"Mr. Luo Xia, we need to confirm your identity before we can assess you accurately. So, can you tell me who you are now?" Coulson reminded him.
"Why do you need to assess me? As you can see, I'm just an unfortunate traveler. I probably got hit on the head when the terrorists captured me, so my memory's a little muddled. According to Yinsen, I was knocked unconscious by the explosion of a rocket. I think it's normal to have some short-term memory problems after that." Luo Xia explained.
"That's right. We considered that possibility too. So when you gave us your identity earlier, we had experts look into it. They concluded that you weren't lying at the time. That's why I'm sitting here talking with you instead of locking you up." Coulson was very honest.
"Then I really must thank you." Luo Xia thought that things had worked out by sheer luck. He hadn't expected his impulsive decision to have this kind of benefit.
"But even with your memory in a muddle, your reasoning is still very clear. So our assessment is still necessary, especially since we found these at the terrorists' hideout." Coulson slid several photographs across the table toward Luo Xia.
Luo Xia took a look. They all showed patches of desert ground that had vitrified from extreme heat.
"We tested these craters. They must have been heated to over five thousand degrees in a short time to vitrify like this. I'd like to know what kind of weapon could have caused this."
Luo Xia understood. This was probably the key point of the interrogation. Otherwise, an agency like S.H.I.E.L.D., which only dealt with supernatural forces, wouldn't pay so much attention to an "ordinary person" like him.
Luo Xia had nothing to hide about the Extremis Virus, so he told Coulson directly, "One of the terrorists looked as if his whole body was on fire. His body temperature was high enough to melt metal, and he was incredibly strong with an extremely powerful healing ability. Ordinary bullets couldn't kill him..."
Luo Xia was careful not to expose Luo Fei's existence. Instead, he credited Tony's weapon design with taking down the Extremis Virus soldier. The Pulse Pistol had already been given to Tony, so he might as well let the attention-seeking guy take the credit. Luo Xia had already planned to pin the blame on him when he tossed him the pistol.
Would S.H.I.E.L.D. believe it?
Tony had built an Arc Reactor in a cave by hammering away at it. What was so strange about him designing an unusual pistol?
Perhaps Luo Xia's answer was close enough to what Coulson had expected that he didn't suspect much. But at the end, Coulson took out a watch and handed it to Luo Xia. "This is a gift for you. It's a little old-fashioned, but I strongly recommend you keep it on you. Otherwise, you could find yourself in a lot of trouble."
Luo Xia understood. It was a tracking device S.H.I.E.L.D. issued to people whose identities were unknown. It could monitor everything he did, and if necessary, even restrain or kill him directly.
But Luo Xia accepted it with a broad smile and put it on his wrist.
Seeing how cooperative Luo Xia was, Coulson felt relieved, though also surprised. He knew it was deeply disrespectful to Luo Xia, but Tony's identity was far too sensitive. S.H.I.E.L.D. had to make sure the people around Tony wouldn't do anything dangerous.
After Coulson left the isolation room, energy from another world quietly invaded the watch, a piece of equipment made with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most advanced technology.
[Tracking Device, mechanical integrity 100%, activation requires 768 points of AllSpark energy, current energy 1000 points.]
This information left Luo Xia somewhat shocked. Luo Fei, a huge battle robot, had only cost 915 points of energy, yet this watch needed 768 points of AllSpark energy to activate as a robot. Judging by their sizes, the difference was a thousandfold.
Still, Luo Xia didn't hesitate. He'd accepted the tracking device so readily because he trusted the AllSpark. Once he turned the watch into a Cybertronian Robot, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s so-called surveillance would be meaningless.
After all, Luo Xia had three Cybertronian Robots from the first stage of the AllSpark, and he'd only used two so far.
But Luo Xia was still a little worried. What if this new robot was just as much of a goofball as Luo Fei? Thankfully, luck seemed to be on his side this time.
"Commander, intelligence operative Violet reporting for duty. Please give me your orders."
The watch on Luo Xia's wrist didn't change at all, but through his connection to the AllSpark, he could communicate directly with his subordinates in his mind. To his surprise, this time it seemed to be a woman.
Did robots have genders? Weren't they asexual reproducers?
All kinds of strange thoughts flashed through Luo Xia's mind, but only for a moment.
"Violet, can you make sure S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't discover that you've changed?" This was what Luo Xia cared about most.
"Please rest assured, Commander. That won't be difficult for me. I can even hack into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database. Nothing about them will remain a secret from you, Commander." Violet sounded quite proud.
What a find! That was Luo Xia's first thought.
Compared to Luo Fei, an assault-type combat robot, Violet could clearly serve a much more important role. Before the war officially began, intelligence was far more valuable than combat strength.
And judging by the way they communicated, Violet was much more reliable than Luo Fei.
"Excellent, Violet. You've done a wonderful job. From now on, you'll be responsible for filtering the information sent to S.H.I.E.L.D., making sure our secrets stay hidden without arousing their suspicions. Understood?" Luo Xia ordered.
"Completely understood. I won't disappoint you, Commander. Would you like me to monitor other people for you? I can make use of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence network to surveil and investigate specific targets around the world," Violet replied.
"Fantastic, Violet. You're so much more reliable than that guy Luo Fei." Luo Xia praised her sincerely.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was the only international spy organization in the Marvel Universe, with the strongest backing and the richest resources. Its intelligence network might not be the best in the world, but it was still top-tier. Being able to make use of it would be practically like having a cheat ability.
"Where the Commander's sword points, our hearts follow." Violet answered with that line after hearing Luo Xia's praise.
What was that...? Why did that line sound so familiar? Could this Violet girl be a hardcore otaku?
Before you continue