Recruiting Personnel

No one found it strange.

In America, plenty of people shoot trespassers dead on their own property without a second thought.

For a brain-dead idiot like this who broke into someone's home and tore down their gate, Oaks putting him down on the spot was perfectly fine.

Under Coulson's arrangements, this small squad of mercenaries simply vanished into thin air.

"They don't know who hired them either. Under our methods, they confessed to everything, even peeping at girls bathing as kids—there's no way they held anything back.

And through other channels, our investigation can only rule out the U.S. military."

Coulson and Melinda looked across at Oaks and Ho Yinsen:

"It looks like our earlier fears have come true. Dr. Yinsen, you have intel they want. Since they can't touch Mr. Stark, they've come for you—

This is the first time, but it likely won't be the last, so I think maybe you could come work for S.H.I.E.L.D..."

"Alright, Agent Coulson, Dr. Yinsen is my employee now. I'll protect him.

I'm starting to see why these guys' code names start with 5—did the first four die without a brain?"

Oaks waved a hand, cutting off Coulson's suggestion:

"This incident has had a terrible impact. Many members witnessed this idiotic invasion firsthand, so until things are cleared up, those employees will have to take temporary leave."

"...Actually, I think compared to the armed invasion, seeing you, the chairman, unleash your power is the real reason they need time off."

Melinda couldn't help but snark:

"God, I know you wouldn't go easy on them, but couldn't you have made it less bloody? Where's that harmless scientist image gone?"

"Uh, I'll keep that in mind next time. How about plant neurotoxins?"

Oaks rubbed his chin, reflecting—yeah, he'd been a bit too hot-headed this time, lost control:

"Or killer bees? Fungi? Microbes? Why are you looking at me like that? I don't enjoy studying how to kill people; they forced my hand.

You know, if I hadn't been here, their plan, stupid as it was, would've succeeded."

"What a calamity."

Dr. Yinsen shook his head with a bitter smile. This Chairman Oaks had taken out those men without blinking—no wonder he was Tony's friend. That guy hadn't even flinched after killing so many Ten Rings members in Afghanistan.

Shouldn't scientists be the type who can't hit anyone even with a submachine gun?

"I don't have any intel they'd want. I was just Tony's assistant for a while—a grunt."

He could only rely on Oaks now. If those two senior agents took him away, he might not suffer much, but Tony's secrets would definitely be exposed.

He hadn't peeped at girls bathing as a kid, but he really did know the intel they were after.

"A lot of people like to think they know it all. Explaining is useless."

Oaks shrugged, deadpan:

"As for those who won't take the hint, let them come. I'm not short on fertilizer. Of course, if there's another brain-dead move like today, I'll have to go talk to Director Fury myself."

He couldn't let their actions escalate to a terrorist-level attack and still expect him, a regular citizen, to handle it alone!

"...Alright, Oaks, Dr. Yinsen. S.H.I.E.L.D. will handle the cleanup. The NYPD still has some use—large-scale attacks shouldn't happen again."

Coulson kept a smile on his face, though everyone could hear the resignation in his voice:

"If it does happen again... please notify me immediately."

"Don't worry, Melinda's here. And I need to start recruiting some specialists for the Benevolence Society. Like this time—who do I bill for the gate damage?"

Maybe he should follow S.H.I.E.L.D.'s lead and hire some professional consultants? Oak Environmental Technology Company needed more hands too.

He couldn't have a tech company with just a chairman and one employee, could he!

Once the thought crossed his mind, Oaks felt there was no time to waste—he needed to start preparing right away.

Meanwhile, Coulson went back to report the incident to Nick Fury and cover up the information.

"Director, since we've ruled out the military, I think this likely came from Stark's competitors."

Coulson watched Nick Fury, who was resting his chin on his hands, deep in thought. The latter grunted:

"So, who are Stark's competitors? Justin Hammer? Or all the arms dealers in the U.S.?

Coulson, given Stark's personality, how many people do you think want him gone for good?"

He shifted to leaning back in his chair:

"I need evidence—solid proof of where the attack came from, not just speculation."

"Yes, Director. But the only ones who know about Stark and Ho Yinsen's connection are the U.S. military involved in the rescue, Stark Industries' top brass, and Oaks. Excluding the military and Oaks, the leak has to come from Stark Industries.

So it's perfectly normal for his competitors to get intel from there—we can't even rule out a spy among their executives."

Coulson's imagination clearly wasn't wide enough yet:

"There's also the Ten Rings who kidnapped Tony—the ones calling themselves 'Freedom Fighters.' They'd know too, and Stark's rivals could get intel directly from them."

"So why couldn't the problem be inside Stark Industries itself?"

Nick Fury tapped the table with one finger.

"There's no sign of it now, but nothing is impossible.

Also, don't waste any more effort on Ho Yinsen. With our consultant on hand, you won't get anything out of him—Melinda either.

But I'm certain Yinsen really does have some key technology. Oak Environmental Technology Company? Hah!

Still, no matter how important Yinsen is, he's not as important as Tony himself. Keep your focus on that lead. Given his personality, he'll definitely make a comeback in a way none of us expect."

"Yes, Director. That makes a lot of sense."

So why was it that when they both joined S.H.I.E.L.D. around the same time, the other guy became Director while he was stuck as a Level 7 Agent?

Back to Oaks—he was discussing recruitment with Zhang. Their lab's interns would be arriving next week.

But the Benevolence Society's future development couldn't rely solely on a bunch of Environmental Science Department students, especially since they were only here for internships.

"Honestly, there's no need to hire professional consultants from other fields right now. Instead, we could find a few graduate students on work-study programs to take on part-time roles. It'd count as off-campus experience for them, so it should be pretty popular."

That was Zhang's suggestion. In fact, his own situation was pretty much the same, and his advisor was quite supportive.

"That works. Any candidates in mind?"

"Actually, there is one."

Tuesday—please keep reading~