Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Sorry, sir. I failed the mission," Phil Coulson said, having been rebuffed.

There was no helping it; Tony had just returned to the United States and hadn't fully awakened from that nightmare. He had too many things to consider and ponder.

Whether it was shutting down the weapons manufacturing division or dealing with that thing in his chest, he simply had no time to spare for Phil Coulson.

"As expected of Howard's son," the mysterious person said through the video call window on the car's communication system. "He has the exact same stubborn streak as his old man."

"Sir, what should we do now? We haven't found concrete evidence of Obadiah Stane's crimes, so we can't alert him yet. Now that Tony is back, Obadiah will surely find a way to deal with him," Phil Coulson said after a moment of thought.

"This matter isn't that simple," the mysterious person said in a deep voice. "I've investigated; the Ten Rings isn't an ordinary gang. We need unconventional forces to guard against their attacks."

"Are you talking about superpowers?" Phil Coulson understood what the other party meant. If the Ten Rings truly possessed terrifying abilities, Tony would be in danger. Moreover, ordinary agents couldn't possibly protect him; they needed someone special.

"Is Agent Hawkeye unavailable?" Phil Coulson asked. He felt that with Hawkeye's archery skills, protecting Tony would certainly be no problem.

"Unfortunately, he is on another mission," the mysterious person said. "Do you have any suitable candidates on your list?"

The so-called list was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s record of individuals with special abilities, a task now assigned to Phil Coulson.

After a period of investigation, he had found a few people with extraordinary powers, but their numbers were small and their abilities were mediocre. He thought about it, but there didn't seem to be anyone suitable on the list.

Wait a minute!

Just as he was about to say no, he remembered someone. That person's name wasn't on the list because Phil Coulson had never been clear about what his abilities were, nor did he know the other party's true identity.

"I think there might be someone suitable," Phil Coulson replied. "He's a pizza delivery guy."

"Finally, I don't have to eat frozen sandwiches anymore." Sitting at his dining table at home, William looked at the steaming steak on the plate, his eyes moist; he looked so moved he was almost crying.

William had recently found a part-time job at McDonald's, so he had a little pocket money now and didn't have to worry about sleeping on the streets. Thus, he finally bit the bullet and bought a steak—a cheap, limited-time discount steak from the supermarket, of course.

"Mmm... this steak is so delicious."

William wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, his face full of happiness. Was he really moved to tears by eating steak? How could that be? He had just been stung by the onions while chopping them.

Not to mention, the taste of pan-seared steak with onions was truly excellent. The sizzling steak paired with sweet onions, topped with a few small tomatoes and broccoli for garnish—this was definitely the most expensive meal William had eaten since crossing over.

He had been in the Marvel world for two weeks. He had caught thieves, fought bank robbers, infiltrated gangs, and battled Hydra. With the help of the Overwatch System, he was getting stronger and growing every day.

William was currently holding onto secrets regarding Hydra. He had been keeping a low profile these days; aside from delivering pizzas and working his part-time job, he had done far less vigilantism.

He had stolen something from them, so Hydra was certainly looking for him. Perhaps Hydra agents were already standing at his door, ready to give him a surprise.

Ding-dong. William was startled; it was the sound of his doorbell.

He had just thought about Hydra agents coming to check his water meter, and the doorbell rang. Who was outside? Could it really be Hydra?

Thinking of this, William grabbed the frying pan he had just used for the steak from the kitchen and walked cautiously toward the front door. He held the pan in one hand and prepared to open the door with the other. If it really were Hydra agents outside, he would subdue them instantly.

"One, two, three..." William counted silently in his heart. Just as he opened the door, he swung the frying pan toward the person outside, but just as it was about to smack them in the forehead, he stopped abruptly.

Because this person wasn't Hydra, but the long-unseen S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Phil Coulson.

"Mr. Lister, what is the meaning of this?" Phil Coulson was stunned; the bottom of the frying pan was less than a centimeter from him.

"Ahem." William immediately put down his weapon and said sheepishly, "You know, the security in this area isn't very good."

Phil Coulson walked into the house. The place was just as it had been when he last visited: dirty, messy, and dilapidated.

He brushed the dust off the sofa and sat down. William asked curiously, "Agent Coulson, what brings you here this time?"

Phil Coulson looked at William's innocent face. Who would have thought this guy claimed to be from the future? Originally, he hadn't believed it, but as his investigation deepened, he discovered things were not quite right.

These days, he had been reading books about time travel or the end of the world every day. He felt that either William was crazy, or he was.

"Our boss wants to see you," Phil Coulson said, getting straight to the point.

"Can I refuse?" William asked. The "boss" Phil Coulson mentioned was surely the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He knew he would have to face S.H.I.E.L.D. sooner or later, which was why he had been frantically bluffing Phil Coulson earlier, laying the groundwork for his upcoming performance.

It seemed he would have to take a trip to S.H.I.E.L.D. this time.

"No," Phil Coulson shrugged. "You can choose to come with me voluntarily, or I can knock you out and drag you along."

"..."

A red vintage convertible sped down the road. Sitting in the passenger seat, William couldn't help but say, "It's already the 21st century; why are you still driving such an old car?"

"What do you know? This is Lola's charm," Phil Coulson said, wearing sunglasses and looking cool.

"Lola." William retorted, "You actually gave it a girl's name."

In chaotic Brooklyn, traffic was a serious problem. They hadn't gone far before they were stuck in a gridlock. The air was filled with the honking of horns and the shouting of drivers; it seemed they wouldn't be moving for a while.

"Maybe there's an accident up ahead?" William yawned.

"No, our boss hates it when people are late," Phil Coulson said, activating a device on the car.

Suddenly, Lola began to vibrate. To William's surprise, he saw its four wheels begin to rotate downward until they were parallel to the ground, and the entire car slowly rose from the road, hovering in mid-air.

"Holy crap, this car can actually fly?" William exclaimed. It wasn't just him; many people who saw this scene widened their eyes in shock.

In an instant, Lola took off. The red vintage convertible sped through the air, whistling over the heads of the congested traffic.

Phil Coulson smiled smugly. So what if there was a traffic jam? So what if there was an accident?

"My Lola is the coolest!"