That afternoon, Natasha, dressed up and made up, arrived outside the grocery store. She took out her phone and confirmed that this was the address Stark had given her.
"This operation might not be so easy. The other party is powerful and bound to put on airs. I'll go in and sound him out first. Don't make any rash moves out here."
Natasha pressed the radio in her ear as she spoke.
"Copy."
Natasha took a few deep breaths, then pushed the door open and went in. In all her years on the job, she had dealt with every kind of celebrity and big shot and seen countless men. She had a way of handling young men of every age.
When she opened the door, she saw several people sitting inside. Natasha was about to deliver her usual opening line when she heard them arguing heatedly.
"Boss, get the red buff first! They're in no shape to fight right now. Grab it and then go in—they're dead for sure!"
"Hey, hey, hey! He's one hit from death! You can kill him!"
"Whoa, he got away? Seriously? How did he get away from that?"
"Boss, use your second skill! One whack and he'd be gone!"
Han Yu's expression grew increasingly helpless. He was playing a MOBBA game on the Myriad Worlds Communication Phone he had just obtained when Ultron and Quicksilver passed by and spotted him, only two matches in. They had merely glanced at first, but the more they watched, the more hooked they became.
They hurried over to ask him what game it was. They had never seen anything with this kind of gameplay or graphics on the market. Compared to it, games on Earth today looked as though they had been made on a landline.
As a transmigrator, Han Yu was delighted to see something from his previous life earn the approval of people in this one, even if he hadn't made it himself. He said nothing and kept playing, but Ultron and Quicksilver only grew more absorbed and began telling him how to play.
"Can you two armchair grandmasters shut up? Am I playing this game or are you?"
Han Yu turned and rolled his eyes at them. He had at least reached the master rank in his previous life. He had never thought he was all that good, but being nagged like this by two people who had never played a game before was still really annoying.
Ultron said, "If anyone needs to shut up, it's him. He sucks and all he knows how to do is charge in like a brute."
Quicksilver said, "Hey, now you've made me mad. Who are you calling bad?"
Ultron snorted. "You, obviously."
"Come on, let's have a go! I won't let you trip me this time!"
Ultron rolled his eyes at Quicksilver, not wanting to pay him any attention, and looked back down to watch Han Yu play.
"Um... I'm looking for Han Yu, Mr. Han."
Natasha spoke up timidly. She had been standing there in the flesh for over ten minutes, and she had watched Ultron and Quicksilver's entire war of words.
The strength the two had displayed in Sokovia that day would have made them worthy of special attention and training even in the Avengers. But now they looked like wayward game-addicted teenagers. There was no trace of the powerful figures they had been that day.
"Ah, coming!"
Han Yu struggled to get up, but Ultron and Quicksilver held him down firmly, refusing to let him rise. Their meaning was clear: they wanted to keep watching him play.
"All right, all right, here, take it. Don't break it, or I'll turn you into phones!"
"Hehe, don't worry, boss. It won't break!"
Han Yu tossed the phone to Quicksilver. Only then did the two let him get up, and they immediately threw themselves back into the match.
Shaking his head helplessly, Han Yu walked over to Natasha and asked, "It's you. What can I do for you?"
In Sokovia that day, Natasha hadn't gotten a clear look at Han Yu's face. Now that they were standing face-to-face, she realized he was remarkably good-looking.
He had a distinctly Eastern face, with very well-proportioned features. He wasn't impossibly handsome, but in a crowd, he would still stand out above the rest. With that physique and bearing, those alone meant he couldn't possibly be an ordinary person out in the world.
"Hello, my name is Natasha Romanoff. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Natasha extended her hand to Han Yu with easy confidence. The casual way she brushed back her hair could easily make a man's heart flutter.
Han Yu showed no awkwardness. He naturally took Natasha's hand, gave it a light shake, and let go. At the same time, he smiled and said,
"You're pleased too soon."
Pfft!
Ultron and Quicksilver, still playing the game behind them, burst out laughing. She had greeted him, and his response was truly one of a kind.
A little embarrassed, Natasha gestured toward the interior and said, "May I come in and sit for a while?"
Han Yu glanced inside the grocery store, then looked at the dressed-up Natasha. "I have no intention of getting involved with S.H.I.E.L.D., and I won't join it either. If there's nothing you need to buy, please leave."
Natasha had been radiating charm, but Han Yu's expression barely changed. In terms of figure, Wanda was no worse than her; in terms of ability, the Fifth Hokage Tsunade was far stronger, and her figure was good enough to give a man a nosebleed.
Han Yu wouldn't claim to have "seen countless women," but he had seen quite a few. Compared with them, Natasha's looks didn't rank quite so high.
Natasha hadn't expected him to be so blunt and decisive. The pile of conversation starters she had prepared to get close to him all seemed useless now.
Unwilling to give up, Natasha said, "I came to buy something, and I'm very sincere about it. Is this how you treat your customers?"
Han Yu's gaze swept over Natasha. In that instant, she felt as though he had seen right through her. A moment later, he looked out the window and smiled. "Sincerity? Are those agents hiding outside all here to help you carry the money?"
"What agents? I don't know what you're talking about."
Natasha lowered her head slightly so Han Yu wouldn't see the guilty look on her face. She was startled. He actually knew she hadn't come alone. There weren't any cameras outside the store, either. Was he bluffing?
"Twenty soldiers with fully automatic rifles have surrounded my store and stationed themselves by every window they can get through. In the building to the right as you leave my store, there's a sniper, and there's another sniper on the opposite side. What, do you want me to drag them out before you admit it?"
Han Yu spoke with a smile. If he released the full extent of his powerful mental power, it would be enough to cover the whole of New York City, so clearly that he could even count the hairs on another person's body. Let alone these people, who thought they were well hidden but might as well have been standing right in front of him.
Han Yu had known when Natasha and her group arrived; he simply couldn't be bothered with them. It was the same now. He couldn't be bothered with any changes in their positions. No matter how they attacked, he couldn't die anyway, so he let them play.
Of course, if they dared drop a nuclear bomb, it might just graze Han Yu's skin.
But they couldn't possibly drop one. This was downtown New York, after all. If they dropped a nuclear bomb here, they really wouldn't want to carry on anymore.
"Captain, we have a situation! Someone's trying to break through at the store entrance!"
A panicked voice rang out in Natasha's earpiece. Immediately afterward came the sound of something piercing flesh, and then silence.
Suddenly, a cylindrical object smashed through the window and landed inside. Natasha recognized it at a glance and cried out.
"It's a flashbang!"