Chapter 104: Meeting
When Fury finished listening to Coulson's encrypted report, he was leaning against the command chair of the helicarrier, wiping his eyepatch over his single eye.
Upon hearing the seven words "Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense", his movements paused for three seconds, his temples throbbing twice as three question marks slowly popped up in his mind.
Were the U.S. government's secret departments released on a quarterly basis?
First S.H.I.E.L.D. managed aliens and anomalous humans, then Sector Seven popped up after being hidden for nearly a hundred years to specialize in alien robots, and now, to top it all off, even B.P.R.D., which managed hellish monsters, had jumped out.
If this went on, would there be one managing magic, one managing the netherworld, and one managing parallel Universes next week? Put together, they could hold a secret department expo.
"Director?" Coulson waited for a long time on the other end of the communicator without hearing a response, so he tentatively called out.
Fury snapped back to reality, his fingertips tapping lightly on the desk, his single eye narrowing, his tone devoid of ripples: "Got it. Stay there, coordinate well with the people from B.P.R.D., joint action on Samael's case, S.H.I.E.L.D.will provide technology and fieldwork, and fully cooperate."
"Yes." Coulson acknowledged, then added, "Director Manning said their department also has several special consultants with very unique abilities, should we..."
"Recruit them if you can, no need to rush." Fury interrupted him, his mental abacus clicking loudly.
Hellish creatures had already popped up, and who knew what kind of monsters and freaks there would be in the future; having one more force was always better than having one more opponent.
Cooperation with Sector Seven had just been discussed, and this line with B.P.R.D. had to be established as well: "Data sharing can be discussed, but the bottom line is that core technology cannot be loosened. Exercise good judgment."
Hanging up the communicator, Fury leaned back against the chair back, looking at the clouds outside the porthole, and let out a faint sigh.
In the past, he felt that S.H.I.E.L.D. meddled in enough things, but now he realized that he was just a frog at the bottom of a well.
So all the U.S. secret departments were just playing their own games, and would never show their faces until things became uncontainable, right?
He pressed the intercom: "Hill, pull up all the files of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, dig as deep as permissions allow. Also, list Professor Broom's information separately."
"Understood." Hill's voice was crisp and neat, pausing at the end to add, "Director, Sector Seven, B.P.R.D.... counting us, that's already three."
Fury twitched the corner of his mouth, his tone without any fluctuation: "Don't rush, at this pace, there will be more in the future."
Far away in the Villa in Long Island, New York, Logan was originally squatting in the yard teaching Ares to catch a frisbee. Relying on its strong build, whenever the big dog couldn't catch it, it would slam into it with its body, sending the frisbee flying everywhere. Just as they were having a great time, the astral phone in his pocket buzzed.
Pulling it out to look, it was a video call from Tony, with the background still being his messy laboratory. His face was stained with a bit of metal debris, obviously tinkering with a new armor again.
"What?" Logan answered the phone, casually catching the frisbee that Ares had brought back in its mouth. The big dog was panting heavily, rubbing its big head against his hand.
"I'll tell you something new." Tony aimed the camera at the screen, which displayed the encrypted files just scraped from the S.H.I.E.L.D. database: "Would you believe it? The government has popped out with another secret department called the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, abbreviated as B.P.R.D., which specializes in monsters from hell. Things like Hellhounds, demons, and evil spirits—they're specialized in the field."
Logan raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise: "Hell? Is there really such a place?"
But he rolled his eyes in his heart.
Good grief, the Hellboy storyline was also emerging.
This World was truly getting more and more lively: Mutants, aliens, Cybertron robots, Vampires, and now even hellish creatures were coming to make up the numbers. In a little while, would the Men in Black come out too? Was there still a Hogwarts hidden in Britain?
"Who knows if it's true or false, anyway the file is written vividly." Tony turned the camera back with a gossipy look on his face: "Let me tell you, they also have two special consultants: one with red skin and long horns, whose right hand is like stone; the other is a merperson who can read memories just by touching things. Even flashier than the Mutants here."
He clicked his tongue twice as he spoke, leaning against the lab bench: "I used to think Sector Seven was hidden deep enough, but it turns out the government is full of endless tricks. Fury's head must be huge right now; he just dealt with Sector Seven, and now B.P.R.D. comes along. Who knows how many departments are still hidden behind the scenes."
"Normal, New York has already suffered bombings from an alien fleet twice, what's so rare about a few more departments managing monsters." Logan said in a flat tone, throwing the frisbee out and watching Ares chase after it like a wild dog: "They investigate theirs, it has nothing to do with us."
He said so on his lips, but he was very clear in his heart.
Ogdru Jahad from the first part of Hellboy was an apocalyptic dragon with a strong Cthulhu flavor. If it really broke the seal and ran out, not only New York, but the entire World would suffer.
Although Hellboy was holding the line, this stitched-together Universe had too many variables, and who knew what kind of moths would fly out.
He still had to keep a secret eye on it.
If things really blew up, he couldn't just watch monsters run over to demolish his home.
After all, Long Island wasn't far from Manhattan; if a real fight broke out, the lawn in his own yard would be trampled to pieces.
"How can it not!" Tony was displeased, pulling on the camera and leaning closer: "Those are hellish creatures! Aren't you curious? Their energy system and physical structure are different from Mutants and aliens. If we could get some samples to study, maybe materials science could take another big step forward."
Logan laughed in spite of himself: "Are you trying to research, or are you trying to add an anti-demon function to your armor?"
"Hey, that train of thought is not bad!" Tony's eyes lit up, and he stroked his chin to ponder.
"Give it a rest, don't mess around blindly." Logan shook his head: "That's B.P.R.D.'s own case, let's not meddle blindly. If monsters really run out, naturally someone will take care of them."
He certainly didn't want to actively crowd up to it.
There were already enough things to do; Anna's matter hadn't been settled yet, and Ares's genes hadn't been figured out either. There was no need to jump into hellish events voluntarily.
They could talk about it when it really came to their doorstep. Hellboy was so tall, let him hold the line first.
