For several days in a row, S.H.I.E.L.D. had failed to find any trace of the one calling himself the god of mischief, Loki. That group had truly seemed to vanish into thin air. Neither S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Heavenly Eye surveillance system nor spy satellites scouring the entire planet had found the slightest clue.
As S.H.I.E.L.D. ran around in a panic, the Avengers' members appeared far more relaxed.
One of them, Iron Man Tony Stark, continued enjoying all sorts of scoldings from his Pepper while taking every opportunity to go carousing in the nightlife. Perhaps only when he was bored did he remember there was such a thing as the Avengers.
As for the Hulk, his whereabouts were temporarily unknown. With first-rate prison-breaking skills and countless wall-climbing achievements under his belt, the self-proclaimed master escape artist had long since run off somewhere to bounce around again! Jumping high had its advantages—no place could hold him. Of course, the main reason was that Annie had gone to school and was no longer home. Having suffered enough beatings and abuse from Little Bear Tibbers, naturally he had to run!
Next was S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff! The woman known as Black Widow had nearly become a real widow this time! Her good partner and best buddy, Hawkeye, had been abducted by some little alien punk! She now stared at the intelligence department all day long, her rage meter filled to the max. She desperately wanted to find Hawkeye as soon as possible, so she could ask him one question: how exactly was she, Natasha, inferior to some wild man from another planet?
Thor, meanwhile, was busy fooling around and rolling around in bed with his Earth girlfriend, Jane Foster. After all, Earthlings really were far too short-lived. You had to understand, Asgardian calendars generally measured time in centuries. If Thor did not make the most of his time, then by the next time he was free to return to Earth, the grass on her grave might already be nearly three meters tall!
Then there was Captain America. Well, this man, renowned for his courage and valor decades ago, continued to shine after coming back to life following decades of being presumed dead, faithfully serving S.H.I.E.L.D. He could be considered S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most senior veteran, having witnessed both the Strategic Scientific Reserve and S.H.I.E.L.D. eras. Unfortunately, his political aptitude points were either assigned wrong or straight-up negative! Look at him—a veteran of two administrations who had somehow ended up as a mere foot soldier charging into battle. That was truly something else!
Finally, there was Annie! Well, Annie was currently out having fun with Coulson and Melinda. They had taken the yacht from the dock out into open waters and were now leisurely fishing at sea.
After handling a series of matters, Coulson had some free time again and was in a great mood, so he decided to take Annie, who seemed a little bored after school, out to sea for some fun. He did not want Annie staying home all day playing computer games or learning something bad from the internet again.
Because some time ago, Annie had watched a video online of someone livestreaming themselves smashing up cars, and she had actually wanted to try it too! If Coulson had not caught her in time, his flying sports car—with its antique exterior but cutting-edge technology—might have been reduced to a pile of scraps! That was his precious Lola! So what Coulson wanted most now was to reduce Little Annie's internet time as much as possible and strictly forbid her from being exposed to all those unhealthy ideas online!
"Uncle Coulson! I think fishing like this is really stupid." Annie sat cross-legged at the edge of the yacht, dejectedly propping her chin up with both hands.
Like Coulson and Melinda, she had a fishing rod set before her. Their bait had been in the sea for some time, but so far there was no sign that any fish intended to bite.
"Oh? Why? What's stupid about it? I think it's great!" Coulson did not think there was anything stupid about it. They could enjoy the fun of fishing, relax and breathe in the fresh sea air, and avoid all the messy distractions of everyday life. It was quite nice! Besides, the rods had not even been down for half an hour yet. Coulson was not in a hurry.
"Because I've realized that if this keeps up, then no matter how long we fish—even if we all starve to death—no fish will bite!" Annie had now completely despaired of Coulson's original plan to go fishing and hold a barbecue party at sea.
"That's impossible! Don't worry, Annie. Wait a little longer and fish will bite. Think about it: last time, when you and Aunt Melinda took the fighter jet out for fun, I went out to sea by myself. Back then, I caught several big sea fish in no time at all! Even the lightest one weighed ten pounds!" Coulson began boasting about his last haul again. He really had brought several huge fish home that time.
"But this time is different!" Annie remained listless, with not the slightest hope of catching any fish.
"How is it different? Last time was at this very spot, and there was only me and one fishing rod! But now there are three of us and three fishing rods! Just relax and trust me. A big fish will bite any moment now!" Coulson was still full of confidence.
"Since that's the case, let's make a bet." Annie's eyes darted around as she suddenly came up with a good idea. "I bet we won't catch any fish. Dare you? If you lose, you have to do my homework once. Whoever goes back on their word is a puppy!"
"A bet it is! But if you lose, then those three days off you asked for last time are canceled!" Coulson firmly believed he would not lose. Since that was the case, then he would bet. After all, he still owed Annie a promise to get her three days off school. Maybe he could get out of it this time?
"But let's make this clear first: we have one hour. As long as we catch a fish, I win!" Coulson hurriedly added. Last time, he had caught several fish within an hour! Besides, it was evening now, exactly when fish came up to feed. There was absolutely no way he could lose. He was very confident! This time, victory was assured, and he could not wait to see Little Annie admit defeat!
"Then it's settled!!!"
After setting the terms, Annie held out her palm. One large and one small hand lightly slapped together, and their agreement officially took effect.
"All right! I win! Aunt Melinda, hurry and start the boat. Let's go home for dinner! Uncle Coulson, remember to do my homework when we get back." The moment they high-fived, Annie happily sprang to her feet and immediately urged Melinda to start the boat and head home.
"Wait, wait! Little Annie! Are you trying to cheat? We only just started timing!" Coulson was utterly confused. Had they not agreed on one hour? How could Annie say she had won right away? Even if she threatened him with force, Coulson would not yield.
"I'm not cheating! Fine, I'll reluctantly explain it to you." Seeing that Coulson still refused to give up, Annie had no choice but to turn back and patiently explain.
"Because of my Little Bear Tibbers! You see, Tibbers is really powerful. As long as he is on our boat, no fish nearby will dare come here! Those little animals can sense the terrifying aura around Tibbers! Hahaha, have you given up now? As long as Tibbers is here, you'll never catch a single fish. They were scared off a long time ago!"
Sigh! Stupid Earthlings! Why didn't they ever learn their lesson? Little Bear Tibbers, tossed onto the deck, secretly sighed. If she had not been absolutely certain, how could Mistress Annie, with her thick skin and black heart, possibly give you even the slightest chance? Be more careful next time!
"So that's how it is?!" No wonder no fish had bitten after half an hour. Coulson had already found it a little strange and thought his luck was just bad. So that was why! After standing there blankly for a while, Coulson began looking at Melinda with pleading eyes.
But Melinda ignored him. Instead, she shook her head with an amused smile and walked into the cabin. Little Annie was right. Since they could not catch fish, they should go home. There were no ingredients on the boat anyway, and they had been out for nearly an hour now. Everyone had probably had enough fun, so they might as well return early and prepare dinner! Not eating on time was bad for Little Annie's health.
"Uncle Coulson, remember to do my homework tonight! Oh, right! And those three days off! I'll remind you when I want to take them!"
Before following Melinda into the cockpit, Annie poked her head out to remind Coulson. Then, as an extra gesture, she fiercely kicked Tibbers from the deck into the cockpit... So much for learning your lesson! So much for thick skin and a black heart! So much for taking outsiders' side! She had heard everything, you know!
Revision 1
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