A Transaction

"You harmed our agents, and now you're giving me orders—is this Kryptonian etiquette?"

Faced with Heisenberg's urging, Hill hesitated slightly before questioning him.

"No, Kryptonian etiquette is to invade your planet directly before you even speak."

Heisenberg sneered, then paused to think, pursing his lips in boredom.

"Let's talk a different way. I just got shot by three hundred and twenty-two bullets, so consider this appeasing a dangerous man like me. Go get some wine."

"That's a pretty simple appeasement, but I'd rather say no, because I haven't received your respect for Earth or for me."

"Even if it means you'll die?"

"Not everyone fears death, especially Earthlings, sir."

The moment Hill finished speaking, the lounge door burst open.

Nick Fury, slightly sweaty, strode in and rushed between Heisenberg and Hill.

He shot Heisenberg a deep look first, and when he noticed Heisenberg's indifferent gaze, he took a sharp breath.

As he exhaled, he had already steeled himself to bow his head.

"Great to see you again, Mr. Heisenberg. When you left my office last night, I thought Earth couldn't keep you."

Fury said this as he sat down on the sofa to Heisenberg's left, muttering under his breath as he settled in.

"I'm very grateful that after touring Earth's scenery, Mr. Heisenberg still chose to return to our country. Though there was a minor unpleasantness, I'm confident the rest of your journey will make you feel right at home."

Fury snapped his fingers and called out to Hill nearby.

"Hill, could you get some drinks for me and Mr. Heisenberg? I still owe him a glass of wine."

The moment he finished—

"Tsk, same old song and dance," the unscrupulous Heisenberg remarked.

"Mmm," Hill replied.

Seeing this, Nick Fury looked puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

He asked softly, and Hill shook her head naturally.

"Nothing. I'll get the wine."

"Yeah, nothing at all. Your hospitality suits me just fine.

Director Fury is too kind, and Agent Hill, go fetch that wine, haha!"

As Heisenberg spoke, Hill had already gotten up to find drinks.

Watching Hill's nonchalant demeanor, Heisenberg smiled knowingly.

See? This is the joy of power!

As long as you're strong enough, you can do things you'd never dare to in ordinary times, and the people you'd never dare to face head-on will bow to you like Egghead.

As a Chinese soul, could Heisenberg have ever broken into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York base—comparable to the FBI—in his past life?

But now, he had, and what he got was a unique welcome and drinks.

Trust me, this kind of thing brings you joy and satisfaction you'd never experience otherwise.

And right now, Heisenberg...

He felt great, really great.

So he floated up, drifting over to Nick Fury, and sat down less than thirty centimeters away.

He grinned.

"Nick, since it's just us, let me talk to you about something serious."

"Go ahead," Nick Fury nodded.

"Last night... I flew around the Earth about seven thousand times, give or take."

"And?" Nick wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"After seeing how most of Earth lives firsthand, I've grown pretty fond of you Americans' hedonistic, decadent lifestyle."

With that, Heisenberg held up his right hand and rubbed his thumb against his index and middle fingers.

"Money, women, luxury cars, fancy watches—things I never had and never chased before.

I think they suit me now. I'm a poor soul locked away for tens of thousands of years, and I desperately need to move past my resentment and embrace a better life ahead."

Slap!

Heisenberg patted Nick's shoulder, and as Nick Fury winced, Heisenberg chuckled.

"I hate trouble, and I'm an old man tens of thousands of years old. I don't want to struggle for desires like a young man anymore.

But I can't accept a monk's life either.

So I'll have to trouble others—trouble them to give me a life worthy of my power and status."

Heisenberg patted Nick Fury on the shoulder again.

"So, who do you think I should bother instead?"

"I'm at your service!"

Nick Fury stepped forward and grabbed Heisenberg's hand.

"As a direct agency of the United Nations on Earth, S.H.I.E.L.D. has trillions of dollars funneled into our accounts every year! Trust me, no organization on this planet is richer than us. We can meet any demand you have—as long as it's reasonably within bounds."

"Haha, that's all I need. Can you arrange a place for me to stay first?"

"Of course. What kind of environment do you prefer?"

Nick Fury kept on smoothly.

"If you enjoy the gentle sea breeze, we can build you a castle in Malacca to your liking. If you prefer the pure white snow, we can erect a comfortable fortress at the North or South Pole. If you love the vitality of early spring as everything revives, the Norwegian Forest will show you a true explosion of blooms. If you savor the joy of harvest in warm autumn, the Canadian Maple Leaf will display a landscape draped in red!"

"I..."

Honestly, when Nick Fury spat out that whole spiel, Heisenberg was genuinely stunned.

What kind of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director was this?

Are you sure you weren't a tour guide in a past life?

He must have prepared that speech in advance, right?

Definitely!

In just a few seconds, the scenes Fury described seemed to blossom in Heisenberg's mind.

He actually wanted to go take a look at those places.

They were beautiful sights he'd never had a chance to experience before his transmigration...

But then Heisenberg thought again.

Wait!

Something felt off!

What was it?

He pondered for a moment, then frowned and asked.

"You... aren't trying to stick me in some remote corner, are you?"

"Of course not, how could I!"

Nick Fury froze for a second, then wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead before adding.