Tony curled his lips, obviously somewhat unsatisfied and wanting to say more, when Jarvis's prompt came from behind, saying that the proportioning of the Cybertronnanomaterials had been adjusted. He immediately threw the gossip behind his head, hastily dropping the line "I'll go get busy first, I'll let you know if there's any new news", and hurriedly hung up the phone.
Logan put away his phone, looked at Ares running back with the frisbee in its mouth, and rubbed its big head.
The big dog's wet palm rubbed against his palm, its eyes silly and foolish, showing not the slightest hint of hidden unknown fragments in its genes.
"Tell me, what kind of business is all this." He muttered in a low voice: "Aliens just left, and hellish monsters come again. Is New York a tourist attraction or what, running here with all sorts of weird things."
Ares tilted its head, unable to understand what he was saying, and only shoved the frisbee into his hand, its tail swinging with a roaring wind.
Logan smiled and shook his head, throwing the frisbee out again.
Forget it, why think so much, fishing and walking the dog were the real business.
On the other side, Fury flew back to New York personally the next day, taking Coulson straight to B.P.R.D.'s secret stronghold.
The place was hidden quite remotely, inside a waste disposal company in New Jersey. As soon as they entered the lobby, someone had been waiting for a long time at the central circular LOGO.
After they stood still, they realized this was an elevator leading straight underground.
Not knowing how many floors they went down before stopping, their eyes suddenly brightened, and this place could be described as a World of its own.
Greeting them was an elderly Professor with graying hair, wearing thin-rimmed glasses and a well-pressed dark suit, clutching a leather notebook in his hand. He looked like a college Professor, not at all like the head of a department managing hellish monsters.
"Director Fury, I've heard much about you." The old Professor extended his hand, his tone calm: "I am Trevor Broom, the current head of B.P.R.D."
"Professor Broom." Fury reached out and shook his hand, his single eye calmly scanning the surrounding instruments: "Your department is hidden deep enough. I only learned that New York had such an agency because of the art museum incident this time."
This remark was half-probing and half-complaining. Professor Broom wasn't annoyed when he heard it; he smiled and made a gesture of invitation: "In our line of work, it's not good to be too flamboyant. After all, the things we deal with are likely to cause panic if talked about."
The two entered the conference room, with Director Manning accompanying them. He served coffee and then retreated outside, closing the door smoothly behind him.
Coulson sat beside Fury, holding a tablet in his hand, ready to supplement data at any time.
He quietly sized up Professor Broom, secretly sighing in his heart that this person looked gentle and refined; who would have thought he managed hellish monsters and non-human consultants under his command.
"Let's get straight to the point, Professor." Fury put down his coffee cup and went straight to the theme: "S.H.I.E.L.D.will fully cooperate on Samael's case. I came today to discuss longer-term cooperation."
Professor Broom raised his glasses, didn't answer, and waited for him to continue.
"After the Battle of New York, what the situation on Earthis like, you should be clear in your heart." Fury's tone was steady: "Alien fleets, Mutants, Cybertron robots—it will only get more chaotic in the future. Relying solely on S.H.I.E.L.D., or solely on B.P.R.D., cannot hold the bottom line. Sharing intelligence and joint actions are good for both sides."
Coulson timely added: "Professor, S.H.I.E.L.D. has a global intelligence network, satellite surveillance, fieldwork teams, and technical support from Stark Industries. If we cooperate, all these resources can be open to B.P.R.D. We only need your side to share files on paranormal creatures and response experience."
Professor Broom rubbed his fingertips gently against the cover of the notebook, silent for a few seconds before slowly opening his mouth: "Director Fury, I know S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strength. But B.P.R.D.'s files involve things that are too special. It's not that many things cannot be said, but rather that saying them causes trouble instead. The rules of hell, ancient seals, and those things that shouldn't exist... knowing too much is not necessarily a good thing."
"Professor, it's already this time, hiding and tucking things away is useless." Fury leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying a bit of oppressiveness without losing proper measure: "We can't wait until monsters tear down half of New York before we sit down and exchange data, right? Sector Seven hid the allspark for nearly a hundred years before, and what was the result in the end? Didn't it still cause the Decepticons' chaos?"
This remark hit the nail on the head.
Professor Broom frowned slightly, evidently thinking of the cautionary tale of Sector Seven.
He was silent for quite a while before sighing: "Director Fury, cooperation is not out of the question, but there must be boundaries. Paranormal events will be led by us, alien and Mutant events belong to S.H.I.E.L.D., and cross-cases will be joint actions. Data sharing can only share non-core parts; those involving top-level seals and high-risk creatures require going through an approval process."
Fury felt disdain in his heart.
Approval process? To put it bluntly, it just meant they didn't want to reveal all their family fortunes.
They were of the same virtue as Sector Seven back then—hiding and tucking things away, refusing to spit out the hard goods until it was an absolute last resort.
But he didn't push too hard either. Everything had to be done step-by-step; being able to strike up a conversation and reach a preliminary consensus today was enough.
When they truly encountered things they couldn't handle, the other party would naturally come knocking.
"Alright." Fury nodded readily, extending his hand: "Let's start with Samael's case. For subsequent cooperation details, just have Coulson and Manning interface."
Professor Broom grasped his hand and smiled: "I hope we have a pleasant cooperation."
The meeting didn't last too long. When Fury and Coulsonleft, the sky was already turning dark.
Getting into the car, Coulson couldn't help asking: "Director, Professor Broom's attitude, did he agree or not?"
"Half agreed." Fury leaned against the chair back, his single eye looking at the fleeting street view outside the window: "Old fox, his mental abacus is calculated very precisely. Hanging us out first to see our sincerity before talking. But it doesn't matter, Samael's case is the touchstone. When he really encounters something he can't handle, he'll be more anxious than us."
Coulson nodded, but was pondering another matter in his heart.
Wait until the next action, should he casually ask Mr. Logan? That person was well-informed, and perhaps had some understanding of hellish creatures.
Of course, he didn't say this to Fury; that lord had always been leisurely and carefree, and whether he could be invited or not was another matter.
Meanwhile, back at the B.P.R.D. stronghold, ProfessorBroom stood by the window, watching S.H.I.E.L.D.'s car disappear around the street corner, and tapped lightly on the glass window.
"Professor, are we really going to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Manning walked over, somewhat worried: "Our secrets..."
