"Look carefully," Coulson said, eyes narrowed. "Kai looks like he's toying with them, but every strike he makes keeps those guys inside a small radius."
"Every time one tries to escape, he kicks them back—forcing them to stay in his designated battle zone."
"So, while it looks like he's just fooling around, he's actually buying time for those civilians to get clear. If even one of these guys explodes, we'd be counting innocent casualties."
Melinda's gaze softened slightly as she watched Kai move across the battlefield like a cat playing with its prey.
She didn't fully agree with Coulson's view, but when she saw the three attackers try to run—only to be kicked back inside the same confined area—she had to admit he was right.
She gave a small nod.
Kai, of course, had no idea what Coulson and Melinda were saying about him.
Right now, he was circling the three attackers lazily, hands in pockets, as system prompts echoed in his head.
Borsalino's role performance +0.1%
Borsalino's role performance +0.1%
Borsalino's role performance +0.1%
Kai grinned faintly. "As expected of Kizaru—the master of doing everything with minimum effort."
The more he slacked off, the higher his role-playing percentage climbed. Perfect.
The three enemies were already panicking. No matter how hard they attacked, it did nothing to him. Desperation twisted their faces as their bodies glowed red, unstable energy building toward self-destruction.
Kai sighed softly.
"Have you ever been kicked… by the speed of light?"
He flashed forward, and in an instant—BOOM!
His dazzling kick sent one enemy soaring dozens of meters into the air. A second kick launched the other two skyward. The three burning figures formed a glowing triangle in the night sky—then detonated simultaneously.
A brilliant explosion lit up the city like a fiery blossom.
As the shockwave faded, people began to emerge from hiding—peeking out from behind corners, shop doors, and video stores.
Some stared up at the "fireworks" still fading in the sky.
Others had their phones out, recording the hero who had once saved New York—and had just saved them again tonight.
Applause and cheers rippled through the crowd.
"Flash Man! Flash Man!" voices shouted.
Behind the wreckage, Simmons received Coulson's hand signal—a quick three-finger gesture.
She rushed forward and threw her arms around Kai in a sudden hug.
The crowd erupted in cheers again at the sight of the "beauty" embracing the superhero.
Simmons whispered in his ear, "Coulson says to meet three blocks away."
A few minutes later, Kai arrived at the meeting point. Coulson was waiting by the car, smiling.
"That crowd was a little too enthusiastic," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Lots of photos being taken. S.H.I.E.L.D. prefers to keep some things off-camera."
"Understood," Kai replied, stepping into the vehicle.
As the doors shut, Simmons was practically bouncing in her seat. "This is the first time I've ever seen a superhero fight that close up! Oh my god, Kai, that was amazing!"
Fitz nodded eagerly beside her. "Yeah! You're like—like the Flash, but sarcastic!"
Coulson, sitting in the front seat, was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Kai, you know," he said thoughtfully, "I recently spent a small fortune buying a set of 1970s Captain America gold trading cards."
Kai tilted his head. "That's… oddly specific."
Coulson continued with a faint smile. "They're signed by Captain Rogers himself. Considering I technically died once, that signature means a lot to me."
Kai chuckled. "Steve's pretty easy to talk to. I'll tell him you said hi."
"Thanks," Coulson said sincerely. "In return, I'll let you experience the charm of Lola sometime. She's my most precious baby."
Kai blinked. "Lola? Wait… you mean your car, right?"
Simmons leaned over, grinning. "Yep. His classic red Corvette. Don't even think about touching it unless you have a death wish."
Kai exhaled in relief. "Ah. Good. For a second, I thought… never mind."
Back at the temporary base, Kai dropped his bag and looked around.
He had to admit—Coulson's arrangements were better than his own apartment.
The fridge was stocked with drinks, wine, and even an expensive tin of tea.
On the table were several gaming consoles. It was barely 8 p.m.—plenty of time to relax.
He filled a kettle and switched on the TV.
The evening news was already broadcasting shaky, low-quality clips from phone cameras—but even blurred, he still looked damn good on screen.
Grinning, he brewed a cup of tea and dialed Tony Stark.
"Wow, that's unusual, kid!" Tony's voice crackled through the line. "First time you've ever called me after hours. What's up? Need my genius help?"
He paused dramatically.
"If you're willing to cut your salary and bonus in half this month, I'll immediately—ow!—dammit—"
Kai frowned. "What's going on over there?"
"Nothing major," Tony grunted.
At his Malibu Beach villa, Tony picked up a towel and wiped blood from his arm.
"I'm injecting myself with micro-transmitters," he said casually. "That way I can summon my Iron Man suits remotely. Anyway, what do you need help with?"
Hearing Tony's voice steady, Kai relaxed and sipped his tea.
"I'm fine. We were just attacked tonight by some guys willing to blow themselves up."
"Fun crowd," Tony said dryly.
"They look like regular people on the outside," Kai continued, "but their bodies are reinforced. Bullets don't work, and they regenerate fast. Their energy's unstable though—easy to trigger an explosion."
Tony's tone grew serious. "Sounds like Extremis."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Extremis?"
Tony sighed. "Yeah. Long story short—it's Killian's little science project. And if those guys showed up near you, it means he's moving faster than I thought."
Kai swirled his tea, watching the ripples catch the light.
"Then I guess the game's on, Stark."