from being mildly startled when he saw what a demon looked like, there had not really been any danger.

But just as the mission was about to end, he had the misfortune of running into Mephisto, who had come to collect a debt.

Ward would remember until the day he died that when Li Feng introduced himself to Mephisto, he had used Ward’s name and identity.

That was it. Mephisto had inexplicably taken an interest in him.

At the time, more than one agent knew that Mephisto had written his name in his little notebook. As a result, the colleagues who had carried out the mission with him instinctively kept their distance afterward. Some even secretly spread rumors that he was actually a spy Mephisto had planted in S.H.I.E.L.D.

What nonsense was that? He was clearly a Hydra spy, wasn’t he?

Originally, to keep his spy identity from being exposed, Ward had shaped himself into an "introverted" young man with a withdrawn personality who was poor at teamwork and communication.

He already had few friends he could talk to, but once the rumors spread, he was left without even a single friend to speak with.

Even John Garrett, the man who had discovered and trained him and raised him like a son, had deliberately or unconsciously begun distancing himself from him.

How damned unlucky could he be? Who had he ever provoked?

Now, hearing Fitz ask why he had been targeted by a demon, Ward was so furious he felt like he was about to have a heart attack.

Unfortunately, Ward knew he could not beat Li Feng. He could only glare at Li Feng with aggrieved eyes, clench his teeth, and snap word by word, "You. Ask. Him."

Fitz was baffled. What the hell is going on? They keep telling me to ask someone else. Are they messing with me?

Nearby, Melinda May, who had also participated in the Witch Demon mission, saw Ward’s face twist with grievance and rage as he looked at Li Feng. She could guess with her toes that the unlucky kid had once again remembered his tragic past.

Melinda gave the heartless Li Feng a speechless look, shook her head slightly, stood, and headed toward the cabin. "Get some sleep early. Tomorrow, we still need to find the hacker group that infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D."

Coulson nodded, signaling for Fitz and the others to return to the cabin and rest. He himself remained seated by the campfire.

Clearly, Coulson had something to say to Li Feng, and it was a private conversation the team could not hear.

Only after the others entered the cabin did Coulson turn slightly and ask in a low voice, "Has Stark asked you for help?"

"Asked me for help?" Li Feng paused, then shook his head in confusion. "No. What happened to Stark?"

Coulson hesitated before saying, "Stark recently bought a large quantity of materials, all of them for making suits. At present, we estimate that he could build at least ten sets of armor."

Only ten? Li Feng waved it off indifferently and pointed to the stack of lumber behind him. "Everyone has their own little hobby. Are you saying Stark isn’t allowed to have one? The man has money and likes playing with this stuff. What’s it got to do with you?"

Coulson shook his head, indicating that things were not so simple. He lowered his voice. "We suspect Stark has PTSD."

Li Feng looked utterly lost. "What the hell is that?"

Coulson casually explained that PTSD was a war-related psychological aftereffect, then explained why they suspected it. "In the past, Stark was also a weapons manufacturer, so he at least had some connection to war."

"But Stark is only an inventor and philanthropist now. Someone like that has nothing to do with war. Yet ever since the Chitauri invasion, his orders for suit materials have multiplied several times over, and they’re still increasing."

"We also learned that Stark hasn’t rested properly for several days," Coulson said with some concern. "Even Iron Man suits need to recharge. Does Stark, made of flesh and blood, not need rest?"

Hearing that, Li Feng was confused. He remembered that Stark had indeed suffered from severe anxiety in the movies, but that was because Stark had carried a Nuclear Weapon into Outer Space toward the Chitauri mothership during the Battle of New York.

Now, the Chitauri invasion had turned into a farce. Stark had barely been more than a bystander during the battle. How could he still end up with anxiety?

Is the universe’s power to correct the plot a little too strong? This is basically cheating, isn’t it?

The Chitauri probably drove Stark’s paranoia straight into its terminal stage.

Still, Li Feng asked in puzzlement, "What does that have to do with me? I’m not a psychiatrist, and I don’t have any spell that can treat whatever that condition is called."

"Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD for short," Coulson added.

Li Feng spread his hands. "I only just found out what PTSD even is." As he spoke, Li Feng suddenly realized that Coulson’s reason for seeking him out seemed to be something else entirely. Stark asking for help was merely an excuse.

