Pushing open the study door, Zhou Yi directly and frankly addressed the two Asian beauties who immediately turned their attention to him.
"Ladies, may I know your purpose? If it's about Mutants, then I think you've definitely come to the wrong person."
Psylocke and Yuriko exchanged glances, then Psylocke was the first to reply.
"I think you must be mistaken, sir. We are not here for any Mutant; we are here for ourselves."
"For yourselves? Sorry, I don't understand what you mean?" Raising an eyebrow, Zhou Yi curiously scanned the two women. What they said sounded like it had many implications.
"To be precise, we are looking for a stable job here with you. You know, poor women like us most need the protection of a handsome and wealthy man like you."
As Psylocke spoke, she lightly licked her lips, putting on a seductive and pitiful act, which, combined with her enchanting beauty, indeed had some appeal.
However, Zhou Yi seemed not to notice, walking straight to his desk, pouring himself a drink with his back to them, and continuing his interrogation.
"Looking for a job? Can't Charles provide you with jobs? Why would you come to me? There should be no dealings between us."
"Charles might be a good person, but we are not good women. Being with him would only make us uncomfortable. Besides, the salary he can offer cannot satisfy my needs; a life without luxuries is truly torture for a woman."
"You want money?" Zhou Yi narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Then why don't you go to Magneto? He has an endless supply of gold. With your abilities, I believe he would never begrudge such useless things to him."
"But he's already a rat crossing the street, isn't he? I want a rich, fulfilling life, not to be a wanted criminal remembered by every Police officer in the World. I've had enough of that life."
A resentful expression appeared on Psylocke's face, both as if at Zhou Yi's indifference and as if protesting her own tragic life. Such an expression always evokes pity, unless she is facing a stone-hearted person.
And coincidentally, after experiencing much, Zhou Yi already had the potential for that. The expression on his face didn't change; he still maintained that smiling look.
"Then I still say, why me?"
"Because you are strong enough and trustworthy enough." It was Yuriko, who had been silent all along, who spoke. She stopped Psylocke's frivolous probing and explained in her own way.
"What Psylocke and I know is not suitable for the academy, and Charles's philosophy is also not suitable for us.
We have no reason to stay there. But we need a Sanctuary, a place that can protect us from the covetousness of those with ill intentions. So Charles recommended you to us."
"We have learned about you. You are the Dawn Knight, the strongest Superhero in the World. You are also one of the wealthiest people in this World. With your strength and influence, not many people would target you. However, you are short-handed and do not have many subordinates you can command. And this is precisely the purpose of our arrival."
Tapping his fingertips on the table, Zhou Yi glanced at the two women boldly applying for a job. Although they looked calm, some subtle movements still showed that they were still a bit nervous.
"You wish to become my subordinates, but to be honest. I haven't seen your value, and I think you should know that Charles's recommendation alone is not enough. To make me hire you, you must let me know your value. But before that, I don't even know your specific identities."
The two women looked at each other, understanding Zhou Yi's meaning. That is, they needed to reveal their information. Not necessarily without reservation, but it had to be detailed enough. Detailed enough for Zhou Yi to completely trust them.
Understanding the meaning of Zhou Yi's words, the two began to respond. First to answer him was Yuriko. "My name is Koyama Yuriko, and as you can see, I am an Asian. My father was a Scientist in biology; he once worked for the Military, responsible for developing cutting-edge biological weapons, especially in Mutant gene modification. Wolverine Logan and I are both considered his works."
"And unlike Wolverine Logan, he is a Mutant. While I am an artificial Mutant created because my father extracted his X-chromosome for modification. However, our abilities are the same; we both possess near-immortal super-regeneration, and both have Adamantium implanted in our bones, so theoretically, I possess the same characteristics as him."
"Besides that, I am also proficient in bioengineering, genetics, and have obtained doctorate degrees from Waseda University. I am also skilled in Judo, close-quarters combat, firearms, and driving. Due to my heritage, I also speak both English and Japanese. So I believe I can be competent whether as a researcher, an assistant, or a bodyguard."
Koyama Yuriko's self-introduction was concise and precise, which satisfied Zhou Yi. As an employee, she was clearly someone an employer could trust. So he nodded and looked at Psylocke again.
