Coulson's smile is perfectly measured, neither overly enthusiastic nor aloof, which is one of his signature moves.
Unfortunately, the two people sitting in front of him weren't really buying it.
Tony leaned back in his chair and casually picked up a napkin to wipe his hands.
"What? S.H.I.E.L.D.. is now skipping reservations? This is a private room."
He looked at Coulson, his tone somewhat surprised, "Secretly investigating addresses, copying hotel key cards, and then breaking in while others are having breakfast. Is this your workflow from a spy agency or a training course for voyeurs?"
Coulson's smile remained unchanged.
" Mr. Stark, my key card was provided by the hotel manager."
Did you hear that?
Chen Mo, biting into his sandwich, commented seriously, "It wasn't just illegal intrusion; it was an organized, methodical illegal intrusion with the cooperation of a third party."
Tony nodded.
"Major."
"Truly professional."
As the two exchanged words, Coulson's gentle smile inevitably froze for a moment.
However, being a secret agent, his expression quickly returned to normal.
"Mr. Chen Mo, Director Fury just wants to talk to you. A lot has happened while you were away, and some of it may be related to you."
"What does this have to do with me? I just got back less than ten hours ago."
Chen Mo glanced down at the plate. "Nine hours are left for sleeping and showering, and one hour for eating. What, does S.H.I.E.L.D.. now even regulate sleeping in?"
"Mr. Chen Mo, I mean before you left."
"Then you need to find the old me; finding the current me won't help."
"..."
Coulson found that the conversation seemed more difficult than he had anticipated.
Tony picked up his coffee and watched him with interest.
These people at S.H.I.E.L.D.. usually like to break a simple statement into ten parts, and then cover up nine of them with confidentiality regulations.
Now that I've met Chen Mo, it's a perfect match in terms of our expertise.
One refused to speak.
One person doesn't want to hear it.
Chen Mo swallowed the last bite of his sandwich and suddenly reached out his hand.
Coulson's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not look away.
Two fingers reached across the table and precisely caught his tie clip.
Click.
The silver tie clip split open, and a communicator no bigger than a grain of rice was crushed into pieces.
The living room quieted down.
Coulson looked down at his tie, a clear look of helplessness appearing on his face for the first time.
"Mr. Chen Mo, this equipment is very expensive."
"Put it on Fury's tab."
Chen Mo tossed the shards into an empty plate, looked up at the corner of the room, and said, "If you want to talk to me, come out and say it properly. Hiding in someone's tie to eavesdrop is like you think I won't find out."
Strictly speaking, he wasn't hiding in my tie.
Coulson attempted to explain.
Tony waved his hand.
"Stop trying to save face for him. His image as a bald, dark-skinned peeping tom is beyond repair."
Coulson remained silent for two seconds.
He suddenly realized that he shouldn't have worn that tie today.
The next moment, a blue light shone in front of Coulson.
Several beams of light intertwined rapidly, and Nick Fury's holographic projection appeared in the living room. He was wearing a black trench coat, and his one eye swept over the three people at the table, his already dark complexion turning even darker.
Have you said enough?
Chen Mo looked at Coulson.
"Dude, is the color difference in your director's projector not adjusted properly? Or did your technicians do it on purpose?"
"No."
Tony looked up and glanced at it for a few moments, then said seriously, "I think the brightness is too low. Do you need me to provide a display device? It'll be a very reasonable price, I'll only charge you three times the normal rate."
Fury ignored the two of them.
If he were to say just one word to those two bastards, he could forget about getting down to business today.
" S.H.I.E.L.D.. has encountered serious problems."
Fury looked at Chen Mo and cut straight to the point, "We've cleaned out a large number of Hydra members, involving the operations, research, and intelligence departments. Even former director Alexander Pierce is implicated."
"Were all former bureau chiefs Hydra?"
Chen Mo was somewhat surprised, "Being the current bureau chief is quite a challenge for you. Before you sit down in your office every day, do you have to look in the mirror to see if you've grown a few extra heads?"
Tony put down his coffee.
"Don't misunderstand, Hydra is just an exaggerated name; they don't actually have that many heads."
"That's alright."
"Yeah, they're just S.H.I.E.L.D. all over S. H. I. E. L. D., or rather, S.H.I.E.L.D.. is expanding all over Hydra."
Chen Mo nodded.
"That would be even more suitable for managing Nick Fury Eddie Redmayne. Who says Hydra isn't a New S.H.I.E.L.D..?"
Fury's forehead veins throbbed slightly.
He desperately wanted to cut off communications, but as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.., he had to continue.
For some time now, the remnants of Hydra have been frantically searching for Chen Mo. Some want to kill him, some want to recruit him, and a group of somewhat mentally unstable researchers even want to obtain his body samples.
Fury had already prepared body bags for the above-mentioned groups, in What If...? they were needed.
If Chen Mo makes contact with Hydra, there are only two possible outcomes.
The first scenario involves Hydra successfully persuading Chen Mo.
This world is about to play a few rounds of egg games.
The second possibility is that Hydra failed to persuade Chen Mo.
