My Neighbor is a Secret Agent

Nick Fury frowned. He had expected a much more unique name.

The name John was as common as Zhang Wei or Zhang Yida in China; there were already countless Johns across America, let alone the rest of the world.

"Why do you need to find him?" Nick Fury asked curiously.

"He is extremely important," William replied. "He will be the key to the future Judgment Day."

In the worldview of the Terminator, John Connor was the leader of the Resistance, and Skynet sent terrifying Terminators through time just to kill him; he was the soul of the Terminator world.

Of course, Nick Fury and Coulson could not possibly know this, and William had no ulterior motive in mentioning the name—he was simply trying to divert their attention.

Skynet? Overwatch? Judgment Day? The Resistance?

Nick Fury felt a headache coming on. He finally understood why Coulson hadn't reported to him that William was a transmigrator.

Because such things were impossible to explain clearly. He knew this guy wasn't telling the whole truth, but he couldn't guess which parts were real and which were fake.

However, Nick Fury soon noticed something wrong. Ever since William entered the room, he seemed to be the one setting the pace, while they were being led by the nose.

The guy had been talking for ages without getting to the point, constantly going in circles and never answering his questions directly.

"You still haven't told me what your ability actually is," Nick Fury said with a sharp gaze.

"It's actually quite simple." William knew it would be hard to bluff his way through this; if he said the wrong thing, it would be difficult to explain the powers of the Overwatch System later. "This is an ability from the future. When I traveled through time to get here, I brought the power of Overwatch with me."

"The power of Overwatch?"

"That's right. Before I traveled, the heroes of Overwatch bestowed their abilities upon me, granting me the powerful capability to transform into an Overwatch hero!"

As soon as William finished speaking, the Overwatch emblem on the back of his hand lit up. After a period of cooldown, he was finally able to transform.

Under the astonished gazes of Coulson and Nick Fury, William transformed into the form of Soldier: 76. He shouldered a heavy, sci-fi-looking Heavy Pulse Rifle, and the Tactical Visor over his eyes emitted a faint red glow.

If William had just been an ordinary person a moment ago, he was now a battle-hardened warrior!

"Can an ordinary person use this ability of yours?" Nick Fury's expression was one of shock. As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., his primary concern was, of course, the interests of the agency. It would be great if his agents could also use such powers.

"I'm sorry, that's impossible." William's words poured cold water on him. "This ability comes from the Overwatch of the future. If you really want to obtain it, you'll have to find a way to travel to the future."

Great, that's as good as saying nothing. If we could build a time machine, we wouldn't be asking you. Nick Fury couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Do you have any other questions?" William asked, deactivating his Soldier: 76 form.

Coulson and Nick Fury exchanged glances. Seeing the other nod, Coulson said, "Mr. Lister, our S.H.I.E.L.D. has something we would like your help with."

After layers of review, the name S.H.I.E.L.D. had finally been settled upon, and come to think of it, it was a name William had suggested to them.

William scratched his head, looking reluctant. "You know, I'm just a pizza delivery guy. The pay isn't great, and I have a younger brother studying out of town, so I'm afraid I don't have time to help you."

I don't believe a word of it! Nick Fury's single eye widened. Which part of this guy was real? Wasn't he just claiming to be a transmigrator from the future? Why was he starting to complain about his hardships now?

"We certainly won't ask you to help for free. We will pay you," Coulson continued.

Nick Fury curled his lip. Coulson was thinking too simply. This guy was so difficult to deal with; how could he be swayed by money? There had to be other demands.

"How much will you pay me?" But when William heard about money, his eyes lit up.

Nick Fury looked incredulous. Just how broke are you? Do you have no integrity at all?

Coulson smiled helplessly. It seemed that regardless of whether William was a transmigrator or not, he was definitely a poor man.

When he went to William's house, he had felt an overwhelming aura of poverty—from the cheap sofa to the freezer full of frozen sandwiches, this guy had to be desperate for money.

"You will be employed by S.H.I.E.L.D. under the title of Special Consultant. If I recall correctly, your monthly salary will be ten thousand dollars," Coulson thought for a moment and replied.

William fell silent. Coulson thought the other party was still unhappy, but to his surprise, William looked up and asked, "So... can I get a half-month salary advance?"

"???" Nick Fury was instantly filled with confusion.

As soon as Coulson sent William out, he was called back into Director Fury's office.

"I won't hold you accountable for what happened earlier," Nick Fury said with a gloomy face. "You know that I can count the people I trust in S.H.I.E.L.D. on one hand. Phil, if you dare to lie to me again, I won't mind transferring you to the archives."

"Thank you, sir!" Coulson quickly lowered his head to thank him. Being transferred to the archives meant his clearance level within S.H.I.E.L.D. would drop. Most importantly, he would never be able to go on field missions again.

Nick Fury asked with a serious expression, "Do you think this transmigrator is real or fake?"

Coulson hesitated for a moment, as he had been struggling with this question himself lately. "To be honest, I don't think everything he said is true. There might be a lot of lies, but we have no way to verify them, so we can't expose him."

Nick Fury nodded. William's lying was likely to protect his abilities, or perhaps there were other reasons...

"But regardless, this person currently has no malice toward S.H.I.E.L.D. We are in urgent need of people with special abilities to prevent unconventional events from occurring," Coulson continued. "We need his help."

"His abilities are still an unknown factor to us. This is an uncertainty," Nick Fury said, sitting up straight. "In that case, I need you to help me keep an eye on his every move."

"Install surveillance?" Coulson frowned. The best way to keep an eye on someone was, of course, to fill his room and the places he frequented with cameras.

"No," Nick Fury said with a serious expression. "This time, I want you to watch him yourself."

William sat in the conference room drinking coffee; he was truly thirsty after talking for so long. Although he had said so much, he didn't know how much they actually believed. These stories were meant to explain his abilities and serve as a preemptive measure.

He had established a preliminary relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D., so he would just take things one step at a time.

Not long after, Coulson walked out of the office to take William home.

An hour later, the red vintage convertible pulled up in front of the apartment building in Brooklyn. William opened the door and got out, but to his utter shock, Coulson grabbed his luggage and followed him upstairs.

"Are you planning to live at my place?" William asked, looking surprised. He knew Nick Fury wouldn't be at ease and would have Coulson watch him, but he couldn't possibly live in his home—that was a total disregard for privacy.

Besides, he only had one bed. Was Coulson going to squeeze in with him?

Fortunately, Coulson didn't walk into his home, but instead opened the door to the apartment next door.

"Oh, by the way," Coulson said with a smile, "from today on, we're neighbors!"