"Oh, damn it. This isn't a job fair!" Meeting Zhou Yi's gaze, Psylocke pouted but still honestly said.
"Hello, boss. My name is Psylocke, a Mutant. As you can see, like Yuriko, I am Japanese. My abilities are psychic teleportation and psychic blades. I can teleport myself or anyone I touch to a place I can telepathically sense. At the same time, I can materialize psychic energy into a weapon, directly harming the opponent's mind. Additionally, I have some other psychic abilities, but they are not very useful."
"I used to be a professional assassin for the Triads, but because they sold me out to Stryker, we no longer have any relationship. Of course, if you have any characters you dislike, I guarantee I can deal with them without leaving any trace."
"Also, if you have any other needs, boss, I don't mind satisfying you, you know, it's rare to find a boss who suits my taste so well!"
At this point, she even blew a kiss at Zhou Yi. Clearly, the satisfaction she spoke of was in every sense of the word.
Seeing Psylocke's demeanor, Zhou Yi smiled. However, even though he was smiling, he gave off a sense of distance.
"Sorry, although what you said is very tempting, you are not my type." He said as he refused. "I understand what you mean, and I have a general idea of your abilities. I can provide you with what you want: money, Sanctuary, but there's one thing I need to make clear to you, and that is I must have your loyalty!"
"I will not stop you if you want to leave, but before you leave, I will absolutely not allow anyone to betray me. Otherwise, no matter how capable you are, or what kind of figures stand behind you. Believe me, you will definitely regret it."
"In this World, there is no one I cannot kill. Even if you possess so-called immortality, it's the same!"
By the end, he was practically threatening them. And facing his threat, Koyama Yuriko and Psylocke both showed expressions of fear. After all, they knew the true identity of the man before them, and that identity was indeed very intimidating to them.
"I understand, sir. We can guarantee that!" Psylocke and Yuriko vied to assure him, and for Zhou Yi, that was enough.
He indeed needed some manpower now, because as the plan progressed, the tasks on his hands would only increase. These matters all required trustworthy people to resolve, so in a way, their self-recommendation also suited Zhou Yi's intentions perfectly.
"Very good, then from now on, you are working for me. You don't have to worry about the benefits. If you wish, you can live directly in the manor. Of course, if you don't want to, I can also arrange another place for you to stay."
The two exchanged glances, then Yuriko immediately gave the answer.
"Here is fine; you don't need to trouble yourself further."
"Very good!" Zhou Yi nodded and continued.
"As for your work, Young Miss Yuriko. If you have no problem, I hope you can be my daughter's driver and bodyguard. Soon I will have her attend a nearby school, and when I am not free, I will need you to pick her up and drop her off."
"I'd be happy to, sir. I will take good care of the Young Miss." Koyama Yuriko immediately bowed, adopting a respectful demeanor.
"As for you, Young Miss Psylocke. The security of the manor will temporarily be entrusted to you. There shouldn't be a problem with that, right?"
"Leave it to me, sir. I guarantee no one will leave here alive if they try anything." Psylocke almost patted her chest as she promised, though her assurance sounded a bit frightening.
"Ordinary people just need a lesson. I don't want to hear from any news about someone suddenly dying for no reason near my home." Regarding Psylocke's assurance, Zhou Yi merely waved his hand casually. This woman, who was always resorting to violence, could not be understood with normal human thinking, and Zhou Yi did not have the time to understand her.
After arranging the matters for these two new subordinates, he let them find a room to rest. As for himself, he began to mobilize his funds to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s efforts to create momentum.
Umbrella was currently in a financial predicament, especially due to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s countermeasures; even the banks would not circulate funds to them. Thus, investors like Zhou Yi would naturally become their primary target.
He only needed to hint at Umbrella in certain aspects, and then show them his bulging wallet. Umbrella would naturally fall into the trap themselves. As for the rest, he could completely leave it to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to resolve.
Believing that as the World's top Agent organization, even if they couldn't achieve perfection, they could at least achieve a satisfactory level.
And the facts proved that S.H.I.E.L.D. indeed rarely disappoints. Soon, he dispatched professionals, bringing exciting good news.