You Call This a Secret Infiltration?

"Coulson, you call this a secret infiltration?"

Staring at his colleague, who had geared up his entire team from head to toe, Hawkeye's eyes went wide.

If he hadn't been worried about the Director's reaction, he might well have brought an entire battalion of tanks.

"How is this not a secret infiltration?"

Looking at Coulson's innocent expression, Hawkeye was speechless.

Coulson smiled and lightly patted the tactical gear on his body. Every piece had been carefully chosen to provide the necessary protection without being too conspicuous.

"Barton, my friend, you have to understand: our targets aren't ordinary criminals. Our opponents are cunning and well-equipped. We need to make sure every step goes flawlessly."

"Flawlessly? Looking at this setup, I feel more like we're a strike team attacking a small fortress than a team carrying out a secret infiltration."

Although Hawkeye complained, he held his bow firmly in his hand, ready to respond to any sudden developments.

Though he was a modern man, Hawkeye had always insisted on fighting with conventional weapons, which made him seem a little odd on the team.

"As long as we kill every enemy who discovers us, doesn't that make it a secret infiltration?"

There was nothing wrong with that logic. But the question was, could they actually kill their opponents?

"Coulson, I think you're being a little too aggressive today. This isn't like you. More importantly, can we really take them down that easily?"

Hawkeye was a little worried. After all, this could be some kind of supernatural force—or, at the very least, a major biological research company.

No one knew what strange powers the former might have. Heaven only knew if they could kill them all with a curse from a distance.

If it was the latter, that was even more frightening. It would mean they were using religion as a cover for biological research and tax evasion.

That would mean their real boss was a powerful tycoon—in other words, one of the true rulers of America.

And S.H.I.E.L.D., to put it bluntly, was nothing more than a watchdog kept by those Masters.

If they ever tried to turn on their masters, wouldn't they be beaten to death on the spot?

Besides, showing up with this much firepower to kill their master would be downright outrageous!

"Barton, don't worry. Worst comes to worst, we can pin it on Kingpin. That mob boss looks respectable enough, but he's not so honest behind closed doors. The Masters up top have been finding him a bit of a nuisance.

"If this really is one of the Masters' assets, we can just pin the blame on him. Our Director isn't a pushover, you know. The other side will take the opportunity to go along with it, too."

Although Hawkeye didn't know why Coulson was so confident in the New Director, Coulson was in charge of this operation. All Hawkeye could do was follow orders.

"Barton, the first thing we should do is—"

Coulson was just about to lay out their battle plan when, for some reason, a bald woman suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Greetings, guardians of the mortal world. I am Master Gu Yi. I need your help."

Master Gu Yi's voice was low and resonant. A strange energy seemed to ripple around her, making the air itself tremble.

Coulson and Hawkeye exchanged glances. They had been about to storm a cult's stronghold, and now they had run straight into a mage.

Something was wrong. Definitely wrong!

"Master Gu Yi, may I call you that?"

"Of course, Agent Barton."

Master Gu Yi gave a slight nod, then continued, "I sense an unusual dark force gathering here. It threatens the balance of the real world. I am the guardian of Kamar-Taj, but in the face of a threat of this magnitude, I need your help as well."

Hawkeye froze at her words. Whether this woman could be trusted was one thing, but how had she known his name?

Hawkeye's eyes flashed with a mixture of wariness and curiosity. He deliberately adopted a challenging tone. "Oh? Your Excellency, you know all our names. Do you happen to know what we had for dinner last night, too?"

Master Gu Yi wasn't ruffled by Hawkeye's provocation. Her face remained calm and detached.

"Agent Barton, a name is merely a form of address. What matters is the threat we face together. As for your dinner, that's not something I'm concerned with. But I can tell you that my powers of perception far exceed your imagination."

"Is that so? I don't think so. You're just putting on a show and pretending to have mystical powers."

After speaking, Hawkeye stepped forward, intending to teach the pretentious woman a lesson.

He'd seen plenty of charlatans like her. They were all frauds trying to swindle people. A beating would soon set them straight.

Before Hawkeye had even finished speaking, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. The bow in his hand flashed like a streak of silver lightning, aimed straight at Master Gu Yi's heart.

But just as the arrow was about to touch Master Gu Yi, she raised her hand. A pale blue energy shield formed around her fingertips, and the arrow bounced off with ease, as if it had been no more than a gentle breeze.

"Agent Barton, your courage is admirable, but violence isn't the only way to solve a problem."

Master Gu Yi's voice remained calm, without a trace of anger.

"In this world full of the unknown, we need wisdom and cooperation, not pointless fighting."

Hawkeye stood there in shock. He had never seen anyone deflect his attack so effortlessly.

Still, that alone wasn't enough to make an elite agent surrender.

"Hmph. I'll see just how capable you are, you fraud!"

As he spoke, Hawkeye drew his bowstring taut again, preparing to launch an even fiercer attack.

But Master Gu Yi moved even faster. She appeared in front of him and gave a light wave of her hand, sending Hawkeye flying. No—there was another Hawkeye standing in front of him. Had his soul been knocked out of his body?

Coulson and the others hadn't seen that horrifying sight. They only saw Hawkeye fire an arrow, which was stopped by an unknown force when it reached the bald woman.

Then Hawkeye tried to keep fighting. As Coulson moved to stop him, the woman who called herself Master Gu Yi darted over to Hawkeye and lightly tapped him. His brave colleague then crumpled to the ground.

The sight was downright horrifying!

Could this kind of power really exist in the world?

Coulson swallowed. If even this bald woman had power like that and still needed their help, then what about the church...

"Hello, Master Gu Yi. I think this has been a rather amusing misunderstanding."