Besides the Hydra operation squad dispatched under Alexander Pierce orders, there were three other forces that got involved in this incident.
They were respectively the military forces led by Thaddeus Ross, the S.H.I.E.L.D. forces temporarily still handled by Coulson, and Tony Stark who appeared to be just one person on the surface but whose actual influence was no less formidable.
Pierce wasn't worried at all about getting into trouble with the military.
First, with the intelligence network that Thaddeus Ross had at his disposal, it would be impossible for him to see through the origins of the Hydra operation group.
Taking a step back, even if he discovered some clues... as long as the most crucial secret wasn't exposed—that is, as long as he didn't realize that Pierce was actually Hydra—then with the connections he had cultivated over the years through his diplomatic skills among the military bigwigs, plus the misdirection from his hidden companions, Alexander Pierce felt that General Ross really wouldn't be difficult to handle.
As for Stark side, there wasn't much to worry about either.
Even if his brain was smart enough and he had the artificial intelligence JARVIS helping him, he might not necessarily be able to trace things back to Pierce himself.
The reason was simple: the Agent 47 who led the mission was a "dead man" which made him very difficult to investigate.
Even if some information could be found, it would only reveal that the person belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D.
In any case, it would be impossible to connect it to Hydra or have Tony Stark discover the truth of the matter.
And the squad personnel who carried out the combat operations were all hired from outside with money.
They weren't members of Hydra to begin with, so naturally no correct intelligence could be obtained from them.
Only the investigation from S.H.I.E.L.D. side was somewhat difficult to handle.
As Nick Fury recommender, Alexander Pierce was all too familiar with his character and abilities.
He knew well that given Nick Fury nature, if his side made any more moves, Fury would definitely catch the scent and follow the trail like a hyena, biting down and never letting go.
For safety sake, Alexander Pierce could only temporarily shelve his thoughts of making another move against Shi Xiaolei.
...
Still unaware that he had temporarily escaped Hydra entanglement, Shi Xiaolei who had returned home after the situation ended, was still troubled by this matter.
"Want a drink?"
At some point, Bayonetta had also come to the rooftop garden holding two glasses filled with ice cubes and a bottle of whiskey with the cork already removed.
"Thanks, Sister Bayo."
Taking the glass, Shi Xiaolei forced a smile onto his face.
With a splashing sound, the crystal-clear liquor poured into the glass.
Under the illumination of the courtyard lights that Sister Bayo had recently bought, the ice cubes floating in the liquor reflected a bright but not glaring radiance.
"This cup is mine."
Just as Shi Xiaolei was about to say thanks, Sister Bayo suddenly took away the glass in his hand, switching it with the other empty glass and the bottle: "Pour as much as you want yourself. I don't want to be told 'because you got me drunk, I overslept and couldn't open the shop on time.'"
His mind was a bit muddled, so he didn't catch that Sister Bayo was deliberately changing the subject to help him relax.
Well, whether he caught it or not wasn't important.
The key thing was that with Sister Bayo few joking words, Shi Xiaolei mood did indeed lighten up somewhat.
"Ahh~~."
Taking a sip of the liquor and feeling the stimulation of alcohol going down his throat, Shi Xiaolei unconsciously let out a groan.
"Pretty good, right?"
Sister Bayo also took a sip, her posture much more elegant than Shi Xiaolei: "I went to Scotland a couple days ago for work, and I took the opportunity to visit a distillery direct store. This is a premium product they've been aging for twenty years, cost me a full twenty thousand dollars."
Knowing Shi Xiaolei personality, she deliberately emphasized "twenty thousand dollars."
And the subsequent development was exactly as Bayonetta had anticipated.
Upon hearing that this bottle of liquor was actually worth twenty thousand dollars, Shi Xiaolei unconsciously showed a pained expression and the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily several times: "This, this..."
He wanted to nag a few words but remembering that the money was earned by Sister Bayo herself and that he didn't have the standing to nitpick, after stammering a few sounds Shi Xiaolei words ultimately turned into a long sigh: "Sigh~."
"Money is earned to be spent."
Bayonetta smiled: "Don't you feel happy when you're spending money?"
"...Sister Bayo."
Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Shi Xiaolei couldn't help but complain: "The things you've bought are almost running out of places to put them at home. Just thinking about spending money, completely ignoring tidying up... It's only because of Silvia. If it were someone else, you'd see if they'd get annoyed with you."
"Emmm."
Her slender, tender white finger touched her chin.
Even though she was thinking seriously, she still unconsciously exuded alluring charm.
It had to be admitted that Bayonetta was simply the embodiment of feminine allure: "This problem does need to be solved. You've reminded me of it."
After pondering for a moment, Bayonetta eyes suddenly lit up and she snapped her fingers: "Rock, why don't we buy the floors below too."
"Pfft! Cough cough cough cough cough cough~!"
He really hadn't expected Bayonetta to suddenly come out with such a statement.
The liquor he'd just sipped into his mouth immediately went down the wrong way.
He coughed for quite a while as if he'd contracted tuberculosis and when he finally recovered, looking up at Bayonetta again, Shi Xiaolei face was full of disbelief, his gaze as if he were looking at an alien: "Sister Bayo, you don't have a fever, do you?"
Disdainfully moving her two long legs to avoid the liquor Shi Xiaolei had sprayed out, Bayonetta maintained her elegant yet seductive posture with a slightly smug smile at the corner of her mouth: "I think this idea is pretty good. The money sitting in the bank isn't doing anything anyway, so why not use it to buy property... Didn't you tell us the other day that the most guaranteed profitable business is buying property in big cities?"
I did say that, but I was referring to domestic China, okay?
Buying property in New York? If this were on Earth, it would indeed be a good idea.
But now we're in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—how can the situation be the same? You have to know that here, New York is definitely one of the most ill-fated cities, bar none.
Getting blown up every few years, how many insurance companies have gone bankrupt from not being able to afford the payouts? Investing in property here? Unless you're wealthy enough to reach Stark level, you absolutely can't withstand the market forces and are guaranteed to lose everything.
"Let's forget about it."
Shaking his head with a bitter smile, Shi Xiaolei expressed his firm disagreement with this proposal: "Compared to buying those floors below, I'd rather you spend all that money on luxury goods."
"Hm?"
Usually, he least liked seeing her bring home bags and packages of purchases, so why was he suddenly acting completely contrary to normal? Because of Shi Xiaolei words, Bayonetta showed a puzzled expression.
"The situation here in New York is a bit special."
Spreading his hands, Shi Xiaolei provided an explanation: "It's fine now, but in the next few years, it will suffer several very serious attacks, especially here in the city center. Your money comes easily, but if it's all thrown away like that, it would still be too much of a waste."
"..."