"It can't be hidden anymore." Professor Broom sighed: "After the Battle of New York, the entire World is different. The alien fleets have driven right over our heads, and those matters of hell cannot be hidden for long no matter how much we hide them. S.H.I.E.L.D. has technology and resources, cooperation is not necessarily a bad thing."
He paused and added: "Gate-keep on the data side, don't let the core parts out. Especially... regarding the Blood Queen and Ogdru Jahad, it must never be leaked."
Manning's expression turned serious: "Understood."
Chapter 105 Joint Operations
The operation to clear out Samael's nest was set for the early morning three days later.
S.H.I.E.L.D. sent a three-person team on their end: Agent Coulson as the overall coordinator, Ward responsible for field assault and fire support, plus Agent Melinda Mei, a legendary Agent dual-specialized in combat and infiltration.
The rendezvous point was chosen at the sewer entrance behind the art museum. The streets at two in the morning were deserted, with only the streetlights casting a dim, yellowish glow.
Hellboy squatted by the manhole cover with a cigar in his mouth, spinning a custom oversized revolver in his stone hand, with a bulging canvas bag filled with ammunition and tools placed at his feet.
Abe was wearing a waterproof combat suit and carrying a metal detection case. He was squatting on the ground, sampling and analyzing traces of slime, his scales shimmering with a faint cyan-blue in the night.
"Is everyone here?" Hellboy lifted his eyes to scan the three of them, his gaze lingering on Mei for an extra half second as he muttered mockingly, "S.H.I.E.L.D. really thinks highly of those mutts, sending this many people."
Coulson stepped forward with a standard professional smile on his face: "More hands make lighter work. This is Agent Ward, and this is Agent Mei. They are both veterans with extensive field experience."
Ward nodded, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward Hellboy's stone hand and broken horns before quickly pulling it back and striking a professional pose.
Mei just gave a slight nod, her gaze sweeping over the slime traces on the ground and glancing at the manhole cover without speaking. Her hands were already checking the magazine of her custom rifle, which was loaded with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special armor-piercing incendiary rounds designed specifically to deal with monsters possessing regenerative abilities.
Abe stood up and greeted the three of them warmly: "Conditions in the sewers are complicated, and Samael's nest should be in the flooded area of the main pipeline branch. I'll walk ahead to scout the path later and try to avoid their perception."
"Avoid what? Just smash our way in and be done with it." Hellboy blew a smoke ring and kicked the manhole cover with his foot. "Dilly-dallying will only make it more troublesome once they split into a dozen more."
"Wait, we need to confirm the nest structure and numbers first—" Before Coulson could finish his sentence, with a loud bang, the manhole cover was already kicked flying by Hellboy, crashing into the wall with a loud clatter.
The big red-skinned fellow grabbed his gun and jumped right down, his raspy voice floating up from the pipe: "Why so much nonsense? We'll know once we fight."
Coulson froze for a moment, a look of helplessness crossing his face.
True to what was written in his file, this fellow did things his own way and completely ignored protocol.
He turned to look at Abe, who gave a wry smile and shrugged: "He's always like this, you'll get used to it. Let's keep up and not let him go in alone."
Several of them climbed down the ladder one after another.
The sewer was damp and smelly, with turbid standing water submerging their ankles. The walls were covered in slick moss, and the air was filled with a strange mixed odor of sourness and silt.
Ward frowned, barely holding back from covering his nose; Mei's expression remained unchanged, her muzzle constantly pointing toward the darkness ahead, her footsteps so light they made almost no sound.
Coulson walked while opening his tablet, connecting to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s thermal detection. A few small red dots were flickering about in the depths on the screen.
"There are three heat sources fifty meters to the front-left, which should be Samael," Coulson reminded in a low voice.
Hellboy, walking at the very front, didn't slow down at all; instead, he accelerated, his stone hand clenching with a crackling sound: "Perfect, saves us the trouble of searching."
Abe hurried to catch up, saying in a low voice: "Be careful, their strong acid can corrode ordinary metal. Even though your stone hand is durable, don't take too many hits head-on."
"Got it, got it."
Turning a corner, three Samael were indeed crouching in the standing water, gnawing on something. Hearing the movement, they turned their heads in unison, their split maws emitting deep growls. Their tentacle-like manes all stood up, and acid dripped down the corners of their mouths, scorching the ground with sizzling white smoke.
Without a word, Hellboy raised his hand and fired a shot.
The large-caliber bullet blasted into the chest of the foremost Samael, blowing out a bloody hole and spraying black bodily fluid all over the ground.
The monster shrieked and lunged forward, a dozen tentacles whipping across simultaneously with a whistling sound through the air.
"The core in the left chest!" Abe called out the weak point in time.
Ward immediately raised his gun for rapid fire, two bullets hitting the target precisely. That Samael twitched twice and plunged into the water with a splash, without splitting again.
But the other two had already lunged close, and one of them abruptly spat out strong acid, heading straight for Hellboy's face.
"Careful!" Coulson was just about to warn him when he saw Hellboy not dodging or evading, simply blocking forward with his stone hand. The strong acid poured onto the stone hand, sizzling with white smoke, yet he acted like it was nothing. With his other hand, he grabbed the monster's tongue and gave it a vicious yank, forcefully tearing the tongue out by the roots.
The monster shook its head frantically in pain. Hellboyseized the momentum to swing his fist, slamming it into the location of its chest core. With that single punch, the crisp sound of shattering bones was clearly audible.
Seeing that things were going south, the remaining one turned and bolted deep into the pipeline.
Mei moved. She stepped on the wall and leaped up, her movements as fast as a shadow. The short blade in her hand precisely pierced into the back of the monster's neck, slicing fiercely with the momentum of her descent.
The Samael let out a sharp hiss, its body swaying before it toppled into the standing water.
The whole process took less than three minutes, and all three Samael were dealt with.
When Ward put away his gun, he couldn't help marveling inwardly: this red-skinned fellow was truly durable, and Agent Mei was truly fast—this combination was simply absurd.
"Is this all they've got?" Hellboy shook the slime off his hand and curled his lips, obviously unsatisfied with the fight. "There should be more in the nest. Let's move further in."
