Li Feng Is an Alien?

Seeing May nod in confirmation, Fury pulled a notepad from his pocket, quickly sketched a portrait of Li Feng, and asked, "Is this the man? The thing that left the deepest impression on me was that he wore slippers. By the way, was he wearing slippers today?"

May nodded and said, "It's him." She was a little curious. From Fury's tone, not only did the two know each other, they seemed quite familiar. But what did he mean by slippers leaving the deepest impression? Some kind of personal quirk?

May said with slight confusion, "He wasn't wearing slippers. He was wearing boots."

The corner of Fury's mouth lifted slightly. When we returned to the Kree Cruiser and couldn't find your body, I knew you were still alive. But switching slippers for boots—does that mean your taste has evolved? Or did you learn that I called you Slippers Guy in the files, so you started wearing boots just to make me waste time changing it to Boots Guy?

May hesitated before asking, "Sir, should we pull up the surveillance footage and check where he went?"

"Of course," Fury said quietly. "But only you and I can know about this."

After thinking for a moment, May nodded. "I'll use investigating how that Inhuman with the malformed bones got into the restaurant as an excuse, then see if I can find Little Belly in the surveillance footage."

"Not a bad excuse," Fury said with a smile. "But Austin is Chinese, just like you. I wonder if he'll be furious when he hears you call him that."

So they really were familiar. Otherwise, how would Fury know he hated being called that? May narrowed her eyes, subtly gesturing toward the unconscious Inhuman as she whispered, "Is this Austin also an Inhuman like him? I need to find him as quickly as possible before he loses control, so no innocent people get hurt."

Fury raised a brow, thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Maybe. It's complicated. To be honest, I hope he is an Inhuman."

In truth, Fury wasn't certain whether Li Feng was an enhanced individual. He was more inclined to suspect that Li Feng was an alien wearing human skin.

There were many reasons for that suspicion. First, when Fury returned to the Kree Cruiser, he found that much of the equipment carried by the Kree Elite forces Carol had slaughtered was missing.

The agency's scientists were still cracking Kree technology and examining whether those weapons carried any alien pathogens.

Moreover, the agency's scientists had already proven that some of the weapons simply couldn't be used by humans. Yet Li Feng had had the nerve to steal alien equipment. Didn't that suggest Li Feng knew how to use those alien weapons?

Also, although green-skinned Talos said that no Outer Space ships were missing from the Cruiser, Fury felt that the mere fact he couldn't find any trace of Li Feng gave him reason to suspect Li Feng had flown a spacecraft back to Earth—or left Earth entirely. A man whose records showed he couldn't even fly an airplane suddenly knew how to pilot an alien spacecraft. Didn't that also prove Li Feng was an alien?

There was one final reason to believe Li Feng was an alien.

Back then, when a file showing that Li Feng was merely an utterly ordinary human had been placed on his desk, Fury had immediately felt a chill at the thought. The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division was an organization that claimed it could catch a rat and find out where its ancestors had dug holes for eighteen generations.

And now? Was the unremarkable Li Feng in the file really the Austin he had met back then? They were practically two different people. The Austin he had met was probably an alien in disguise.

Fury recalled how he had spent enormous effort mobilizing the agency's resources to search for Li Feng, only to find not even a shadow of him. Even now, that made him think Li Feng had flown a spaceship away from Earth while aboard the Kree Cruiser.

Then, just as he was about to give up searching for Li Feng, Li Feng suddenly appeared in New York. Fury felt this was too good an opportunity to miss. No matter what, he had to meet Li Feng.

Whether Li Feng intended to use those alien weapons himself or sell them into the black market, Fury needed to know where those weapons had gone. He also needed to ask Li Feng which planet he came from and why he had come to Earth. It was a duty he couldn't avoid.

But considering Li Feng's previous goodwill and the combat ability he had displayed when he single-handedly rescued Talos, Fury felt he could bring May, who was equally skilled in combat, to meet Austin—the suspected alien wearing Li Feng's skin.

Before long, May hurried over to Fury, who was sitting at the dining table drinking a beverage, with a stack of documents in her arms. "Sir, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Fury propped his forehead with one hand and curled his lip. "The bad news first. At least the good news afterward can mend my poor little heart."

May shrugged. "Although we found the files on the man whose bones grew out of his back, he mysteriously vanished during transport."

"Mysteriously?" Fury rubbed the bridge of his nose. "More mysterious than him suddenly growing an exoskeleton?"

May handed the documents to Fury. "There were three vehicles in the convoy transporting the enhanced individual. The sealed compartment holding him was in the middle of the convoy. But when they reached the base and opened it, they found not only that the enhanced individual had disappeared, but that the four soldiers inside with him had vanished as well."

