"Regulations?"
The man with blue markings scoffed and raised a hand, pressing down on empty air.
Boom!
An invisible weight of compressed air slammed into the bulletproof vehicle's roof. The four-millimeter-thick military-grade armor plating instantly caved inward with a piercing metallic shriek.
The blast pinned the three agents and Coulson to the ground, blood seeping from the corners of their mouths.
"Mortals make rules. We carry the blood of ancient ancestors and are born to judge the order of things."
The blue-marked man took a step forward, fine cracks spreading through the concrete beneath his feet.
"Hand over the sacred relic and identify your hidden bases on the surface. Leader Jiaying may show mercy and grant you a quick death. Otherwise, I'll peel open your brains and extract the information I want with my own hands."
The oppressive pressure in the air reached its peak.
The three S.H.I.E.L.D. agents beside Coulson exchanged a glance. Without hesitation, they drew black military combat knives from their leg sheaths and held them in reverse grips before their chests.
"We'll die before we retreat," growled the agent with the wounded forehead.
Coulson drew a deep breath and flexed his stiff right wrist.
"Apparently, your leader never taught you proper negotiating etiquette." Coulson stared at the blue-marked man, his eyes showing no fear, only an agent's cold calculation. "But that's all right. My backup isn't usually very punctual, but once they arrive, things tend to get ugly."
A flicker of savagery flashed through the blue-marked man's eyes.
"Then take your sense of humor to hell."
He raised his right hand. The blue markings on his palm erupted with dazzling light, and a high-density, invisible air shock wave formed in midair before blasting straight toward Coulson's chest!
If it landed, that strike could tear the entire