Super Zombie Acquired

So it had been a counterfeit. I might not have feared the real M Nation Captain, much less you. Guan Heng had not brought the Chengying Sword, but he still had a pair of iron fists. He immediately charged the Zombie Captain and threw a punch straight at his face.

Bang! The Zombie Captain had been baring his fangs and claws, about to attack the fallen Hill, when a fist suddenly struck his face and sent him flying backward. Guan Heng called out to Hill, "Get farther away and watch my performance!"

At this moment, Guan Heng brought his fighting techniques into full play. He had no extra Corpse Control Talismans left, so he could only use his fists to teach the Zombie Captain a lesson.

"Take this—Guan Heng Style: Twin Dragons Emerge from Cave!" His fists shot forward, landing squarely on the Zombie Captain's chest. "And another one—Guan Heng Style: Poison Dragon Drill!" He leaped into the air, stretched one leg straight downward, and spun as he plunged, striking the Zombie Captain squarely on the head. The impact drilled down with a series of cracking sounds. He was having the time of his life.

During the fight, the Zombie Captain pounced like a tiger and tried to grab Guan Heng around the waist. Guan Heng leaped into the air, then dropped down with an elbow strike. Smack! It hit the back of the Zombie Captain's neck squarely, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground.

Taking advantage of the moment, Guan Heng straddled the Zombie Captain and gave him two sharp slaps. Slapping a captain around really felt great. Even if he was only a fake, Guan Heng quickly twisted apart the joints in his arms and legs. Before Hill in the distance noticed, he willed it, instantly swapping the Zombie Captain with a Corpse Soldier from the Corpse Storage Bag.

"Haha, a Super Zombie Captain! He's far stronger than an ordinary Corpse Soldier. And since he's still at the Corpse Soldier level, the Corpse Storage Bag can hold him perfectly. Trading one Corpse Soldier for a Zombie Captain—totally worth it!" With that thought, Guan Heng took out the last talisman on him, a Blazing Fire Talisman. With a whoosh, it ignited the Corpse Soldier on the ground, destroying the evidence. The switch had succeeded perfectly.

Rubbing her painfully aching spine, Hill suddenly caught a whiff of something burnt. Looking ahead, her face changed drastically. "God! How could you burn him? He was important research material!"

Guan Heng put on an innocent expression. "But he already killed two people, and he attacked you too. Sorry, I'm just too much of a gentleman. Whenever I see some clueless bastard attacking a woman, I can't help teaching him a lesson. Besides, I'm too practiced at dealing with zombies like him. Once I knock them down, I immediately burn them. It's a habit."

Seeing him speak with such righteous grandeur, Hill suddenly felt a chill shoot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. A woman's instincts tell me this guy is obviously lying through his teeth. But when she looked again, the zombie on the ground had already burned to ashes. What was done was done, and there was no undoing it. Hill could only sigh and let it go.

However, after witnessing Guan Heng efficiently eliminate the zombie, Hill was deeply impressed. Although he used supernatural abilities too, his combat skills and agile reactions were absolutely comparable to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top Agents. Coupled with his professional methods for dealing with zombies, it seemed the Director had made the right choice.

The objective of testing Guan Heng's abilities had been achieved. Following the Director's orders, it was time to take him to meet him. Hill made her decision and said to Guan Heng, "We can't stay here long. Come with me right away."

"Wait a moment," Guan Heng said. "I don't have any talismans left to burn these guys." He pointed to the bodies of the two Agents on the ground. "Before long, they'll undergo corpse transformation and turn into zombies. They have to be burned."

A flash of pain passed through Hill's eyes as she muttered, "They were my best subordinates. Damn it."

Guan Heng sighed. So even an iceberg woman has some human feelings. Looks really can be deceiving.

"Hello, this is Maria Hill. Get to New York City, location XX, immediately and deal with the bodies of the Agents who died in the line of duty. Uh, use any means necessary. Incinerate them at Full Power, even if you have to use nuclear energy. I don't want to hear any half-hearted results."

