"Ah!" Skye let out a soft cry in the haze of desire.
Only then did she remember they were still out on the street, and she hurriedly climbed off Ye Li.
In the distance.
A blonde beauty watching them frowned.
Skye, also known as Daisy Johnson, whom S.H.I.E.L.D. considered highly promising, had actually been teased into such a state by a man.
And according to the files, this lazy painter named Ye Li had more than just Skye as a girl he was close to...
A Masterpiece! The Follower!
"Skye, your program's finished loading." Ye Li pointed at the highly futuristic laptop on the table.
Now that he had hacking skills as well, he could tell that Skye's laptop had some seriously high-end hardware.
"It's loaded!" Skye's eyes lit up when she saw the progress bar on the screen.
But after scanning their surroundings, she decided this place was not safe enough and put the laptop away first.
Hmm... Sneaking around like that, what was she up to? Although Ye Li had only glanced at the screen, based on the skills copied by the system, Skye's hacking abilities were exceptional. For something to make her this pleased, she had probably broken into the database of some secret agency.
After scattering the last of the breadcrumbs to the swans fighting over them, Ye Li clapped his hands. "Let's leave first. The wind told me this place has already drawn someone's attention."
"The wind?"
Skye assumed Ye Li just had some strange intuition. She picked up her laptop bag and smiled. "Is that how artists talk?"
She did not think anyone would be watching her right after she joined Rising Tide.
What kind of department would need that kind of efficiency?
"Alright, great artist, stop being so suspicious."
She grabbed Ye Li's arm. "Come on~ Take me to your exhibition and let me have a look around."
"There's nothing worth seeing there. I've got somewhere better~"
Ye Li smiled mysteriously. "That's where I keep my finest collection of works."
Manhattan, Central Park.
Inside Northern Building, not far across from Stark Tower.
"Sir."
A security guard greeted Ye Li, then tapped a few times on a tablet and handed it over. "This floor requires your authorization."
Ye Li took the tablet. It displayed a floor that was not open to the public.
After entering some encrypted information, Ye Li took Skye up the elevator to that floor.
"Whoa~! Oh my goodness, Li, are all these your works?"
Skye gasped the moment she stepped out of the elevator.
The entire floor was filled with glass display cases holding paintings of every size and style, including several Eastern ink paintings.
Even an outsider like her, who did not know much about the art world, could tell these works were on a completely different level from those displayed at the exhibition.
"Some are mine. Others are collections from famous artists."
Ye Li walked up to a metal wall and pressed his palm against it.
The wall slid open to either side, revealing a portrait taller than a person inside.
The painting depicted a valiant goddess of war, so lifelike she seemed almost real.
Skye could not help stepping closer and lightly touching the glass protecting it. "What a masterpiece... What's her name?"
Ye Li smiled. "Goddess Athena, one of the works that made me famous."
"Athena, huh."
Skye, who was interested in supernatural matters, let her thoughts wander. "Li, do you think gods really exist? Like the ones in Greek mythology or Norse mythology?"
"I think so-called gods are merely more advanced lifeforms. Aliens, for example."
Ye Li calculated the timing. It should not be long before Thor's Mjolnir fell.
"Li, you sound like a materialist. Artists are supposed to be more romantic."
"Can't materialists be romantic?"
With a push of his hand, Ye Li slid Goddess Athena aside. "If you want somewhere private to start working on your laptop, this place is pretty good."
Inside was a spacious area where artistic charm intertwined with romance. Freshly grained wooden furniture filled the room, while brightly colored paints and assorted art supplies sat in one corner, looking as though they had not been used for quite some time.
He pressed a switch, and the connected window shades automatically drew apart. Beyond the one-way floor-to-ceiling windows, the entire New York skyline lay spread before them.
"There's another room inside? That's surprising."
Skye was amazed and impressed—Li actually used a priceless painting as a door.
It had a distinctly extravagant air to it.
"Very few people know about this place. I've only brought Gwen Stacy and Jessica Jones here before."
Ye Li invited her in. "Now you're included too. Come in with me, little assistant."
Below the building.
The figure with golden hair followed them over.
Barbara checked the surveillance footage of Ye Li and Skye's route but found nothing useful. "Maybe I shouldn't have followed them. I should've gone straight to investigate the Ghost-Spider Club."
She felt that following those two would only get her fed a bunch of couple nonsense.
And besides, why was the wind so unusually strong today?
She had clearly checked the weather data before the operation.
"Found you."
Ye Li opened his eyes after sensing his surroundings, a smile curling at his lips.
Through the flow of air, he had already locked onto whoever was following them.
It seemed she needed a little lesson.
Teasing Barbara! No Lewdness Allowed!
Rumble!
Dark clouds suddenly gathered above Northern Building. In an instant, fierce wind, torrential rain, and booming thunder filled the air.
It was as if it only covered a single area.
Barbara had no time to react before the sudden downpour drenched her completely.
Golden strands of hair clung to her face, while the plainclothes outfit she wore for the operation plastered itself to her body, revealing her graceful figure.
If she had not been wearing a thin combat suit underneath, she would have looked even more alluring.
Unfortunately, no one got to enjoy that sight.
"Damn it!"
She hurriedly pulled out a small handle-like device.
The tiny handle rapidly unfolded and extended, transforming into a black umbrella.
It was a little gadget developed by S.H.I.E.L.D. researchers, and its canopy was even bulletproof.
"Have those idiots become so incompetent that they can get weather data wrong too?"
After shielding herself from the downpour, Barbara was furious.
But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, thunder rumbled overhead.
She looked up to see faint flashes of lightning glowing within the clouds, tiny electric tongues flickering in and out.
A bad feeling rose in her...
Don't tell me I'm about to get struck by lightning too?
Crack!
The next instant, a thin bolt of lightning tore through the sky and struck down in a flash.
Barbara stared at the scorched mark beside her feet.
She was dumbfounded.
"What!?"
"Teacher~ Why are you smiling so happily?"
Skye had taken off her long outer shirt. Wearing only a cool tank top and tiny shorts, she lay sprawled on the bed with a pillow pinned beneath her, working on her laptop in an extremely improper typing position.
"Just thinking about something pleasant."
Leaning against the headboard, Ye Li held a small drawing board and casually sketched something with a pencil.
Before you continue