"Anti-Hulk Emergency Squad Leader? What kind of ridiculous name is that?" In an office at S.H.I.E.L.D., a young man sat across from Director Fury's desk, swinging back and forth in a swivel chair as he read the file in his hands.
"Correction: it should be Anti-Hulk Emergency Response Squad Captain," Fury explained.
"Of course, if you don't like that, I have no objection to changing it to Humanoid Self-Propelled Anti-Hulk Armor."
"What kind of nonsense is that? What does it have to do with me?" Lu Yifang tossed the file aside and said impatiently.
"Of course it has something to do with you. In fact, this position only appeared on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s staff roster less than ten hours ago. I'm sure you're smart enough to have figured out that it was created specifically for you," Fury said with a smile.
"A position? You mean a job! Sorry, I'm still in school. I don't have time to work." Lu Yifang shook his head.
"That's fine. I've already discussed this with Professor X, so the organization has made its decision. You'll attend school as usual, and if there's a mission, I'll notify Professor X and have him excuse you from class."
"Gou... Ahem! I mean, you can do that?" Hearing this, Lu Yifang forced himself to swallow the rest of the poem.
Fury's words clearly meant that he had already met with Professor X, and that was what surprised Lu Yifang.
Lu Yifang knew Professor X cared a great deal about him, so he was certain the professor would come see Fury. But Lu Yifang had expected one of two things: either Professor X would throw his weight around and forcefully pull him out of S.H.I.E.L.D., or Fury would stand firm and ignore Professor X's pressure.
It was clear Fury had no intention of letting him go. And if Fury had refused Professor X, he should have been stepping up surveillance on Lu Yifang to prevent another incident like Mystique's—not eagerly arranging a position for him.
This outcome was beyond Lu Yifang's expectations. He never would have guessed the two of them had reached an agreement. How had they managed that? Professor X might seem mild-mannered, but when it came to the interests of Mutants, he never compromised easily. And as for Nick Fury, had anyone ever heard of S.H.I.E.L.D. giving back something it had taken?
Had the two of them made some kind of under-the-table deal, or... Lu Yifang wondered, his gaze unconsciously lingering on Fury's bald head. Maybe they'd bonded over something in common, hit it off, and decided to swear a blood oath and become partners in crime!
"Sorry, I'm a little tired. I'm going to get some rest. I'm not interested in this at all." Lu Yifang had already stood up as he spoke. Whatever agreement Professor X and Fury had reached, what did it have to do with him?
Lu Yifang wasn't conceited enough to think the world revolved around him, but he knew perfectly well that he didn't revolve around anyone else, either—especially when he had the power to resist anyone.
I'm me. Why should I have to follow your arrangements just because the two of you talked it over?
"Don't leave just yet. I'm not asking you to work for free. I'll pay you." Fury's unhurried voice made Lu Yifang pause.
Seeing that, Fury's lips curled upward. He continued, "S.H.I.E.L.D. offers very generous benefits. Besides your salary and all kinds of paid trips, there are Six Insurances and One Fund!"
"I know about the usual five insurances and one fund. What's the extra insurance you've added?" Lu Yifang turned around and asked.
"Oh, that? It's a special S.H.I.E.L.D. benefit: Funeral Insurance," Fury explained.
"Agents risk their lives for S.H.I.E.L.D., and S.H.I.E.L.D. won't forget them. If they die, S.H.I.E.L.D. reimburses the funeral expenses according to the agent's rank. And if you die heroically enough, S.H.I.E.L.D. might even promote you three ranks and give you an exceptionally grand funeral."
"Uh, I think that says more about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s high death rate," Lu Yifang said with a curl of his lip.
"Forget it. Let's talk about the salary instead. I'll tell you this: unless you offer me this much, I won't even consider it." Lu Yifang held up five fingers in front of Fury.
Fury frowned slightly, then nodded readily. "Fifty thousand a month, right? That's a reasonable amount. It's a deal."
"Whoa!" Lu Yifang gasped. He looked at his hand in disbelief, grateful that he'd held up five fingers to show off instead of being a country bumpkin and asking for five thousand.
"Wait, I mean dollars," Lu Yifang added quickly, as if he'd just remembered something.
But his clarification earned him a look from Fury usually reserved for the intellectually challenged. Fury's mouth twitched before he replied, "This is New York. What else would I pay you in? Yuan?"
"Haha, right." Lu Yifang scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
As he tried to ease the awkwardness, Lu Yifang's gaze toward Fury shifted.
Why did this feel different from what Coulson had told him? Wasn't Nick Fury supposed to be a cheapskate who wouldn't part with a penny? Maybe that was just Coulson's prejudice, and Fury was actually loaded!
With that in mind, Lu Yifang tentatively asked, "I wanted to ask: if I work overtime, do I get extra pay?"
"Overtime pay?" Fury was taken aback, then quickly understood what Lu Yifang was thinking. He suddenly gave a cold laugh.
"According to the information we got from Ross, the Hulk was only confirmed to have gone on a rampage twice in the entire previous year, and both times the Military provoked him. In other words, you might only have to go out on a mission for two days this year. You're getting paid for the entire year, yet you're asking whether you get overtime pay for those two days of work. You think you deserve overtime pay?"
"Fine, I was just asking." Lu Yifang quickly waved his hands as Fury spoke.
So, the idea that Fury was loaded had been a delusion after all.
"I can do without the overtime pay, but I want two months' salary in advance."
"An advance? What do you need it for?" Fury frowned at that.
"That's my business, isn't it? Just think of it as money in my hands putting me at ease. Hmm, if that reason doesn't work, here's another: I saved all of New York, so I should at least get a pennant and a reward, right? Now I'm getting none of that. Are you really going to refuse me two months' pay in advance, too?"
"Fine, suit yourself." Fury waved a hand, not in the mood to argue with the kid. It wasn't as if anyone could take S.H.I.E.L.D.'s money and run off with it just because they'd been paid two months early.
"Thanks!" Lu Yifang nodded in satisfaction.
"By the way, can I go back to the academy now?"
"No rush. You still have something else to do." Fury waved a hand.
"I forgot to mention this earlier. Professor X and I agreed that you'll no longer be a boarder at the Mutant academy. You'll be a Day Student from now on."
"What the hell? Where did that rule come from? How many under-the-table deals have you two made behind my back?" Lu Yifang's eyes widened.
"Damn it, if I don't live at school, where am I supposed to stay? Here with you?" After saying that, Lu Yifang suddenly froze, his eyes unconsciously fixing on Fury.
"You're not really making me stay here, are you? I'm telling you, S.H.I.E.L.D. may have nice facilities, but I wouldn't be comfortable living here."
"Don't worry. I've already arranged a place for you to stay. It isn't at S.H.I.E.L.D." As he spoke, Fury began searching through the papers on his desk.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. bought the house, and the property is in your name. You said you saved New York, didn't you? Consider the house your reward."
"A house? What are the facilities like? If it's not up to the standard of the dorms at school, I'm going to complain," Lu Yifang warned.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be satisfied." Fury finally found what he'd been looking for: a photograph.
Watching Fury's mysterious smile, Lu Yifang took the photo. The moment he saw the house in it, his hand visibly trembled, and his previously flippant demeanor changed.
As he stared at the photograph, sadness, nostalgia, confusion, and all kinds of complicated emotions surfaced in Lu Yifang's eyes.
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