Slouching in the co-pilot's seat, Li Ming dug at his ear. "After all that, I still don't understand what you're getting at. Or rather—" He stared at the earpiece on Natasha's ear and asked pointedly, "What does Fury want to know?"
Natasha shook her head slightly. "It's not about what we want to know. It's about what your goal is."
"My goal?" Li Ming laughed as if he'd heard a joke. "From start to finish, you're the ones who dragged me onto that flying carrier. Now you're asking about my goals? Let me ask you—what do you think my goal is?" Natasha tilted her head thoughtfully, as if listening to something through her earpiece. After a moment, she said, "Regarding Bob, although Coulson was the one who actively sought your help, you showed extraordinary enthusiasm during the mission. At first, we didn't understand why you were interested in joining, but now that I know you possess Hellfire, the reason is clear—you were after the Hellfire all along."
"In the incident where Thor was exiled, you were equally enthusiastic. As a result, you obtained a Destroyer's leg and forged it into a scythe. You must have planned from the very beginning how to dismantle the Destroyer and craft that scythe."
"Considering you have an artifact capable of time travel, I can't help but suspect you've already glimpsed the future through time. Every time you show such enthusiasm, it's because you're about to reap some benefit."
"This time, although you haven't been as enthusiastic—"
Midway through her sentence, Natasha suddenly changed the subject. "If Fury dared to threaten me like this, my usual response would be to drop the mission immediately and walk away, regardless of whether it's tied to Earth's survival or not."
She studied Li Ming's expression carefully and enunciated clearly, "Yet you—someone who clearly has issues with Fury—have been pushed to the point of complaining to Steve, yet still haven't chosen to leave. That tells me there's something incredibly valuable to you in the mess Loki has created."
Did I underestimate Fury? Li Ming's face darkened. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What does Fury want to know? The properties of dark energy? How I obtained Hellfire? Or what I'm after this time?"
Natasha shook her head. "Given how tight-lipped you've always been about Wizard-related matters, and considering dark energy and Hellfire are tied to your own power, Fury knows he won't get answers. Besides, he's not interested in those things right now."
"He wants to know how you reap these benefits. Do you see the future through time, or do you use divination methods?"
Li Ming rubbed his temples, slightly exasperated. "Tell Fury to be more specific."
Natasha shrugged, indicating she was just the messenger and had no idea what Fury was thinking in detail.
Shortly after, Natasha removed her earpiece and tossed it to Li Ming, signaling that she needed to focus on piloting the jet and wouldn't be acting as an intermediary anymore. If he had anything to say, he could ask Fury himself.
As soon as Li Ming put on the earpiece, Fury's voice came through. "Austin, let's have an honest talk. I know you have issues with me, but you don't actually bear any ill will toward S.H.I.E.L.D., do you?"
Li Ming couldn't deny it—because it was true.
From the perspective of an ordinary citizen, Fury was doing a pretty good job as Director. No matter what crisis Earth faced, he always found a way to resolve it.Although Li Ming found some of the methods a bit messy, the people involved didn't have the gift of foresight. They relied entirely on their wits and experience to pick up on subtle clues, nipping certain disasters in the bud.
As for turning S.H.I.E.L.D. into a branch of Hydra, Li Ming believed Fury was purely taking the fall—this mess was entirely Alexander Pierce's doing.
After all, Pierce was already reforming S.H.I.E.L.D. when Fury was still just a foot soldier. By the time Fury took over Serpent Shield, it was impressive enough that he even noticed something was off.
But from the perspective of supernaturals like Li Ming, Fury was a different story. The guy was way too paranoid, with control issues off the charts, always wanting to keep everything under his thumb—especially when it came to supernaturals he couldn't control. Fury either had them under 24-hour surveillance or locked up in some secret base.
To ordinary people, Fury's actions might seem justified—after all, he did protect public safety. But for supernaturals, it made no sense at all. Supernaturals are people too. They need to eat, drink, and date pretty girls, and they have a right to privacy, damn it.
If Li Ming didn't have some real skills, Fury would've probably slapped a black hood over his head and locked him up in a base hundreds of meters underground, interrogating him day and night—no food unless he talked.
This was exactly why Li Ming couldn't stand Fury.
As for Li Ming having no ill will toward S.H.I.E.L.D., he could only say he truly bore no malice toward the 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' that protected the public. But when it came to 'Serpent Shield,' his feelings were far more complicated.
In Li Ming's eyes, Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. were mortal enemies—a fight to the death.
But these undercover Hydra agents had some baffling logic. Before their split with S.H.I.E.L.D., every one of them wore S.H.I.E.L.D. employee badges. At Fury's command, they genuinely risked their lives to maintain world peace.
