Lu Yifang Gets Thrown in the Clink (3)

"Phil, weren't you reporting to Director Fury? What are you doing here?" Melinda looked surprised at the man walking toward her.

"Director Fury sent me. He wanted me to try talking to Lu Yifang again and see if we could learn more. After all, you know how it is—the power that young man displayed has made certain people anxious, and Director Fury has been under a lot of pressure because of it." Coulson spread his hands.

"That's true." Melinda nodded.

"What is he doing now?" Coulson asked as they walked.

"At first, he stayed by that girl's side. But after confirming that the surgery was complete and that she was out of danger, he started wandering around. We've allowed him to move freely within the recovery area." Melinda caught up and explained.

"That's good. His status should be closer to that of a S.H.I.E.L.D. guest now. It wouldn't be good if he started feeling like he was under house arrest." As Coulson spoke, they reached a fork in the corridor.

At that moment, Coulson seemed to be thinking. His steps slowed unconsciously, and he fell half a step behind Melinda.

Coulson's movements looked natural, but Melinda still keenly sensed that something was off. After all, she had partnered with Coulson for far too many years.

"Phil, how about we go out for lunch together?" Melinda suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Coulson glanced at Melinda in surprise before nodding. "Of course."

"Let's go to that restaurant we used to visit. I'll drive Lola this time." Melinda continued walking and said casually.

"Whatever you like." Hearing Coulson agree so readily, Melinda suddenly stopped and turned to look at him.

"What is it, May?" Coulson gave her his trademark smile as he met her gaze.

Melinda froze for a moment, then shook her head. "Nothing. I guess I'm just being overly sensitive."

"It's okay, May. You've just been under too much pressure from work lately," Coulson said reassuringly.

"That's true. Lately, I've..." As Melinda spoke, she suddenly spun around. "Oh—ha!" She drove a savage kick into Coulson's face.

Before Coulson could react, Melinda closed in again and slammed a fist into his face. In that brief instant, Coulson was knocked to the floor. Melinda had already drawn her pistol and aimed it at his head.

"May, what are you doing?!" Coulson snapped once he recovered his senses.

"Who are you?" Melinda remained unmoved, her voice icy.

"How did you see through me? I was very careful with my disguise just now." Seeing this, "Coulson" stopped pretending and asked directly.

"Your disguise was pretty good, but unfortunately, you know too little about Coulson. He would never let anyone else drive his Martha," Melinda said coldly.

"I see." "Coulson" nodded and moved to get up from the floor.

"Don't move, unless you want me to blow your head off," Melinda warned.

"You won't." The fake Coulson met Melinda's gaze, and his face suddenly began to change. In an instant, Coulson had become a flat-topped Black man.

"Andrew!" Melinda froze just as she was about to fire, because the man before her was none other than her ex-husband.

"I paid closer attention to your information." In the instant Melinda lost focus, the man abruptly lunged forward and rammed his head into her stomach, sending both of them crashing into a nearby room.

More than ten seconds later, "Melinda" walked out as if nothing had happened. She quietly shut the door behind her and headed in Lu Yifang's direction.

A few minutes later, "Melinda" arrived at a patch of grass in the recovery area. Many injured agents were quietly basking in the sun there, but one young man among them stood out conspicuously.

He wore sunglasses and reclined comfortably in a lounge chair, with a glass of juice beside him. He looked utterly content.

That young man was clearly Lu Yifang. He was in a good mood now. Katie's surgery had gone very well, and the doctor said she should wake up soon. With his worries put to rest, he had begun wandering around. Learning more about S.H.I.E.L.D. certainly wasn't a bad thing.

Of course, Lu Yifang knew that some people in the recovery area were watching him. They would not let him leave this place easily. But just as S.H.I.E.L.D. had been trying to exercise restraint, Lu Yifang did not want to cause trouble either. Katie was still receiving treatment, after all.

Since he could neither leave nor make trouble, after weighing the pros and cons—really, after discovering that all the facilities and items here were free—Lu Yifang decided he might as well enjoy himself. In any case, he believed there were people outside who were more anxious than he was.

