S.H.I.E.L.D. Visits

"I'm done, everyone." Bobby said, already standing up and heading off on his own.

"What's up with him? He's been all mysterious lately." Lu Yifang said, puzzled.

"Chasing tail. That girl just got kidnapped and is in a vulnerable, emotionally fragile state. How could that kid pass up a golden opportunity like that?"

"You mean Rogue." Lu Yifang finally caught on.

"Who else? She's a great girl, but... also kind of hard to get close to." John said with a complicated expression. He'd had a crush on Rogue at first too, until he saw her uncontrollable mutant power.

John immediately kept his distance from her, but after that, his roommate got closer and closer to the girl. It made John wonder if the guy was willing to risk his life just to get a date.

While Lu Yifang and John were talking, a girl sat down across from them. She wore a green jacket, had long black hair falling over her shoulders, and a very noticeable streak of white in her bangs.

No question about it—this girl was Rogue.

"Hi, I'm Mary. But you can also call me Rogue." The girl said with a smile to Lu Yifang.

"I heard from Bobby that you're Lu Yifang, right? You're his roommate."

"Oh, looks like Bobby's out of luck. He just missed his girl." John muttered quietly to Lu Yifang.

"Thanks for what happened that day." The girl said sincerely.

"No problem. It was nothing." Lu Yifang nodded calmly.

"Huh? Aren't you here for Bobby?" John asked, suddenly curious.

"I'm..." Rogue's voice faltered. Of course she was here for Lu Yifang—to thank him and maybe chat a bit to get to know him.

But with John right there, it wasn't convenient. And for some reason, Professor X had specifically told her not to casually reveal what happened that day, which left her unsure what to say.

"Was someone just talking about me?" Bobby's voice came from nearby.

Seeing Bobby sit down next to Rogue, John froze. "Bobby, weren't you... huh?!"

In Bobby's hand was another breakfast. Lu Yifang could only sigh—this kid... bold and persistent.

"Sorry, woke up late. Didn't expect you guys to be almost done." Bobby said, shooting Lu Yifang a meaningful look. The message was obvious.

Even though it was wise to step away in case Rogue accidentally let something slip, as an opportunist, he had to at least...

"Cough." Lu Yifang cleared his throat deliberately and looked at Bobby seriously.

"Bobby, I happened to leave without any cash earlier. You borrowed twenty dollars from me last week to buy cola—don't you think it's time to pay me back?"

"Twenty dollars? For cola?" Bobby glared at Lu Yifang. What a joke—did your cola cost that much, or were you saying I bought a whole case? That was some serious price gouging.

"I think it was ten dollars." Bobby gritted his teeth and pulled a bill from his pocket.

"Oh, right. I must have misremembered." Lu Yifang took the money, said "I'm done," then stood up and dragged John out of the cafeteria.

"Nice one, buddy!" John said, sipping the extorted cola and giving Lu Yifang a thumbs-up.

"No big deal. Where to next? Want to wander around a bit?" Lu Yifang turned to John.

"Nah, I'm heading back to game. Remember to grab me lunch when you come back at noon."

Lu Yifang didn't push it. He walked out to the courtyard alone, found a chair, and soaked up the sun, enjoying a life of no classes and scholarship money.

But the peace didn't last long. A figure walked over and blocked his sunlight. Lu Yifang blinked and focused—it was a white man in his forties, wearing a suit and sunglasses, carrying a briefcase. He had a short buzz cut and a slightly receding hairline.

What really stood out was his height... just barely past Lu Yifang's shoulder.

In America, at 1.78 meters, Lu Yifang barely counted as average height. This guy though...

"Who are you looking for?" Lu Yifang squinted.

"I'm looking for Professor X, the principal of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Let me introduce myself—I'm Phil Coulson, a Level 7 agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." The middle-aged man pulled out his credentials from his pocket.

"S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson." Lu Yifang sat up straight. What was this famous agent doing at the Mutant School at a time like this?

"I just arrived at this school. It's quite beautiful, but a bit big, and I'm having trouble finding my way. So—could you take me to see Professor X?" Coulson said with his trademark smile.

"Follow me." Lu Yifang waved at Coulson and headed toward a building.

"Much appreciated." Coulson quickly fell into step behind him.

"Could you tell me your name? I mean, we might get to know each other." After a few seconds of silence, probably to avoid awkwardness, Coulson spoke up.

"My name is Lu Yifang."

"Then thank you for your help, Student Lu Yifang." Coulson thanked him again.

"This school of yours is nice—lots of history. But it feels a bit quiet. Is it on break? There don't seem to be many students."

"Something like that." Lu Yifang said vaguely.

"So you're staying on campus during the break. When I was in college, I liked staying on campus too. I'd grab a few buddies, sneak out at night to Liberty Island, and buy booze there. Honestly, even though I'm technically a government employee, I think the law saying you have to be 21 to drink is total nonsense..."

Once Coulson got started, he just kept talking. Lu Yifang had never imagined this guy was such a chatterbox.

Luckily, Coulson had good instincts. Every time Lu Yifang started to get annoyed, he'd switch topics. Mastering the art of conversation was definitely a prerequisite for being a good agent.

Wait—wasn't this guy just trying to pry information out of him? Thinking that, Lu Yifang became more cautious with his words. Fortunately, the distance wasn't far. Soon, they arrived at the professor's office.

"Yifang, come in." Professor X's voice echoed in Lu Yifang's mind. Lu Yifang's body could reflexively block threatening energy attacks, but the professor's mental power wasn't judged as a threat. Plus, Lu Yifang was already familiar with Professor X, so the voice reached his brain without issue.

Creak!

A soft sound rang out as Lu Yifang pushed open the door, and a reflective back of a head came into his view.

"Thank you for bringing this guest to me." The professor turned his wheelchair, a gentle smile on his face as he looked at Lu Yifang.

"You must be Professor X. I'm Phil Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D. Level 7 agent." Coulson smoothly flashed his credentials once more.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. would like to speak with you about the incident a few days ago."

"So it's you who wishes to speak with me? Mr. Coulson, I mean no disrespect, but it's clear S.H.I.E.L.D. should have sent someone with more authority." Professor X said calmly.

"You're right. In fact, I'm just a delivery boy." Coulson's expression unchanged, he walked to Professor X's desk and opened the silver metal case in his hands.

It was only then that Lu Yifang realized the case was actually a computer. The dark screen flickered for a moment upon opening, then... went black again. Don't misunderstand—the computer hadn't crashed. Instead, a one-eyed bald head that looked like a baldy appeared on the screen.

Sigh, why were bald heads getting scarier and scarier these days?

"Hello, Professor X. Long time no see."

"Hello, Director Fury."

On either side of the screen, a black and a white bald big shot greeted each other, about to hold a meeting and conversation of great significance, discussing whether going bald and becoming a big shot were necessarily connected—historically known as the "Bald Summit."

Er... alright, don't hit me, I admit that last sentence was made up.