"Mm!" Hearing Happy and Coulson's words, Orihime Inoue nodded vigorously, offering them a shy smile.
She curiously examined the interior of the car and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Coulson, are you Police officers who are better than regular Police? Besides catching bad guys, do you also help find lost kittens?"
Coulson, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at her through the rearview mirror. For a fleeting moment, his face, which usually wore a professional smile, went blank.
He had just finished a brief encrypted call, reporting to Director Fury about "two anomalous individuals with unknown power levels, one a suspected gravity manipulator, and the other suspected of possessing powerful healing arts."
Now, this "individual with healing arts" was asking him if they looked for cats.
"We deal with—usually, much bigger problems, Miss." Coulson carefully chose his words.
"I see."
Orihime Inoue nodded as if she understood, then pressed her hands together and said in a whimsical tone:
"Then you must have it very hard! If only there were a power that could 'reject' all bad things from happening, that would be great. For example, before a bad guy thinks of doing something bad, you could just 'reject' his bad thoughts, and then he would only want to be a good person!"
The corner of Coulson's mouth twitched. Happy, sitting beside him, listened in a daze. He began to feel that this savior's way of thinking might be just like her healing ability—not within the realm of normal human beings.
Fujitora, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
"Driver, your heartbeat is twelve percent faster than it was just a moment ago."
His voice was steady, yet it made the Agent driving the car stiffen, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightening instinctively.
"You are nervous," Fujitora continued.
"But not because of us. You are worried about something else. This road—is not leading to the city center, but to the suburbs."
The air inside the car instantly dropped to freezing.
Happy looked at Fujitora in astonishment. How could this blind man know these things?
The smile on Coulson's face finally faded completely. He turned around to face the man in the back seat, who felt like a mountain. "Mr. Fujitora, your perception is very keen."
"I am just a blind man who loves to gamble," Fujitora responded calmly. "Gamblers are always more attentive to the movements around them."
"The office in the city is not suitable for hosting you all." Coulson no longer hid anything, his tone becoming pure and efficient.
"We are going to a safer, more appropriate place. Please rest assured, we have no malicious intent."
The black SUV drove off the main road and turned into a secluded highway leading toward the Santa Monica Mountains.
A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary cliff face.
On the cliff face, a barely visible crack lit up with a blue glow, and then, a whole section of rock slid inward silently, revealing a deep, brightly lit metal tunnel.
The vehicle drove in smoothly, and the heavy alloy door behind them slowly closed, shutting out everything from the outside World.
"Wow!"
The moment the car door opened, Orihime Inoue gasped in amazement.
They were in an underground space so huge it was beyond imagination. The dome was so high it felt as if the entire mountain had been hollowed out, and countless lights illuminated the place as bright as day.
In the distance, several black aircraft with futuristic designs were parked quietly. On the ground, personnel in various uniforms hurried about, moving between massive holographic projection screens and complex instruments.
"Is this... a secret Base? Just like in the TV shows and movies!"
Orihime Inoue's eyes sparkled. She tugged on Happy's sleeve and asked in an excited whisper.
"Mr. Happy, does your Stark Industries also have such a cool place?"
Happy had his mouth open, forgetting to answer for a moment.
He had seen all sorts of scenes while following Tony Stark; the laboratory on the top floor of Stark Tower was already a marvel of technology.
But this place before him... it gave a completely different feeling. This was not a genius's private playground, but an orderly, efficiently operating war fortress.
"Of course—my boss has things even cooler than this."
Happy was stunned for a moment, then answered affirmatively. Having followed Tony for so many years, he knew that whatever Tony wanted to build, as long as he had the blueprints, he could build it.
Fujitora leaned on his cane-sword, standing quietly in place. He was "listening" to all of this.
He heard the faint buzzing of the engines of those aircraft called "quinjet" cooling down hundreds of meters away;
He heard the steady pulsation of a massive energy core deep underground, outputting energy stably, like the heartbeat of a giant;
He heard countless data streams rushing like a turbulent river through an invisible network.
The technology of this World was heading in a completely different direction from the technology tree represented by Dr. Vegapunk that he was familiar with.
There were no biological modifications like the Pacifista, nor was there any Devil Fruit replication technology, but their application of energy, processing of information, and manufacturing of machinery had reached an astonishing height.
"This way, please."
Coulson made a guiding gesture, leading the three of them toward a white metal corridor.
"Mr. Coulson, is that map floating in the air a real map? Can you zoom in to see where your own home is?"
Orihime Inoue pointed at a huge blue holographic star map and asked curiously.
"Theoretically yes, Miss Orihime Inoue." Coulson maintained his professional patience.
"Wow, your floor is so shiny! Can you slide around on it?"
"—Please watch your step, be careful not to slip."
Watching the girl follow Coulson with such high energy, asking all sorts of whimsical questions, Happy's tense nerves relaxed slightly.
He felt that the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents might have dealt with aliens and super-powered individuals, but they had likely never dealt with a girl of Orihime Inoue's type.
Passing through the corridor, they arrived at a silver-gray metal door. There were no markings on the door, only a small scanner.
Coulson stopped and turned back to look at Fujitora and Orihime Inoue.
"The following conversation will involve some classified information. Happy, you can wait in the lounge outside."
"No, I'm staying with them." Happy immediately refused.
"They are my saviors. Until things are cleared up, I have to stay with them."
Coulson glanced at him, did not insist, and just nodded.
Anyway, you are Tony's man; it doesn't matter if you hear it.
He turned to Fujitora: "Mr. Fujitora, your powers are very strong, and you are very principled. We want to know where you and Miss Orihime Inoue actually come from."
Fujitora did not answer; no emotion could be seen on his scarred face.
Coulson didn't seem to expect an immediate answer. He stepped aside, and the metal door slid open silently to one side.
"My superior wants to talk to you personally. Please, come in."
The door slid open to one side, revealing a room so minimalist it was almost oppressive.
There were no extra decorations, only a round table and a few chairs. In the center of the room, with his back to the door, sat a man wearing a black trench coat.
Hearing the movement, the person turned the chair around.
It was a bald black man. The most striking thing on his face was a black eye patch covering his left eye.
"Fury." There was a hint of unsurprised exhaustion and wariness in Happy Hogan's voice.
"I knew it was you."
"Hogan." Nick Fury's single eye swept over him, his gaze calm and waveless, as if he were looking at a familiar piece of furniture.
"It seems Stark's babysitting job has become even more exciting than before."
The corner of Happy's mouth twitched, but he didn't refute it. Dealing with this head of S.H.I.E.L.D., he had never gotten the better of him.
Orihime Inoue looked at the one-eyed man curiously and whispered to Happy: "Mr. Happy, is this gentleman a pirate? His eye patch is so cool."
Happy nearly choked on his own saliva.
Coulson stood to the side, and for the first time, a slight crack appeared in his professional smiling face.
Nick Fury's single eye turned to Orihime Inoue. That dignified gaze was enough to make even the most stubborn criminal talk, but falling into the girl's clear, innocent eyes, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, unable to stir up even the slightest ripple.
"First meeting. Let me introduce myself. I am Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." Fury's voice was low, carrying an unquestionable authority.
"Please sit, everyone."
He gestured with his hand, but his gaze remained locked on Fujitora.