How to Repay Grievance

Coulson and Melinda looked at Oaks with expressions of sheer horror.

Hadn't he said before that his "ability" was telepathic communication with animals?!

What was this plant control all about?!

These were two completely different tiers of ability!

"Mr. Oaks... exactly how many 'abilities' do you have? Is this also a result of your experiments?"

Coulson holstered his sidearm with a wry smile, already spotting the Latino man from the files appearing in the crowd in the distance.

"I thought we'd already been open and honest with each other."

"An accident, a lab accident—this is an unrepeatable scientific miracle. My field of research is biology, not zoology."

Oaks said with an air of utter certainty:

"I told you one thing, and you all got so cautious. If I told you more, would you haul me off for dissection?"

"No, no... of course not."

Coulson quickly denied it:

"We've met plenty of Inhumans with strange abilities. Unless they're uncontrollable and pose a major threat to society, we handle things based on assessment results—

the worst-case scenario is just monitoring."

"Not monitoring in some deep-sea supermax prison, I hope?"

Oaks jabbed, though he wasn't referring to the one from the cartoon, but the one where Cap's team was locked up after the Civil War.

"You've got a lively imagination."

Melinda tilted her head, giving Oaks a curious look:

"There is a place like that, but not just any criminal qualifies to be locked up there."

Meaning you'd have to do something pretty big to get in.

"But I suggest we drop this topic for now. Look, that guy's about to cry."

Melinda jerked her chin, signaling Oaks to handle it himself, then stepped back to watch the show with Coulson.

"Looks like this mission of ours is getting more and more interesting."

Melinda murmured to Coulson:

"I'd bet Oaks has other abilities."

"What makes you so sure?"

Coulson whispered back:

"These two abilities are already plenty strong. If animal telepathy is still within reason, what's with the plant control?"

He pursed his lips, unable to resist a jab:

"He says it's a lab accident. You believe that?"

"Why not? Is Hulk scientific? That was a lab accident too."

Melinda didn't want to dwell on it:

"At least he's showing his abilities voluntarily, which means he's friendly toward us, and he's very restrained.

As for why I'm sure he has other abilities..."

Melinda narrowed her eyes, and just as Coulson leaned in seriously, waiting for her analysis, she spat out a single word:

"Intuition."

"..."

But Coulson didn't have time to gripe about Melinda's lousy joke, because Blaze had just confirmed Oaks' identity.

"I'm Blaze Clark, sir. Thank you a thousand times for saving my life.

You are a messenger of God, a great benefactor to the three hundred-plus poor souls here!

Because of your grace, at least a hundred people didn't die in the past two winters."

Blaze's face was calm. Amid the crowd's gasps, he dropped his cane, planted his hands on the ground, and knelt on one knee:

"Sir, if my forming the Benevolence Society without permission has offended you, then punish me alone... at least, at least let them survive this winter!"

"Mr. Blaze!"

"Sir! Please don't punish Mr. Blaze!"

"Your Excellency! We're willing to share Clark's punishment—please don't take it out on these poor people!"

It was only then that the poor noticed the cold indifference on the face of the forest's master—being able to control the "living vines" of Little Rainforest was the most direct proof of Oaks' identity.

And Oaks had never shown himself, while they knew something of Blaze's story—he and the Benevolence Society members had originally been punished for crimes and thrown into that forest.

His being allowed back in was because Blaze was already near death—an act of mercy meant for him alone.

But Blaze used that mercy to save people who had nothing to do with him—this had undoubtedly gone against the gentleman's original intent.

"You know, Clark."

Oaks's low voice rang out, and the entire venue fell into dead silence.

"Seven years ago, when I wasn't even fifteen yet, I'd just lost my parents not long before. In a daze, I stumbled upon this place once."

Blaze's kneeling form trembled slightly. He knew all too well what a chaotic mess this place had been seven years ago.

And a teenage boy with both Chinese and Celtic blood—two lineages at the very bottom of the racial hierarchy—coming here alone... what would he face?

"Looks like you've figured it out. That's right, I was kidnapped back then... The bastards who took me wanted to sell me off."

Oaks's expression grew colder. The poor folk felt as if the surrounding temperature had dropped a few degrees:

"But I got lucky. I escaped."

He naturally wouldn't say how he'd escaped, not with Coulson and Melinda watching.

"Later, when I'd made something of myself and needed subjects for human experiments, this place was the first thing that came to mind."

Sweat beaded on Blaze's back. So his gut feeling back then had been right.

It really had been a human experiment.

"You've figured it out, haven't you? But those guys from back then are long gone. I never planned to take revenge on everyone—I only grabbed people like you with criminal records. What I didn't expect was that you'd built such a grand enterprise."

Blaze lowered his head deeply.

What could he say?

If it had been someone more extreme, with such miraculous means, sparing half the block would have been merciful.

"You also know that winter when you were about to freeze to death and came here—I was watching you from the shadows."

Oaks slowly crouched down, lifted Blaze's head, and looked him in the eye:

"From that winter on, I met with you every single day. And you... you never let me down."

Blaze's eyes widened in shock.

"Now, I ask you: after that, did you ever commit another crime?"

"No, sir! I swear on my soul!"

"Did you ever use the Benevolence Society to break the law?"

"No, sir! I swear on my soul!"

"Did you ever use the Benevolence Society for personal gain?"

"No, sir! I swear on my soul!"

"Good..."

A smile as warm as a spring breeze finally spread across Oaks's face. A vine sprouted from beside his foot, coiled around Blaze's single crutch, and brought it to him:

"Then are you willing to help me eliminate hunger and improve the living environment for humanity?"

"Sir, it would be my honor!"

Supporting the sobbing, tear-streaked Blaze to his feet, Oaks announced loudly to the cheering poor folk:

"I, Oaks Lin, master of this forest, 'Little Rainforest,' hereby recognize the existence of the 'Benevolence Society' and assume the role of its president!"

"And Mr. Blaze Clark will be the vice president of the Benevolence Society. Little Rainforest will also continue to exist!"

"Oaks! Oaks! Oaks!"

"Blaze! Blaze! Blaze!"

"Benevolence Society! Benevolence Society! Benevolence Society!"

The cheers echoed throughout the entire block.