"Roy, how's your wife? You haven't been to the hospital these past few days?" Jack was on the phone with Roy. Jack was responsible for covering up the money-making process, while Roy was in charge of negotiating the factory acquisition.
"Don't worry, I visit her every morning, then I take our son to school before heading to the bank for negotiations. Things are progressing smoothly, and we should be able to close the deal soon. The bank has no trump cards," Roy said with ease. He truly felt relaxed now, free from immense pressure, with his future life full of hope.
"That's good. She just had surgery and needs care!"
"Don't worry, I've hired a caregiver to be with her, and there are doctors and nurses responsible for her post-operative recovery. She'll be discharged soon. When that happens, I'll hand over the factory to you, and I want to take her traveling," Roy said, chuckling.
"No problem, buddy. That's what you should do. You guys can go out and have fun. You can have your son stay at my place; the three kids can play together!"
"Jack, how's the funding?"
"Don't worry, we have enough to buy the factory, and updating the equipment is also fine. We can even pay the workers a month's salary upfront. We can manage all of that. However, I'm concerned about the technical aspects. The factory will need to hire some technical personnel, and we also need to research the production process. I wonder if Mr. Ghost has any ideas!"
"Okay, he should have far more ideas than us. He'll figure something out."
Maria Hill had arrived in New York much earlier and had been staying in a hotel. She hadn't met with Phil Coulson and the others but had been communicating via phone. She also arranged for personnel to deliver documents.
"Coulson, their technology is too advanced. I don't know if they've been monitoring you, so it's best not to meet. Just send the documents over. I'll study them, and if anything comes up, we'll communicate by phone." This was Maria Hill's strategy to prevent discovery by the other party's technical staff.
Phil Coulson felt it made sense. They had been exposed, which led to Jerry's death. Meanwhile, Maria Hill continued to research Jack's profile. Jack had experienced a lot in the past three months. His wife had left him, and Jack had been taking care of their three children alone. According to the records, he was a family man. As for his taste, he was just an ordinary worker in the past, with no history of womanizing. His wife wasn't an exceptional beauty either.
Logically, a devoted family man like him shouldn't have his wife leave him. Of course, that was the general assumption. Maria Hill still needed information about his wife. Also, his wife had merely left; they hadn't gone through with the divorce yet, so the term "ex-wife" couldn't be used for that woman yet.
Maria Hill contacted Phil Coulson again, asking him to investigate this woman, Milo Jenki, for detailed information. Jack's wife, Milo, had not worked before. She had three children at home, and after buying a house, they still had mortgage payments. As a woman, she basically had very little opportunity for shopping. She had been enduring this until Jack lost his job, and she could no longer tolerate it.
Because she frequently visited the bank, she got acquainted with a plump sales manager in his fifties. They had already been involved, and eventually, Milo Jenki ran off with the older man. This older man also had children, but they were adults and didn't live with them. Now, it was just the two of them living together, and Milo Jenki was shopping frantically, as if to compensate for what she had lost.
Maria Hill looked at the documents, analyzing them carefully. Women like Milo Jenki were easy to assess. Jack's taste was also very mainstream, but he had a strong sense of responsibility towards his family, which Maria Hill thought could be exploited. She needed to present herself in a way that would give her an opportunity for close contact with Jack. However, she couldn't engineer a chance encounter directly. Such situations rarely won someone's favor instantly, even if she dressed incredibly sexily.
Jack had just experienced his wife's betrayal. If she were to appear before him in a seductive manner, he might not react favorably; it could even backfire. Therefore, an opportunity for long-term contact would be best.
"Coulson, how is their factory acquisition going?" Maria Hill asked Phil Coulson again. She was staying alone in the hotel and could only rely on the agents outside for information.
"They're still in negotiations. What's up?"
"After acquiring the factory, they'll likely need to hire more people. Keep an eye on their recruitment ads. I'm going to apply for a position in the factory, as close to Jack Jenki as possible. This is a long-term mission, and I'll be going undercover. It's not suitable to make direct contact with him right now."
"Understood. We'll keep an eye out."
After making arrangements, Maria Hill called Nick Fury to report. "Director, that's the situation. It looks like I'll need to go undercover for an extended period."
"Alright. If they have such advanced technology, you can go undercover for as long as necessary. Agent Phil Coulson will assist you, and Melinda May will provide combat support. You have full authority to make decisions."
"Yes!"
Nick Fury dispatched three of his protégés at once, showing his eagerness for Mo Fei's technology. With such computer technology, or if artificial intelligence truly existed, it would be incredibly helpful for one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current projects. He got up from his office and took the elevator to the secure underground level.
As the elevator doors opened, a vast space appeared. Within this space, a colossal structure was parked. It resembled an aircraft carrier, but its underside was significantly different, though the exact difference couldn't be discerned yet as it was only a framework. Numerous engineers were bustling about; it was a project being designed and built simultaneously.
In reality, it was a Helicarrier. When sailing at sea, it functioned as an aircraft carrier, but it could also take flight. Theoretically, it was entirely feasible, but the flight propulsion system was a tricky issue. Anti-gravity engines required immense power. After the design was completed, the construction process was also extremely complex, requiring constant modifications. This was the first experimental prototype.
If artificial intelligence were to serve this behemoth, Nick Fury was certain it would be the most powerful weapon on Earth, something he had long anticipated. S.H.I.E.L.D. would truly live up to its name as Earth's shield. Nick Fury looked up at the massive structure, his heart filled with excitement.
Today, Roy and his three-person negotiation team made progress. The bank finally agreed to sell the factory, including the land, for thirteen million dollars. The land in Brooklyn wasn't that valuable, and this was the highest price they had managed to negotiate.
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