My name is Kara Lynn Paramas, an intern at S.H.I.E.L.D.., and today is my first day working with Agent Lin Xiao.
Agent Coulson told me yesterday that Agent Lin Xiao is the youngest Level 7 Agent in S.H.I.E.L.D.., and has single-handedly resolved at least three Class A threats, urging me to learn from him. I was so excited last night that I couldn't sleep for half the night, and I went through my training notes several times in my dorm room, preparing a whole host of questions.
As I sit at my desk in my dorm writing this observation diary, only one thought is on my mind.
Agent Coulson, when you said "study hard," did you mean learn how to pick up girls? Today we went to three places. The first one: the deputy director's office.
At 8:45 a. m., Agent Lin Xiao, carrying a blue rose, led me to Deputy Director Hill's office. The flower wasn't bought; it had grown from his palm. I was completely stunned. He walked ahead, twirling the flower in his hand, humming a strange song. I asked Agent Lin Xiao, and he said it was " Good Days " from Dragon Country. He even tried to explain several other songs to me, but I couldn't remember a single one. When we arrived at Deputy Director Hill's office...
When Deputy Director Hill opened the door, he glanced at him, then at me, and asked if I was the new intern. Before I could answer, Agent Lin Xiao spoke first.
" Maria, you look radiant today. Is this scarf new? It complements your eyes perfectly."
Deputy Director Hill ignored him.
"I've been wanting to thank you in person for helping me with the Skrulls handover documents last time. This flower is one I grew myself; it's all-natural and pollution-free, much better than those sprayed with preservatives at the florist."
Deputy Director Hill still didn't accept the flowers. She said if there was nothing else, she should take the new recruits to the training ground and not loiter around the administration floor. Agent Lin Xiao placed the flowers on her desk and said there was no rush, let's take care of business first. Then he actually took out a document from his briefcase, saying it was a supplementary explanation to the action report of last week's field mission, which required the deputy director's signature.
As Deputy Director Hill sat down to review documents, Agent Lin Xiao leaned against her desk and asked if she was free for the weekend, mentioning a newly opened Italian restaurant in Manhattan specializing in Tuscany cuisine and 20-year-old aged wine. Deputy Director Hill didn't even look up, saying she had to work overtime that weekend. He then added that next Monday would be fine too, since the restaurant wouldn't disappear.
After Deputy Director Hill finished signing, he handed the document to him and told him to leave quickly. As he took the document, his finger brushed against Deputy Director Hill's finger. The movement was very light, but I was standing at just the right angle to see it.
Deputy Director Hill's face flushed instantly. She pulled her hand back and said "Get out," her voice still cold, but at least half the volume of before.
As Agent Lin Xiao reached the door, he turned back and said, "You look prettier than the flowers today."
Deputy Director Hill didn't answer, but her face turned completely red. I swear I saw it; she was peeking at Agent Lin Xiao. I thought this farce was over, and after leaving the deputy director's office, we should go to the training room, right? Agent Lin Xiao said, "What's the rush? We have important business to attend to." Then he led me into Agent Natasha's office.
Agent Natasha was leaning against the window drinking coffee. When she saw us come in, she merely raised an eyebrow. Agent Lin Xiao walked over, took the coffee from her, took a sip, frowned, and said it was too bitter. He then turned around and gave her a can of Dragon Country tea.
Agent Natasha leaned against the windowsill with her arms crossed, a slight smile on her lips, and asked him what brought her here today.
"Take the new recruits to familiarize themselves with the environment." Agent Lin Xiao pointed at me, then turned around and pulled out another blue rose from his pocket. I don't know how many he had hidden on him. He handed the flower to Agent Natasha.
Agent Natasha took the flowers, glanced at them, then looked at him. Agent Lin Xiao said that today was purely to express gratitude to an old colleague and not to overthink it. He then asked if she was still going to the Russian restaurant she mentioned last time. Agent Natasha said anytime, as long as he treated her.
Then the two stared at each other for about three seconds, both with smiles on their faces, but I always felt there was a competition beneath those smiles. Like two boxers testing each other in the ring, whoever throws the first punch will lose.
Finally, Agent Lin Xiao looked away first, patted my shoulder, and said he was taking the new recruits to familiarize themselves with the environment; they could meet up another day. Agent Natasha put the flowers in the pen holder, winked at me, and said to me to study hard, as your instructors have many special skills.
At the time, I didn't understand what she meant, but I did later. We were wandering around until noon, and when it was lunchtime, Agent Lin Xiao took me to the cafeteria.
At lunchtime, as I sat down with my tray, Agent Lin Xiao was sitting opposite me, gnawing on a chicken leg. Before I could even pick up my chopsticks, he took the largest piece of grilled chicken from my plate, saying that young girls shouldn't eat too much oily food, or they'd get pimples and it would affect their physical fitness test.
I had to queue for ten minutes to get that chicken cutlet.
Before I could even protest, he put a whole slice of strawberry cake on my plate, saying that I could eat it, that sweets replenish energy, and that it was especially good for people who do mental work.
The cake was a size bigger than the chicken cutlet, topped with a thick layer of cream and fresh strawberry slices. I took a bite; it was delicious.
