"Then, Director, who are you planning to send over as my liaison?"
Oaks spread his hands. Since he had made it clear that he could not possibly be constrained by S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury could hardly allow a "Druid" like him to slip out of his sight.
This looser form of cooperation was therefore the best choice.
"Agent Melinda. You've met her."
Nick Fury finally showed the faintest smile. The deal was sealed, and it now seemed beneficial to both sides indeed.
"Melinda only recently transferred to desk duty because of some matters. The work here should help her get back into shape sooner."
"Do you take this place for a sanatorium, Director?"
Sending a seasoned Level 7 Agent over as a liaison—Motherfucker-Man was really willing to spend.
But from another perspective, with such an experienced senior agent here, he would be able to draw on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources to a greater extent.
"Sounds like she's a woman?"
Tony was still hung up on Oaks agreeing to become a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant. What annoyed him even more was that Oaks had not mentioned salary at all.
But now, he suddenly seemed to understand.
"Is this the benefit package for S.H.I.E.L.D. consultants? Are you still hiring consultants? I think I need three liaisons."
"...Agent Melinda is old enough to be my aunt, Tony."
Oaks rolled his eyes helplessly, then suddenly appeared thoughtful.
"Maybe the two of you are a better match in age."
"...Forget it." Tony waved the idea away at once, drawing a cold snort from Nick Fury.
"Mr. Stark, you completely fail to meet S.H.I.E.L.D.'s standards for consultants. If we hired you, female agents would probably block my office door the very next day!"
He still could not tell him about Howard Stark's connection to S.H.I.E.L.D. Otherwise, wouldn't this little bastard turn the world upside down?
"Tch. As if you could afford me."
Tony's disdainful sneer made Fury quickly compare him with Oaks.
Mm, this consultant was much better. He did not charge money, only wanted the title, and while his personality was a little devious, his character was quite decent.
"It's not impossible for Agent Melinda to come over, but I'm not paying her salary. And I don't provide consultations for free—each consulting service will be charged separately."
Oaks blinked, and Nick Fury's face immediately darkened.
"Your Benevolence Society is this small. How are you planning to make a profit?"
Fury held it in for a while before finally asking.
"You aren't really planning to sell me those strange fruits of yours as employee benefits, are you?"
"As a scientist, of course I have to take the technological route. Right, Tony?"
Oaks seemed to recall something, his words carrying an implied meaning.
"Oh, right. I own Stark Industries stock too, so you'd better perform well!"
"Aha, why worry about things that don't need worrying about at all?"
Tony made a grand sweeping gesture, overflowing with swagger.
"You should know that the new product I developed is about to hit the market. Stark Industries stock is about to surge—now's the time to increase your holdings. That's absolutely insider information!"
"No problem."
Oaks smiled mysteriously. He would increase his holdings as much as possible—but before that, he needed to dump them all.
"Uh, Director, speaking of which, if S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to prepare Christmas benefits, I can provide premium Christmas trees and top-quality apples. The price will definitely be cheaper than elsewhere."
"...Apples? I hear China has that custom."
Nick Fury wore an expression of having known it all along. He really was planning to fleece him.
"After Melinda arrives, I'll have her send your products in for testing."
"Top-grade appearance, green and pollution-free. Don't worry—and the Benevolence Society headquarters is at the Little Rainforest. Just have Melinda go there directly."
"Speaking of which... Director, could you use some pull to help me acquire that factory? The rent may be cheap, but since the Benevolence Society is affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D., shouldn't you reimburse our office space?"
"Reimburse office space?!"
Nick Fury suppressed the urge to draw his gun.
"Who told you S.H.I.E.L.D. has that tradition? Don't you have a profit plan? Handle it yourself!"
"Look at that, Oaks."
Tony immediately pointed his chin at Nick Fury, whose face practically screamed "no money," and revealed a golden tycoon's smile.
"A leader like that is far too stingy. Isn't it just a plot of land?"
He pulled out his phone.
"Pepper? Oaks has an Ecological Test Site in Brooklyn. Mm, yes, the Benevolence Society. Starting today, that land belongs to the Benevolence Society. Mm, go take care of it."
After hanging up, he shrugged at the wide-mouthed Oaks and the head-clutching Nick Fury.
"Done. I'm telling you, Oaks, how could I possibly be left out when it comes to building prestige? Right?"
"Tony..."
Oaks did not know whether to laugh or cry. This guy was really butting heads with Nick Fury.
"This is... way too outrageous!"
"Consider it my investment in the Benevolence Society. That makes me a major shareholder too, right?"
What a joke. With Tony's business sense, if even an organization as large as S.H.I.E.L.D. approved of something, would he fail to get involved when he had the chance?
He had already personally experienced the benefits brought by the Environmental Protection Foundation.
And he was beginning to take an interest in S.H.I.E.L.D. now.
"All right, Zhang, come over here."
Zhang, who had been trying hard to make himself inconspicuous, dragged his chair over.
"Mr. Oaks?"
"You'll go back with Tony later. When the Benevolence Society was registered, I already listed your name as secretary. Going forward, you need to learn how to handle the affairs of a charitable organization.
Now that Tony is a shareholder in the Benevolence Society, he'll provide help—
You need to learn as much as you can from the work experience of Stark Industries' excellent secretaries."
"Huh?!"
"Wow, buddy, you really know how to dump everything on others!"
Tony exaggeratedly slapped Oaks hard on the shoulder.
"You've already grasped the secret to becoming an excellent manager so quickly? There's just one thing I have to advise you on..."
He leaned close to Oaks's grimacing face and whispered in a voice that was obviously loud enough for everyone to hear.
"What era are we in now, and you're still using a male secretary?"
Zhang: "As a man, I'm truly sorry about that."
"Isn't there one readily available? Besides, Zhang is a graduate student in Columbia's Environmental Science Department. He's perfectly suited to be the Benevolence Society's secretary. Maybe we can even carry out some degree of academic cooperation with Columbia."
Oaks turned to Nick Fury, whose face had gone long.
"No problem, right, Director?"
"Melinda will report in tomorrow morning."
Nick Fury felt that if he sat there any longer, several blood vessels would burst. These two had absolutely no reverence for S.H.I.E.L.D., especially for him, its high-ranking director.
"Goose~ say bye-bye~ bye-bye~"
"Meow~"
"What did she say?"
"She said, 'Get lost.'"
"..."
Before you continue