S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Rescue

"Yifang, think of something—get her to a hospital, or Katie will die." Director Emma said anxiously.

"It's too late." Looking at Katie's alarmingly pale face, Lu Yifang knew she wouldn't last half an hour, and the traffic nearby had already been wrecked by the Hulk and Abomination.

Lu Yifang could, of course, rush her to the hospital with high-speed movement, but that level of speed would kill her outright, so he had to give Katie emergency treatment for now.

Eyeing the rusted iron rod lodged in Katie's abdomen, Lu Yifang had Director Emma hold Katie steady. He took a deep breath, then without hesitation grabbed the rod and yanked it out swiftly.

Crimson blood burst forth like a fountain in that instant, but Lu Yifang, in the same moment, quickly pressed his other hand against the gushing blood.

"Vector!" Lu Yifang activated his ability.

The spurting blood reversed like a movie playing backward, flowing back into Katie's body. Using Vector Control to return blood to the vessels was child's play for him.

But this was no long-term fix. Even though Lu Yifang only reversed the blood flow in part of Katie's vessels without involving the heart, the reversed blood clashed with the normal circulation. In just a few seconds, Katie's blood vessels would tear apart.

Yet those few seconds were enough for Lu Yifang to map out the ruptured arteries and veins. When he stopped the reflection, the blood didn't gush out uncontrollably again; instead, it flowed like a gentle stream from one end of the wound into the vessels on the other side.

By manipulating vectors, Lu Yifang reconstructed the blood circulation at the wound site, even though the vessel segment there was gone.

But this wasn't over yet. Don't forget—what wounded Katie was scrap metal, covered in rust. Even a scratch from a rusty nail could give an ordinary person tetanus, let alone how much rust was left in Katie's abdominal cavity.

Every minute that rust remained inside Katie increased her risk of infection. Even surgery would be troublesome, because even with instruments, doctors couldn't guarantee removing all the rust.

But what doctors couldn't do didn't mean Lu Yifang couldn't.

Every object in the world is in motion, and moving objects contain kinetic energy. That energy formed the real world in Lu Yifang's mind.

By touching Katie, within his real world, he could sense all the energy movements inside her—the heartbeat, the peristalsis of the intestines, and the rust drifting along with the residual blood pooled in her abdomen.

Rust differed greatly from human tissue, so it stood out starkly in Lu Yifang's real world. All he had to do was sense it, then manipulate the pooled blood to carry the rust out along with it.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. Since the day he awakened his ability, Lu Yifang knew it was born for destruction, not for saving lives.

Making blood flow backward to tear vessels took only a thought, but cleaning out this rust required his full effort.

It took a full five minutes before some blood, mixed with a small amount of rust, finally flowed out. In those five minutes, Lu Yifang expended several times the energy he had used against Abomination.

Letting out a long breath, Lu Yifang knew he hadn't cleaned it all out, but he had done his best. He had minimized Katie's risk of infection as much as possible; the rest was up to the doctors.

Just as Lu Yifang relaxed, a hesitant voice came from behind him.

"My friend, I'm Agent Coulson, Level Seven of S.H.I.E.L.D. It looks like you're in a bit of trouble. Maybe... I can help." Coulson swallowed hard and carefully pulled out his badge.

When Lu Yifang turned his gaze, Coulson flinched like a startled bird, instinctively stepping back. Melinda's reaction was even sharper—she had already drawn her gun and aimed it at Lu Yifang.

Though both were senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had seen all kinds of storms, what they witnessed today was still unprecedented.

Abomination was already an unprecedented monster, but now that monster had been brutally stomped to death by a man with his bare feet. Coulson and Melinda wanted to dismiss the terrifying scene as an illusion, but the crater spanning dozens of meters and Abomination lying inside it kept assaulting their eyes.

Facing such an unknown existence, how could Coulson and Melinda not be afraid?

"Coulson, it's me, Lu Yifang!" Without saying more, Lu Yifang lifted a corner of his mask, letting Coulson see his face from that angle.

"Lu Yifang, my God, this is... I mean... it's really you." Coulson's face was full of disbelief, his speech stumbling.

"I know what you're thinking. I can go with you and cooperate with your work, but there's one condition—heal her!" Lu Yifang said, stroking Katie's long hair.

Hearing Lu Yifang's words, Coulson paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded. He signaled Melinda to lower her gun. Without a doubt, Lu Yifang's ability was powerful—far more than expected.

But hearing the young man's request, Coulson felt his assessment of Lu Yifang's character was correct. He was strong, but... not dangerous.

"Director Fury!" Coulson connected to Nick Fury's communication.

"Coulson, hearing your voice alive is a great relief." Fury's voice came through, and Coulson thought he heard Fury let out a sigh of relief.

So Fury had already seen the footage of Lu Yifang stomping Abomination to death through the monitors. Facing a mutant this terrifyingly powerful, Fury didn't know if sending Coulson to make contact was the right call.

"Sir, that's not what I wanted to hear." Coulson pursed his lips. So you knew I might die and still sent me on this mission?

No way. When I get back, I'm making that black-hearted "bald egg" approve my Level Eight agent application. I've done this dangerous mission—do you want me to die once before you approve me?

"Coulson, are you calling for assistance?" Knowing Coulson was probably pissed, Fury quickly changed the subject.

"Yes, sir. I need a Quinjet for transport, equipped with emergency medical personnel. I also need you to find an excellent surgeon specializing in traumatic surgery within twenty minutes and have them ready for an operation. Someone's injured and needs emergency surgery."

After speaking, Coulson handed the communicator to Melinda, who took it and walked off without needing a hint. Lu Yifang didn't need to guess—Melinda was probably reporting on how to handle Abomination. Not that he cared.

"Thanks," Lu Yifang said, head bowed.

"We should be the ones thanking you. You killed that monster—you basically saved New York. I don't know how the higher-ups will handle it, but in my eyes, you're a hero." Coulson said seriously.

"But just now, seeing this hero made you stammer in fear." Lu Yifang laughed as he spoke.

"That's just... you know, anyone seeing..."

Coulson's face stiffened, and he started to explain, but seeing Lu Yifang didn't seem bothered, he laughed along. Then, in a sincere tone, he said, "Last time we parted too hastily. I think there's still a lot we misunderstand about each other. This time, maybe we can have a good talk."