Countdown and Coulson's Business Card

The late-autumn rain carried a chill, drizzling steadily for an entire week. Lin Mo crouched by the repair shop workbench, replacing the heads on an old VCR. The Basic Phasing Ability at his fingertips could now precisely avoid the wiring, and he worked twice as fast as he had three months ago.

The bracelet on his wrist suddenly vibrated lightly. Pale blue numbers flickered in his vision like a drop falling onto a still lake: [Countdown: 100 Days 0 Hours].

Lin Mo paused, his heart seeming to take a blow. One hundred days. It had been exactly 265 days since he arrived in the Marvel Universe. During those 265 days, he had gone from a homeless man sleeping on park benches to a valued apprentice at a repair shop; from an ordinary man who could not even outrun a mugger to a "Mutant-in-training" capable of phasing through two-meter-thick concrete walls; from someone terrified of the future to a "night watchman" who could calmly face the countdown.

"What are you spacing out for?" Carlos set a cup of hot coffee beside him, smoke rings slipping from his nostrils. "That VCR has to be fixed today. The customer's picking it up this afternoon."

"Got it, Carlos." Lin Mo smiled and took a sip. The warmth slid down his throat, driving away the late-autumn chill and the strange tension in his heart.

Over the past three months, his life had become unusually routine. He got up at seven in the morning and trained in the basement using makeshift equipment. He had no physical superpowers, but his body was in far better shape than before. At eight, he went to work at the repair shop, fixing computers, installing operating systems, and occasionally helping Carlos deal with parts that "couldn't see the light of day," such as wiring stripped from scrapped armored vehicles. He got off work at six in the evening, then either went to Aunt May's house for dinner—Peter's plant growth serum could already make seeds sprout within two hours, nearly making Aunt May throw the test tube away in fright—or returned to the basement to study the bracelet and improve his "armory." He now had an enhanced Phasing Ability that could pass through five-meter-thick steel plates, leg boosters as fast as a motorcycle, and a simple Shield made from discarded bulletproof glass.

Martha's cat Snowball had long since gotten its third-generation bell. Lin Mo had made it from Titanium Alloy scraps, making it lighter and crisper-sounding. The fat cat now rubbed against Lin Mo's legs whenever it saw him, infuriating Martha enough to call it an "ungrateful little traitor."

Ted had found stable work as a warehouse manager at a logistics company. He occasionally came to Lin Mo's basement for drinks and complained that "the boss is even stingier than Tony Stark."

Everything was moving in a better direction, except for the countdown that kept drawing closer.

Lin Mo put down his coffee. As his fingertips brushed across the VCR casing, the bracelet suddenly displayed a new notification: [Unknown energy fluctuation detected. Distance: 50 meters.]

His heart tightened, and he looked toward the repair shop entrance. Through the curtain of rain, a man in a black suit stood beneath the awning, holding a black umbrella with its brim lowered too far to reveal his face. But his posture was as straight as a spear, utterly unlike the homeless people and street punks commonly seen in Queens.

"A customer." Carlos clicked his tongue and crushed his cigarette butt into a grease-stained ashtray. "Looks like he has money."

The man pushed open the door. The wind chime rang brightly, blending with the rain outside in a strangely harmonious way. He closed his umbrella and shook off the droplets, revealing a gentle face. He was around forty, with a slightly receding hairline, rimless glasses perched on his nose, and eyes as mild as warm water. There was nothing aggressive about him, yet he was impossible to take lightly.

"Good afternoon." The man spoke evenly, neither too fast nor too slow, every word as clear as if printed on paper. "Can you recover data here?"

Lin Mo's heart jolted, and the screwdriver nearly fell from his hand.

Phil Coulson.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ace agent, the embodiment of a "nice guy," and one of the most dangerous people in the Marvel Universe when it came to extracting information with a smile. Why had he come here? Was it a coincidence, or was he... here for Lin Mo?

"Y-yes." Lin Mo tried to keep his voice steady, but his fingers instinctively tightened around the screwdriver until his knuckles turned white. He could feel that Coulson's gaze, though gentle, was like a scanner. It moved from Lin Mo's repair-shop uniform to the partially exposed leg booster beneath the workbench, then finally settled on his wrist. Fortunately, the bracelet was usually invisible.

Carlos held a cigarette between his lips and narrowed his eyes at Coulson. "What broke? A hard drive? A flash drive?"

Coulson took a black hard drive from his briefcase. A S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem was engraved on its metal casing. It was subtle, but Lin Mo had seen similar classified equipment in Huaqiangbei. "It's an encrypted hard drive. It got dropped by accident, and now it can't be read." He placed it on the workbench with a soft click. "There's important information inside. Money isn't an issue."

The moment Lin Mo's fingertips touched the hard drive, the bracelet began vibrating wildly. Pale blue warnings flooded his vision.

[Warning! S.H.I.E.L.D. Level-One encrypted device detected!]

[Device contains high-risk information. Threat Level: 7. Contact may trigger a tracking program!]