The group continued deeper inside, with Abe stopping from time to time to touch the walls and perceive the lingering aura.
Coulson followed by his side, taking the opportunity to chat: "Mr. Sapien, your perceptual ability is truly amazing. Just a single touch and you can know so much information."
"Just call me Abe." Abe smiled, his tone gentle: "It's innate. I've lived in the water since I was a child, so I'm quite sensitive to auras and memory residues. Speaking of which, I really admire S.H.I.E.L.D. for being able to deal with alien fleets."
"Everyone pitched in together." Coulson waved his hand dismissively, though inwardly thinking that compared to monsters from hell, aliens didn't seem quite so novel anymore.
The two chatted all the way, from monster habits to the quirky equipment of their respective departments, finding more and more in common as they talked.
Ward listened from behind, occasionally chiming in; Mei guarded the rear, remaining constantly vigilant of her surroundings without uttering a single word of idle chatter.
Hellboy walked at the very front, turning back from time to time to urge them on, complaining that they walked too slowly, acting just like an impatient team leader.
But before they could find the main nest, Coulson's communicator suddenly rang—it was an emergency communication from Hill.
"Agent Coulson, evacuate the sewers immediately. An explosion has occurred at the Pine Wood Nursing Home in Queens, suspected to be a loss of control over supernatural abilities. There are large-scale burn marks at the scene, and B.P.R.D. has already intervened."
Coulson's expression changed: "Fire out of control? Is it serious?"
"Half of the nursing home burned down, and casualties are still being tallied. Director Fury wants you to head over for reinforcements immediately."
"Understood."
Hanging up the communicator, Coulson looked at the others: "Something's happened. There's an outbreak of supernatural abilities at the Queens nursing home, and we need to head over right away."
Abe's expression also changed: "Fire ability? Could it be Liz Sherman?"
"Liz Sherman?"
"Liz Sherman the Firestarter, another of our consultants. She can manipulate fire, but her powers are unstable, and she has been recuperating at the nursing home." Abe said with an urgent tone: "Once her abilities go out of control, her destructive power is extremely high; she could burn down half a block."
Hellboy frowned and shoved his gun back into the bag: "Let's go, go take a look."
The group rapidly climbed out of the sewer and drove straight for Queens.
By the time they arrived, the Pine Wood Nursing Home had already become a ruin. More than half the building had been burned down and collapsed, the charred walls were still smoking, fire engines and Ratchet formed a circle around the area, and the air was filled with a burnt smell.
Professor Broom had already arrived, standing outside the police line with an ugly expression. Director Manning was by his side reporting the situation, his brows furrowed so tightly they could pinch a fly to death.
"Professor, how's the situation?" Abe walked over quickly.
Professor Broom shook his head and sighed: "Liz Shermanlost control. Someone sneaked into the nursing home and used black magic to trigger her abilities. She couldn't control it and burned down most of the nursing home. Fortunately, there weren't many patients at night, so it didn't cause too many casualties, but she passed out herself and was just carried into the vehicle."
"Black magic?" Coulson froze for a moment. "Who did it?"
"Not quite sure who yet." Professor Broom's tone dropped. "Judging by the craftsmanship, it looks a bit like an 'old friend' of mine."
Coulson's brows were tightly furrowed. To make ProfessorBroom refer to someone as an old friend showed just how tricky this was.
Half an hour later, Fury's private car stopped outside the police line.
The one-eyed Director got out of the car, glanced at the charred ruins, looked at the unconscious red-haired woman on Ratchet's stretcher nearby, and walked over to Professor Broom.
"Professor, it seems our cooperation needs to deepen ahead of schedule," Fury said in a steady tone, yet carrying an unquestionable weight. "Things as they are now seem to be beyond your ability to handle."
Professor Broom was silent, his fingers gripping his notebook tightly. He knew Fury was right.
Hellboy and Abe alone were no longer sufficient to cope with the current situation.
"Liz Sherman's abilities are out of control. We at S.H.I.E.L.D. have biological suppression technology and energy stabilization devices to help her control her powers," Fury tossed out his bargaining chip calmly. "As for the whereabouts of the mastermind, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s global intelligence network can also help track them down. We only need one condition: comprehensive information sharing to jointly deal with this crisis."
Professor Broom raised his head, looked at Fury, and then looked at the distant, unconscious Liz Sherman, finally letting out a long sigh.
"Alright." He nodded, his tone carrying a trace of helplessness yet also relief. "Comprehensive cooperation. Data and archives, except for top secrets, can all be shared. But the leadership of the operation, the supernatural part, must be ours."
Chapter 106 Seeking Advice
New York, Brooklyn, an old apartment building.
Formerly the most notorious mystic monk of Tsarist Russia, Grigori Rasputin, is now dressed in a black suit and wearing sunglasses, looking just like a successful man.
No one would ever have thought that he was the black wizard who was once active in Tsarist Russia and later defected to the Mustache.
Of course, he also has an unknown identity, which is a follower of the apocalypse dragon Ogdru Jahad.
He devoted his life to freeing the apocalypse dragon from the crystal prison, the one in the Bible that brought Doomsday judgment to the World.
The ancient stele is the door of the prison, and Hellboy's right hand is the key.
Now he has already had his assistant Ilsa spend a fortune to buy this door, missing only that key.
But now, as the holder of the key, Anung Un Rama, the offspring of the hell demon Azazel, works for humanity and willingly gives up the mission of destroying the World, which also makes Rasputin very dissatisfied.
Therefore, the purpose of his series of events is to make Hellboy return to his own mission.
And first of all, it is to sever Hellboy's ties in the mortal World, namely his adoptive father, Broom.
Samael is just bait to keep them running around, and the real trump card is hidden within their next mission.
Karl Ruprecht Kroenen.
Formerly an officer and scientist under Heydrich, he later defected to Rasputin, suffering from severe surgery addiction, having removed his own eyelids, lips, toes, and fingernails.
Later, during a raid by a young Professor Broom and the Allied forces, he lost his left hand, heart, and spine.
Thus, he completely remodeled himself into a form powered solely by clockwork, replacing the blood in his body with black magic sand.
