Something's off about the Triskelion today.
From the moment Lin Xiao stepped into the lobby, the air seemed to lose its warmth, becoming icy and bone-chilling. As Lin Xiao walked toward the elevator, several agents waiting for it instinctively moved aside. No one dared to speak, no one stepped forward to accompany him, and no one even dared to look him in the eye for more than a second.
After the elevator doors closed, someone in the lobby dared to ask in a low voice, "What happened to him?"
No one answered. But the same answer flashed through everyone's mind—something terrible had happened.
In the director's office, Hill was standing in front of Fury's desk, holding an incident report and reporting the situation to Fury. Fury leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped on the desk, his one eye half-closed, revealing no emotion, but his hand was clenched so tightly it was white.
" Kingpin's actions over the past two weeks have clearly deviated from the norm. According to informants, he's recruiting a large number of Mutants, the exact number is unknown, but their origins are diverse, including Brotherhood defectors and independent mercenaries. Agent Coulson's mission these past few days has been to find out the details of these Mutants, but just as they were making progress, disaster struck."
Hill turned a page of the report.
"The attack occurred in Brooklyn, near an abandoned chemical plant. There were obvious burn marks and explosive residue at the scene. Ballistic analysis showed that the temperature at the explosion's center was extremely high, far exceeding that of a conventional incendiary bomb. Based on eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage, the attacker was preliminarily identified as the Pyro. 'Coulson's injuries are not life-threatening; he is currently in the intensive care unit at St. Peter's Hospital. Medical staff say he is out of danger, mainly suffering from a concussion and internal organ damage caused by the shockwave, requiring rest."
Fury didn't speak. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice, about to open his mouth.
The office door was suddenly pushed open, and the sound of the heavy oak door slamming against the wall echoed like a muffled thunderclap in the quiet office.
Fury was about to reprimand him, but when he saw who it was, he was momentarily speechless.
Lin Xiao walked in expressionlessly, his face devoid of joy or sorrow.
Fury had seen Lin Xiao's grinning face and his feigned ignorance, but he had never seen Lin Xiao's expression like this before. It wasn't anger, it wasn't violence, it wasn't any emotion that could be easily described. It was calm, unnaturally calm, as calm as the darkness before a storm, a suffocating sense of oppression.
Hill glanced at Fury and then at Lin Xiao. Seeing that Fury didn't stop her, she continued:
"Currently, Kingpin's recruitment operation is still ongoing, and the leads Agent Coulson has obtained have been handed over to Operations, but the whereabouts of Pyro— "
"Get to the point."
This statement was not made by Fury, but by Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao's voice wasn't loud, but the temperature in the office seemed to drop two degrees after those two words were uttered.
Hill's finger paused on the edge of the document, then he looked up, staring directly into Lin Xiao's eyes. He hesitated for about two seconds, then skipped over the rest of the report, concisely stating:
" Agent Coulson was tasked with investigating the Mutants recruited by Kingpin. Pyro attacked him in Brooklyn, causing a near-miss explosion. He was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a concussion, multiple internal bleeding, and three broken ribs. Surgery was successful, and he is currently in the intensive care unit and out of danger. St. Peter's Hospital, 7th floor, Ward 712."
Lin Xiao didn't speak. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a palm-sized glass bottle, and placed it on Fury's desk. The bottle contained a red liquid that glowed faintly under the light, like some kind of living thing slowly breathing— Life Restoration Potion.
Feed this to him.
Fury narrowed his one eye. He looked down at the bottle, then up at Lin Xiao. His lips moved, but before he could speak, Lin Xiao had already turned and walked towards the door.
"Stop."
Fury finally couldn't hold back any longer and spoke, his voice booming through the office. The gaze from his single eye shot towards Lin Xiao like Blade.
What do you want to do?
Lin Xiao stopped, but did not turn around.
"You need to know your place," Fury said, each word low and carrying an undeniable air of authority. "You're a Level 6 agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.., not some street thug. S.H.I.E.L.D.. will handle this according to procedure. Pyro, the Kingpin, and those Mutants —they'll all be dealt with. Your job is to obey orders, not—"
"Order?"
Lin Xiao turned around and looked at Fury. His expression remained calm, but the undercurrent in his eyes made Fury's next words catch in his throat.
"Boss, you're a smart man, so I won't beat around the bush." Lin Xiao's voice was very soft, so soft that Hill, standing three steps away, almost didn't hear him. " Coulson, that nice guy, never offends anyone, and takes on all the work himself. He's in the hospital, and you're telling me to wait? What are we waiting for? Who will be next?"
He took another half step forward.
"From now on, I will not handle anything as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., so you don't need to be nervous."
Fury's eyes widened and he slammed his hand on the table.
"Nonsense, Lin Xiao, do you know what you're saying?"
"I know, of course I know, boss. I'm saying I'm no longer Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; I only represent myself now."
He didn't linger after saying that. The sound of his leather shoes on the floor faded into the distance, leaving a suffocating silence echoing in the corridor.
In the office, Fury stood rooted to the spot, his hands gripping the desk, his expression shifting between rage and silence several times, but ultimately he said nothing. Hill looked at Lin Xiao, biting her lip. Was this the real him?
As Lin Xiao walked out of the Triskelion, he heard the rapid sound of high heels on the steps behind him. Lin Xiao did not turn around. He was no longer interested in anything else. Now, he only wanted to get justice for Coulson.
Lin Xiao opened the car door and got into the driver's seat. At the same time, the passenger door opened, and Natasha got in, fastened her seatbelt, and said nothing. She simply leaned back in her seat, crossed her arms, and stared straight at the windshield.
Lin Xiao glanced at her, then looked away and started the engine. With one hand on the steering wheel, he opened the system panel in his mind.
" Doupao, locate the Pyro's position."
"Ding-- Searching... Target locked. Current location is the nearest Brotherhood of Mutants temporary base to the host. Additional information: Pyro, member of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Ability: Manipulation of Pyro; cannot create fire from thin air, requires an external fire source..."
Lin Xiao looked at the photo on the screen, and the corners of his mouth twitched down very slightly. He picked up the spare phone in the car, scrolled through his contacts, found a number he had saved at Culver University but had never called, and dialed it.
The phone rang twice, then I answered it.
There was no sound from the other end, only a very faint breathing sound, as if waiting for him to speak first.
Mystique.
"Speak," Mystique's voice was low and emotionless.
"Your Brotherhood this guy who plays with fire, called Pyro. He blew up one of my men in Brooklyn. I'm asking you, are you aware of this? Is your Brotherhood do anything about it?"
There was a silence of about three seconds on the other end of the phone.
"... I don't know. Nobody has reported his whereabouts to me. I don't know anything about these things. What do you want?"
Lin Xiao gripped the steering wheel and spoke only one sentence in an extremely calm tone.
"Alright. Since none of you care and no one in the Brotherhood is teaching him the rules, then I'll teach him for you."
There was silence on the other end of the phone again. This silence was longer than before, so long that Lin Xiao almost thought Mystique had hung up.
" Lin Xiao, don't be reckless. I can contact the boss to see what happened. Perhaps it's a misunderstanding... You..."
Lin Xiao frowned, hung up the phone, and tossed it onto the passenger seat. Natasha glanced at the call log on the screen; the contact name was "Blue-skinned Bad Woman."
The Hummer drove out of the parking lot, turned onto the main road, and merged into the afternoon traffic of New York. Outside the car window, the Manhattan skyline gleamed with a cold, hard light under the midday sun. Lin Xiao gripped the steering wheel, his expression exactly the same as when he had just left the office: calm, deep, like a thundercloud gathering strength.