[Associated hero: Phil Coulson (S.H.I.E.L.D.).]

[Recommendation: Refuse repairs and leave immediately!]

Cold sweat instantly soaked Lin Mo's back. High-risk information? Level 7? That meant the hard drive's contents were likely related to alien technology, Mutants, or Hydra. He was just a nobody trying to survive peacefully until the next check-in. He had no desire to get dragged into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mess.

"I... I can't fix this." Lin Mo pulled his hand back and pretended to fiddle with parts beside him. "We only handle civilian equipment. We don't understand encrypted stuff."

Carlos froze, clearly not expecting him to turn down business delivered right to their door. "You little—"

"It's all right." Coulson interrupted Carlos. The smile on his face remained unchanged, but his eyes deepened slightly. "I heard you're very good at handling 'special situations.' For example... phasing through things that 'shouldn't be phased through'?"

Lin Mo's heart nearly leaped out of his throat. He knew! He definitely knew! Had a security camera caught him when he saved Snowball last time? Had Peter accidentally let something slip? Or had S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites been watching this apartment building all along?

He forced himself to stay calm, picked up the hard drive, and pretended to inspect it. Meanwhile, he quietly activated his Basic Phasing Ability, passing through the casing and swiftly scanning the internal structure. The read head really was damaged, but a tiny red light blinked on one of the chips. It was a tracker!

"It really can't be fixed." Lin Mo pushed the hard drive back, his palms drenched in sweat. "The encryption is too complex. We don't have the equipment."

Coulson looked at him and remained silent for three seconds. Those three seconds felt like three centuries. The only sounds in the repair shop were raindrops tapping against the window and Carlos smoking.

"All right." Coulson suddenly smiled, put the hard drive away, and returned it to his briefcase. "Then I'll try somewhere else." He turned to leave, but stopped at the door and looked back at Lin Mo. "Oh, right. My name is Phil Coulson."

Lin Mo's breathing stopped instantly. He had actually introduced himself! What did that mean? Was it a warning, or... a test?

"Lin Mo." He heard his own voice trembling like a fallen leaf in an autumn wind.

Coulson nodded, took out a business card, and placed it on the corner of the workbench. The card was black, with only a name and phone number on it. No company, no position—simple as a code. "If you run into trouble in Queens, call me." He paused before adding, "For example... if you encounter muggers, or more 'special' kinds of trouble."

With that, he pushed open the door and stepped into the rain. His black umbrella quickly vanished around the corner.

Lin Mo stared at the business card, sweat forming on his fingertips. He did not even hear Carlos calling him an idiot for letting such a big customer walk away.

Coulson knew about his ability. There was no doubt about that.

But he had not arrested him, interrogated him, or even threatened him. He had only left behind a business card and said, "Call me if you run into trouble." What did that mean? Did he see Lin Mo as a potential "asset"? Or was he warning him, Don't cause trouble. We're watching you?

"Hey! What are you staring into space for?" Carlos bumped him with an elbow. "That guy looked like trouble. Maybe he's with the mob. Good thing you didn't take the job."

Lin Mo finally came back to himself. He picked up the black business card, and his fingertips were so hot they nearly seemed capable of burning it. "Carlos, do you know him?"

"No." Carlos blew out a smoke ring. "But he looked like a government guy. Back when the factory got investigated, a few men in suits came by. Their eyes were just like his—smiling with knives hidden behind them."

Lin Mo said nothing. He slipped the business card into the inner pocket of his work uniform, close against his chest. His heart pounded like a drum, making even the card seem faintly warm.

That afternoon, when the customer came to collect the VCR, Lin Mo was still distracted and nearly installed the read head backward. Carlos scolded him a couple of times but did not ask further questions. In this repair shop, everyone had secrets. Carlos always took mysterious phone calls late at night, for example, and the fisherman who often came to repair satellite phones was actually an arms smuggler.

When work ended, the rain had stopped. The setting sun dyed the streets of Queens gold and red. As Lin Mo walked home, he constantly felt as though someone was watching him from behind. Yet whenever he turned around, he saw only children returning from school and elderly people walking their dogs.

As he passed the community park, he saw Peter lying over a bench doing homework. A huge bug-catching net lay beside him. The boy had recently become fascinated with studying spiders, claiming he wanted to find "the species with the most potential."

"Lin!" Peter looked up, his glasses slipping to the tip of his nose. "Look at this new spider I found. It can spin sticky silk!" He raised a glass jar. Inside was a furry spider with black rings around its legs.

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat. This spider... looked almost exactly like the one that had bitten Peter!

"Be careful. Don't let it bite you." Lin Mo's voice tightened slightly as he crouched down to look at the jar. "Some spiders are venomous."

"I know!" Peter proudly shook the protective gear around his wrist. "I took precautions. Oh, and don't forget about the science fair this weekend."

"I won't." Lin Mo smiled, but his heart felt heavy. He knew it was only a matter of time before Peter got bitten by a spider. When that happened, what should he do? Warn him? Or pretend he knew nothing?

