The bed was creaking, making a violent noise. The luxurious bed, which was supposed to be so quiet no matter how much it was moved, was now shaking as if it were falling apart, and was making a series of teeth-grinding creaks.
On the large bed, Mei's fingernails dug into Lin Xiao's back as she bit her lip, trying hard not to make a sound. But the newly replaced solid wood bed clearly didn't cooperate, creaking loudly.
Just as Lin Xiao was about to change positions and continue, his phone rang.
Lin Xiao didn't want to pay attention, but Mei gently pushed him, her voice coming through haltingly. "You... you answer... the phone first..."
Lin Xiao reached for his phone on the bedside table. It was Carol calling. He wanted to hang up immediately, but remembering Carol's status, he answered anyway, his tone clearly impatient. "Hello?"
" Lin Xiao, I've arrived in Russia."
Lin Xiao stopped moving, and Mei took the opportunity to escape from under him, wrapped herself in the blanket and rolled to the other side of the bed, her face so red it could fry an egg.
"You've arrived in Russia? When did that happen?"
"Ten minutes ago, the Skrulls signal was locked. I'm going to pick them up now. There's still one Skrulls I missed in New York. I just sent the information to your phone. Could you go and pick them up for me?"
Before Lin Xiao could speak, Carol added, "I'll treat you to hot pot when I get back."
The call was then disconnected.
Lin Xiao stared at the screen, silent for a long while. He looked down at the area where the swelling hadn't subsided, then at Mei, who was huddled in the corner of the bed wrapped in a blanket. His expression was incredibly complex.
"This woman... flew to Russia herself and left me here to run errands for her?" Lin Xiao sullenly tossed his phone onto the bedside table. "I'm already like this, and she tells me she's going to pick someone up?"
Mei peeked half her face out from under the covers, her eyes watery as she looked at Lin Xiao, her voice still hoarse. "Who is it?"
"A new colleague," Lin Xiao continued through gritted teeth, "Someone from outer space, rushing people to work so early, completely lacking in social skills. It's still early, time for a break."
Mei rolled her eyes. This beast hasn't stopped since Peter went to school this morning. It's been several hours now, three or four? It's still early, almost ten o'clock.
Lin Xiao took a deep breath, picked up his phone again, and opened the file Carol had sent. A photo and an address popped up on the screen, and he froze after just one glance.
The photo is a girl's file photo; she has dark skin, curly hair, and a round face—she doesn't look like someone to mess with. But that's not the point; the point is the school she attends.
Midtown High School.
Lin Xiao stared at those words for a full five seconds.
Midtown High School. The school where Gwen Stacy Daisy, Peter, Ned, and MG attended together.
He'd been avoiding Gwen Stacy all this time. Even though they'd formed a superhero team, Peter relaying all communications. He hadn't seen Gwen Stacy since the Lizard incident, not because Peter had casually mentioned that Gwen Stacy was currently practicing a new kicking technique specifically for men's groin areas, and had already taken down several exhibitionists and street perverts in Brooklyn with impressive results. Lin Xiao decided against seeing Gwen Stacy; having Peter and Ned relay messages was much better.
Now, he's going to Gwen Stacy's school to find a Skrulls. What if Gwen Stacy finds out...?
"Plum."
"Um?"
Do you think a man can recover after being kicked in a groin?
Mei paused for a moment, her blush still lingering. She tilted her head, pondered for a few seconds, and then said, "It depends on the severity. If it's a mild contusion, a few days of rest will be enough. If it's severe... it might affect function."
"Thank you, but that makes me even more scared."
At 10:30 a. m., Lin Xiao stood downstairs at the apartment building and received a yellow jumpsuit, rubber boots, a gas mask, and a huge sprayer from S.H.I.E.L.D.. This outfit was provided to him by S.H.I.E.L.D. department, who said it was to allow him to enter the school as a pest control company to avoid unnecessary trouble. The school had already made arrangements and was just waiting for Lin Xiao to take over.
Throughout the journey, Lin Xiao's face flushed and paled intermittently, and he was sweating profusely. The special agent driving the car was startled and even began to admire Agent Lin Xiao's professionalism, working despite being ill.
When the agents dropped him off at the entrance of Midtown High School, the gatekeeper stared at him for at least ten seconds. A two-meter-tall, yellow, humanoid figure, carrying a huge metal box on his back and wearing a gas mask, stood motionless at the school gate.
"... Who are you?" The security guard's hand was already reaching for the walkie-talkie at his waist.
"A pest control company," Lin Xiao's voice came through the gas mask, "Your school has applied for flea and cockroach control. The isolation area is at the end of the third-floor corridor."
The security guard checked the register and confirmed it was true. He glanced at Lin Xiao, hesitated for a long time, and then pressed the door open button. "You... be careful, don't scare the students."
Lin Xiao nodded and carried the sprayer into the teaching building.
The corridor was empty, which relieved Lin Xiao. His priority now was to find the quarantine zone, find the Skrulls, and then get her out of the building as quickly as possible.
The doorway to a classroom at the end of the third-floor corridor had been cordoned off by the school beforehand, with a warning sign posted on it that read "Pest Control, Do Not Approach." Lin Xiao crouched down and carefully stepped over the cordon, his hissing breathing particularly clear in the empty corridor. Ding-a-ling, the bell rang at an inopportune moment, startling Lin Xiao, and a loud bang came from afar.
