A Bunch of Problem Children

"Day after day, not a single one of them ever gave me any peace of mind..."

With Black Widow having returned to Tony's side, Hawkeye and Coulson having headed to New Mexico together because some perfectly ordinary hammer had fallen in Mexico yesterday, and Fury once again becoming impossible to track down—

As S.H.I.E.L.D.'s deputy director and acting director, Agent Hill, the mother of a bunch of problem children, immediately rushed over after hearing about the farce downstairs.

The moment she arrived, the packed corridor was cleared out at light speed.

That was the terrifying deterrent power of someone who held authority over promotions within S.H.I.E.L.D.

No one wanted to be tossed into the sands of Africa's Sahara Desert for watching a juicy spectacle, nor did anyone want to be sent to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Beijing Office to be targeted by colleagues day and night.

Once the spectators fled, only those involved in the matter remained.

Jack, Garrett, and Ward—the three men—stood where they were.

With veins bulging on her forehead, Hill stepped forward and coldly said to the three of them, "Have you had enough? One man in his fifties and another in his twenties fighting over a woman in her thirties?"

"And during work hours, at the workplace, no less!"

"Do you two take S.H.I.E.L.D. for the Sexy Beauty Cafe next door?"

Jack said, "I didn't expect you to go to that place too, Deputy Director Hill..."

Hill said, "Shut up!"

After Jack shut his mouth, Hill strode straight up to Garrett and pointed at his nose as she berated him. "You're an old agent who's served S.H.I.E.L.D. for years. Don't you know what your private life is like?"

"A young kid who's only been with the agency for three years slanders you, and you can't even handle that?!"

After being scolded by Hill, Garrett lowered his head somewhat shamefully. The whole thing had happened too suddenly. He had only just taught Jack a small lesson when that blockhead ran into his office and started causing trouble.

Even an old hand like Garrett had been caught off guard by such an unconventional move.

Then Jack's completely illogical words had angered him so much that he laughed.

Only after calming down did Garrett realize that he had been led around by the nose from the very beginning.

Garrett knew very well whether he had slept with Jenny, but whether Pierce believed it was another matter altogether.

After all, Hydra had never had an incident involving someone sleeping with a superior's daughter.

That was why Garrett had realized, in his panic, that he had lost his composure.

Although he had lost this round and Hill had arrived to clean up the mess, leaving him unable to win one back right now, Garrett had not gained nothing.

He was completely awake now!

Sitwell had never been his competitor!

Jack was!

This ambitious junior had probably never even regarded Sitwell as worthy of notice. From the very beginning, his target had been Garrett!

That was why Jack had stolen his adopted son's girlfriend and slandered him in public.

He was tearing off all pretenses and openly fighting him!

Heh, so you want a fight?

Jack, Jack. How long have you been in Hydra? You know nothing about Hydra's inner workings, and you think you're qualified to play this game with me?

Garrett had already made up his mind. In the days ahead, he would put a rope around Jack's neck and slowly strangle him to death!

Seeing that Garrett had calmed down, Hill knew the matter was temporarily over. It was time to take this troublemaker away.

After saying a word to Garrett, Hill grabbed Jack by his suit and dragged him out into the corridor. Eventually, the two arrived in front of the elevator.

While waiting for it, Jack said, "Do you think today was nothing more than a farce?"

Hill had already heard the full story on her way over. She said nothing and merely nodded coldly. Her style was unlike Fury's—whether she liked something or disliked it, she made it very clear.

Of course, anyone who thought they could see Hill's deepest thoughts from her expressions would suffer a disastrous miscalculation.

That was her special strategy.

Sometimes it was real, and sometimes it was fake. That way, others could never tell which was which.

She was ten thousand times harder to read than Fury's poker face.

After they entered the elevator, Jack paid no attention whatsoever to Hill's cold attitude while they had been waiting. He continued, "Actually, it wasn't a farce at all. Garrett has collected information on many female S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on a secret hard drive. I was deliberately extorting him."

S.H.I.E.L.D. and female agents—those two sensitive terms finally drew some reaction from Hill.

To be honest, Jack's sudden public falling-out with Garrett, especially when both of them were mid-level S.H.I.E.L.D. officials, was extremely detrimental to unity within S.H.I.E.L.D.

As for Jack liking mature women, or Garrett liking girls ten or even several decades younger than himself, Hill truly did not care much.

This was an intelligence agency that protected the world, not some association for healthy romantic development and emotional security.

S.H.I.E.L.D. did not care how complicated its agents' love lives were.

As long as they did not interfere with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s missions.

But... Garrett was collecting information on female S.H.I.E.L.D. agents?

What was he trying to do?

Could he be some kind of pervert?

Seeing that Hill had begun to take interest in his bait, Jack immediately stopped while he was ahead. His gaze settled on the elevator doors as he said, "Today, I publicly got into a public fight with Agent Garrett, which damaged S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal unity. I am guilty, so I am willing to accept any punishment from you."

"And I will have no complaints about whatever punishment follows, because I know I deserve it."

"However, before the punishment begins, I hope Deputy Director Hill will not investigate this matter thoroughly. I'm afraid it may ultimately cause immeasurable consequences."

Hill glanced sideways at the righteous-looking Jack. His words carried such an obvious implication—an implication that he wanted her to investigate Garrett. Why would Hill take that bait?

Hill would wager that if she investigated Garrett, she would definitely find that so-called secret hard drive, and it would definitely be filled with sexy photos of female agents.

But... they were all agents. Wasn't this little trick of his rather laughable?

Did they really think they were not under constant surveillance?

Would senior agents not know whether Garrett had slept with Jenny Pierce?

After this complete and utter farce today, did Jack Wilson really think the achievements he had earned meant she could go easy on him?

In all these years, I've never seen such an idiot with absolutely no political sense.

Office politics truly didn't suit him.

I need to find an excuse to have Hawkeye transfer Jack back to the field agent teams.

Some people were only suited to bleeding and sweating out in the field.