Charlotte Agency.
Charlotte Doyle had just finished giving Umino Iruka a few instructions and was about to leave.
The bell on the door rang. A middle-aged man in a suit, wearing a faint smile, pushed open the door and entered Charlotte Agency.
Seeing someone enter, Charlotte and Iruka both turned their eyes toward him.
As soon as he saw the visitor clearly, Charlotte's pupils constricted slightly. Why had a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent come looking for him?
He remembered that after the slaughter outside The Continental Hotel, Winston had sealed off the scene and cut off the nearby surveillance cameras that same afternoon.
Besides, given the strength he had displayed, they should not have sent someone to his door—especially not Phil Coulson, the famously nice guy.
Coulson walked up to the Agency's front desk, glanced at Charlotte and then Iruka, before approaching Charlotte Doyle and speaking slowly. "Mr. Charlotte Doyle, there are some matters I need to discuss with you."
"I'm FBI agent Phil Coulson. Here are my credentials."
As he spoke, Coulson pulled out an FBI badge and deliberately showed it to Charlotte.
Looking at the FBI credentials, Charlotte was speechless. Every department really did use the FBI to conceal its identity.
Charlotte's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, "This FBI agent, may I ask what business you have with me?"
Coulson looked around the hall and smiled. "Mr. Charlotte, this is not a good place to talk, is it?"
Charlotte shrugged, indicating that he had no objection. "We have a Reception Room. Let's talk there."
"Iruka, bring me a Black Jack." Then he looked at Coulson. "Agent, would you like anything?"
"A cup of coffee, thank you."
After Coulson followed Charlotte into the conference room and sat down, Iruka quickly brought over their drinks. Before leaving, he thoughtfully closed the Reception Room's Room Door.
Charlotte took a sip of the whiskey in his glass and looked at Coulson. "Go ahead. Ordinarily, a department like yours shouldn't be dealing with someone like me."
Coulson stirred his coffee with a small spoon before speaking slowly. "Mr. Charlotte, there is a child here named Rock Lee. May I meet him?"
The moment Coulson mentioned Rock Lee's name, Charlotte understood that S.H.I.E.L.D. had not come for him. They had come for Rock Lee.
He just did not know what had drawn S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention to the boy.
Charlotte looked at him and spoke slowly. "Coulson, Rock Lee is still a child. What could possibly warrant the FBI coming to his door?"
"I am Rock Lee's guardian. You can speak with me. I believe federal law would not allow you to bypass a guardian and speak with a child alone."
Hearing Charlotte invoke federal law, Coulson realized that the man before him was not some simple-minded brute of an assassin.
"Charlotte, I don't think I need to spell out what you are or what kind of background you have."
"There were problems with Rock Lee's identity registration. Given your circumstances, you are not qualified to be his guardian."
"Rock Lee is still a child. He should not be involved in that kind of life. What he needs is a peaceful, healthy living environment."
Charlotte did not answer immediately. Instead, he picked up the black jack on the table, took another light sip, and simply watched Coulson.
Seeing that Charlotte remained silent, Coulson continued, "Mr. Charlotte, we investigated your past before coming here. You were adopted once as well, and that led you down the path you are on today."
"If—if the people you had encountered back then had not been that couple, your life should not have turned out this way."
"Rock Lee is you from back then. I hope you can hand him over to us, to the government, and give him a healthy, happy environment in which to grow up."
Listening to Coulson, Charlotte secretly found it amusing. S.H.I.E.L.D. had investigated him thoroughly enough to uncover even the details of his adoption. They actually wanted to stir up his sympathy and make him let Rock Lee leave with them.
Charlotte looked at Coulson, his expression turning grave. "Why have you set your sights on Rock Lee?"
"The FBI isn't responsible for matters involving children, is it?"
"What do you want Rock Lee for? To train him into an agent? An operative? Or someone like you?"
Faced with Charlotte's three questions in a row, Coulson raised his coffee, took a sip, and said slowly, "Charlotte, we are merely informing you. We are discussing this with you now."
"But you need to understand that if the FBI wished it, your guardianship could be revoked at any time. That includes this Agency and even you personally. We have the authority and ability to shut down this Agency and detain you."
"However, the fact that we are sitting here and talking means I came with good intentions. So, Charlotte Doyle, can you let me meet the child named Rock Lee now?"
Although Coulson was known as a nice guy, that depended on who he was dealing with. For an assassin like Charlotte, the fact that he had not arrested him outright already showed considerable restraint.
Hearing Coulson's words, Charlotte could not help mocking him inwardly. S.H.I.E.L.D. really was good at making trouble.
Charlotte's expression changed. He slammed a hand onto the table and said angrily, "Coulson, are you threatening me?"
"Threatening a law-abiding citizen who pays his taxes on time? Believe it or not, based on what you just said, I can hire a lawyer and sue you."
The smile vanished from Coulson's face. He gave Charlotte a long look before speaking slowly. "Charlotte Doyle, you should know that I am not joking."
Looking at the man before him, Charlotte kept his angry expression. "And what if you meet him?"
"Rock Lee will not leave with you."
Coulson lightly tapped his coffee cup with his spoon and said slowly, "Charlotte, that is another matter. Right now, I want to meet the child named Rock Lee. Is there a problem?"
"Do I need to produce a summons and a search warrant?"
Looking at Coulson, Charlotte could not reconcile the man before him with the famously nice guy from the movies. Movies were movies, and reality was reality.
Besides, did they really have the ability to take Rock Lee away?
As long as he wished it, he could recall Rock Lee into System Space from anywhere, simply by removing Rock Lee's character card from the Deployment Slot.
He wanted to see what this veteran agent Coulson could possibly say after meeting Rock Lee.
After all, the initiative had always been in his hands.
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