Friends Who Travel Through Time Often Know

Coulson didn't understand. He really didn't.

Things had been changing too fast at the agency lately. Even he, the model employee, was having trouble keeping up.

The agency used to have only a few departments that handled things like combat. Everyone in those departments worked hard.

As for the rest, each department was lazier than the next.

Whenever he returned from a mission, he'd always find a few people playing games on the agency's computers.

And they were playing those ancient games, too. Coulson scoffed at them. If they had that much free time, they might as well collect a few of the Captain's trading cards. His colleagues were so childish!

But after the new Director took office, and especially after the Director had asked him that utterly baffling question the other day,

the agency's slacking culture had improved dramatically. Everyone was working so hard they could bring capitalists to tears.

Coulson didn't know what had happened, but he knew one thing: it was all thanks to the New Director!

The Director's dedication to his work was plain for everyone to see. Just look—he'd called Coulson in again.

"Coulson, if you could have a superpower, what would you want?"

"Huh? Director, sorry, I don't understand what you mean."

Coulson figured that if the New Director didn't say strange things like this today, he'd be a perfect Director.

Of course, he was praising him because the Director's work ethic had been clear to everyone these past few days. It definitely wasn't because he'd given Coulson a raise. Yes, that was it.

"What I mean is, have you never fantasized about having a superpower? If you really got one, what would you want?"

Xia Ling rested his hands together on the desk and looked at Coulson intently.

Over the past few days, Xia Ling had given serious thought to whether he should stir things up in this world.

The Marvel universe ran deep, after all. If he accidentally kicked an iron plate, he'd be finished.

But when he thought it over, Xia Ling realized he'd been completely wrong.

Just think about it: what kind of people were the ones causing trouble in Marvel?

On the surface, it seemed like superheroes and supervillains were fighting each other, but the real masterminds were all connected to gods.

But now, the Pantheon had already been wiped out. There might still be survivors, but did that include the gods here in Marvel?

He'd seen the Origin Space kill the true forms of several gods, including quite a few familiar faces.

Perhaps the gods in this world were mostly gone.

Without those gods, a lot of superheroes and supervillains were completely done for.

Take the Hulk, for example. People online said his powers came from some Demon God.

Before transmigrating, Xia Ling hadn't known whether that was true. Now, he could say for certain that it was.

One of his agents had reported to him that Dr. Bruce had been captured by General Ross.

They'd even strung him up and beaten him mercilessly, but he still hadn't turned into the Hulk.

What did that mean? It meant the gods of Marvel might really be gone.

Friends who traveled through the Marvel universe often knew that if you caused too much trouble, you might take one step forward and find a portal appearing right behind you.

Then a bald man would look at you with a smile.

Especially when you'd made a big show of taking over as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and thrown the timeline into chaos. That bald man... might not even be bald.

He still hadn't come after Xia Ling. Most likely, he was already dead. After all, no one was borrowing from them anymore.

Maybe the Lost Years would come knocking at any moment and turn that Mage to dust on the spot.

If that was the case, it would be terribly boring.

The Marvel universe without superheroes was like eating dumplings without vinegar, or the West without the Bible. Oh, right, the Bible was already an illegal book. It was gone now.

In short, a lot of fun would be lost.

That was why Xia Ling had no choice but to become the god behind the scenes and shoulder a responsibility that shouldn't have been his.

Sigh. What could he do? Xia Ling was just the sort of person with an overwhelming sense of responsibility.

"Director, if I could have a superpower, I'd want one related to time."

"Oh, not bad! You've got a bright future ahead of you, young man."

As soon as he heard that, Xia Ling's eyes lit up.

Coulson had unexpectedly grand ambitions. He wanted the mighty power of time. It seemed he had big plans.

Coulson's mouth twitched. The Director in front of him looked much younger than he did, yet he was calling him "young man."

Well, there was nothing he could do about it. The man was the Director, and he controlled Coulson's paycheck.

Young man it was. Better that than a pay cut.

"Then once you got your superpower, what would you want to do?"

"Hmm, I'd probably want to go back in time and get the Captain's autograph."

At those words, Xia Ling froze. The smile on his lips vanished.

Where was his ambition? Where had it gone, Coulson?

He had the mighty power of time, and all he wanted was an autograph from that old popsicle?

"Director, did I say something wrong?"

Coulson felt a little uneasy. The Director in front of him was no pushover.

Not only was he ridiculously capable at work, his personal strength was terrifying, too.

For some reason, Director Fury's old friend, the Punisher, had come looking for trouble with Director Xia.

But Director Xia had beaten him into the Intensive Care Unit with a single finger. He still hadn't woken up, and Fury had to take care of him. It had only made an already struggling household worse off.

The Punisher wasn't just any nobody, either. He was a Level 10 Agent, a real powerhouse, yet he hadn't lasted a single move against Director Xia.

Truly terrifying!

Coulson had wanted to put in a good word for Director Fury, but when he thought of his credit card, he kept quiet.

"Your perspective is too limited. Far too limited, Coulson."

Hearing Coulson's idea, Xia Ling shook his head.

With such a tiny ambition, how could he ever become a good workhorse? How could he keep working for Xia Ling?

Xia Ling had to correct this way of thinking. If everyone was like Coulson, how would Xia Ling ever get his seaside villa?

"Coulson, your dreams shouldn't stop there. Why not replace him and become the new Captain? You need to broaden your horizons!"

Xia Ling spoke with the disappointment of someone who'd expected better, leaving Coulson with a head full of black lines.

"Director, I think..."

"Hm?"

Looking at the Director in front of him, Coulson swallowed the words he'd been about to say.

"Director, why did you ask me this today?"

"Oh, that. It's just that I had a dream last night. An old man with a white beard said something about a Messenger Mission."

Coulson looked confused. What did any of that mean?

And something about a messenger... Wait. Could it be a revelation?

Could it be that—

"Director, you wouldn't happen to be..."

Coulson raised a trembling hand, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"It was just a dream."

Xia Ling said it calmly. He was only laying the groundwork in advance.

As a qualified mastermind behind the scenes, he was Yahweh's prophet. That was perfectly reasonable, wasn't it?

He just wasn't quite compatible enough yet. He'd have to wait a little and bring out someone with better compatibility. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough divine power to waste.