Charles led Tsunade to a slot machine and sat her down.
"Slot machines are simpler. Give this one a try," he said as he deposited 990,000 of his chips into the machine.
"Just bet on the symbols. I refuse to believe you can't win if you bet on everything."
Tsunade chuckled, "Alright, I'll give it a shot."
She casually selected a few symbols, placed 10,000 points on each, and pulled the lever. The symbols flashed on the screen but ultimately, nothing hit, and her points were wiped out.
Charles remained calm, standing behind her, watching as Tsunade continued betting. However, no matter how many symbols she chose—whether three or five—she still didn't win.
The most frustrating moment came when Tsunade bet on every symbol except one, and, naturally, the machine landed on the one she hadn't chosen.
Tsunade sighed in exasperation and turned to Charles, "Shall we continue?"
"Try betting on all the symbols at once," Charles suggested, "I want to see if this machine can really deny us a win."
Tsunade's eyes lit up. The idea of forcing the machine to pay out intrigued her. She quickly bet on every symbol and pulled the lever. The symbols spun, and when they stopped, she had finally won—though it was the lowest possible payout.
Despite the small win, Tsunade was overjoyed. "I won! I actually won!"
She stood up excitedly and hugged Charles before sitting back down, ready to continue playing.
…
Meanwhile, aboard the Airbus-
Coulson marveled, "Incredible, this kind of work just keeps getting easier."
"Facebook, image sharing, and online albums—everyone's basically monitoring themselves now."
Skye added, "And with all kinds of filters to choose from."
"I was good at this stuff back when I was with the Rising Tide, but your marking and searching abilities are mind-blowing."
Coulson turned to Killer Bee, asking, "Do ninjas use a similar method to find people?"
Sensing the probing nature of the question, Killer Bee didn't seem bothered. Instead, he responded, "This kind of technology doesn't work as well for us ninjas as you might think."
"In fact, it can be misleading. We don't rely on methods like this."
Coulson and Skye's interest piqued. Could there be a flaw in their system?
Coulson asked, "Is there a better method? One we can use?"
Killer Bee shook his head. "That's not my area of expertise, and you wouldn't be able to use our methods."
Curious, Skye pressed, "Why not? Is there a limitation?"
Killer Bee answered plainly, "You don't have chakra."
At the same time, Killer Bee thought to himself: "The interrogation division's brain-invasion techniques aren't something just anyone can use."
When Killer Bee mentioned chakra, Skye was left speechless. She really had no idea how to wield that kind of energy.
Watching the screen as the search results kept piling up, May said, "I can use facial recognition software to process these photos and cross-reference them with our criminal database."
Coulson shook his head. "No need."
He pressed pause and selected one photo, zooming in on the figure.
Pointing at the image of the woman on the screen, Coulson said, "That's the thief."
"Her name is Akela Amador."
May, eyeing the woman's face, asked, "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I trained her."
With the thief now identified, the next steps became much clearer.
Coulson led the team to the briefing room, where they reviewed the thief's file.
"Akela Amador was once a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Seven years ago, she led a team in a raid on one of Von Chart's labor camps. Everyone assumed she and two other agents were killed in action."
"I had my doubts, so I sent another team to investigate, just in case."
"They found remains, but there wasn't enough evidence to confirm they were Amador's, so it was left unresolved."
Killer Bee glanced at Coulson and said, "Seems like there's a traitor in S.H.I.E.L.D., and it's your former student."
Coulson paused for a moment before responding, "That's a strong possibility, but we can't be certain yet."
May added, "So when you heard about the robbery, you decided to take over the investigation?"
Coulson nodded. "There are only a few women in the world, excluding enhanced individuals, capable of pulling off something this impossible. Since you're on the plane with us, I'm sure it's her."
At that moment, Ward chimed in after reviewing some information. "Swedish customs confirmed that Amador left Sweden. She used a fake name on her Swedish passport."
"She flew to Belarus, bought a train ticket to a small town called Zhlobin."
"I've also compiled a list of people capable of fencing such a large quantity of diamonds. So far, no signs of contact or action."
Ward waved his hand, and the profiles of these individuals were displayed on the screen.
Coulson studied the names for a moment, then said, "Maybe she's holding onto the diamonds as a backup plan, in case she needs to purchase something specific."
Ward thought for a moment and added, "Ninjas wouldn't be interested in diamonds, but the Continental Hotel might."
Hearing the mention of the Continental Hotel, Skye grew curious and immediately pulled out her phone to look it up. She then turned to Killer Bee and asked, "Ninjas really aren't interested in diamonds?"
Killer Bee considered for a moment and replied, "Something as useless as that wouldn't attract a ninja's attention."
Coulson cut in, "Let's stay focused on finding Amador."
May suddenly said, "I'll notify headquarters that she's still alive, so they can assist in the manhunt."
Coulson turned to her and said, "I'd like to hold off on that until we have more information."
"Reach out to the Belarusian authorities and arrange a place for us to land the plane."
Then, looking at Ward, he added, "Prepare a list of hotels, inns, and retirement homes around Zhlobin. There shouldn't be too many."
"We will find her."
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