"Natasha, Coulson, see if you can get Ah Xing to tell you why he came here."
After all that talking, they still hadn't even found out why he had come. What a failure.
Coulson composed himself and put on a friendly smile. "Mr. Ah Xing, while we're on the subject, I see you've been looking around here for a few days. Could you help us deal with those wraiths?"
"There's no rush. You've already waited three years. Why worry about another day or half a day?"
"Then shall we cooperate on this particular wraith incident?"
Coulson glanced at Old Man.
Old Man nodded his approval.
"Well..." Instead, Ah Xing looked hesitant.
Natasha wondered, What's going on? He was chatting so happily just now. Even if he can't work with us long-term, why hesitate over working together this once?
"I have something else to do, so I'll be leaving first. Please ask this elder to eliminate the wraiths. I don't really have any means of dealing with them."
With that, Ah Xing turned into particles of light and vanished again.
He had run off halfway through their conversation. Nick Fury, Coulson, and the others felt as if something were lodged in their chests, making them unbearably uncomfortable.
"I need to study these materials. If you don't have anything else to do, you should leave."
Nick Fury's voice came over the comms. "Pull back for now."
S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Is the psychological profile ready?"
Nick Fury took the report and returned to his office with Coulson, Barton, and Natasha.
Back in his office, Nick Fury switched on the display and pulled up a record of Ah Xing's movements.
"According to the psychological profile, the man who calls himself Old Man is stubborn, a man of few words, and a little greedy, but he has a strong sense of responsibility. For now, classify him as a target we can approach and suspend the use of force."
"Ah Xing is the real headache. His psychological profile shows that he's almost indifferent. On the surface, he laughs and jokes, acts casually, and doesn't seem to care about anything else. In reality, he's quite single-minded and very wise."
Coulson nodded in agreement. After all, once a single-minded person committed to something, nothing could pull them away. If someone led such a person astray, they would be extremely dangerous.
"Uncle, what are you teaching me today?" Jiang Xiang asked excitedly as he followed Old Man into the inner room.
"More things you need to keep in mind, of course." Old Man looked at Jiang Xiang a little distractedly. "Besides practicing magic, having a strong body is just as important."
Old Man meant that he should practice martial arts alongside magic.
"As the saying goes, trying to ride two horses at once never ends well. I don't know anything about the world of Qi Magic. It won't be too late to practice martial arts once I've learned the basics of Qi Magic." Jiang Xiang gave some thought to how he phrased his response.
"Good, good. Xiang, it's very good that you have plans of your own." Old Man nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, since I taught you some basic Qi Magic spells a few days ago, let's study magic potions today."
"The three main methods of practicing Qi Magic are magic potions, spells, and Deity Summoning. Deity Summoning was lost long ago, leaving only a few clues and records, so don't worry about it. Focus on the first two."
"..."
While Old Man was teaching Qi Magic, S.H.I.E.L.D. was having a rather hectic time.
Holding the information on the wraiths, Nick Fury requested an emergency meeting of the World Security Council.
At this stage, Nick Fury had few suspicions about S.H.I.E.L.D. After all, Hydra was still lying low and assimilating.
"Good day, council members."
Several holographic images appeared before Nick Fury.
"Director Fury, why have you called this meeting? Has something happened?"
Nick Fury opened the files in his hands and sent them to the council members present.
A moment later.
There was a sharp intake of breath.
"Hmm?"
"Director Fury, this joke isn't funny in the slightest."
"Are you certain they're wraiths? And that they've appeared in New York?"
It wasn't as if wraiths had never existed before, but vampires, werewolves, Inhumans, and all kinds of mutated humans had always existed as well.
The main reason was that the Magic World, led by Kamar-Taj, kept them suppressed.
Wraiths couldn't cause much trouble. People didn't even know about them, or didn't believe they were wraiths. Besides, even if someone knew about wraiths, what fool would reveal that knowledge at an emergency meeting like this?
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're facing a major crisis. I hope you'll provide funding to build the necessary equipment. And there's also this proposal."
Nick Fury had no intention of wasting time exchanging pleasantries with them.
He took out the proposal directly.
Written prominently on its first page were the words-Avengers Initiative.
"Director Fury, with all due respect, I have no objection in principle to your proposal to form a Superpowered Team. However, there are still many issues that need resolving. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s development funds could be put to better use."
Almost all the council members expressed their opposition, whether openly or indirectly.
Each had their own agenda. Some simply didn't want S.H.I.E.L.D. to wield that much power.
Others wanted a new department to take charge of superhuman capabilities.
They wanted an organization powerful enough to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. in check, rather than letting it stand alone at the top.
Nick Fury hadn't expected the Avengers Initiative to be approved on the first try, and he had a general understanding of what they were thinking.
He had only brought it out to familiarize them with the idea.
After all, he couldn't actually recruit any superhumans.
Once they had finished discussing these matters, Nick Fury had no desire to continue the meeting. He acted as though he knew nothing about Ah Xing or Old Man and disclosed nothing about them.
After leaving the temporary meeting room, Nick Fury left the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion and drove around, taking a roundabout route.
He finally entered a cave. Inside stood a man who looked exactly like Nick Fury. When he noticed Nick Fury entering, he quickly reverted to his true form.
"Talos, have you ever seen someone disappear the way he does in this video?"
Without bothering with pleasantries, Nick Fury played a short clip of Ah Xing disappearing.
Talos watched it carefully several times, then said with certainty, "No."
Nick Fury changed the subject. "Where are the others living on Earth with you?"
"They're all here."
"Mm."
Nick Fury gave him a long look, his eyes seeming to carry a warning.
Talos watched Nick Fury leave.
Outwardly, he showed no reaction.
Inside, he seethed with resentment.
Damn bald Black man. If it weren't for Carol Danvers, you'd have long since...
Time flew by, and several days passed. With Old Man's help, quite a few Yinshenger wraiths were eliminated.
Before you continue