Professor X could easily find Mutants because Mutants' brain waves were different from ordinary people's. The difference was easy for **Professor X to detect and pinpoint.
Thanks to the Cerebro Amplifier, Professor X could locate Mutants around the world. Ordinary people were another matter. Never mind the differences in their brain waves—there was no comparison between the number of Mutants and the number of ordinary people.
Most importantly, Professor X had never even met Tony. He didn't know what Tony's brain waves were like, so he could only search for people one by one across the Middle East. Just imagine how much work that would be.
Tsk, tsk! If you said that to Professor X, he might just glare, leap out of his wheelchair, grab it, and crack your skull with it.
Damn it, I'm the great Professor X! You think I'm a library search engine?
"I see." Fury sighed when he heard this.
It was more or less what he'd expected. If Professor X could find Tony under those circumstances, Fury might have to reconsider how dangerous he was.
"Yifang, you can find Mystique, right?" Fury abruptly changed the subject and continued questioning Lu Yifang.
"Huh?" Lu Yifang couldn't help but freeze.
"Don't play dumb. Mystique infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. last week just to see you. You think I'd believe you if you said you had no way of contacting her?" Fury said without changing his expression.
"What do you want Mystique for? Did you lose face last time and want to get even? Mystique and I may not get along, but I'm not going to sell her out. You can say whatever you want; I won't do it—not even for a raise." Lu Yifang shook his head firmly.
"You're overthinking it." Fury shook his head. "Mystique managed to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. because our security isn't up to scratch yet. I've thought about meeting her, sure, but not now. I want her to disguise herself as Tony."
Lu Yifang frowned. "What's the point of that?"
"It's very useful." Fury smiled knowingly.
For one thing, Tony's return would surely settle the turmoil inside Stark Industries quickly and get the company back on track. That would give Fury's Sky Carrier a chance to finish its scheduled maintenance and take to the skies.
The other important purpose was to flush out whoever was behind this. Whether Tony's whereabouts in the Middle East had been exposed and he'd been kidnapped by terrorists, or someone had deliberately leaked the news of his disappearance, it all pointed to someone scheming in the shadows.
Now Fury was going to put a "Tony" out in public. He refused to believe that, faced with this sudden turn of events, the person behind it wouldn't let anything slip.
And with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s methods, even if they couldn't catch the mastermind, there was a good chance they'd find out where the real Tony was.
"I can contact Mystique, but do you think she'll trust you?" Lu Yifang asked with a shrug.
"Of course she won't trust me. That doesn't matter. She trusts Magneto, and she trusts you. That's enough." As Fury spoke, his gaze at Lu Yifang grew meaningful.
It was as if he were saying, "Kid, do you think I'm stupid? Professor X and Magneto have been tangled up in that love-hate relationship for half a century. You think I haven't picked up on the tension? I was already in the club before you were even born. And given how much Professor X cares about you, there'd have to be something going on with Old Magneto."
"Fine. Since you've put it that way, I've got nothing to say." Lu Yifang readily admitted it, then held out his hand to Fury.
"Hand it over."
"Hand what over?" Fury asked, caught off guard.
Lu Yifang rolled his eyes. "The money, obviously. First, this isn't even part of my job. Second, I can't exactly ask someone to help without paying them."
"Does Mystique need money?" Fury shot back scornfully.
"You can tell Mystique that once this is over, S.H.I.E.L.D. will wipe her record clean. As long as she doesn't cause trouble again, I won't come after her. Isn't that more tempting than money?"
"Damn, you can do that?" Lu Yifang's eyes widened. That wasn't what he'd expected.
"If Mystique's getting a deal, what about me? You want me to recruit her and put my reputation on the line. My commission is this much. You can figure out the rest." Lu Yifang held up one finger.
A million! Fury nearly flipped the table. What the hell, why not just rob a bank? But just as he was about to blow up, his ironclad composure brought him back under control.
Wait. Had he misunderstood something? Fury studied Lu Yifang again. After taking a loss last time, he'd looked into Lu Yifang's background.
