"Alice, bring up the video feed immediately. I want to see who's bold enough to sneak into my place."
"The surveillance cameras deployed near the manor have been destroyed and can't be accessed at the moment."
"But I've already activated real-time satellite monitoring—the image is being generated…"
"Generation complete. It's the woman who appeared earlier at the World Security Council Building: Natasha Romanoff."
"Black Widow… Is she from S.H.I.E.L.D.? It seems my identity's been exposed. Otherwise, she wouldn't be here."
"Boss, should we eliminate her?"
At that moment, 2B's voice cut through Alice's real-time comms channel.
Clearly, she still harbored that obsession with killing Natasha.
"Her identity's already out. Eliminating her won't change anything. Besides, she's more useful alive. Capture her—for me."
"Understood! So… you'll interrogate her yourself, right?"
"Of course. That's your prerogative."
"Thank you, boss! I'll make sure the mission succeeds."
"I'll make sure the mission succeeds."
Tifa's voice suddenly chimed in.
"No, Tifa—why are you everywhere? Can you please stop interfering with everything?"
"Sister 2B, I'm not trying to steal your thunder. I'm just helping! The boss said we're sisters, and sisters should support each other."
"Thanks, but she's just a human. I can handle this on my own."
"Really? Alright then! I'll go back and serve the boss."
"Wait."
The moment 2B heard Tifa say she'd return alone to "serve" Loren, she immediately changed her mind.
She wasn't about to let her sister cozy up to their creator while she was out fighting.
Listening to their bickering, Loren didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Ever since he'd created Tifa, his life had grown far livelier.
He still couldn't figure out what was wrong with the AI core installed in her head—
or maybe, like 2B, Tifa had also awakened to self-awareness.
Either way, her behavior was so human-like that even her creator sometimes found himself confused.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on their squabbles. Something about Natasha's appearance felt… off.
Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, he narrowed his eyes and glanced out the window.
"Alice—immediately scan the area for any other suspicious activity. Natasha's too cunning.
She knows that destroying the perimeter cameras would expose her location.
And yet she did it anyway—that's not like her. She's definitely up to something."
Loren pulled his gaze back, settled into the boss chair in his study, and closed his eyes, sinking into thought.
"Understood. Running satellite sweep… Ding. Anomaly detected."
"Boss, we've spotted a suspicious individual on a mountainside roughly two kilometers from the manor.
They're concealed and using a telescope to observe us."
"A suspicious person? Who is it?"
"Hawkeye—Clint Barton."
"Those two again? Looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. really has no one else to send!"
Hearing the names Natasha and Barton, 2B's lips curled into a faint, sarcastic smirk.
Hearing this, Loren smiled. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is still in its developmental phase. Even the Avengers haven't been established yet, so it's no surprise they don't have any operatives to spare. But why send them here—now?"
Seated in the boss's chair, Loren frowned and sank into deep thought.
After a moment, his expression shifted—sudden realization dawning on his face.
"I see. S.H.I.E.L.D. only suspects my identity; they haven't confirmed it yet. So they used Natasha as bait to draw out 2B and verify their intel."
He knew Natasha wasn't that reckless. Disabling the surveillance system had been unnecessary—overkill, even.
He hadn't worn the bat armor to conceal his identity; he'd simply wanted to test its performance.
"Since you're so eager to uncover who I really am," he said, "I'll show you myself."
He turned to Tifa. "You handle the one on the mountaintop. Leave Natasha to 2B. And remember—both of them must survive. Understood?"
"Understood," Tifa replied without hesitation. "Tifa promises to complete the task."
Without another word, she split off from 2B, activated the anti-gravity device beneath her feet, and shot forward like a streak of rainbow light—heading straight for Hawkeye.
---
Outside Morgan Manor
After disabling several surveillance devices, Natasha strode confidently toward the manor's gate.
Her posture made it clear: she had no intention of sneaking in. She wanted to be seen—and brought inside.
"Barton, status update. Has the target appeared yet?"
As she approached the estate, she spoke into the communicator nestled in her ear. Two kilometers away, Barton lay hidden in a thicket of grass, scanning the manor through his scope.
Suddenly, two women burst from the villa.
The moment Barton saw them, his eyes widened in awe.
One was the silver-haired woman he'd glimpsed earlier at the World Security Council building.
"I see her," he said, voice taut. "The silver-haired one's coming your way. Be careful."
"Copy that. Your job's done. Fall back immediately—leave the rest to me."
Natasha's brow furrowed as she issued the order.
Barton cast one last glance toward her location, then turned to retreat.
But just then, a shadow fell over him.
Instinct kicked in. As a top-tier S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he rolled forward without thinking.
A heartbeat later, a figure dropped from the sky.
She executed a flawless front flip and drove her heel downward like a cannonball—shattering the earth where he'd just been standing. Had he not moved, the strike would have killed him—or at the very least, left him crippled.
"Since you're already here," a melodic voice chimed above him, "why the rush to leave?"
Barton looked up—and froze.
Standing before him was a woman of breathtaking beauty.
"Who are you?" he managed.
"Tifa," she said with a coy smile. "Housekeeper of Morgan Manor… and the boss's most beautiful bed warmer."
"???" Barton blinked.
"Tifa! How dare you!" a voice cut in from the distance. "I'm the most beautiful bed warmer!"
"…" Loren muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.