Hydra is doomed, and depending on Chen Mo's mood, he might take a few cities with him.
In either case, S.H.I.E.L.D. have to clean up the mess.
What's more troublesome is that the technologies Chen Mo previously handed over have already attracted the attention of various countries. Recently, Fury has been receiving a lot of phone calls every day.
Some people asked for information, some requested sharing, and others subtly inquired about what S.H.I.E.L.D.. was planning to create.
He actually wanted to know too.
"I'm not here today to ask you to clean house."
Fury suppressed his emotions and said in a deep voice, " S.H.I.E.L.D.. will handle its own problems. I just want to confirm one thing: will you cooperate with Hydra?"
Chen Mo leaned back in his chair.
" Hydra? What can they give me?"
"Power, resources, technology, identity."
"These all sound like things I already have, or things I could easily grab."
"They might also promise to help you rule the world."
"That shows even less sincerity."
Chen Mo spread his hands. "If I really wanted to rule the world, would I need their help? Would I have a bunch of guys hiding in the sewers issue me an appointment letter?"
Tony tapped the table lightly.
"Although that sentence sounds incredibly rude, I can't find a way to refute it."
Fury stared at Chen Mo.
"So, you won't join them."
"Won't."
Chen Mo answered decisively, "I have no interest in joining Hydra. But if they come knocking on my door, I can't guarantee they'll leave you with a whole corpse."
"Can."
Fury didn't hesitate either, "But inform me before you act, and try to avoid densely populated areas."
"It depends."
This is the bare minimum.
"Then you should keep a close eye on them."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds.
In the end, Fury was the first to look away.
This was the best result he could achieve.
At least Chen Mo wouldn't team up with Hydra. As for those Hydra members who were deliberately courting death, Fury could only hope they wouldn't press any explosive buttons before they died.
The holographic projection began to flicker.
"By the way, Coulson will be with you guys for now."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"Follow us? Who gave us permission?"
"I."
"What gives you the right to agree on my behalf?"
Fury's projection vanished quickly.
Tony looked at the empty living room and sneered.
"You run really fast."
Coulson straightened his crumpled tie and put on his professional smile again.
" Mr. Stark, the vehicle is already waiting downstairs. The opening of the science exhibition will not be delayed because of your argument with the director."
Tony glanced down at his watch, his expression subtly changing.
"Walk."
Downstairs in the hotel.
A silver-gray limited-edition luxury car was parked at the entrance. Happy sat in the driver's seat, flipping through a newspaper with a bored expression.
Upon seeing the three people emerge, he immediately got out of the car and opened the back door.
Tony was the first to sit down.
Chen Mo got into the car, looked down at the spacious carriage, and then knocked on the door.
"What's the use of this slow-moving metal box?"
"It allows us to arrive at the venue with dignity."
Tony straightened his suit collar. "Teleportation is only suitable for traveling; luxury cars are the lifestyle of genius billionaires."
"Can you be romantic even when you're stuck in traffic?"
"That's called giving ordinary citizens the opportunity to see me up close."
Just as Chen Mo was about to speak, the other car door suddenly opened.
Coulson bent down and sat down, closing the car door quite naturally.
The back row suddenly became a bit crowded.
Tony turned to look at him.
"Who let you up here?"
" Director Fury."
He's not here.
"So I carried it out for him."
Coulson fastened his seatbelt, his smile remaining unchanged. "Don't worry, I won't bother you two. You can pretend I'm not here."
Chen Mo glanced at Coulson was caught in the middle.
"You take up a third of the back seat, and your knees are pressing against me; your presence is stronger than a roadblock."
"I can move a little closer to Mr. Stark."
"Don't move."
Tony immediately raised his hand, "My suit costs more than your annual salary."
Coulson paused for a moment.
Strictly speaking, I don't know my annual salary.
"See?"
Chen Mo said to Tony, " S.H.I.E.L.D.. not only sends its employees to their deaths, but they also don't even tell them their pay details. I bet Fury is doing this to facilitate tax evasion."
Happy glanced in the rearview mirror and silently started the car.
He didn't want to get involved in the conversation in the back row.
High risk of unemployment.
Half an hour later, the luxury car drove into the Stark Industries Technology Exhibition venue.
A large number of reporters and spectators had already gathered in the square, with live broadcast equipment scattered around. Giant screens were playing Stark Industries ' promotional images, and dozens of new energy devices were neatly displayed on both sides of the booth.
Tony put on his sunglasses, a smile playing on his lips.
"You guys, remember to keep your eyes wide open later."
Chen Mo pushed open the car door.
"You'd better have something really original prepared, or you'll just end up looking like a new outfit falling from the sky."
"Don't worry, this is high technology you can't understand."
Tony walked toward the venue, feigning mystery.
Meanwhile, inside the exhibition hall.
A burly man with long hair walked through the maintenance passage, his worker badge hanging around his neck. At the bottom of the toolbox in his hand lay two long metal whips.
Ivan Vanko looked up at Tony Stark on the giant screen.
The technology exhibition has begun.