Oh, No! The Paranoid and Controlling Bald Egg Is Targeting Me!

Richard stared at Phil Coulson with deliberate wariness.

"Who are you?"

Phil Coulson smiled gently: "Hello, Mr. Richard."

"I'm an agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, and my name is Phil Coulson."

With that, he extended his right hand.

Richard raised an eyebrow, reached out to shake it, and then complained.

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division? Most people can't remember a name that long."

Phil Coulson smiled like a chill capybara: "Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D."

Richard tilted his head toward the room and stepped aside to clear the doorway: "Come on in, Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Asking Phil Coulson to sit on the sofa, Richard brought over a cup of warm water and placed it on the coffee table in front of him.

"Have some water."

Phil Coulson lifted his hips slightly and expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Mr. Richard."

Richard sat on the sofa, crossing his legs.

"So what brings Agent Coulson to my place?"

Phil Coulson turned sideways to face Richard and said with a sincere expression: "I've been ordered to invite you to join S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Join S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Richard narrowed his eyes slightly, a flash of cold light darting across the depths of them.

Why would Phil Coulson come?

Could my identity as a mage have been exposed?!

Yet, when was I targeted by S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Thinking of Nick Fury's terrible, paranoid, and intensely controlling personality.

Given the baldy's style, this invitation was likely a trap!

Seeing Richard close his eyes, Phil Coulson assumed he was considering it.

Without thinking much, he picked up the water cup on the coffee table and took a gentle sip.

Richard's mind raced.

The only option now...

Was to strike first!

Making up his mind, Richard tensed his muscles and prepared to pounce.

Ring-ring~

The phone on the coffee table suddenly rang.

Richard was slightly startled, the strength he had just gathered slowly dissipating.

He nodded apologetically to Phil Coulson: "Sorry, let me take this call first."

Phil Coulson waved a hand: "No problem, please go ahead."

Glancing at the caller ID, Richard's gaze shifted.

It was Professor Jennings?

Answering the call, Professor Jennings' booming voice immediately came through.

"Hey, little Richard, have the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents reached you yet?"

Richard was taken aback when he heard this: "How did you know?!"

"Hahahaha~" The hearty laugh of the old professor sounded like an old urchin on the other end of the phone: "Because I recommended you to them."

"What?" Richard was greatly astonished: "When did you get in touch with this S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff?!"

"Just a guest professorship at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Science Academy, what's there to show off about." The old professor on the other end was quite smug.

"Yes, yes, yes, you are an esteemed master of surgery." Richard offered a piece of flattery, then asked doubtfully, "Professor, why would you recommend me to join this S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"This Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division sounds like some kind of spy agency. What would I even do there?"

"Go online with a scalpel and kill enemies?"

Hearing this, Phil Coulson on the side wore a wry expression.

The old professor on the other end of the phone was also amused by his comment: "Hahahaha, you brat are still as humorous as ever."

"Don't worry, S.H.I.E.L.D. is a multinational organization serving the United Nations Security Council, not some regime's running-dog thugs like the CIA."

Hearing the old professor's words, Richard couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

"Professor, that mouth of yours really dares to say anything!"

"Aren't you afraid that one day, the CIA will send people to capture you."

"Hmph, I dare them to try!" Professor Jennings said dismissively.

"Alright, the reason I'm calling you this time is to tell you not to be scared when the S.H.I.E.L.D. people find you."

"If you want to join, join; if you don't want to, don't."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current director is not bad, he won't make things difficult for you."

Richard was somewhat touched; the old professor was as protective of his own as ever.

It was just that he was somewhat off in his judgment of people. That baldy was not bad?!

"I know, professor."

Hanging up the phone, Phil Coulson said eagerly: "Mr. Richard, what we are inviting you to join is the S.H.I.E.L.D. Medical Department, and you will only need to provide logistical medical support."

"You won't need to go online with a scalpel to kill enemies, so you don't have to worry about your safety!"

Richard nodded, looking as though he agreed wholeheartedly.

Yet what he was thinking inside was...

What kind of S.H.I.E.L.D. is this? It's clearly Hydra-Shield!

However, it is 2008 now, and this time period is still quite safe.

And...

Richard inexplicably thought of a world map covered in red and blue dots...

When S.H.I.E.L.D.'s civil war breaks out in a few years...

Weren't those S.H.I.E.L.D. bases scattered all over the world just ownerless "meat buns"...

"Agent Coulson, I agree." After saying this, Richard added a thought in his mind.

For the sake of "how sweet it is"...

Phil Coulson was overjoyed; he extended his right hand and stood up.

"However..."

Richard's sudden change of tone made the smile on Phil Coulson's face stiffen slightly.

"If Mr. Richard has any requests, please feel free to state them."

As he spoke, Phil Coulson naturally withdrew his outstretched hand and sat back down.

Seeing this, Richard felt a wave of amusement.

"I can't punch a clock every day, so..."

"No problem, Mr. Richard." Phil Coulson explained immediately, "For a top surgeon like you, we at S.H.I.E.L.D. won't force you to punch the clock every day."

"Then, happy cooperation from now on." Richard stood up and extended his right hand.

Phil Coulson stood up again, reached out, and shook his hand.

"Happy cooperation, Dr. Richard."

Phil Coulson left the Greenpoint Apartments, got back into a black SUV, and dialed Nick Fury's number.

"Director, Dr. Richard agreed."

"Oh? He agreed just like that?" The baldy on the other end sounded somewhat surprised.

Phil Coulson wore a relieved expression: "Thanks to Professor Jennings' phone call, it seems Dr. Richard respects his teacher very much."

"However, Dr. Richard does not wish to punch a clock daily, so he only agreed to be an external consultant."

The voice on the other end of the line was very calm: "Normal enough. Top doctors all have this temperament."

"Alright, Agent Coulson, now I need you to take a trip to the Stark Industries headquarters."

"That playboy Tony Stark seems to have come up with an incredible invention."

"Go and find out the details."

"Yes, Director!" Phil Coulson immediately started the car and drove toward Stark Industries.

On the other side, after Phil Coulson left, Richard carefully considered the pros and cons of joining S.H.I.E.L.D.

The benefit was that, relying on a behemoth like S.H.I.E.L.D., anything he wanted to do in the future would become very easy.

For instance, if he wanted to acquire a small medical laboratory, having S.H.I.E.L.D.'s channels would make it a breeze.

The downside, however, was that he would directly enter the sights of Hydra, which was hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D.

Yet, as merely an external doctor, Hydra shouldn't care about him.

After turning it over in his mind, Richard dialed Professor Jennings' phone.

"Professor, have you heard the news that Wall Federer died of a heart attack?"