Lin Xiao suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Could it be? How could he feel this way? It must be a hallucination... It can't be such a coincidence. May the Three Pure Ones protect him, may the Bodhisattva protect him, may the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon bestow blessings upon him...
Lin Xiao muttered to himself as he stiffly turned his head. He noticed that the door to a classroom at the other end of the corridor was open, and two people were standing in the doorway, one of whom was Gwen Stacy!
She was wearing a dark blue hoodie today, her blonde hair tied in pigtails, but her blue eyes were fixed on Lin Xiao's direction, her pupils slightly contracted, and her brows furrowing at an extremely slow pace. A boy was standing next to her, chattering away, but Gwen Stacy didn't listen to what he was saying. At this moment, all her attention was focused on the burly man in the yellow jumpsuit at the end of the corridor.
This guy... I feel like I've met him before.
Their eyes met at opposite ends of the corridor, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment. Lin Xiao made what he thought was a very natural reaction: he nodded to Gwen Stacy, a very light and subtle gesture, as if greeting a stranger. Then he quickly pushed open the door to the locked-down area and slipped inside.
The moment the door slammed shut, he heard a muffled thud from the other end of the hallway. It was the sound of something being kicked over. Then came a boy's pitiful wail, his voice filled with confusion and grievance. " Gwen Stacy! I didn't do anything! Why did you suddenly kick me—"
Lin Xiao shuddered, his mind filled with only one thought: find the person quickly and get out of there.
The classroom was piled high with old desks, chairs, and cardboard boxes. The curtains were drawn tightly shut, with only a few rays of sunlight squeezing in from the edges, drawing thin, bright lines on the floor. Lin Xiao took off his gas mask and took a deep breath.
" Sarah?" Lin Xiao called out in a low voice.
A cardboard box in the corner moved slightly. A face peeked out—dark skin, curly hair, round face—it was the girl in the file photo. She looked at Lin Xiao warily and spoke.
"You were sent by Carol?"
"Yes. I'm Agent Lin Xiao. Carol sent me to pick you up." Lin Xiao said as he walked forward, trying to make his movements seem less threatening. "Don't be nervous, I'm a professional. I know the situation of you Skrulls on Earth."
Before Lin Xiao could finish speaking, he tripped over something and fell forward, bumping into several tables stacked together with a loud bang. Lin Xiao awkwardly scratched his head as he began to tidy up the tables he had knocked over.
Sarah stood up from behind the cardboard box, frowning as she looked at the clumsy, large man in front of her. He seemed quite capable when he came in, but how come he almost dismantled the entire classroom after just a few steps?
"Are you... really a professional?" Sarah's voice was clearly skeptical.
"100% professional." Lin Xiao dusted off his hands, coughed twice, and straightened up. "That was an accident. I don't usually do that. Pack your things and come with me."
Sarah nodded, pulled a worn-out backpack from behind the cardboard box, and slung it over her shoulder. Lin Xiao watched her nimbly step over the clutter on the ground and walk towards him, secretly relieved—thankfully, this Skrulls seemed quite cooperative.
Out of curiosity Lin Xiao pulled up the Skrulls' information.
"Ding--Biometric scan complete. Target confirmed as Skrulls. Codename: Sarah. Disguise: Female. Note: Skrulls' shapeshifting abilities can perfectly replicate a target's appearance and voiceprint, but cannot copy superpowers. Individuals possess extremely high levels of disguise."
Lin Xiao didn't ask any more questions. He put his gas mask back on, pushed open the classroom door, and peeked halfway into the corridor— Gwen Stacy was gone. The suitor she had kicked away was also gone. The corridor was empty, with only the fluorescent lights humming.
"Let's go, while no one's around."
The two walked briskly down the corridor toward the stairwell. Lin Xiao walked in front, the hissing sound of his gas mask particularly clear in the quiet corridor. Sarah followed behind, her steps still light and almost silent.
As they reached the top of the stairs, Sarah suddenly asked, " Carol said she found other members of her tribe in Russia. Is that true?"
"Really." Lin Xiao said without turning his head. "She's already located the signal source and should have picked up the people by now. Once you get there, she'll take you to find your new home."
"A new home." Sarah repeated the three words, paused for a moment, and then sighed softly. "I've been on Earth for a long time. I've been here since I can remember, from one school to another, from one foster home to another. Every time someone notices that I'm different from others, I have to move to a different place and change my name."
Lin Xiao paused slightly. He didn't turn around, but his tone became more serious than before.
"This time it's different. Carol will find you a new home; you won't have to hide anymore."
Sarah didn't say anything more.
As the two reached the first floor, Lin Xiao's phone suddenly vibrated. He took out his phone and saw an encrypted message pop up on the screen. The sender was labeled " Auntie Marvel," a new nickname Lin Xiao had saved for Carol. It wasn't because he was disturbed that morning that he changed it. The message was very brief, containing only a few words: "Mission to Russia complete. Six Skrulls have been safely evacuated."
Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, put his phone back in his pocket, and was about to tell Sarah the news when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure flashing around the corner of the corridor. The figure paused, stepped back, and then slowly revealed half of its face from behind the corner—blonde hair, blue eyes—it was Gwen Stacy!