He possessed superb swordsmanship and considerable engineering prowess, which, coupled with his immortality granted by black magic and bodily modification, made him quite tricky to deal with to a certain extent.
At this moment, the order he received was to station himself within the underground pipeline network, inside one of Samael's old lairs, waiting for Hellboy and the others to show up.
Ever since S.H.I.E.L.D. and B.P.R.D. agreed on in-depth cooperation, they settled Liz Sherman, and at the same time, the temporary squad was turned into a formal squad responsible for handling all kinds of supernatural events happening on Earth together.
Although Hellboy was unhappy about associating with people from S.H.I.E.L.D., he did not want to cause trouble for his adoptive father, Broom.
In contrast, Abe was very supportive of the cooperation with S.H.I.E.L.D..
After all, relying on him and Hellboy in the past, along with an unstable Liz Sherman, dealing with incidents was indeed becoming increasingly overwhelming.
With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s professionals as well as support in intelligence and equipment, things would be much easier in the future.
Fury placed great importance on this squad, even specially transferring Fitz and Simmons from the research department to provide logistical support specifically for the squad.
In his view, this was a miniature version of the Avengers, a professional squad used to deal with localized crises.
This not only resolved the situation where they had to bother the Avengers to step in for everything, but also added bargaining chips to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s power, truly killing two birds with one stone.
He even harbored the ambition of incorporating B.P.R.D.into the S.H.I.E.L.D. system, but the timing was not right yet.
Logan was also paying secret attention to the Hellboystoryline.
He was not surprised by the merger between B.P.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D.; after all, they were both official organizations and agencies that resolved supernatural events, and no fool would try to stop something like mutual benefit through cooperation.
Logan knew very well about the notorious Tsarist mystic monk Rasputin.
He was crystal clear on what kind of methods this guy planned to use later on, which was also thanks to having seen this movie in his past life.
If he did not intervene, Broom would inevitably die at the hands of the clockwork man Kroenen.
Then Hellboy would step into the trap at Cemetery No. 17, acting as the key to open the crystal prison.
Although he couldn't be bothered to meddle in other people's business, no one wanted a highly contaminating Loki to appear right at their doorstep.
Therefore, he was already pondering how to get involved in this matter.
The turning point came very quickly when Coulson made a phone call to Logan.
"Mr. Howlett, I apologize for intruding. But I have a favor to ask of you."
Coulson was very polite, carrying respect for the strong and reverence for resolving the helicarrier crash and the Battle of New York.
"We are all old acquaintances, so there is no need for formalities. Speak, what is it?" Logan accepted this respect with great composure; after all, if not for him, the other party would have died on the helicarrier long ago.
"The thing is, we are currently investigating an incident involving hellish creatures and black magic. You are well-informed; could you provide some relevant clues?"
Coulson was also at his wits' end at this moment, as the investigation after the squad's formation was not progressing smoothly.
First of all, locating Samael was very difficult, and the black wizard who induced Liz Sherman's powers to go out of control was even more untraceable.
Having found nothing after searching for days, he could only call Logan with the mindset of treating a dead horse as a live one.
For Logan, Coulson's question was as timely as a pillow brought to someone falling asleep. He pretended to ponder for a few seconds, then slowly said, "Speaking of this, I actually know a little. Have you heard of the secret society from the Mustache era? He, who was rumored to be facing imminent defeat in the war, tried to use black technology to turn the situation around."
Coulson didn't expect this to trace all the way back to the World War II era, but he still asked patiently, "I seem to have heard of this. Could what's happening now be related to it?"
"At that time, the Tsarist mystic monk and famous black wizard Grigori Rasputin defected to the Mustache, claiming he could summon an army from hell to help him reverse the situation. But the Allied forces discovered his plot and sent people to raid the ritual site." Logan took a drag from his cigar. "Obviously, his plan failed; otherwise, we wouldn't be able to sit here and chat peacefully right now. However, Rasputin didn't die; instead, he was temporarily trapped. And now, this series of events clearly indicates that he has broken free and returned."
Coulson digested this shocking piece of information and rubbed his throbbing glabella. Ever since the Battle of New York, all sorts of freaks and weirdos had popped up. "So all of this is Rasputin's doing? He wants to reopen the gates of hell?"
Logan sneered, "It's not that simple; the gates of hell can't be opened just by saying so. But his goal is no different from opening the gates of hell."
"Mr. Howlett, please stop keeping me in suspense." Coulson smiled bitterly. He was burning with anxiety now, wanting nothing more than to quickly figure out what the underlying reason was and immediately arrange countermeasures.
"Have you ever heard of the apocalypse dragon Ogdru Jahad?"
Chapter 107: Avengers Assembling
"The Apocalypse Dragon, Odrudg Jahad?"
Fury drew out his tone, his expression weird, as if he were saying, Are you kidding me?
"Coulson, if I didn't know your character, I would think you made up a story to fool me."
Coulson smiled bitterly, "I would rather this were a mythological story, after all, it's too shocking. The Apocalypse Dragon that brings Doomsday, no matter how you look at it, feels even more terrifying than the Chitaurifleet."
Fury rubbed his throbbing brows, "Synchronize the news with Professor Broom, and see if he knows about this. After all, they often deal with these ancient mythological legends."
In front of Fury, Coulson made a phone call to ProfessorBroom, and when he uttered the name Odrudg Jahad, the latter fell silent.
After a long while, he spoke with a hoarse voice, as if speaking was extremely difficult, "Where did you learn this name?"
Coulson and Fury looked at each other in dismay; so the Apocalypse Dragon was not a legend? But a real existence?
"A friend of mine told me, and he said that a series of recent events are all Rasputin's doing, with the purpose of releasing the Apocalypse Dragon."
Professor Broom sighed, "Your friend is right, during this time I have also been investigating this series of events. It is clearly the handiwork of that fellow Rasputin."
"So... what on Earth does the Apocalypse Dragon mean?" Coulson asked with difficulty.
"It means destruction, death, and disaster." ProfessorBroom smiled bitterly, "That is the legendary Loki, He was born to bring destruction, and once He breaks free, it will be a disaster for the entire World."
After chatting for a while longer, Coulson hung up the phone.
After a long silence, he hesitated and said, "Should we let the Avengers make a move?"
