S.H.I.E.L.D. Steps In

Quill gave a dry laugh. "Ha, coincidence, purely a coincidence. We were just... handling some personal business."

"Personal business?" Tony repeated.

"Yes," Shendu cut in. "Quill's mother lives there. We went to visit her."

That explanation caught Tony somewhat off guard. He looked at Quill. "Your mother?"

"Yeah." Quill nodded. "I'd lost contact with her for years. Since I was back, I went to see her."

Tony's expression softened slightly, but his gaze remained sharp. "Then why were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents outside your mother's house?"

Quill was momentarily speechless.

Shendu merely curled his lip. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has always seemed suspicious of my partnership with Quill. Sending people to watch us—that's an internal matter for you people, isn't it? Don't tell me you didn't know."

Tony did not deny it. He only snorted. "Even so, he's now a rooster in a tactical vest, and you two just happened to be there. I need a more reasonable explanation."

"Science is unreasonable sometimes."

Shendu's tone remained calm. "Mr. Stark, have you studied Chitauri biotechnology? Their weapons can merge with organic life, and their ships can be controlled through neural signals. In the face of that kind of technology, the word 'reasonable' itself is very limited."

Tony fell silent for several seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"Fine." He tucked the tablet under his arm. "I'll accept that explanation for now. But S.H.I.E.L.D. will definitely send someone to ask questions, and you can deal with that yourselves. I'm just a helpful citizen passing by, here to give you a heads-up."

Tony turned to leave, then stopped again. Without looking back, he said, "Oh, right. That agent's partner said the last image he transmitted before disappearing showed something glowing, like some kind of... pendant."

With that, the armor's thrusters ignited, and Tony Stark soared into the air.

Quill stood frozen, his face changing.

The pendant.

It was hanging around his mother's neck right now.

He instinctively reached into his pocket to make sure. Empty. He really had given the pendant to his mother.

"Valmont," he said in a lowered voice. "That pendant..."

"I know."

Shendu's tone was still calm, but his tail swayed faster than usual. "I told you before that pendant might be a problem. S.H.I.E.L.D. moved faster than I expected. They'll soon discover its existence."

"What do we do?" Quill was getting anxious. "If they connect the pendant to my mom—"

Shendu cut him off. "Calm down. The most important thing now is to retrieve it before they find it."

"But it's hanging around my mom's neck. If I go ask for it now, she'll definitely get suspicious."

Before he finished speaking, a black S.H.I.E.L.D. SUV drove into the cleanup area. The door opened, and Phil Coulson stepped out.

He still wore that gentle, harmless smile, but Quill noticed four fully armed agents following behind him.

"Is the work going well, gentlemen?"

Coulson walked up to them. "Sorry to interrupt, but there are a few matters that require your cooperation."

He took out a photograph—it was a picture of Quill's mother's house. "You went to this house last night, correct?"

Quill nodded. "Yes. That's my home."

"Does your mother still live there?"

"Yes."

Coulson's smile did not change. "That's excellent. We have a small matter that requires her assistance. Not now, of course. Tomorrow morning, we'll send someone to bring her in for a brief interview. After all..."

He looked at Shendu. "An agent mutation incident occurred near her house. As someone involved, cooperating with the investigation is a necessary procedure."

Both Shendu and Quill knew this was absolutely not going to be a simple interview.

"Agent Coulson," Shendu said, "this has nothing to do with Quill's mother."

"Whether it does or not, we'll know after we investigate."

Coulson's attitude was gentle, but unquestionable. "Don't worry. It's just procedure. If she truly knows nothing, there won't be any consequences."

He turned and left, leaving Quill standing there with a livid face.

"They're going to drag my mom into this," Quill said quietly. "No. We absolutely can't let her enter S.H.I.E.L.D."

Shendu was silent for a moment. "Then we have to retrieve the necklace before tomorrow."

"But how? If I go back now, she'll definitely ask why."

"So you can't go back."

Quill froze and looked at Shendu.

Finally took the bait. Shendu looked at Quill's worried expression. As expected, emotions were one of humanity's weaknesses.

Shendu forcefully suppressed his excitement and made his tone calm as he continued to lead Quill on. "Quill, where exactly did you get that pendant?"

The question stunned Quill.

Where had he gotten it?

He searched his memories, and the image gradually became clear. He had picked it up beside a piece of Chitauri wreckage.

At the time, it had lain quietly among the ruins, giving off faint energy pulses. He had thought it was beautiful, something he could give his mother as a gift after returning to Earth.

"That pendant..." Quill slowly said, his voice extremely low. "There's something wrong with it, isn't there? It's not an ordinary Chitauri item. It... it can turn agents into chickens?"

Shendu did not answer directly. "The most important thing now is to retrieve it."

"How? I can't exactly make my mom—"

"You can let me retrieve it."

Quill was stunned. "You?"

"I'm a dragon. I can sneak in without making a sound."

Shendu continued to guide him. "But I need your cooperation. You need to keep your mother occupied, get her to take off the pendant, and have her leave the house for a while."

Quill considered it for several seconds, then shook his head. "No. My mom is already frightened. Leaving aside whether it would work, even if it did, we'd still have to deal with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents watching us."

He paced irritably through the ruins for a few steps, then suddenly stopped.

He turned around and stared at Shendu. "That pendant... what exactly is it?"

Shendu was silent.

"Valmont." Quill stepped closer. "We're partners, right? If you want me to help keep your secret, then at least let me know what secret I'm keeping."

The wind over the ruins fell still.

Shendu looked at him and finally spoke. "It's a talisman."

"A talisman?"

"One of the twelve ancient Chinese talismans, each representing the power bestowed by an animal. The one you gave your mother is the Monkey Talisman. It represents the power of transformation."

Quill's eyes widened.

"So that agent turned into a chicken because he saw the talisman? No, it was my mom!"

"Your mother accidentally activated the talisman's power. The thought she had in her fear was directed at that agent through the talisman."

Quill stood there blankly, unable to speak for a long while.

Then he suddenly remembered something.

"You said before that you were human too, before becoming a dragon..."

Shendu did not deny it.

Quill took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. "So that pendant was what you wanted all along, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Shendu said calmly. "I do need the talismans, but given the circumstances at the time, taking it directly would have raised suspicion. Letting you hold onto it for the time being was the safest option."

"And then?" Quill asked. "When were you planning to take it?"

Shendu did not answer.

Quill looked at him, then suddenly laughed, with a hint of bitterness. "I can't believe I got played by a dragon."