Those Who Know the Times Are Heroes

"Hmph~ At least that kid knows what’s good for him. Otherwise, I’d have made him my new puppet."

Inside the bathroom lounge, a suit-clad man with an icy expression that inexplicably sent chills down one’s spine spoke in a sinister tone.

Tony had gone off to soak in the bath, leaving the three of them free to discuss their next course of action. Without question, the topic they discussed most was the Reincarnator who had suddenly appeared today.

His appearance had been far too bizarre, catching them completely off guard.

He had even almost succeeded!

Tony had already taken the initiative to say that he would make an Iron Man suit for him!

Although the second-generation Iron Man suit had yet to be created, and Iron Man was still largely unknown,

the three of them knew full well how much potential it held.

Otherwise, why would three Elite Reincarnators all be targeting Iron Man? That was an enormous investment.

"That kid’s temperament is completely unsuited for the Reincarnation Space. He gave up benefits and rewards that were already within his grasp after encountering just a minor setback. He’s nothing to worry about."

Another man spoke in a wise tone, as though he had seen through everything, directly giving Xu Yue’s capabilities their "correct" assessment.

"Even so, we shouldn’t let our guard down. Maybe he’s only trying to placate us because he was worried we might attack him on the spot. He may still find a way to get close to Tony afterward. We can’t be fooled so easily."

The bearded man, who cared most about this mission and had already agreed that he would receive the Iron Man suit, was comparatively more cautious in his words.

If something really went wrong, the other two could simply walk away. But for him, the losses would be considerable.

"Relax. We’ve all completed plenty of missions. Of course we know not to underestimate our opponents. To avoid unnecessary complications, you should find a way to get the reward as soon as possible."

The icy-faced man spoke first.

"Yeah. We saved Tony’s life in Afghanistan. We should be able to take a more proactive approach."

The other man urged him as well.

The sooner the mission was completed, the sooner the two of them could fulfill the contracts they had signed with him, receive their benefits, and continue farming more rewards in this point-grinding world.

"You think I don’t want to? But damn it, the second-generation Iron Man suit hasn’t even come out yet. What reason am I supposed to use to show that I already know its progress? There’s no point trying to win him over now. Don’t worry, I’ll act the moment he makes it."

The bearded man, who wanted the Iron Man suit most, also explained his difficulties.

However, at that moment, the door to their lounge was pushed open from outside, and several figures filed in.

As the employer and thus the commander, the bearded man immediately dispelled the soundproof barrier. Then he stood up and demanded,

"Who are you people?! How dare you barge in here without permission? If you mean to threaten Mr. Tony’s safety, you’ll have to see whether my fists agree."

The bearded man raised a fist the size of a sandbag and waved it, his tone exceptionally forceful.

The other two also rose in turn, standing behind him to bolster his presence.

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. We hope you will cooperate with our investigation."

Phil Coulson raised a badge, his expression utterly calm. Sending an outstanding ace agent like himself to deal with a few ordinary bodyguards really was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Yet the instant he finished speaking, the bearded man, who had been baring his teeth and swaggering while waving his enormous fist, froze stiff.

Cold sweat continuously trickled down his forehead. Looking at Phil Coulson’s calm, detached expression, he suddenly felt that this seemingly ordinary and unremarkable man had become unfathomably mysterious.

He only seemed ordinary because their appraisal level was too low!

The other party was likely far stronger than them, which was why he appeared like a mere mortal to their eyes!

Because this Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division was the full name of the terrifying "S.H.I.E.L.D."

How had this happened?!

How had they suddenly drawn the attention of such a terrifying behemoth?

Why had they casually dispatched such a powerful existence, someone capable of effortlessly disguising himself as an ordinary person in their eyes and easily dealing with all of them?

Had S.H.I.E.L.D. sensed the special powers they had used in Afghanistan and come to investigate?

The more they thought about it, the more terrified they became. After learning that S.H.I.E.L.D. had personally come to their door, the expressions of the three bearded men turned exceptionally grim.

They had guilty consciences. They couldn’t stand up to an investigation!

What were they supposed to do now?

Resist?

Looking at the other party’s cold, impassive poker face as he looked down on them, it was as though he was waiting for the three of them to disobey.

So many big shots had been mysteriously dealt with by S.H.I.E.L.D., vanishing without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

If the three of them chose to fight, they would probably be suppressed or even dismembered within minutes.

The looks in these people’s eyes were far too calm…

"What do we do?"

The other two urgently spent Reincarnation Points to rent the Reincarnation Space’s Team channel, asking the bearded man—their employer and temporary leader—with grave expressions.

"The contract never said we had to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

From the sound of it, they seemed to be considering backing out on the spot, unwilling to take the risk any longer.

"Phew~ We haven’t done anything excessive so far. I think we should just come clean."

After his expression flickered uncertainly for a while, he turned back and saw Phil Coulson’s composed expression.

This Reincarnator, who had already succeeded for the most part and was nearing the final stage of reaping his reward, suddenly seemed to have put down a burden. His whole body relaxed.

Only by staying alive did anything have meaning. Once greed overcame reason, everything would be over. To gain, one had to give up. No matter how difficult things were, staying alive was what mattered most.

Wasn’t being alive a good thing?

After completely relaxing, the bearded man revealed a sage-like, wise smile.

"Fine. We accept your investigation. We’ll confess. We hope you’ll be lenient with us."

As he spoke, he exchanged glances with his two companions, who had also breathed sighs of relief. All three had the fortunate look of survivors who had narrowly escaped disaster.

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s reputation in this world had been built atop the corpses of powerful figures. It was only through the explorations of so many predecessors that this world had been developed into a mature point-grinding world.

A red line that could not be crossed was absolutely not to be crossed!

Their compliance also satisfied Phil Coulson somewhat. It seemed these three bodyguards really did have a problem.

"Very good. Your attitude in admitting fault is quite good. Once we understand the reasons clearly, we’ll be lenient with you. There will be no need to employ any punitive measures…"

Phil Coulson’s words allowed the three men to relax completely. They had been sought out by S.H.I.E.L.D., yet in the end would only pay such a small price. What was there to be dissatisfied about…

______

Cultivating immortality keeps it short… Two updates~

Holidays really are more exhausting than workdays now. My younger cousins have all come back fat for winter break too. In less than two weeks, it’ll be the Spring Festival. Just thinking about it makes my head feel twice as big…