Fury tightly frowned and thought for a long time, before letting out a long sigh, "That's the only way."
Following the Battle of New York, except for Thor, who was in Asgard and unable to come to Earth because the Bifrost Bridge was still under repair by the Tesseract, all other members of the Avengers were fully assembled.
There was Tony with his usual lazy demeanor; Steve sitting in an upright posture; Natasha and Barton with casual expressions; and Banner acting cautiously.
"Everyone, I'm sorry to interrupt your vacation, but there is a matter that we have to deal with." Fury didn't waste words and informed them of all the current information.
"Wait a minute." After listening, Tony couldn't help but speak up with a weird expression, "Today shouldn't be April Fools' Day, right? B.P.R.D. and Hellboy are already weird enough, and now another Loki has popped up?"
"Although I also want to tell you this is an April Fools' joke, unfortunately, this matter has been confirmed as true by Professor Broom." Fury said in a deep voice, "So, Stark, put away your arrogance; the current situation is even more tense than the Battle of New York."
Tony curled his lips and didn't refute. Although he had a sharp tongue, it didn't mean he lacked sense; joking required knowing the occasion, and obviously now was not the right time.
"Do we just need to find Rasputin and stop the ritual?" Steve found the key point.
"But we don't even know the content and process of the ritual, do we?" Natasha shrugged.
"Nobody knows what he's going to do next." Bartoncrossed his arms and analyzed calmly, "I want to know where the news comes from, and whether we can get more useful information."
Hearing this, Fury turned his head to look at Coulson.
Facing everyone's gaze, Coulson spread his hands, "In fact, you all know him."
When everyone arrived at Logan's Long Island Villa, this fellow was leisurely playing frisbee with Ares.
Ares's agile figure and massive body, distinct from ordinary Blue Bay Shepherds, drew attention.
"You guy, it's already burning your eyebrows, and you still have the mood to tease a dog?" Tony rolled his eyes and said irritably.
Logan grabbed the big dog's head and said casually, "The sky hasn't fallen yet, I don't get what you're all rushing for."
"Logan, we shouldn't waste time." Steve's tone carried a hint of urgency. Always burdened by the state of the nation and the people, his heart felt as heavy as if pressed by a boulder, unable to relax at the moment.
Logan looked helpless, "Fine, fine, let's go inside and talk."
As everyone entered the Villa, they also gained a certain understanding of this fellow's luxury. Even without being brightly glittering with gold and jade, its elegant style of decoration, along with expensive antiques, furniture, and high-tech electronic equipment, could be said to ooze the smell of money everywhere.
After everyone was seated and the servants served tea and drinks according to each person's preference, Loganrubbed Ares, who was lying at his feet, and said softly, "Ask whatever questions you have."
"I won't ask how you knew such a secretive matter, after all, you guy has always been mysterious." Tony spoke up first. His relationship with Logan was well known, so before coming they had agreed that he would speak up, "Do you know where Rasputin is now?"
Logan rolled his eyes, "Do you take me for a god? Omniscient and omnipotent?"
Just when everyone was disappointed, his next sentence raised hope in them, "However, I do know that one of this fellow's subordinates was arranged in the underground Samael lair."
Tony's eyes lit up, "Oh? We're tracking Samael, if you know anything, spit it out quickly."
No one asked what Samael actually was, after all, they had already read the detailed information on the recent series of events before coming.
"There used to be an orphanage underground in Manhattan that sank into the ground due to structural problems, and it was used as Samael's lair. Rasputin's subordinate, Kroenen the Clockwork Man, is inside."
Having grasped this key information, everyone did not delay and immediately chose to take the initiative.
Coulson also notified the members of his team to gather near the location.
Watching their hurried figures, Logan showed a playful expression.
Faced with such a lineup, I wonder if Rasputin will go crazy after finding out.
Although this fellow's methods are formidable, compared to Loki, he is still a notch lower.
Oh well, since they have all taken the field, he might as well stay at the Villa and watch the show. If even this kind of matter required him to step in and solve it, then the Avengers might as well disband sooner rather than later.
On the other side, the five Avengers plus the five members of Coulson's team—this lineup could be described as extremely luxurious.
According to the information they found, they came to the entrance of the underground-sunk orphanage.
And Kroenen, who was waiting in ambush, upon sensing someone approaching, couldn't help but let out a spine-chilling laugh.
Rasputin's plan could finally unfold smoothly, and he wondered what kind of scene the doomsday he described would actually be.
Thinking of this, the ferocious face behind his mask revealed a look of yearning.
Chapter 108: Rasputin's Decisiveness
If Kroenen could still speak normally right now, he would angrily curse, "Motherfucker."
When he saw the ten people in front of him, he only felt that he shouldn't have appeared here at all, and he deeply realized that Rasputin's plan might fail.
However, even so, this guy still chose to risk his life, brandishing a pair of tonfa swords and charging at the crowd, and cooperating with him were the four Samaels stationed here.
If it were past lineups like this, it would be a bit tough even for Hellboy to encounter them.
But it was his bad luck to run into the Avengers and Coulson's team. Among these people, perhaps the weakest in combat power were Coulson and Abe, but the others were just too overpowered.
Tony, who had already upgraded his armor to the nano-type, raised his hand and fired two Cybertron energy cannons, literally blowing two Samaels into a pile of slime.
Steve held the shield with both hands and slammed into a Samael, directly smashing its head to pieces.
Black Widow fired her gun and Hawkeye shot an arrow to eliminate another one.
Only Kroenen was left, facing the remaining four guns alone, along with an untransformed Hulk.
Afterward, he finally experienced what it felt like for those soldiers who were riddled with bullets during World War II.
Because Kroenen's body lacked blood, everything flowing from his body was black magic yellow sand, which guaranteed his immortality to a certain extent.
But Hellboy's heavy right fist smashed into this guy's head, still causing him to lose consciousness instantly.
"Is it that simple?" Ward asked with some uncertainty.
"It's simple because there are many people." Hellboy took a puff of his cigar. "This guy wouldn't be easy to deal with one-on-one."
"Abe, I'll leave it to you." Coulson looked at Kroenen, whose life or death was unknown on the ground, and said to Abe.