Sure, Hydra might have benefited afterward, but in Li Ming's view, they earned it. They sacrificed for world peace—why shouldn't Hydra gain something in return?
Besides, was S.H.I.E.L.D. some selfless organization that gave without taking? Hardly.
If not for Hydra's extreme methods and past atrocities, Li Ming saw S.H.I.E.L.D. as nothing more than two political factions—Fury's party and Hydra's party—with differing ideologies. The U.S. Congress had Democrats, Republicans, and multiple parties—wasn't it normal for an international power to have multiple factions?
If Hydra could just tone down their methods, people might not even bat an eye when they surfaced.
As for Hydra wanting to rule the world—this wasn't the feudal era anymore. Humanity's gaze was already fixed on space. If Hydra tried to enforce slavery and ignore public welfare, billions worldwide would grab their pitchforks and wipe them out.
So if Hydra truly wanted to rule Earth, their best bet would be rebranding as a political party and winning the presidency.
Li Ming took a deep breath, reined in his wandering thoughts, and said slowly, "I'll say what I can. What I can't—"
Before he could finish, Fury cut in, "Then don't." After a pause, he lowered his voice and asked, "Can you see the future?"
"Uh—" Hesitating briefly, Li Ming gave a slight nod. "With time magic and divination, yes."
He added, "The 'future' itself is uncertain. What I see may not happen in reality. But if I reveal future events to others, even what was destined to occur might change."
On the other end of the comms, Fury fell silent for a moment before asking, "I want to know how much trouble Loki will bring. No need for precise details—just a rough idea."Li Ming glanced at Natasha, who was listening intently beside him. While stroking the newly acquired staff with one hand and rubbing his forehead with the other, he pondered for a moment before saying, "That's all I can tell you about the Battle of New York. Also, let me remind you—the more people who know about this, the greater the chance things will change."
After some thought, as long as it didn't involve his own interests, Li Ming felt there was no harm in showing the last shred of his kindness. He hinted subtly, "Loki really doesn't like Stark."
With that, Li Ming removed his earpiece and tossed it aside. He believed he had done enough. If Fury couldn't grasp the underlying meaning, then no matter how many people died in the Battle of New York, it wouldn't be his concern.
Nearby, Natasha noticed Li Ming's exhausted expression and sensed her chance for payback. Smiling slyly, she said, "Austin, do you really think someone like Fury—the so-called 'King of Agents'—wouldn't understand the importance of team unity?"
Li Ming mechanically turned his head toward Natasha and asked, "What are you getting at?"
"Nothing," Natasha replied, her tone dripping with amusement. "I was just wondering why Fury chose to threaten you right before the mission. You know, this mission involves Loki, and you're the person Fury knows who's most familiar with Asgard. Didn't he worry you might just walk away? After all, you're not part of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Li Ming froze, as if a bolt of lightning had struck his skull. Damn it, Fury's suspected me all along?
Was the threat just a test to see if I'd leave—or to gauge my attitude toward S.H.I.E.L.D?
Feeling like his head was about to split open, Li Ming massaged his temples. After a few seconds of futile thinking, he gave up. His brain cells had already been exhausted for the day. If he kept trying to decipher Fury's motives, he might just short-circuit entirely.
Just as Li Ming slumped into the co-pilot's seat like a boneless heap, Steve's voice crackled over the jet's comms: "Agent Romanoff, where are you?"
"Right above you," Natasha replied.
Steve: "Austin, open a teleportation gate and bring us back."
"Copy that," Li Ming said, rubbing his wrists before standing up and heading toward the cabin. He opened the teleportation gate.
Moments later, Thor stepped through the gate onto the jet, dragging Loki behind him as Steve followed.
Once aboard, Thor casually set Mjolnir aside and spread his arms toward Li Ming with a cheerful grin. "Hey, my friend! Good to see you."
"Likewise," Li Ming said, returning the hug. He glanced at the teleportation gate and asked, "Where's Stark?"Steve shrugged his shoulders as Thor said somewhat sheepishly, "I didn't know that Iron-skinned fellow was your friend. Plus, I was worried Loki might cause more trouble, so I was in a bad mood at the time and might have hit him a bit too hard. Though from what I saw, his Iron skin only had some paint scratched off—nothing serious. But he insisted on going home to change into a new set before meeting up with us."
Li Ming scratched his head, caught between Stark and Thor, both of whom he had good relationships with. How was he supposed to respond to Thor's words?
At a loss, Li Ming simply said nothing and changed the subject. "Last time you left, I thought you'd be back soon. Why did it take so long to return to Earth? Or did you sneak back to meet Jane without planning to take me to Asgard for some fun?"
"Ah—" Thor sighed. "It's a long story—"