You Can Call Me Shendu

After settling Glenn's matter, Shendu went to the lab where Tony was currently working. He swiped his card and entered.

"Hmm? You want to donate blood again so soon?" Tony teased when he saw Shendu come in.

Shendu sat down in a chair nearby without taking the bait. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has started suspecting Stark Industries. More precisely, Natasha is suspicious."

Thinking of Natasha's unusual behavior and what Glenn had said, Shendu added, "She may come looking for you soon. I came to make sure we get our stories straight."

Tony glanced at the test tube beside him. The testing was still underway, and it looked like it would take some time before the next-stage results came out.

"No need. I already figured out what to say when I tampered with Stark Group's equipment inside S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tony said indifferently.

"By the way, how many darts have you gotten? That's what I care about."

Hearing that Tony could handle S.H.I.E.L.D.'s trouble, Shendu did not linger. "Don't worry. Someone will deliver the darts to you, but it won't be me."

Before leaving, he gave another glance toward the other corner of the lab. Ten boxes were placed there, and one of them contained darts from the Shadow Legion.

After leaving Stark Industries, Shendu ran into Natasha.

"Hello, Mr. Valmont. What a coincidence, meeting you again here. Are you here to see Mr. Stark too?" Natasha wore an expression as though she had never expected to encounter him here.

Shendu knew perfectly well that there was no such thing as a coincidence. She had likely been waiting here for him, until he came out of Stark Group.

"It certainly is a coincidence. Is Agent Natasha here to see Mr. Stark as well?" Shendu put on a similarly surprised look.

Natasha did not beat around the bush. "More accurately, I'm here to see you, Mr. Valmont. Your current identity is sensitive. Someone may try to make a move against you."

Shendu pretended to be puzzled. Natasha had no desire to explain further. "Don't worry. I won't interfere with your normal life."

Shendu did not refuse. He had been thinking of an excuse to get close to Natasha, and now that she had come to him herself, there was no reason for him to turn her down.

What was more, from the moment Natasha appeared, Shendu had sensed the aura of the Snake Talisman. Natasha was carrying the Snake Talisman on her now.

Nothing happened along the way, and the two did not speak. The only incident was a person bundled up from head to toe bumping into Shendu.

At a corner, "Natasha" appeared before them. "What a coincidence, Mr. Valmont. We meet again."

Shendu looked at the newly appeared "Natasha," then at the Natasha behind him, pretending to be completely baffled. "What is going on? Two Agent Natashas?"

Natasha noticed the new "herself" as well and immediately entered a combat stance. She pulled a pistol from who knew where and pointed it straight at "Natasha's" forehead.

"Don't move! Hands up!" Natasha's tone was icy. "Who sent you?"

The other "Natasha" glared back at her with equal hostility. "Mr. Valmont, what is going on?"

Natasha did not waste any more words. She pulled the trigger, and the bullet grazed past the other woman's face. "I'll ask one more time. Who sent you?"

Seeing that the situation had turned bad, "Natasha" turned and ran.

Natasha did not hesitate and gave chase.

Shendu followed behind Natasha, watching her sprint after the fleeing woman. He felt that there was something wrong with her intelligence. She could not even see through such an obvious trap. It seemed the Snake Talisman had given her tremendous courage.

Shendu directed the "Natasha" ahead to slow down. Otherwise, with the speed of a Shadow Legion ninja, Natasha would never have been able to catch her.

The two followed "Natasha" to a factory that had yet to be renovated. The factory was sealed tight, with sunlight entering only through the opening of the main entrance.

Natasha noticed the large number of mannequins inside the factory. "Cheap trick."

"Don't run so fast." Shendu followed close behind as he entered the factory. "Be careful. It could be a trap."

The moment Shendu finished speaking, the door behind them slammed shut without warning. The thunderous sound echoed through the factory.

"You don't think this is enough to keep yourself safe, do you?"

Natasha's voice was cold as she pulled a high-powered flashlight from the pouch strapped to her thigh. Its intense beam nearly illuminated the entire factory.

When Natasha saw the scene before her clearly, she froze. The mannequins had all disappeared, replaced by a vast number of "Natashas."

The "Natashas" had vacant eyes and stared fixedly at Natasha. Their limbs slowly rose with stiff motions, while the sound of countless bones grinding echoed through the factory.

Gunshots rang out one after another, but the bullets only left holes in the "Natashas." They could not inflict any real damage.

She spotted the "Natasha" from before among the army of "Natashas," moving with an agility that was utterly inhuman.

"Was this your doing?"

For a moment, Natasha had no solution. She had already identified the person controlling all this, but she could not get close.

Now, she had to get out of here.

She retreated to the factory entrance, only to find that the door would not open no matter what she did. Even her bullets could not leave so much as a mark on it.

Natasha looked at Shendu, who was cowering in a corner. "Damn it. I knew you were afraid of dying, but I didn't know you were this afraid. Do I have to use that stone?"

She reached into a hidden pocket and gripped a stone inside her hand. Her figure vanished instantly.

Shendu could feel the pull of the Snake Talisman. Natasha had finally used it.

The invisible Natasha moved soundlessly through the army of "Natashas." Already possessed of the qualities of a top agent, she was now even more formidable with the Snake Talisman's aid.

She closed in on "Natasha," driving the folding knife in her hand precisely into "Natasha's" neck.

Blood sprayed from "Natasha's" neck, and she finally collapsed limply to the ground.

Natasha let out a breath of relief. Though she had failed to capture her alive, at least the immediate crisis had been resolved.

She looked around, and her body stiffened. Those "Natashas" had not been paralyzed as she had imagined. They continued moving around without being affected in the slightest.

"How can this be?!" Natasha stared at the scene in disbelief.

But shock was shock. As a top agent, she quickly calmed down and carefully observed the current situation.

Suddenly, Natasha seemed to sense something. The stone in her hand gave off an inexplicable force, as though it were pulling her.

Natasha carefully felt the force and followed its direction with her gaze. Then she froze—it was pointing toward Valmont!

Only then did she realize that Valmont had some inexplicable connection to this magical stone.

"This has something to do with you. You did all of this? You're the real mastermind? From the mole appearing in S.H.I.E.L.D. to what's happening now?" Natasha voiced her conclusion in disbelief.

Hearing Natasha's voice, Shendu rose to his feet. "Hmm? You noticed? But it's too late."

Natasha looked at Valmont as he was now. His bearing was completely different from before.

An aura seemed to emerge from within him out of nowhere. It was the pressure of a king, filled with the disdain of one above toward those beneath him.

Shendu's voice was not loud, yet Natasha could hear every word clearly. "Since you've discovered it, I won't pretend anymore."

Shendu paused. His tone shifted from disdain to contempt, yet it carried such overwhelming pressure that it thundered in Natasha's ears. "Let me introduce myself again. You can call me Shendu!"