Abe nodded, squatted down, placed his webbed hand on Kroenen's helmet, and slowly closed his eyes.
Before long, memory fragments about Kroenen flashed back continuously until the image froze on Rasputin's sunglasses-wearing face.
Only then did he suddenly open his eyes. "Found it, at Apartment 7 in Brooklyn."
"What are we waiting for, hurry up and get that guy resolved, saving us from being on edge all day long." Tonywas eager to try, looking impatient.
Steve frowned. "Tony, can you not be in such a rush every time? Let's make sure whether the target is actually there first; what if we run into empty space?"
Hearing this, before Tony could speak, Coulsonimmediately took out his astral phone and called the field team. "Hand, help me check the unfamiliar faces in Apartment 7 immediately. Remember not to alert the enemy; the target is extremely dangerous."
Hand, far away at the Washington headquarters, immediately arranged for the field team to investigate Apartment 7, and before long, detailed intelligence was placed on her desk.
"There are two unfamiliar faces matching your description: a bald Russian male and a blonde German female. They are still in the apartment and haven't gone out."
Receiving the prepared intelligence, Coulson breathed a sigh of relief. After hanging up the phone, he smiled all over his face. "Confirmed, the target is in the apartment and hasn't left."
"Let's go, hurry up and get this settled."
The ten people assigned tasks: Ward and Abe took Kroenen back, while the others went together to capture Rasputin.
They were very fast, running red lights all the way to the apartment, fearing that being a step late would let the target run away.
Upon reaching the target area, Coulson arranged for the field team to seal off the nearby neighborhood, and Steveled the others into the apartment.
Arriving at the door of Rasputin's room, Steve gave Natasha a wink. The latter understood and stepped forward to knock on the door.
"Hello, this is the meal you ordered. Please pick it up."
Five seconds later, an impatient female voice sounded, "Just leave it outside the door. I remember tipping you on the astral food delivery app."
Natasha looked at Steve, asking for instructions on the next move.
Steve didn't hesitate and slowly nodded at her.
Natasha stepped back, and then saw Steve slowly raise his foot and kick out fiercely.
"Bang—"
After enduring immense pressure, the door collapsed with a crash, and several people entered one after another holding weapons.
Rasputin and Ilsa, who walked out of the room, drastically changed expression and immediately turned around, intending to escape through the room's window.
Although Rasputin was proud, he was not stupid.
He had naturally investigated the Avengers. With his current means, he was simply no match for them. He was just a wizard, not a warrior; once engaged in close combat, less than thirty percent of his abilities remained.
To buy time, he shoved Ilsa beside him out and even cast a spell on her.
The next moment, everyone saw irregular wriggling appearing on the surface of Ilsa's body, as if something was about to burst out of her body.
"It's an Explosion Spell!"
Hellboy shouted to remind everyone.
The next moment, dazzling light spewed from Ilsa's body surface, followed by a loud bang of "rumble", and the entire apartment shook a few times.
Taking advantage of this, Rasputin also jumped down from the windowsill, mourning Ilsa in his heart for a few seconds.
However, before he could get far, Tony, wearing the Mark11 armor, blocked his path. "This wicked monk gentleman, this road is blocked!"
The others also arrived one after another, completely unharmed.
Hellboy raised his right hand to give Tony a thumbs-up, a flash of admiration flickering deep in his eyes.
If Tony hadn't deployed the energy shield in time just now, even if everyone present didn't die, they would have shed a layer of skin.
"Surrender, Rasputin," Steve said in a deep voice, holding a shield in one hand and a gun in the other.
Knowing he was done for this time, Rasputin closed his eyes with a long sigh and slowly stretched out his hands.
When Natasha stepped forward to put restriction handcuffs on him, the latter muttered words in his mouth, leaving her with a puzzled look.
However, the next moment, blood suddenly flowed from Rasputin's seven orifices, his abdomen swelled and wriggled upward, as if something was spewing out of his mouth.
Alarm bells ringing in her heart, Natasha hurriedly stepped back, dodging a mass of something suspected to be meat head-on.
As everyone looked at that mass of flesh, it began to expand rapidly, soon evolving countless tentacles, resembling several octopuses pieced together.
In the blink of an eye, its figure was already over five meters tall, and it was still growing as time went on.
"What the fuck is this?!" Tony looked terrified.
Recovering their wits, everyone hurriedly stepped forward to stop the monster.
Rasputin, ignored by everyone, bled from his seven orifices and fell to the ground with a bizarre smile, making no more sound.
Tony unloaded his firepower onto the monster without any hesitation at this moment, but he found that the blown-up parts quickly recovered calm like a pebble thrown into Water causing ripples.
Simply put, the damage caused to it couldn't even keep up with its Healing Factor speed.
"This can't go on. If we let it grow this big, the entire urban area will be destroyed by it!"
Steve shouted at Tony while raising his shield to block the tentacle's attacks.
Although it wasn't the first time he thought this, he hadn't encountered a single good thing ever since he woke up.
Chapter 109: Resolution
After circling the monster once, Tony immediately ordered, "Jarvis, switch to the cooling device!"
"Received, sir."
The two hand armors instantly transformed into a nozzle-like device, and with the absolute sub-zero temperature spreading, the cold air instantly swept over the monster's entire body and in all directions.
Everyone shivered from the cold, and the monster's movements slowly stopped, and even its growth gradually ceased.
Just as Tony couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief, a slight 'crack' sound suddenly appeared on the ice layer covering the surface of the monster, which had been frozen into an ice sculpture, causing his expression to freeze instantly.
Then, the sounds grew louder and more numerous.
Finally, with a piercing and sharp roar, the monster broke free from the ice sculpture, and its size surged once again.
At this moment, everyone couldn't help feeling a sense of powerlessness.
"Why do you always think about destroying the outer surface?"
Banner, who had not transformed into Hulk, paused to observe for a long time. Although he didn't understand the biological mechanism of this kind of monster, the internal organs of many creatures were generally not as tough as their skin.
Banner's reminder made everyone's eyes light up, and they saw Hellboy suddenly pull out the electromagnetic grenade he brought and run in front of the monster to provoke it for a while.