I should have been angry, but I wasn't. I even felt a little happy. This confused me. In the afternoon, thank goodness, Agent Lin Xiao finally took me to the training ground. I thought to myself, I've been waiting for almost a day, and finally, serious training is about to begin. Agent Lin Xiao took me to the shooting range and had me shoot two rounds to get a feel for it. After two rounds, my score was decent, 48 rings. He glanced at the target paper, nodded, and said my basics were good, then he left.
He didn't leave the shooting range, but instead went to the adjacent female special agents' training area to observe their close combat training. Four or five female special agents were practicing in pairs, their movements swift and agile, their training uniforms soaked with sweat. Agent Lin Xiao stood beside the training mat, arms crossed, his expression serious, nodding occasionally.
When I finished the third round, he was still standing there. When I finished the fourth round, he was already instructing one of the female agents on the moves.
"Your shoulder is too tense when you punch; the power dissipates by the time it reaches your wrist." He said, gripping the female agent's wrist to adjust her angle, lowering his voice, but it was too quiet at the shooting range for me to hear. "Relax, generate power from your core. Try again."
The female agent punched the target, making a louder sound than before. She turned to look at Agent Lin Xiao, her eyes shining, and asked him how he trained. Agent Lin Xiao smiled and said it was a power-generating technique from Dragon Country Fu, passed down for hundreds of years, and he could teach her privately sometime.
Standing at the firing position, gun in hand, watching this scene, I thought to myself: Instructor, it seems you haven't taught me anything today.
After the training, Agent Lin Xiao stopped me and said that I had worked hard today. He asked me to write an observation diary and hand it in to him before leaving work in the afternoon. He told me to write clearly what I had learned today, and that it should be no less than 800 words.
"Instructor," I hesitated for a moment, "Are you sure you want me to write an observation journal? What you taught me today... how should I write it?"
"Why can't I write?" Agent Lin Xiao tilted his head, a matter-of-fact expression on his face. "I taught you at least three things today."
I was stunned. I began to carefully recall everything that had happened today, trying to find those three things.
"First, be proactive in communicating with your superiors." Agent Lin Xiao held up one finger. " Deputy Director Hill usually has a stern face, and no one dares to talk to her, but she signs documents three times faster than Director Fury because nobody seeks her out; her workload is the lightest. Go and get acquainted with her first, and she'll prioritize your reports next time you submit them."
"Second," he held up another finger, "You need to keep your distance from your colleagues, but not too far. There are a lot of people around Natasha, and she doesn't outwardly show any closeness to anyone, but if you really need her help, she'll help, provided she thinks you're a decent person."
"Third," he held up his third finger, "You have to be strong yourself to succeed. Look how hard those female agents train; you can't fall behind."
What he said seemed to make a lot of sense. But when he was giving the female agent her hands-on instruction, he definitely wasn't thinking about any of that.
I didn't call him out on it. I just nodded and said I'd write it when I got back.
Now that I've finished writing this diary entry, if he criticizes what I wrote, I'll say it's an objective record of the instructor's words and actions, and it conforms to S.H.I.E.L.D.. reporting standards.
If he laughs, then I'll just... never mind, I think he'll definitely laugh.
-- Kara Lynn Paramas, S.H.I.E.L.D.. intern, written after the first day of training.
In the afternoon, Lin Xiao sat in his office looking at the diary that Kara had handed him. The girl ran off after handing over the diary. Lin Xiao shook his head helplessly, opened the diary, and laughed. This little girl writes all her complaints in here, without any hesitation. Sigh, this little girl is really interesting.
Hammer Industries Building
Justin Hammer leaned back in his leather chair, a video of Tony Stark's press conference in Monaco playing on a loop on his computer screen. The words " Rebirth Foundation " flashed at the bottom of the screen. Justin Hammer stared at Tony's flamboyant face, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth. He picked up the remote and turned off the TV, his own gloomy face reflected in the instant the screen went black.
Just then, a new email notification popped up in the lower right corner of the computer screen. The sender's address was a string of gibberish, but the destination of the tracing path was crystal clear— Monaco, Monte Carlo, the IP address of a repair shop that had already been blocked by the police.
Justin Hammer's eyes narrowed.
He recognized the address. This was the last encrypted node Ivan Vanko used to contact him before his arrest, after which the connection was completely severed. Now it's lit up again.
The email had no body, only an attachment. Justin Hammer clicked on the attachment, his finger freezing on the mouse. It was a complete set of mechanical exoskeleton design drawings, with every part clearly labeled. At the end of the drawings was only one line of text, written in Russian, the handwriting messy but highly legible.
"I'm stuck here, but the score isn't settled yet. Give Stark a lash for me."
Justin Hammer stared at the words for several seconds, then grabbed the landline on the table and dialed an internal number. The phone rang twice before a hoarse male voice answered.
"Boss?"
"Go to Monaco," Justin Hammer said, tapping his fingers lightly on the printed blueprints. "Go check on Vanko's situation, see if he's truly finished. If he's still alive, find out if he has anything else. If he's dead—find out if he has anything else either."
"Understood. I'll book my flight for tomorrow."
"No, we're leaving tonight." Justin Hammer said and hung up the phone.
On the other end of the phone, the man with the hoarse voice put down the receiver, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the text message on his phone screen that had already been opened. The message was brief, containing only one line. "Finish what I asked you to do, and your debts will be wiped clean."