"I was just introducing the most beautiful seasons on this planet. If those don't interest you, feel free to make a request."

"A request... sure. How about a bar? I like the atmosphere of a bar."

"OK, no problem. Which city do you want? How about New York?"

"In New York. Pick a spot near the border between Queens and Hell's Kitchen."

"Uh, Mr. Heisenberg, Queens and Hell's Kitchen don't share a border. I..."

"So you're expecting me to fold them together? Then they'd border each other!!!"

"No, no, no. I'll have someone handle it right away. You should have your bar by tonight at the latest. But..."

After making that promise, Nick Fury's words grew hesitant.

He wavered for a long moment, then seemed to steel himself and said.

"But I have one request. Can I... alright, I'll just say it. I'd like to run a physical test on you—just basic stuff like strength and speed. If you're willing, you could also use our equipment to test any special abilities you might have. What do you think?"

As he finished, Nick Fury was on edge, since his shoulder was still in Heisenberg's grip.

If he pissed Heisenberg off, those hands that had effortlessly crushed bulletproof glass might land on him!

Luckily, Heisenberg just frowned and nodded in agreement.

"Just a small physical test, right?"

He let out a cold laugh and continued.

"Fine. Consider it our first transaction."

"You get me a bar that meets my standards, and I'll show you a fraction of my abilities, so you can figure out ways to deal with and restrain me!"

"No, no, no, it's just to broaden our horizons!"

Nick Fury explained in a lighthearted tone.

"You're our friend. On Earth, only friends sit down and drink and chat like this."

"Why would we ever have such dangerous thoughts about a friend?"

"Heh." Heisenberg curled his lip dismissively. "Say what you will. My bar needs to be ready ASAP. I want one on the top floor of a building, with a rooftop terrace, got it?"

"Yes, yes, of course there's a rooftop terrace!"

As Nick Fury nodded in agreement, Agent Hill happened to walk over carrying drinks.

Nick Fury and Heisenberg looked at Hill, and the look in one of their eyes made her press her lips together in displeasure.

"Didn't know what you liked to drink, so I just brought a bottle of bourbon." She said with a slight eye roll.

Heisenberg smoothly took the tray from her hands, picked up the bourbon, and poured himself a glass.

Then he handed the remaining half-bottle or so directly to Nick Fury.

He clinked his single glass against Nick Fury's full bottle.

"Cheers, friend!"

With that, Heisenberg downed his drink in one go, then watched Nick Fury with interest.

At that moment, Nick Fury's face was as black as an expired egghead.

Still, he reluctantly raised the bottle.

"Cheers!"

He said, then forced himself to down the rest of the bourbon in one go.

When he set down the empty bottle, his expression was already pretty grim.

But he just shook his head and asked Heisenberg softly.

"Would you mind starting the test now?"

"Sure."

"Alright, follow me!"

Nick Fury had grown much quieter; his mood was probably sour as hell.

He stood up to lead the way for Heisenberg, with Hill trailing behind him, not sparing Heisenberg a single glance.

They took the elevator down, walked out of the Three-Winged Building, and got into a shuttle.

The three of them crossed the park belonging to S.H.I.E.L.D. and arrived at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy under its jurisdiction.

Under the curious gazes of many students, Heisenberg followed Nick into the academy building and then down to the basement.

After a series of twists and turns, Heisenberg finally saw a training ground large enough.

Though it was underground, the training ground before him was exceptionally spacious, about the size of three football fields.

As for the height, it was around nine meters—enough for most people to move freely.

But at this moment, there was only one person in the entire training ground.

A sturdy man in plain jeans and a white T-shirt.

When Heisenberg entered, the lone trainee was viciously attacking a punching bag.

Bang!

Bang, bang, bang!

Left-right jabs, a hook to the body, a switch kick to the knee, then a takedown.

The poor standing bag was being tossed around like a ragdoll by the man.

The arrival of Heisenberg and the others didn't interrupt the man's workout.

Even when the three of them stood five or six meters behind him, he didn't stop.

After more than twenty seconds, the man repeated the same sequence once more before turning around and nodding at Nick Fury.

"The punching bags these days are really good quality. Back in my time, one set of my moves would've completely wrecked it."

He said this while locking eyes with the smiling Heisenberg.

"Nick Fury, Agent Hill, long time no see. And this..."

He pointed at Heisenberg and asked.

"What should I call you?"

"Heisenberg!" Heisenberg extended his right hand to the man.

The man shook it.

"Steve Rogers. Nice to meet you!"

The contracted platform has been received. Once the process is complete, the contract status will be updated. Everyone can invest with confidence—it's a sure win with no risk.

Also, we actually broke into the top twenty of the new book rankings in just one day. That's incredible. Let's keep pushing together to reach the top three!!!

If we don't make the top three, I'll sign the contract, and then there'll be no chance to climb the new book rankings. I hope you all can give me a better memory to look back on. Love you all.

Also, I used two idioms in the dialogue between the protagonist and Egghead in the book, and the centrist trolls blasted me for fifty-seven floors, just to say I'm not qualified to use idioms to translate their dialogue.

So let me give you, centrist troll, an explanation.

fiddle while Rome is burning

lead a voluptuous life