Glancing at the sailboat behind him, Li Feng rubbed his chin and guessed, "Stark isn’t sleeping because he’s building suits, while I’m building a sailboat here…" After a pause, he said irritably, "You don’t think I have PTSD too, do you?"

Since Li Feng had already guessed his purpose, Coulson did not bother hiding it anymore. There was no one else around, and even if Li Feng had an extreme reaction, it would be fine.

At worst, he could just be resurrected again.

Coulson nodded. "Natasha and Barton both participated in the battle against the Chitauri invasion, but they are veteran S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They have ways to quickly adjust their mentality. They could probably even go back to work normally the next day."

"As for Thor, I don’t need to say much. His living environment has already ensured that PTSD has nothing to do with him. Perhaps Thor has experienced more wars than any veteran on Earth."

"As for Dr. Banner, Hulk was the one who fought. Dr. Banner was hiding inside the big guy and taking breaks. Maybe Dr. Banner doesn’t even know the details of the battle, so he would not develop PTSD."

Coulson’s expression became serious as he looked at Li Feng. "Only you and Stark are different. You two lived in peaceful times and have never witnessed war’s cruelty. Now Stark is showing signs of PTSD, and Fury is worried about your mental health."

"I’ve never witnessed the cruelty of war?" Li Feng pointed at his own nose in exasperation, rolling his eyes. "Thank ‘Mama Fury’ for his concern, but I’m fine. My hands were just itchy, and I wanted to build a boat for fun. ‘Mama Fury’ can somehow connect that to PTSD? Is he so bored that he spends all his time thinking about me?"

Coulson froze for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. "You’ve been in a war?"

Western Hero had been the first world where Li Feng had seen dead people up close. After that, in Season of the Witch, he had seen corpses everywhere.

And in Demon Slayer, although Li Feng had spent most of his time just tagging along, it would be hard to say he had never witnessed even a small-scale war.

But how was Li Feng supposed to explain any of that to Coulson? There was no way to explain it.

If he insisted on explaining, Fury would probably show up personally the next second to discuss Otherworld matters. He might even seize Kamar-Taj’s work, such as drafting a "Plan for Defending Against Otherworld Invasions."

Of course, given Fury’s personality, he would more likely launch a plan to enter Otherworld and make some extra money.

When that happened, would Kamar-Taj pin the blame on Li Feng or Fury?

When Li Feng faced the Ancient One, he probably would not be able to explain himself even if he had every reason in the world. The Ancient One would likely beat him up first and discuss everything else afterward.

Not wanting to answer, Li Feng merely shot Coulson a glance that clearly said, Figure it out yourself, then stood and walked toward the recliner, making it obvious that he did not want to elaborate.

By the campfire, Coulson watched Li Feng’s retreating back thoughtfully. He’s been in a war? Whose war? A war in the Magic World?

After thinking it over, Coulson felt that this was beyond what he could handle. He took out his phone and contacted Fury. "Sir, I don’t think Austin has PTSD. He may have participated in certain wars…"

On the other end of the call, after listening to Coulson’s report, Fury rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. "I know. Also, notify Austin that I’ll hand Alexander Pierce over to him first thing tomorrow morning."

Coulson’s expression stiffened in shock. "Sir, you mean Alexander, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s former director?"

"Yes, him," Fury said wearily. "But we have a small problem here…"

Before Coulson could ask what the problem was, Fury continued, "Alexander was attacked and killed tonight. His body was blown into fragments. Most importantly, no explosives were found at the scene. It was as if he had been killed by magic."

Hearing that, Coulson instinctively looked toward Li Feng. "Sir, I guarantee Austin has not left my sight tonight, not even for a moment."

"I know." After a moment of silence, Fury said darkly, "A man calling himself the Mandarin stepped forward afterward and claimed responsibility for Alexander’s death."

Alexander had just died, and the director was already eager to send the body to Austin? That did not follow procedure. Coulson tilted his head and thought for a moment before saying with some certainty, "You want Austin to confirm whether the dead man is really Alexander, and whether the explosion was caused by magic?"

Fury did not deny Coulson’s guess. If he could, Fury would have delivered Alexander’s body to Li Feng immediately.

Unfortunately, gathering the shattered remains took time, especially when the remains were like charred debris. Some parts had been blown to ash. Being able to collect enough remains in a single night was already the result of agents searching with their eyes wide open.