Hill was brimming with pent-up resentment when she made another call. "It's me, Director. His abilities... yes, they're very strong. We're heading to headquarters to meet you immediately."

Guan Heng, standing Not Far Away, had no interest in listening to who Hill was calling. He was immersed in joy instead. I'm rich, I'm rich! I got myself a Zombie Captain. Hehe, he's so much stronger than an ordinary Corpse Soldier.

At that moment, Hill said Annoyed, "Guan Heng, get in the car. An important person wants to see you."

After getting into the car with Hill, Guan Heng leaned against the seatback. Ignoring Hill's dark expression as she drove, he closed his eyes to rest. The important person is probably Nick Fury. He wants to see me because he's interested in my methods for killing zombies and wants to recruit me. But they actually used Qianhuan's safety to threaten me in order to get what they wanted. That really pisses off Daoist Guan.

Even if I'm ultimately forced to join S.H.I.E.L.D., I'll have to squeeze them for enough benefits first. Hmph, do they think I'm someone they can threaten so easily? We'll see. The real game is still ahead. Guan Heng's mind was full of schemes, strategy after strategy surfacing in his brain. When he thought of something satisfying, the corners of his mouth curled into a cold smile. Brat, if I don't join S.H.I.E.L.D., fine. But if I do, don't blame me for turning the whole place upside down.

First and foremost, they had to guarantee Li Qianhuan's safety. That child was too pitiful. As a fellow Chinese descendant, he could not let her come to any harm. Guan Heng thought further that it would be best to send Qianhuan to a gathering place for Mutants. Old Monster Magneto's place would not do; he would teach a child bad things. Better to send her to Professor X, and once Logan was found, have him escort her there.

He wondered which Superheroes S.H.I.E.L.D. currently had. Were Hawkeye and Black Widow among them? Those were freakishly powerful people. He was finally going to meet them in person. Guan Heng suddenly frowned. If he joined S.H.I.E.L.D., he would probably have plenty of contact with Tony and the others. After all, he had seen in the movies that they would all eventually be recruited. Even big shots could not escape the fate of being called up, much less a newbie underling like him. For now, he could only adapt to whatever came and make sure Fury did not lead him around by the nose. He had to fight for the best possible terms for himself.

Though he knew asking might not get him an answer, Guan Heng still could not help asking Hill, "Beauty, who exactly wants to see me? Can I not go? To be honest, I'm supposed to be working right now. My boss, Old Man Gao, is vicious, no less than a Super Villain. If I don't go back to the restaurant to wash dishes, he might eat me alive tomorrow."

Hill glanced at Guan Heng, then suddenly smiled. "Before coming to see you, I already spoke to your eccentric boss and took leave for you. Just like you said, Mr. Gao is indeed difficult to deal with. But after I paid him five hundred dollars, he told me you could take as much time off as you wanted and didn't need to rush back."

Guan Heng covered his forehead and sighed. "That old man sold Daoist Guan for five hundred dollars. That's more than half a month's wages for me. Still, it suits his usual style."

"Oh, and there's one more thing Mr. Gao asked me to remind you about." Recalling Old Man Gao's attitude at the time, even the iceberg beauty could not help smiling. "Your leave is unpaid."

"Ugh! You stingy old ghost! You heartless boss!" Guan Heng's long sigh echoed through the car, accompanied by a beautiful woman's soft laughter.

"By the way, do S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents get vacations too?" Guan Heng asked casually.

Hill considered it for a moment and said, "That's classified. You'd better ask less about it." Then she added, "You could consider joining S.H.I.E.L.D. We offer good pay and excellent benefits, and we don't care about your Education Level. We only look at ability. There's no other place like it, so think about it."

Guan Heng curled his lip and thought, It just doesn't offer freedom. A thousand-mile horse fitted with reins, a Tibetan mastiff given a collar and leash—they'll lose their wildness and drive.