Who is the Protagonist

Although Natasha was a target of S.H.I.E.L.D. in her early years, after she defected to the agency under the coordination of Level 7 Agent Clint Barton, Director Nick Fury placed great trust in her.

As an exceptionally outstanding agent, Natasha lived up to Nick Fury's trust, completing many high-difficulty missions with perfection.

In reality, she already held Level 7 clearance, which is truly no small feat for an agent who defected from the outside.

"She tested this serum?"

Melinda thought for a moment and shook her head:

"I haven't heard of her suffering any major injuries recently."

"This..."

Coulson hesitated, then lowered his voice:

"Word on the street is that during that mission to rescue an Iranian scientist a year ago, Natasha was shot through the abdomen, leaving a scar that wouldn't heal.

She's been quite distressed because she hasn't been able to wear a bikini since—though her official excuse is that it limits her undercover capabilities in certain special situations."

"..."

Melinda held her forehead:

"So she found information on this serum and went and spent a fortune on it? That's five thousand dollars, and she had to pay it five times. We're on civil servant salaries, you know."

"Once the serum's effects are verified, the expense will be reimbursed."

Coulson shrugged, not surprised to see Melinda roll her eyes.

"Fine, the serum is indeed impressive, perhaps even enough to shock the entire medical community, but calling it a Level 7 threat to national security is a bit of a stretch. After all, we aren't in the age of cold weapons anymore."

With the various high-powered modern weapons produced by Stark Industries, the utility of such a serum on the battlefield is infinitely compressed.

Of course, it could still shine on the battlefield as a top-secret scientific achievement, but...

"Exactly. That alone isn't enough to give Dr. Lin such a high mission clearance, and the same goes for his other invention, the air-purifying plants."

At this point, Coulson's expression turned somewhat strange:

"But this mission was issued personally by the Director, and the reason we were allowed to photocopy the files to bring out is because Dr. Lin's file is only Level 6.

What truly pushed the mission to Level 7 was the order given personally by the Director."

"Making it this mysterious, what exactly is going on?"

An order issued personally by Director Nick Fury? How exactly did this Dr. Lin offend him?

For such an outstanding scientist, this Dr. Lin could be considered super low-key.

"The Director... he said..."

Seeing the "Emerald Dream" plant shop coming into view, Coulson began to slow down, seemingly finding it hard to speak:

"He said, 'Without arousing the target's suspicion, investigate Oaks Lin's... as much as possible.'"

Seeing Melinda's gaze grow increasingly dangerous due to his stammering, he swallowed hard and blurted out the last two words:

"His cat."

"???"

Melinda stared daggers at Coulson, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth:

"Coulson? Listen, Coulson, if this mission is just some prank you cooked up to make me happy, I have to say, you've blown it."

"You're my best friend, and I really don't want to have to drive you to the hospital in a few minutes."

"No, no, no, Melinda, every word I said is the truth!"

Sweat beaded on Coulson's forehead. There was a flashy Audi R8 convertible parked in front of the plant shop. He looked at the car, then at his own vintage vehicle, and muttered under his breath:

"Hey, Lola, you're my true love. Those designs that haven't stood the test of time can't compare to a classic."

"Hey, Coulson, if you don't explain yourself in 30 seconds, the repair bill for that car in front is going on your tab."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... grabbing the steering wheel is extremely dangerous, Melinda!"

Coulson quickly pulled over. Just as he was about to appease the about-to-explode Melinda, he saw the door of the plant shop open.

A flashy figure strode up to the Audi R8, opened the door, and gestured for the blonde lady behind him to get in.

Coulson and Melinda watched as this man, whose every movement seemed to radiate gold, put on his sunglasses, climbed into the driver's seat, made a phone call, and sped off. They couldn't help but exchange glances.

"Tony Stark... and his assistant, Pepper Potts."

Before Coulson could speak, Melinda broke the silence, the anger on her face already vanished:

"Getting involved with such a big shot—it seems this shop isn't simple."

"The mission target is Oaks Lin's cat. Is it a genetically modified creature? Or a robotic cat? Or perhaps a cybernetic organism?"

Coulson was silent for a moment, then sighed:

"Regardless, let's execute the mission. And Melinda, you should really watch fewer novels and movies."

"In front of a true Level 7 classified target, we must demonstrate the professional standards of a senior agent."

Melinda snorted coldly and was the first to open the door and step out of the car.

"Don't forget, although the Bahrain incident had a huge impact on me, I have also faced that kind of incredible power head-on. Reality is even more exaggerated than novels and movies!"

Thus, after Tony Stark left, Zhang welcomed his new guests.

"Welcome, you two. Feel free to look around."

Zhang smiled as he introduced the shop's services to Coulson and Melinda:

"You two should be able to feel it; from the moment you stepped through the door, the world became different."

"It is indeed different. I think I might consider buying a few potted plants to take back; the air here is just too comfortable."

Melinda appeared to be scanning the potted plants on the shelves, but in reality, she was rapidly analyzing all the information within her field of vision.

A young Asian shop assistant around twenty years old, super plants with astonishing purification effects, and an unremarkable storefront.

The files she had just reviewed also contained a brief description of this shop.

After scanning the room and failing to find the target, Melinda exchanged a subtle glance with Coulson.

Coulson turned to Zhang, his signature smile possessing even more approachability than Melinda's as a woman:

"Truly a remarkable masterpiece, but we are here today for that special serum—the one Dr. Lin posted about on the forum."

"Oh, the Recovery Serum?"

Zhang perked up. Another wealthy patron; no wonder he carried himself with such calm and extraordinary poise:

"As a successful man, your discerning eye is truly impressive!"

A bottle of emerald-green serum was carefully placed on the counter by Zhang. He glanced at Melinda, who seemed to be admiring the greenery, and winked at Coulson:

"Sir, your timing couldn't be better. The boss just unlocked a new function for this serum not long ago. You and this lady will definitely be satisfied."

"A new function?"

Coulson was stunned. Had this serum been updated?

"Tony Stark's romantic night with ten cover models—"

Zhang revealed a meaningful, ambiguous smile:

"This serum was the star of the show!"

"..."