"Melinda, do you need something?" Seeing the woman block out the sun, Lu Yifang looked up with some displeasure.

"I knew sneaking in here to find you was a stupid idea." The woman looked annoyed as she stared at the young man.

Hearing that, Lu Yifang narrowed his eyes. After a moment of silence, he said hesitantly, "You're... Mystique?"

"What do you think?" As the woman spoke, a glimmer of golden light flashed in her eyes.

"What are you here for?" Lu Yifang asked in surprise. Mystique was Magneto's most capable right-hand woman. Even with Magneto locked up in prison, she was still active.

Lu Yifang also vaguely remembered that around this time, Mystique should have been impersonating Senator Kelly, who had died after Magneto used him in a mutant experiment, in order to completely smother the unfortunate senator's fiercely promoted Mutant Registration Act in the cradle.

"Erik sent me to find you. When he heard that S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken you away, Erik immediately became restless. If he hadn't heard that Charles was already taking action, he nearly would have broken out of prison to come rescue you himself."

"Erik? Magneto!" Lu Yifang blanked for a moment before realizing that Erik was Magneto's real name.

But that only made Lu Yifang more astonished. What the hell? Is there something wrong with my ears? Magneto was so anxious that he nearly broke out of prison just to rescue me? This doesn't feel right at all.

"If my brain isn't broken, one of the reasons Magneto was sent to prison was because I captured him and handed him over to Professor X, right?" Lu Yifang looked at Mystique and asked tentatively.

Are you sure Magneto didn't send you here to kick me while I'm down, or better yet, find an opportunity to kill me?

"I know what you're thinking, but you underestimate Erik too much. He isn't the sort of petty man who holds grudges over every slight," Mystique explained.

"Besides, Erik had expected to be sent to prison long ago. In fact, being locked up is something Erik has long since gotten used to."

"Gotten used to it?" Lu Yifang looked at Mystique in bewilderment.

"That's right. In fact, after every major operation fails, Erik chooses to quietly reflect for a while. Prison has always been his first choice. He says it helps him calm down."

"Damn, that's actually a thing?" Lu Yifang recalled that after making headlines every time, Magneto really did go sit in prison. Then, after a while, he would come back out and make more headlines, treating prison like it was his own home.

Wait. He can still control what happens outside from inside prison. Maybe there really is something fishy about that prison. After all, Professor X was the one who sent him there.

"Don't try to figure Erik out with your little schemes. He is a great mutant, and he shows the greatest tolerance toward outstanding mutant brethren." As Mystique spoke, a trace of displeasure appeared in her eyes as she stared at Lu Yifang.

"I admit you're very powerful. Even Erik might not necessarily be able to defeat that kind of monster. There's definitely a reason Erik thinks so highly of you. But I absolutely cannot agree with Erik's claim that you can replace him. No matter how I look at it, you don't have the makings of an unyielding fighter."

"I have no idea what you mean. You came here just to say all that?" Lu Yifang curled his lip. No one would be happy about being lectured while someone pointed a finger at them.

"I only came here so Erik could confirm your situation. And there's this for you." As Mystique spoke, she handed Lu Yifang a slip of paper.

"What's this?" Lu Yifang unfolded the note. A string of numbers was written on it, looking like a phone number.

"My contact information. Don't misunderstand—it was Erik who told me to give it to you. He said that if you need anything, you can call on some of the Brotherhood's resources. I hope your request isn't for us to deliver another glass of juice." Mystique glanced at the drink beside Lu Yifang, then turned and walked out.

"Old Magneto is a lot more reasonable than I imagined." Watching Mystique leave, Lu Yifang stared at the note in his hand and muttered to himself. He recalled the time Professor X had taken him to meet Magneto. Perhaps Magneto's attitude had something to do with Professor X.

As he pondered this, Lu Yifang's expression became complicated, and he could not help muttering to himself.

"Professor X should be the next one to come, right? Making contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. at a time like this was a hasty decision. I just hope it was the right one."