S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Watchful Eye and a Chaotic Morning

"You're saying the pilot inside that armor was the playboy from the Stark family?"

Nick Fury sat behind a broad black desk, pointing at the tablet.

On the screen, a suit of armor resembling a demon was ravaging a village somewhere in the Middle East. Mechanical tentacles tore terrorists apart like living creatures, staining the entire street blood-red.

"Yes. We tracked the residual energy trail from the armor's flight. Its final destination was Tony Stark's Malibu Villa."

Phil Coulson stood before the desk with a smile on his face.

Fury lightly tapped his fingers against the desktop. "How did he make something like that? And was he really that violent?"

Coulson shook his head slightly. "To be honest, I don't know either."

He paused. "Following your orders, I tried to approach Tony's secretary, Virginia Pepper Potts, but she was extremely guarded. She almost refused to reveal anything about Tony's recent situation."

Fury sneered. "Miss Potts has always been good at protecting her boss."

Coulson nodded. "Yes, and she's especially wary of us. Every time I tried to probe indirectly, she cleverly changed the subject."

Fury rose to his feet and walked to the window, overlooking the full view of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. "According to our intelligence, although Tony Stark is a cynical playboy, he wouldn't commit such brutal acts."

He turned around, his single eye sharp as a blade. "Coulson, what do you think this means?"

Coulson pondered for a moment. "Two possibilities—either Tony is hiding something, or... he's being controlled."

A cold smile curled across Fury's lips. "Or both."

He pressed the communicator on his desk. "Natasha, come in."

A few seconds later, the office door slid open, and Natasha Romanoff walked in with elegant steps, her red hair glimmering beneath the lights.

"Sir." She greeted him briefly, her gaze sweeping over Coulson before returning to Fury.

Fury nodded at Natasha, then rapidly swiped across the tablet. Two photographs enlarged in the holographic projection at the center of the office—Ethan Hand on the left, Chen Tian on the right.

"Ethan Hand." Fury's voice was low as he pointed at the photograph on the left. "An MIT-trained doctor. Captured by the Ten Rings in Afghanistan. His family was destroyed. Clean as a blank sheet of paper." His finger shifted to the right. "But this man..."

Chen Tian's photo in the projection enlarged, its details crystal clear—he stood beside Tony Stark, smiling faintly, his handsome face making him look like a young man fresh out of college.

"Chen Tian." Fury heavily tapped the image. "No records whatsoever. No birth certificate, no entry or exit records, no social footprint. It's like he sprang out of a crack in a rock."

Natasha's red lips curled slightly. "So, you want me to 'get acquainted' with this mysterious gentleman?"

"Not just get acquainted." Fury's single eye gleamed dangerously. "I want to know who he really is, why he suddenly appeared at Tony Stark's side, and..."

He pulled up a blurry surveillance recording. In it, Chen Tian stood on the balcony of Tony's villa and slashed toward the sea. A blade aura flew over the water, blasting up waves several meters high.

"How could he possess such immense power?"

Coulson's trademark gentle smile suddenly froze on his face. His body unconsciously leaned forward, as though he wanted to see the projected image more clearly.

"Uh... Sir." He blinked. "Are we sure this footage wasn't edited with special effects? I mean, it looks like a deleted scene from Star Wars."

Natasha elegantly raised one eyebrow, but her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the dagger on the outside of her thigh—a nervous habit of hers. "It seems that next time I go on a date," she said leisurely, "I should remind myself not to make Mr. Chen angry."

Fury's single eye swept back and forth between the two. "What? S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agents are frightened by surveillance footage?"

"Frightened?" Coulson gave a dry laugh and pointed at the frozen image of the exploding waves.

"Sir, this isn't some talent show people put on while barbecuing in their backyard. It's more like..." He racked his brains for an appropriate comparison. "Like something created by crossbreeding a missile with a katana."

Natasha had already resumed her trademark languid posture, but her gaze remained sharp. "At least now we know why Tony's villa security system never reports anything—who needs alarms when you have a roommate who can fire shockwaves with his bare hands?"

"That's not the point." Fury tapped the desk, switching the image to a scene of Chen Tian adjusting equipment in the laboratory. "Not only can this man split waves with one slash, Stark also designed that toy which violates the Geneva Convention..."

