Nick Fury pulled out a credit card and slammed it hard on the table.
He honestly felt right now that if he didn't pay, he might not make it out of this shop alive.
The giant panther opposite him turned into a little bird again in a flicker of shimmering light.
Hmm, it looked like the fast-flying kind at first glance, because the moment he blinked, the creature landed right on his bald head.
"Shit, a bit slippery!"
"Hey!"
Nick Fury rubbed his shiny bald head in some annoyance, and the other person reappeared across from him.
"Alright, now I know how you managed to travel back and forth across the Amazon without any entry-exit records or flight logs!"
With a bird this small, even the most advanced radar couldn't catch it, right?
And was this supposed to be an ordinary bird?
Who the hell could tell him whether ordinary panthers had the ability to turn invisible?!
"Too cool, pal!"
Tony had completely calmed down by this point. As perhaps the first genius to detect the Nature Force, his cross-disciplinary acceptance level was extraordinarily high.
"Can you turn into other things?"
"Yes, but I won't show off too much; not just any animal can be transformed into."
Oaks changed back to his human form and sat down next to Tony again. Nick Fury twitched the corner of his mouth and went to pull a chair over for himself to sit down.
"So, you really gave me a huge surprise, Mr. Oaks."
His eyes were turning a bit green right about now.
The principle behind the ability? That was not something for a spymaster like him to consider at all.
He only cared about what the other's abilities could accomplish and whether they could be controlled!
In his eyes, Oaks was practically a flawless template for an agent.
Capable of telepathy with animals, with exceptionally strong intelligence-gathering abilities;
Capable of manipulating plants and even developing special plants, with exceptionally strong support abilities;
Capable of transforming into beasts with special powers, with exceptionally strong combat abilities—
Especially that invisibility ability; it was simply the dream capability of every spy and assassin!
Yes, S.H.I.E.L.D. had optical camouflage technology, but that couldn't be made into individual combat gear!
And the man was also an outstanding scientist, and could even help S.H.I.E.L.D. build its reputation—
Though if Tony didn't make trouble, S.H.I.E.L.D. probably, roughly, maybe, might not even need to build its reputation.
By comparison, Hulk... Heh.
He was a spymaster, not some military general, and he didn't care at all whether modified super-soldiers could be replicated—
Under his command, an agent with special powers could accomplish a bunch of brainless super-soldier tasks that couldn't be done otherwise!
"So, you modified yourself?"
Fury pinched his chin. With Bruce Banner's example sitting right there, scientists doing all sorts of weird things to themselves no longer seemed strange to him in the slightest.
"An experimental mishap. Well, but my experiment was for the cause of environmental protection—
I wanted to endow myself with a 'nature affinity' physique, you know, just like the 'elves' in mythology.
If successful, I could gain a truer perspective to peer into the essence of life, and solve the problems of the shrinking ecosystem and weakening regeneration capacity."
Oaks's utter nonsense successfully dragged the attention of both Fury and Tony over. Even Zhang stretched his neck and poked his head in:
"Elven physique? 'The Lord of the Rings'? Ah, sorry..."
"...Ahem. Obviously I failed, but not completely.
Did you know, in Celtic Mythology, there is a class of clergy, champions of nature and neutrality, who use their special powers to protect Mother Nature and bring balance to the entire world?
It is said that they can use the power of nature to bring bountiful harvests, heal wounds, communicate with animals, and even transform into animals to spread divine edicts.
They are proficient in geography, natural science, medicine, and astrology, which is to say astronomy, while also acting as disseminators of knowledge..."
"Druids?"
Tony raised his phone; he had already looked up a bunch of information:
"Shit! I only learned today that Halloween is actually related to them!"
"Correct."
Oaks wrapped a strand of green light around his finger, and lush little blades of grass slowly sprouted from the sofa, which had been broken into four pieces:
"So, you can also call me a Druid."
"...A perfect match."
Tony put his phone back into his pocket. The traits of the legendary Druids could be found almost entirely in Oaks, and he genuinely had half Celtic ancestry.
"I think you could start a new religion. Son of God? Huh?"
"...Not interested. I don't believe in theology."
Oaks curled his lip:
"The gods of Earth's legends are just powerful people or special creatures with special abilities. To think you're still a scientist."
"Not being interested is best!"
Nick Fury spoke up with some annoyance. If Oaks really wanted to start a religion and mess around, with his current abilities, the trouble would be massive:
"I approve of the Benevolence Society, but Oaks, as for yourself... I want you to join the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
"Not interested."
Oaks flatly refused:
"I'm used to being free and can't possibly be bossed around by you all day, Director. This kind of relationship is just fine."
"Besides, that name of yours is really far too un-environment-friendly. It sounds exhausting, let alone writing it out."
"Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D."
Nick Fury finally made a temporary decision to add an abbreviation for his organization. He simply couldn't endure Oaks mocking him like that any longer:
"Is that environmentally friendly enough for you?"
"Not bad."
Oaks nodded in satisfaction and gave Tony a look that said, Aren't I awesome? The latter clapped his hands, fearing the world wouldn't be chaotic enough.
"Well done!"
Ignoring Tony's provocation, Nick Fury wore a stern face and emphasized once again:
"I am not inviting you to become an agent. A qualified S.H.I.E.L.D. agent takes a great deal of effort to train, and not just anyone is up to the task—even powered individuals!
But you must at least have a file with S.H.I.E.L.D., and I will consider hiring you as a consultant."
"A consultant?"
Oaks raised an eyebrow: "The kind that doesn't need to punch in for work?"
"Hey! Pal, you actually rejected my personal health consultant invitation!"
Tony protested loudly:
"I offered you a five-million-dollar annual salary! That... whatever S.H.I.E.L.D., how much are you paying?"
"...Five million is absolute nonsense!"
Nick Fury nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. What a damned plutocrat:
"Every single cent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s budget must be spent in the right place; we are all civil servants! It's impossible to give a consultant such outrageous treatment!"
"Yeah, I figured as much."
Oaks laughed heartily and high-fived Tony:
"Looks like they can't afford me."
"Hahaha..."
Zhang, standing off to the side, nearly popped his eyes out. An idle position with a five-million-dollar annual salary, and Mr. Oaks had still refused?!
And now he had turned down the invitation from this towering, high-end global organization as well!
Mr. Oaks truly was a proletarian comrade of our generation...
"However, I can send a representative to be stationed permanently at the Benevolence Society as a liaison officer with S.H.I.E.L.D."
Seeing Oaks's expression turn serious, Nick Fury felt secretly smug. Heh, you little punk, couldn't I pin you down?
"You should understand the significance of this arrangement."
Oaks naturally understood very well.
This meant that, in the eyes of the outside world, the Benevolence Society would no longer be merely a front organization for S.H.I.E.L.D.
Although this meant he would be directly monitored by Nick Fury, it also meant he wouldn't just carry S.H.I.E.L.D.'s banner—he could also, to a certain extent, genuinely borrow some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s power.
"Deal."
A consultant in exchange for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection before their downfall was, in Oaks's plan, simply too cost-effective.
Before you continue