"Roy, how's your wife? Haven't you gone to the hospital these past few days?" Jack spoke with Roy over the phone. Jack was responsible for concealing how they made the money, while Roy handled the negotiations to acquire the factory.
"Don't worry. I visit her every morning, then take my son to school before going to the bank for negotiations. Things are going smoothly. We'll have it settled soon—the bank has no cards left to play." Roy sounded relaxed. He truly was relaxed now. Without that crushing pressure, the future was full of hope.
"That's good. She just had surgery and needs someone to take care of her!"
"Don't worry. I hired a caregiver to stay with her, and there are doctors and nurses handling her post-operative recovery. She'll be discharged soon. Once that happens, I'll leave the factory to you. I want to take her traveling." Roy laughed as he spoke.
"No problem, buddy. It's what you should do. The two of you can go out and have a good time. Your son can stay at my house—the three kids can play together!"
"Jack, how are the funds?"
"Don't worry. We have enough to buy the factory, and upgrading the equipment won't be a problem either. We can even pay the workers a month's wages in advance. We can handle all that, but I'm worried about the technical side. The factory will need to hire some technicians, and we'll also need to study the production process. I want to see if Mr. Ghost has any ideas!"
"Alright. He should have far more ways than we do. He'll figure something out."
Maria Hill had arrived in New York long ago and had been staying in a hotel. She had not met with Phil Coulson and the others, instead communicating by phone and having them arrange for someone to deliver the files to her.
"Coulson, their technology is too advanced. I don't know whether they've been monitoring you all along, so it's better not to meet. Just send the files over. I'll study them, and if anything comes up, we'll contact each other by phone." This was the strategy Maria Hill had devised to prevent their technical personnel from discovering them.
Phil Coulson felt that made sense. They had already been exposed, which was why the other side had killed Jerry. Meanwhile, Maria Hill continued studying Jack's files. Jack had gone through a great deal in the past three months. His wife had run off with another man, and Jack had raised three children by himself. According to the records, he was a family man. As for his taste in women, he had only been an ordinary worker in the past and had never fooled around. His wife was not some stunning beauty either.
Logically, a family man like that should not have been abandoned by his wife. Of course, that was how ordinary people would see it. Maria Hill still needed information on his wife. Besides, she had only left him; they had not yet finalized their divorce, so she could not be called his ex-wife for now.
Maria Hill contacted Phil Coulson again and asked him to investigate the woman, Milo Jenki, in detail. Jack's wife, Milo, had never worked before. There were three children at home, and after buying the house, they still had to repay the loan. As a woman, she could hardly go shopping. She had endured it all along, until Jack lost his job and she could no longer bear it.
Because she often went to the bank, she got in touch with a chubby sales manager in his fifties. The two had long been involved with each other, and in the end, Milo Jenki ran off with that old man. The old man also had children, but they were already adults and did not live with him. Now the two lived together, while Milo Jenki shopped like crazy, as if trying to make up for everything she had missed in the past.
Maria Hill studied the files and analyzed them carefully. A woman like Milo Jenki was actually easy to assess. Jack's taste in women was fairly ordinary, but he had a strong sense of responsibility toward his family. Maria Hill believed that could be exploited. She needed to show that quality and find an opportunity to get close to Jack. She could not simply arrange a chance encounter. It would be difficult to instantly win his favor that way, no matter how sexy she dressed.
Jack had just suffered his wife's betrayal. If she appeared before him looking seductive, he might not feel any goodwill toward her. It could even backfire. So the best option was an opportunity for long-term contact.
"Coulson, how is their factory purchase going?" Maria Hill asked Phil Coulson again. She was staying alone at the hotel, and could only rely on the agents outside for intelligence.
"They're still negotiating. Why?"
"After they acquire the factory, they'll probably need to hire people. Watch for their job postings. I want to apply for a position at the factory, as close to Jack Jenkins as possible. This is a long-term mission. I'll go undercover there. He isn't suited for direct contact right now."
"Understood. We'll keep watch."
After making her arrangements, Maria Hill called Nick Fury to report. "Director, that's the situation. It seems I'll need to remain undercover for a long time."
"That's fine. If the technology is that good, you can stay undercover as long as necessary. Agent Phil Coulson will assist you, and Melinda May will provide combat support. You can make all the decisions."
"Yes!"
Nick Fury had sent out three agents he was grooming at once, showing just how badly he wanted Mo Fei's technology. If they had computer technology like that, or if Artificial Intelligence truly existed, it would be extremely helpful for one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current projects. He rose and left his office, then took the elevator down to the classified underground level.
When the elevator doors opened, a vast space appeared before him. A colossal object was parked within it. It looked like an aircraft carrier, though its underside was vastly different. Naturally, it was impossible to tell exactly how from the frame alone. Engineers moved back and forth everywhere. This was a project being designed and built at the same time.
It was actually a Helicarrier. When it sailed on the sea, it was an aircraft carrier, but it could also take flight. In theory, it was entirely feasible, but the issue of flight power was extremely difficult. The anti-gravity engines required enormous output. Even after the design was completed, the construction process remained incredibly complicated and required constant revisions. This was the first experimental prototype.
If Artificial Intelligence could serve this massive machine, Nick Fury was certain it would become the most powerful weapon on Earth. That was what he longed for. S.H.I.E.L.D. would then truly live up to its name as Earth's shield. Nick Fury looked up at the giant vessel, his heart surging with excitement.
Today, Roy and his three-person negotiating team made progress. In the end, the bank agreed to sell the factory, including the land, for thirteen million dollars. Land in Brooklyn was not particularly valuable, and this was the highest price the bank could secure.
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