Back in the basement, Lin Mo threw himself onto the air mattress—though it had been replaced with a real mattress long ago, costing him half a month's wages—and stared blankly at the mold stains on the ceiling. Coulson's business card sat on his desk. Under the desk lamp, the black card reflected a cold gleam like a silent tombstone.

He picked up the card, his fingertips brushing over the phone number. Suddenly, he remembered Coulson's final words: "If you encounter muggers, or more 'special' kinds of trouble."

Special trouble... Did that mean Mutants? Hydra? Or the coming Battle of New York?

The bracelet suddenly lit up: [Host's emotional fluctuations are severe. Mental state decreased: 65/100.]

[Recommendation: Remain calm and avoid exposing your ability. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s monitoring level for unknown Mutants is "Orange." Abnormalities will result in compulsory measures.]

Lin Mo took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He could not panic, at least not now. Since Coulson had not acted directly, S.H.I.E.L.D. did not intend to move against him for the moment. That business card was more like a "test," or perhaps... a signal of recruitment.

He opened his computer and searched for Coulson's name. There was very little information online, only scattered reports about a "Stark Industries security consultant." There was not even a clear photo of him. Lin Mo closed the browser, even more certain now. Coulson was definitely a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and not a low-ranking one.

He dragged a box out from beneath his bed. It held the "results" of the past few months: upgraded leg boosters that could now reach fifty kilometers per hour, a bulletproof-glass Shield capable of blocking handgun bullets, and a listening-device detector modified from discarded headphones using techniques learned from Carlos.

"Even if they're watching me, I can protect myself." Lin Mo muttered, determination appearing in his eyes. He picked up the Shield, used his Basic Phasing Ability to make a hole along its edge, threaded on a strap, and tried it on. It fit perfectly.

Just then, Ted shouted from next door, "Lin Mo! Come watch the news! They found a weird meteor crater east of Queens, and there are green stones inside!"

Lin Mo's heart sank. He rushed into Ted's basement. The news footage on Ted's television showed a massive crater surrounded by caution tape. Several people in protective suits were collecting samples inside, while a green glow could vaguely be seen from the bottom of the crater. The news anchor spoke excitedly: "Experts say this may be a meteorite from outer space containing unknown elements..."

Lin Mo's heart began racing. Green stones? A meteor crater? Wasn't that a fragment of the Tesseract? Or perhaps... a Kree Energy Core?

"That stone looks pretty valuable." Ted smacked his lips. "If I could pick one up, maybe I'd make a fortune."

"Don't even think about it," Lin Mo said, his voice trembling slightly. "That thing might be radioactive." He remembered Coulson's business card and suddenly understood. Coulson had not come to the repair shop to fix a hard drive at all. He had come because of that meteor crater! He had been testing Lin Mo to see whether he reacted to "special incidents"!

Back in his own basement, Lin Mo shoved Coulson's business card into the deepest part of a drawer and placed a copy of Mechanical Principles on top of it. He knew that from this day onward, his life would never return to its old calm. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eyes were already on him. The crater foreshadowed an even greater crisis approaching, and the check-in one hundred days from now hung above his head like the sword of Damocles. He had no idea whether it would bring a surprise or a fright.

He went to the workbench and began assembling new equipment. This time, it was a detector capable of sensing energy fluctuations, made with military components he had "borrowed" from Carlos. He needed to be prepared. Whether it was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s testing or the secret behind the meteor crater, he would face it.

The moon rose outside, illuminating the streets of Queens. Lin Mo touched the bracelet on his wrist. The countdown remained clear: 99 Days 23 Hours.

He knew the next one hundred days would be more difficult and dangerous than the past 265. But he was no longer the homeless man who could only hide in a basement and tremble. He had friends—Peter, Aunt May, Martha, and even the somewhat harsh Carlos. He had abilities—the enhanced Basic Phasing. He had equipment—the boosters, Shield, and detector. And he also had... the courage to face danger.

"Bring it on." Lin Mo spoke softly to the bracelet. There was no fear in his eyes, only calm determination. "Whether it's S.H.I.E.L.D., the meteor crater, or the superpower waiting one hundred days from now, I'll take it."

The bracelet warmed slightly, as though responding to his resolve.

Early the next morning, on his way to the repair shop, Lin Mo saw several people in black suits lingering near the apartment building. One of them looked very much like one of the workers he had seen in yesterday's news report collecting samples from the meteor crater.

Lin Mo lowered his head, pretended to look at his phone, and hurried into the repair shop. He knew the game had begun. And he had to win.

Carlos handed him a cup of coffee as smoke rings swirled above his head. "We've got a batch of 'special parts' to deal with today. I'll pay you extra later."

Lin Mo accepted the coffee, the familiar warmth spreading into his fingertips. "All right." He smiled, but he knew these "special parts" likely came from that meteor crater.

The repair shop's wind chime rang again. A man in a suit stood at the entrance. He was not Coulson, but he had the same gentle eyes and straight-backed posture.

Lin Mo's heart jumped. He tightened his grip on the screwdriver in his hand.

A new day had begun.