The Trio

However, Daisy always felt that the goals set when S.H.I.E.L.D. was first established had been too grand, too idealistic. Perhaps a very small number of people with high moral character could persevere, but most agents were ordinary people.

They risked their lives and shed their blood, returning home covered in wounds. No one knew what they had gone through or how much they had contributed to protecting humanity. Perhaps all they could do was live out the rest of their lives on a pension.

They gave too much and received too little in return. A great number of lower-ranking agents were dissatisfied with the existing structure and wanted change. That was exactly why Hydra had been able to hollow out S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents lacked avenues for advancement. If S.H.I.E.L.D. could not provide them, then why not try joining Hydra?

Daisy felt that many people thought exactly that way.

She was insignificant and had no say in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s future. Perhaps the higher-ups knew, perhaps they did not care, but for various reasons, they had ignored the demands of lower-ranking agents. That was indisputable.

Coulson spent an entire day lecturing on history, then took everyone on a tour of the Captain America Memorial Museum, vividly recounting the events of the past.

Daisy really could not get into it. If Coulson ever learned that Captain America had become a Hydra general in some other timeline, he would probably go crazy!

To people of this era, Captain America was a symbol. But to her, he was simply a person. Maybe they would even sit down and have a meal together someday.

She had no interest in Captain America whatsoever, but Sharon, the blonde beauty beside her, listened with rapt attention. After class, she chased Coulson down with countless questions about Captain America's history. Seeing two rabid fans together left Daisy speechless.

On the fourth day, Black Widow Natasha Romanoff came to teach them combat techniques, as well as infiltration and intelligence-gathering.

On the fifth day, Melinda May came to teach grappling, hand-to-hand combat, and vehicle operation.

On the sixth day, Hawkeye Barton came to teach everyone how to properly use ranged weapons—bows, flying daggers, darts—and how to maximize their senses.

On the seventh day, Daisy's old acquaintance, Baldy Jasper Sitwell, who had now received a promotion and a raise, came to the academy. He taught the trainees how to properly assign combat missions and properly handle the relationship between agents, the government, and the public.

The elite agents' instruction was practical and concise, making it especially suitable for someone self-taught like Daisy.

Although she had no idea what had gotten into Nick Fury, had the outside world really become so peaceful? Did none of the elite agents have assignments?

Daisy still set aside those massive quantum physics tomes for the time being and focused all her attention on the elite agents' lessons.

She had originally kept a low profile and ranked near the bottom academically, but in practical combat training, she instantly stood out from the crowd.

Hawkeye was the first to notice. Daisy had not mastered his extraordinary archery, or rather, no one in modern society learned that stuff. Firearms were far more powerful than bows. However, she was quite good with flying daggers and darts. Cold weapons were still useful in special situations: they were discreet, easy to carry, and could be thrown from a distance without splattering her with blood.

Ranged attacks depended more on personal attributes. The other trainees were far behind her, and even Hill and Sharon were no match for her.

When tennis balls were tossed into the air, Hawkeye could hit them every time. Daisy could land nine out of ten flying daggers on target. It was all thanks to her superhuman neural reflexes.

She also picked up Melinda's close-combat techniques quite well. Xingyi, Wing Chun—she did not care about sectarian distinctions and learned a little of everything. Aunt May acted as if she did not know her, wearing a long face every day as though everyone owed her ten thousand dollars.

Yet every class, she dragged Daisy up as a target to demonstrate grappling and fighting techniques.

Their sparring became the main feature of the class. According to Melinda, Daisy's talent for fighting was not top-tier, but she was somewhat better than the average person.

In shooting, driving, hacking, and everything else, her results far surpassed those of the other trainees.

Only then did Hill begin taking this Asian girl seriously. Having spent so much time by Nick Fury's side, she also knew Sharon. Gradually, Daisy's fake bestie duo became a trio.

"Hey, I can't fight you anymore..." Sharon, the blonde beauty, took an elbow to the lower abdomen from Daisy. She rubbed her stomach for a long time before finally getting back to her feet.

She felt Daisy's arm. "You don't even look like you have much muscle. How are you so strong?"

Of course, Daisy would not tell her that she had undergone physical enhancement and was different from ordinary people like them.

The two had been growing closer. Sharon's strength was that she had dabbled in everything and could do a bit of anything, but she was not particularly skilled at any one thing.

Daisy, on the other hand, was formidable in actual combat but terrible at theoretical knowledge.

Hill occasionally joined their conversations as well. The three pushed one another forward and all felt that they had improved greatly.

It could be said that Daisy liked most of the elite agents' courses, with only one exception.

That was Black Widow's class on infiltration and intelligence gathering. She was extremely resistant to dressing herself up flamboyantly, wearing a high-slit dress, and flirting with a bunch of men.

If she had to do it, she would definitely just knock the target down and torture him for information. Refuse to talk? Cut off a finger first! If that still did not work, confiscate the tool of the crime. Few men would dare keep silent after that.

Two others also disliked the course and could not bring themselves to loosen up.

They were both her good friends. One was her fake bestie, Sharon Carter, and the other was Maria Hill.

Born into a distinguished family, Sharon had always aspired to become a strong woman like Peggy Carter. But she had not yet reached the point of sacrificing her looks for her dream.

Maria Hill had been a perfectly good reserve aide before being thrown here to train, and she was utterly confused too. She was usually rather aloof already. Asking her to flirt with men? What a joke!

To have them simulate the process of striking up a conversation, Black Widow divided the male and female trainees into pairs, having one man and one woman seduce and resist each other's seduction.

What followed was a scene that gave her a headache.

Sharon's side was relatively normal. She exchanged a few words with the male trainee. Other than standing a little too far away, there were no major problems.

Daisy shifted slightly into a bow stance, and a dagger appeared between her palms. No matter how one looked at it, she seemed ready to stab the other person to death.

Hill simply looked calmly at the male trainee, and he retreated in defeat.

Black Widow stared at the three female trainees, each with her own distinctive style, and was left speechless. She wanted to throw them out, but she knew she could not do that.

She could only smile bitterly. "Ladies, you're making it impossible for me to continue teaching."

Daisy felt she needed to make her position clear. "I can deal with enemies." The implication was that she did not need to sell her charms.

"So can I," Hill immediately added.

Sharon smiled without saying anything, but everyone could see what she meant.

Black Widow had no choice but to let them be.

Although they rejected seduction, much of Black Widow's knowledge about infiltration and reconnaissance was still worth learning. None of the three left.

Black Widow knew her assignment. Since these three young ladies all disliked obtaining intelligence through feminine charm, she could only change her teaching approach.

All in all, the atmosphere in class remained fairly harmonious.