After handing Coulson a cup of coffee, John Wick asked, "Sounds like you and my boss not only know each other, but have worked together?"
"Well…" Coulson took the cup with a conflicted expression. "It's a bit awkward, but yes, we do know Mr. Devonshire. My superior has a decent relationship with him. But you understand—Mr. Devonshire doesn't really think highly of us ordinary folks. He disregards our efforts, ignores our responsibilities, and doesn't even bother to notify us when major crises happen."
"I see… sorry about that."
"No need to apologize," Coulson said with a sigh after taking a sip of coffee. "When it comes to things like the descent of the demonic god Set, Transformers, Skrulls—hellspawn and alien invaders—we're no match. We actually need people like Mr. Devonshire to protect us."
"Demonic god Set?" John Wick asked, puzzled. "These divine or demonic beings… can they really descend into our world?"
"Good coffee," Coulson replied, setting down his cup with a smile. "Sorry, but that's exactly the kind of question we were hoping you could answer. After all, you're the only veteran Mr. Devonshire has reactivated in recent years. And judging by what we've seen, your access level isn't low."
John Wick, for his part, was clueless about his own access privileges to Sunday. He didn't know who else could use it or how his rights compared to theirs.
Anything involving William's secrets was not something Wick wanted to talk about. "So, what do you really want from me?"
Sensing John's growing wariness, Coulson quickly pivoted the conversation. "Honestly, we usually stay far away from anything involving Mr. Devonshire. But…"
He pulled out his phone and swiped through a series of photos. "You created this crime scene just an hour ago. A massive explosion in a populated area, 22 dead. We had no choice but to come talk to you. Because those new bullets—identical to standard rounds but capable of exploding—right now, only Mr. Devonshire's people are using them."
"With a blast like that, people are losing sleep all over the city."
Looking at the charred remains of vehicles and the corpses covered with white sheets, John Wick, despite knowing he was unlikely to be arrested, still felt uneasy about being directly confronted like this.
"Alright… what do you want me to do?"
"It's not about what we want you to do," Coulson said, reclaiming his phone and placing a call.
A few moments later, a knock came at the door. Two agents entered, carrying a large case. They set it down silently and left.
Coulson gestured at the box. "This equipment contains energy detectors developed by Stark Industries. After the Transformer incident in New York, we placed large orders for this kind of tech, hoping to preempt alien invasions—or threats from legendary beings like werewolves, vampires, and mummies that might endanger human survival."
Opening the case revealed a device roughly the size of a scanning gun. "While our people were helping clean up the werewolf mess at your house, this thing picked up an energy spike above your villa so powerful that it maxed out the instrument. We had no choice but to contact you."
"So, Mr. Wick," Coulson asked seriously, "can you tell me—are you still human? And what exactly are you planning to do next?"
"I'm human, obviously."
John Wick knew the energy spike came from the massive intake of holy light he had experienced while aboard the cloaked Kun-class aircraft.
As someone who had always worked from the shadows and had zero experience dealing with official government bodies, he understood all too well that polite questions from people like Coulson usually came before forceful actions.
Fortunately, remembering Coulson's own references to werewolves, vampires, mummies, and the televised events involving Hulk, Abomination, and the Transformers, John realized he wasn't the only supernatural being out there.
If there was no immediate threat of arrest, telling S.H.I.E.L.D. about the demons secretly hiding among humanity might actually be to his advantage. It would mean that during future demon hunts, he wouldn't have to worry about the police—and S.H.I.E.L.D. would handle cleanup, just like they had with the werewolves.
More importantly, S.H.I.E.L.D. had a history with William, and Sunday confirmed their cooperation on multiple occasions. That made John feel more at ease.
"Since you already know about werewolves, vampires, mummies, and that so-called demonic god Set… do you believe that demons have already arrived in our world—and are hiding among us?"
"Demons among us?" Coulson blurted in shock. "You're not joking?"
"Our world's already a mess. Why would I make something like that up?" John replied with a helpless shrug. "I haven't just seen demons—I've obtained one of the legendary powers."
He unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the anti-demon magic circle on his chest. Following the method taught to him by the unknown voice—who was actually Mephisto—he activated the circle.
Within seconds, a soft light gathered at his chest. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes also lit up with two glowing holy glyphs in the shape of the character "丰".
"This… this is—" Coulson stammered for a moment before exclaiming, "Is that the power you've gained? Light magic?"
"No. This is holy light."
But then John ran out of things to say.
As his soul began to burn again from the divine light, he quickly deactivated the circle, realizing that although he could wield holy light, he had no idea how to control it—or what it could actually do.
"Sorry. I only just acquired this ability, and I don't yet know how to use it. But… maybe it has a strong suppressive effect on dark creatures. At least, that's what those religious texts say—it's supposed to be the power of angels.
If those old records weren't just fairytales, it should be effective against dark beings."
"That's easy to verify," Coulson said, dialing a number. "The werewolf who survived your assault has been captured. If you're okay with it, we can test it."
"I'm fine with testing it. But I also need your help. And I assume you're already aware that Viggo Tarasov has put a bounty on me?"
"Understood." Coulson smiled broadly. "Don't worry, we'll take care of Viggo Tarasov. Before sunrise, the bounty on your head will be rescinded. As for your other request…"
He paused to think, then added, "As long as you agree to join S.H.I.E.L.D., I guarantee—within the United States—there's nothing we can't accomplish."
John Wick was pleased at first, then frowned. Sunday and the Continental Hotel had both failed to locate Iosef. Was S.H.I.E.L.D. really so powerful that they had eyes everywhere in America?
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