He pointed at the earlier footage of the Devil Armor. "I estimate he had something to do with that as well."

Coulson suddenly thought of something, and his expression turned strange. "Wait, if Chen Tian is that dangerous, then Miss Pepper spends every day in the same room as him..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture. "Should we give Miss Potts the 'Bravest Employee of the Year' award?"

"Or the 'Unluckiest Employee of the Year' award," Natasha added, a playful curve appearing on her red lips. "Imagine it—you're making coffee in the kitchen, and suddenly you see your new coworker performing sword gestures at the microwave..."

Fury let out a heavy sigh. "Are you two done doing stand-up?"

He brought up Chen Tian's complete file—or, more accurately, an empty file page. "I want an action plan, not a comedy script."

"Simple." Natasha stood and straightened a nonexistent crease in her collar.

"Next week, acting CEO Obadiah will be holding a charity dinner. I'll attend and pretend to accidentally spill red wine on his suit."

She gave a sly wink. "If he reacts normally, we keep observing. If he plans to use blade aura to give me a new haircut... then we'll have our answer."

Coulson suddenly raised his hand. "I request remote support."

Seeing Fury's questioning look, he explained seriously, "After all, my insurance doesn't cover 'injuries caused by mysterious Eastern sword aura.'"

Tony Stark was jointly murdered by the explosions outside his window and the blinding sunlight.

More precisely, it wasn't murder—it was an "attempted murder."

Because Tony did not even have the strength to lift a finger, much less get up to close the curtains or flip off the sky.

"JARVIS..." His voice sounded like it had been sanded down with sandpaper. "Has the demonic power in my body been removed?"

"According to Miss Leah's previous removal ritual, Sir, the demonic power has been removed from your body."

JARVIS's voice was as elegant as ever. "However, your vital signs indicate that your body was overtaxed by the ritual. That is why you are currently unable to move."

Tony lay in bed, unable to move like a salted fish washed ashore.

He struggled to roll his eyes toward the window—great, Chen Tian was once again giving the Pacific Ocean a "free cosmetic procedure" with his blade aura.

The thunderous sound of exploding waves made his temples throb.

"JARVIS," Tony said weakly, "right now I feel like I spent an entire night with twelve cover girls, then got a full-body massage from Rambo and Terminator together."

"Based on your current condition, Sir, that metaphor is quite accurate."

JARVIS paused. "Would you like me to play the recording of Miss Leah's removal ritual?"

"No!" Tony's voice suddenly jumped an octave, and he immediately bared his teeth from pulling a muscle.

"That crazy woman almost sucked my soul out through my nostrils!" Recalling the agonizing pain when Leah had pressed her hand against his head with a wicked grin, cold sweat seeped across his forehead again.

"I'd rather be kidnapped by the Ten Rings again than experience that 'demonic power removal spa' a second time."

Another loud boom sounded outside, and Tony felt his bed shake with it.

"JARVIS," Tony groaned weakly, "tell me why Chen Tian suddenly got so violent. He usually cuts the ocean with elegant One Sword Style. Why did he switch to berserk hack-and-slash mode today?"

"According to my scans, Sir," JARVIS said with a subtle pause, "after waking this morning, Mr. Chen bathed and changed clothes, then meditated on the balcony for approximately ten minutes—before suddenly flying into a rage."

Tony struggled to turn his neck, trying to look outside. "Did he see something while meditating? Or did he find out I sent Happy the video of him nakedly reciting Marxism?"

"Perhaps Mr. Chen dreamed of something unpleasant, Sir." JARVIS brought up surveillance footage. On the balcony that morning, Chen Tian sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his expression calm.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, his pupils shrinking to the size of needlepoints, followed by...

"Boom!"

In the projection, Chen Tian sliced apart half the balcony railing with one slash.

Tony: "...Was he meditating, or did lightning strike him?"

"According to my analysis of Mr. Chen's muttering," JARVIS continued, "he seemed to sense some kind of 'energy fluctuation' during meditation, which made him extremely..."

"—Angry?" Tony cut in.

"Mr. Chen's Dragon Country language translates as: 'Fuck! Why is it empty again!'" JARVIS paused. "Incidentally, Sir, your yacht, the Stark Waves, moored at the dock..."