A month ago, the kid had been an orphan at an orphanage, someone who'd probably never even seen a stack of hundred-dollar bills. Even if his attitude had changed after awakening his powers, it would have happened gradually.
Sure, some people got powerful overnight and let it go to their heads, demanding billions at every turn. But in reality, those idiots wouldn't know how to spend even a million dollars. Fury didn't think Lu Yifang was that unrealistic. So, in an instant, he reached a conclusion: the kid wasn't putting on airs or pretending to be rich. Why else would he name that figure?
"So... I can't accept a hundred thousand dollars." Fury stood up and slapped the table as he shouted. All he wanted was for Mystique to show her face.
Damn it, a hundred thousand dollars just for her to show up? That was impressive. Why not go buy some fresh-faced idols in China?
S.H.I.E.L.D. might have deep pockets, but the World Security Council was watching over it. Every month's expenditures had to be accounted for. Of course, spending money in ways that were hard to explain was allowed, but the less of it, the better.
That was why Fury had earned his reputation as a penny-pinching miser.
"What did you just say?" Lu Yifang's eyes flashed.
At the sight of Lu Yifang's expression, Fury felt his heart sink. Damn it, had he overestimated the kid's bottom line again?
Fury realized he'd made a mistake and tried to take it back, but it was already too late. Lu Yifang's eyes were shining now, and Fury could practically read the words "loaded sucker" in them.
"Fine. Since you put it that way, I'll reluctantly accept a hundred thousand. I won't go any lower." Lu Yifang slapped the table.
"Don't even think about it. That price—"
After a fierce round of bargaining, Lu Yifang took the invoice Fury had written out for sixty thousand and went to the finance department, thoroughly satisfied. The reason he could accept that price wasn't that he was afraid to argue with Fury; it was that this money would just about make up what he needed.
Meanwhile, Fury was sprawled in his chair like a boneless lump. After working overtime for days, he'd hoped for a change of pace. But after going a few rounds with Lu Yifang, he felt even more exhausted.
Fury stared at the half-meter-tall stack of files on his desk, then noticed a file about Lu Yifang lying in front of him. Seeing Lu Yifang's smiling photo, Fury suddenly flared up and flung the file away.
"Is this kid obsessed with money? What does he need so much for?" Fury remembered that it had only been a few days since he'd advanced him two months' pay, and now he was pulling this again. How could Fury not be annoyed?
"Sir, as far as I know, Lu Yifang really is short on money right now." Coulson, who'd been standing silently to one side, finally spoke up.
"What do you mean?" Fury looked at Coulson, only now remembering that he was still there.
"Since Lu Yifang's account had been under surveillance, I happen to know a bit about this. Part of the hundred thousand dollars he received in advance went toward covering that girl's medical expenses."
Fury frowned. "That girl's in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s recovery ward. Isn't her treatment free?"
"Sir, the so-called free care only applies to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. The cost of that girl's initial surgery was classified as a mission expense, but she still has to pay for her ongoing care and hospital stay." Coulson patiently explained.
"What about the rest of the money?" Fury pressed.
"Lu Yifang anonymously sent it to the orphanage he lived at until he came of age. The orphanage suffered extensive damage during the Abomination incident, and the building was already in disrepair. They badly need a substantial amount of money.
"Lu Yifang noticed the problem last time, and I think he also knows that money from you is the cleanest kind of earned income."
"That kid..." Fury listened to Coulson's explanation. His mouth opened, but he didn't know what to say.
"Sir, you were right. He's a stubborn, headstrong kid," Coulson added.
Fury fell silent. After a while, he rose from his chair and personally picked up the file he'd thrown away.
"Coulson, I have an assignment for you," Fury suddenly said.
"Change the report so the girl's injuries were caused by an accidental hit during a mission. If I remember correctly, that would make all her medical expenses free under the regulations, right?"
"Your memory is excellent, sir." Coulson's lips curved into his trademark smile.
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