The burning bullet struck the black-robed man squarely in the chest, and the shattered fragments instantly spread out.
The black-robed man's body burst into roaring flames. His bones and skin, scorched by the intense heat, could no longer support the act of running. After a few steps, he collapsed to the ground.
"Incendiary rounds?" Will's eyes widened. "Those work way better than grenades."
"I told you, this is an alchemist's moment to shine." Aaron said indifferently, then looked at the burning corpse. "Consider this your final warning, bug.
We may get the chance to meet again someday. When that happens, you'd better watch your attitude, because I might not be in such a good mood next time."
"He... isn't dead yet?" Simmons asked uneasily.
"Of course not. He is indeed very weak, but he's exceptionally hard to kill, and I never intended to take his life."
"Why not kill him?" Will asked in confusion. "A monster like that shouldn't be allowed to live. Keeping him around is always a hidden danger."
"You don't need to tell me how to do things.
I never wanted to come to this damned place in the first place. Coulson shamelessly insisted on dragging me here.
Besides, I only came here to bring Simmons back. Saving you was merely incidental. Killing him isn't part of my mission."
Aaron's righteous tone left Will somewhat dumbfounded. "Are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' moral boundaries really this flexible?"
"He isn't a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."
"I'm not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."
Coulson and Aaron spoke almost simultaneously. The difference was that Coulson was worried about damaging S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reputation, while Aaron simply wanted nothing to do with S.H.I.E.L.D.
More than ten seconds later, the Magic Carpet flew behind a massive rock and carried Aaron and the others into the portal that had only recently opened.