"After examining the sealed compartment, the base personnel found no signs of a struggle. And throughout the transport, the rear camera footage showed that the vehicle carrying the enhanced individual never moved at all. There wasn't even a bump."

"Worst of all, we haven't even collected the enhanced individual's DNA."

Fury opened the documents before him and glanced through them. "So all we have is information from before he became an enhanced individual?"

"Yes, sir."

"That really is bad news." Fury took a deep breath, closed the file, and casually tossed it onto the table.

What he wanted to know was when, where, and how the man had become an enhanced individual. The pile of documents before him clearly couldn't provide those answers. Besides, he could review the files anytime he wanted, so there was no need to waste time here.

After taking a sip of his drink, Fury said, "Now tell me the good news. I'd like to have a good mood to take home before I get off work."

May looked around before lowering her voice. "I'm afraid you're still a long way from getting off work. I tracked Austin's movements. He's driving an RV on the highway right now, and it looks like he's preparing to leave New York."

Fury rose and gestured for May to leave the restaurant with him. "That's good news? Good news that makes me work overtime? By the way, you said earlier that Little Belly ordered fried peanuts for delivery?"

When May spread her hands and nodded, Fury, who had not yet left the restaurant, suddenly said to Coulson, who was standing by the entrance like a greeter, "Buy me some fried peanuts, sweet-and-sour pork ribs, and White Cut Chicken, will you? May, I know Turkey and black-bone chicken, but what breed is White Cut Chicken?"

May, who was already an exceptional cook, replied with some uncertainty, "Sir, White Cut Chicken is just chicken boiled in plain water." After thinking about it, she added, "And those are all Chinese drinking dishes."

Fury nodded, expressing that he couldn't understand what was so delicious about chicken boiled in plain water, then turned to Coulson and asked, "Understand?"

Coulson smiled and nodded. "Should I get some beer too?"

"Yes." Fury opened the car door and motioned for May to get in, while checking the pistol in his holster. "I want to have a good chat with an old friend about his plans for the future."

May was somewhat puzzled. From Fury's words, she knew they were going to intercept Austin. But Fury had said even investigating the man's whereabouts had to remain secret, so what was he bringing her along for? Was Fury planning to make her a waitress? Or leave her ears at home and have her serve as nothing more than a beer-pouring attendant while she watched Fury and Austin drink and chat?

May sat in the driver's seat, started the car, and smiled faintly. "Sir, I sell my skills, not myself."

Fury, seated in the passenger seat, rolled his eyes at May. Of course he knew she was joking. May wasn't some agent who was highly skilled in combat but simple-minded. She was one of the agency's most capable operatives. Still, for safety's sake, Fury reminded her, "You'd better chamber a round. I don't want any more bad news."

Bad news? Did he mean she might die?

May glanced at Fury and said seriously, "Sir, are you sure that's necessary? The surveillance footage shows Austin is alone. He's just a man who isn't particularly muscular and has a little belly."

"If I could, I'd call in a whole army for support." Fury pointed to his eyepatch and sneered. "There are some things I can't conveniently tell you, but let me remind you—the man with the little belly, as you call him, is very knowledgeable. This eye saw it with its own sight before it went blind."

May slammed down on the accelerator, tilted her head slightly, and muttered, "I thought he was the one who blinded your eye, and you wanted me as combat support to get revenge. I'd already started thinking about how much to charge."

As Fury pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and unfolded it in his hands, he casually said, "Tell me how much you want. This mission is half official, half personal. Maybe I can pay you."

Though both her hands were on the steering wheel and her foot was nearly pressed to the floor on the accelerator, May's excellent driving skills still allowed her to glance at the paper in Fury's hand.

When May saw Austin's photo on the paper, along with his Chinese name and basic information, she looked a little surprised and teased, "Sir, is this guy worth carrying his file around with you? Don't tell me Austin stole your girlfriend?"

"If he'd stolen my girlfriend, this would be simple," Fury said. After reading the file, he slipped the paper back into his jacket pocket, raised his right hand in a mock shooting gesture, and said, "I'd buy the bullet out of my own pocket and give Austin one for free."

May raised an eyebrow. "I'm wondering whether I should get out of the car. This job probably won't be easy."

Fury shifted into a more comfortable position and said, "Depends on our luck. The last time I worked with Austin, we got along fairly well."

May narrowed her eyes. Though Fury had not said much, she had still picked up some basic information—for example, Austin was a dangerous man.

Fury carried Austin's file with him because he could not find any suspicious details in it that matched up, and that alone said a great deal. Could someone who had dealings with Fury and even managed to put him at a disadvantage really be the ordinary person described in the file? Anyone who believed that was an idiot.