Tony suddenly had a bad feeling. "What happened to my yacht?"

The surveillance footage switched—a stray blade aura slashed diagonally across the sea, accurately cutting the eighty-million-dollar luxury yacht in half.

Tony: "..."

JARVIS: "...The insurance company may not compensate you."

Tony closed his eyes, took three deep breaths, then—

"JARVIS! Put me through to Chen Tian immediately!"

Three seconds later, Chen Tian's panting voice came through the speaker. "Yo, our Sleeping Beauty is awake."

Tony was speechless for a moment before gritting his teeth. "Do you know you just turned my yacht into a two-bedroom ocean-view apartment?!"

Silence hung on the other end for two seconds.

"Uh... I didn't do it on purpose. That boat moved in front of my blade aura by itself."

Tony: "..."

"Hehe... Insurance should cover it, right?" Chen Tian sounded a little guilty.

Tony's roar echoed through the room. "Insurance won't cover damage caused by being split in half by mysterious Eastern sword aura!"

From the communicator, Chen Tian gave several awkward dry laughs. "Well... how about I help you put it back together? My swordsmanship is very precise..."

"Put it back together?!" Tony's roar grew louder. "Do you think this is a Lego toy?!"

A stretch of silence followed. A guilty cough came from Chen Tian's end.

Tony took a deep breath, feeling his temples throb. He stared at the ceiling for several seconds before finally sighing. "Forget it... The design of that boat was due for an upgrade anyway..."

"Ha, I knew the great Tony Stark wouldn't care about something like this." Chen Tian's voice immediately brightened. "By the way, how are you feeling? Diablo's removal ritual..."

"Don't mention that damned demon!" Tony immediately interrupted him. "My whole body feels like it got worked over by a dozen big guys all night." He struggled to shift his body. "JARVIS, bring me coffee. Double sugar."

"Sir, given your current physical condition, I do not recommend—"

"Now! Immediately! This instant!"

Chen Tian's voice came through the communicator. "How about... I make you some tea? Dragon Country calming tea..."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "You're not planning to use your blade aura to brew tea for me, are you?"

"How could I!" Chen Tian said indignantly. "I promise I definitely won't use any abilities this time..."

Before he could finish, a sudden loud boom came from downstairs, and the entire villa shook.

Tony and JARVIS both fell silent for two seconds.

"Chen Tian..." Tony said through gritted teeth, "did you do something to my kitchen again?"

"Uh... that microwave... it attacked first!" Chen Tian stammered. "I swear, I just wanted to heat up a bun..."

Tony closed his eyes and silently counted to ten. "JARVIS, prepare a wheelchair. I want to see with my own eyes what my kitchen has become."

"Sir, considering your current physical condition—"

"Wheelchair! Now!"

When Tony was pushed by JARVIS-controlled smart wheelchair to the kitchen entrance, the sight before him plunged him into silence once again.

The microwave door had vanished without a trace, its inner chamber neatly sliced in half, while Chen Tian crouched on the floor, trying to tape the pieces back together.

"Look!" Chen Tian lifted his head with a dazzling smile. "My swordsmanship is precise, right? I only cut the microwave. I didn't even touch the coffee maker beside it!"

Tony stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly laughed. "You know what? I suddenly think I should go on Chef Dogdan's Hell's Kitchen and have you demonstrate your knife skills on his show."

"Really?" Chen Tian's eyes lit up.

"Yes." Tony nodded. "You can perform 'blade aura steak cutting' live. I guarantee every viewer will remember it for the rest of their lives."

Chen Tian scratched his head. "Are you complimenting me?"

Tony did not answer. He merely turned to JARVIS and said, "Make a note of this. Once I can move, the first thing I'm doing is finding Captain America's shield, melting it down, and replacing every kitchen appliance with material made from his shield."

"Sir, Vibranium's thermal conductivity—"

"I don't care!" Tony snapped angrily. "At least next time he loses his temper, my coffee maker might leave behind an intact corpse!"

Chen Tian muttered quietly beside him, "Actually, I could use blade aura to grind coffee beans for you..."

"Chen Tian!"

"I'll shut up!"