Phil Coulson

With a scream, Frost went down, and Yang Bo picked up the [Pure Blood 1/6] he had dropped, feeling rather disappointed.

"What a fucking joke. The final boss only dropped level-one pure blood!"

Dawn was already breaking outside. After a night's work, Yang Bo, Karen, and Whistler had all obtained experimental data they were satisfied with.

After putting everything away, Yang Bo called out to the distracted Blade. "Hey, don't overthink it. Take me back first! I want to get some rest!"

He knew Blade was probably thinking about his mother, but comforting people wasn't exactly his forte. Better to leave that sort of specialized work to Karen. Maybe all that comforting would even lead to romance.

"If it's convenient, find some time to bring Bor over for me. You're the only person I know in this city who can manage it. I'll owe you a favor!"

Blade snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. Remembering Bor's obese body, he looked a little troubled and said:

"You've given me a tough one. I'll bring him over tonight!"

Yang Bo got into the car, said goodbye to Whistler and Karen, and headed toward Central Park.

Looking at the newly risen sun, Yang Bo felt the warm sunlight wash over him, lifting his spirits after a sleepless night. He couldn't help stretching. Then he suddenly remembered the vampire familiars and said to Blade, "You should move. Your location's been exposed. Those vampires' lapdogs are bound to come after you!"

Blade's expression didn't change at Yang Bo's words. He said calmly, "Don't worry. As long as I don't go looking for trouble with them, they won't dare come after me. But you need to be careful. They'll definitely come after you!"

Won't dare?

Yang Bo was a little surprised. Blade had said they wouldn't dare, not that they wouldn't. That piqued his curiosity. Their relationship was closer now, after all. They were brothers who had risked their lives together. Well... Yang Bo had burned through lives, while Blade had burned through bullets! He didn't have to be quite so cautious about asking certain questions anymore.

He asked outright:

"Why do you say they won't dare?"

Blade smiled and explained, "I'm half vampire. Killing vampires is a matter between members of our own kind. They won't use humans against me!"

"More importantly, if vampire familiars came after me, that would change the nature of the whole thing!"

Yang Bo recalled the plot of Blade: Trinity. A vampire familiar had disguised himself as a vampire and been killed by Blade, but the vampires had recorded the entire incident. That was why the authorities had been forced to put Blade on the wanted list.

But there was something he couldn't quite figure out. Why would the vampires be wary of Blade instead of using the authorities against him? Unless...

Unless Blade also had official backing, from a force more powerful than the one backing the vampires. That would also explain why Blade had beaten that cop without a care earlier, then shown no concern whatsoever when Yang Bo killed him. Assaulting a police officer was a serious crime in any country.

"Blade, would you mind telling me who's backing you?"

Blade kept one hand on the steering wheel and reached inside his coat with the other. After rummaging around, he tossed Yang Bo a small black booklet.

Yang Bo caught it. The steel eagle emblem on the cover immediately brought Marvel's most famous organization to mind: S.H.I.E.L.D. Though they probably hadn't changed the name yet. Its full name was the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.

He opened it and saw Blade's photo, with some information written below.

[Eric Brooks]

[Level eight]

Yang Bo: "..."

In the comics, Blade had joined S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Howling Commandos and was a level-ten agent, the same rank as Director Fury! As the Vampire Hunter, the Daywalker, he handled supernatural incidents involving ghosts and monsters, including hunting vampires and other inhuman creatures.

But Yang Bo had never read the comics, so naturally he hadn't known Blade was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent-and a fucking level-eight agent at that.

"Blade, can you tell me how you ended up like this with such badass backing?"

He handed the credentials back to Blade.

Blade: "..."

"I'm only on their books. My main job is helping S.H.I.E.L.D. eliminate certain inhuman monsters. They handle official trouble for me. The rest of the time, I'm on my own!"

Yang Bo nodded and leaned back in his seat without another word.

S.H.I.E.L.D., Kamar-Taj, Asgard... this Marvel world just keeps getting more interesting. I wonder if the Ancient One has noticed an uninvited guest like me. Oh, right, I wonder if this Marvel Universe has S.P.E.A.R...

Lost in wandering thoughts along the way, Yang Bo returned to Central Park with Blade. After getting out of the car, he didn't go straight home. Instead, he headed to the nearest fast-food restaurant to buy something to eat. Mostly, eating bread every day was driving him crazy.

He walked into the Golden Arches, ordered some burgers and snacks, and chose a seat by the window.

A fiery-red convertible pulled up outside the Golden Arches. A man dressed in a black suit got out. Seemingly sensing Yang Bo's gaze, he looked up, gave a slight nod, and offered a friendly smile.

But after seeing him, Yang Bo's expression turned amused. Phil Coulson, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. There was no way in hell Yang Bo would believe the guy had suddenly shown up here for anything other than finding him.

Just as Yang Bo had guessed, Coulson walked inside and headed straight over to him without hesitation.

"Hello, Mr. Yang Bo. Allow me to introduce myself. Phil Coulson."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

With that, he extended a hand toward Yang Bo.

Yang Bo had no particular aversion to Coulson, one of the few genuinely nice people in S.H.I.E.L.D. Besides, the instant he saw Coulson, an idea sprang to mind.

A fat sheep delivered right to my door. I'd be letting myself down if I didn't fleece him a little!

Some materials were difficult to obtain in Minecraft, but if he could reach an agreement or make a deal with S.H.I.E.L.D., getting those materials would be a piece of cake.

At that thought, Yang Bo stood up enthusiastically and shook Coulson's hand with a broad smile. "Coulson, can I call you that?"

"I don't know why, but I felt an instant connection the moment I saw you!"

The sudden enthusiasm threw Coulson off, but his many years as an agent allowed him to keep his expression under control with ease.

"Mr. Yang Bo..."

"No need to be so formal. Just call me Yang Bo. Or if you prefer the American way, you can call me Yang. Sit, sit!"

Yang Bo invited Coulson to sit across from him. Coulson nodded slightly and got straight to the point:

"I'm an agent with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. I came here specifically to meet you!"

"I'm very curious about your identity. Would you be willing to explain?"

After inwardly mocking S.H.I.E.L.D.'s name, Yang Bo looked at Coulson and said very seriously, "I honestly don't know how I ended up here."

"I'm just an ordinary Chinese guy!"