"Hey! Ugly monster, look here! Listen, you ass-less ugly monster..."
The monster's IQ seemed to be able to understand Hellboy's words. It let out an angry roar, and then opened its oral apparatus, which was crowded out and almost invisible by the flesh mass, and swallowed the provocateur in an instant.
Seeing this scene, everyone was not surprised. Knowing that this was Hellboy's method, they were all looking forward to the subsequent situation.
Accompanied by a muffled sound, the monster expanded violently once, and its attacks slowly began to stop until it didn't move at all.
Then, the meat mountain began to totter and slowly collapsed, a pile of crushed residue flowing out from its oral apparatus and instantly covering the entire street.
Hellboy slowly crawled out of the dead monster's oral apparatus, wiping his face while spitting out the mucus that was accidentally sucked into his mouth, with a look of disgust, "This taste is really disgusting!"
"It's finally resolved, what on earth is this thing?" Tonylifted the foot that stepped on the mucus with a depressed look.
"This is the spawn of Loki, summoned by Rasputin before his death."
Bloom, who had arrived at the scene at some unknown time, explained the origin of the monster. His gaze searched around, as if he was looking for someone.
Until he saw Rasputin's corpse, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief, "This time, it's really over. It's been nearly 70 years."
With such a huge commotion in Brooklyn, it was impossible for passersby not to notice.
Those fearless streamers in the Astral Realm stood on high buildings one by one, holding mobile phone stands to zoom in and shoot, truly valuing traffic more than life.
But anyway, while they made a fortune, they also showed everyone's heroic postures to people all over the World, ensuring that heroes were not nameless.
Logan naturally saw the ending of the matter, and was not surprised at all.
Just as he said before, if this configuration could still lose, these guys would have to be sent back to the furnace to be rebuilt.
This time, the cooperation between S.H.I.E.L.D. and B.P.R.D. was undoubtedly perfect, and the feasibility of cross-departmental collaborative handling also made many secret departments think about whether to abandon traditional practices.
Seeing that there were more and more monsters and freaks in this World, sooner or later they wouldn't be able to hide, so it was better to step forward voluntarily.
After all, when a secret is no longer a secret, your so-called confidentiality becomes a joke.
Therefore, an organization decided to test the waters first. They sent an email to S.H.I.E.L.D. without being anonymous.
"MIB? Men in Black?"
Fury looked speechless. He knew it would be like this. Ever since the appearance of B.P.R.D. last time, he had thought that such a day would come.
He really couldn't understand why there had to be so many departments managing aliens. Sector Seven was fine, but now there was another Men in Black.
Pinching his brow with a headache, Fury put down the mouse and sighed. Anyway, this was at least a good thing; at least the other party was willing to communicate actively instead of hugging those confidentiality regulations and waiting to be suddenly exposed one day.
Is there still any secret to speak of in the World? Ever since the Battle of New York ended.
After the incident of Loki's spawn, the disaster-ridden New York returned to its former calm.
New York City citizens nowadays wouldn't choose to stay in this city without a big heart; almost all the timid ones had moved away.
So those who should go to work went to work, and those who should retire retired, which still didn't affect the operation of the entire city.
It's just that being the mayor of New York is not easy. Every year's financial expenditure is either repairing roads or repairing buildings, yet there is no way to claim insurance compensation, after all, it is all non-natural destruction.
Now many people propose to include supernatural destruction in insurance claims, but the insurance companies are not stupid. Such things will definitely happen frequently in the future, and if they really do this, they would go bankrupt paying out claims.
Logan, who was hiding in the Long Island Villa, completely ignored these matters, and just wholeheartedly closed his doors to live his own life.
Every day, he either listened to reports from his two beautiful assistants or played games, walked the dog, and fished.
According to the original body's age, he should have retired long ago. Counting his past life, his psychological age had also exceeded 35 years old. What was there to fight for at this age? His ideals were gone.
Of course, saying that he didn't care about anything wasn't absolute.
Anna coming online was one thing, and the fugitive Starscream was also another thing.
Everything else was basically not worth mentioning.
Two days later, Jessica sent the relevant information about the investigation into Lenny Miller during this period.
After Logan carefully reviewed it, the expression on his face was a bit strange.
This fellow was indeed the deputy director of the East European Operations Directorate, but at the same time he was also related to HYDRA.
Unexpectedly, two targets that originally had no intersection were actually connected together, so in this way it would be easy to handle.
He took out his mobile phone, tapped Coulson's name in the address book, and then took a few pictures of the information and sent them to him.
After a while, the phone rang.
"Mr. Howlett, is the news you sent true?"
Hearing Coulson's low voice, it was not hard to imagine the serious expression on the other party's face at this moment.
"Of course, when have I ever given you fake news." Loganchuckled, "I have been investigating this fellow for more than a day or two. If I didn't have exact intelligence, how would I notify you."
"Understood, thank you, Mr. Howlett. This news is very important to our field team in Eastern Europe."
Coulson hung up the phone without hesitation. After printing the information in his mobile phone, he found Hand, "Take a look at this."
Hand took the information handed over by Coulson, and after just flipping through two pages, the expression on her face suddenly changed, "No wonder the investigation in Eastern Europe has never been smooth; turns out there's a problem inside the CIA cooperating on the investigation."
Coulson asked: "What do you plan to do?"
Hand didn't even raise her head, and said coldly: "Need to ask? Of course, arrest him and interrogate him. Three field team members were lost in Eastern Europe because of him!"
Chapter 110: The Forgotten Investment Project
"Boss, are you looking for me?"
Anna walked into Logan's study, her face bearing its usual aloofness.
"Sit." Logan bit down on his cigar, pointing at the chair opposite him, his facial expression revealing nothing.
Anna sat down as instructed, though she felt some inner doubt; her intuition as an Agent told her that things were somewhat unusual.
"Anna, how long have you been with me?" Logan leaned back against the chair, slowly exhaling a puff of smoke, the haze lingering over his hormone-surging face, making his expression at that moment unclear.
Anna was stunned, then immediately replied, "About a year or so."
"A year, huh." Logan's tone carried a hint of emotion, "Not long, but not short either. How would you say I treat you?"
Anna's inner unease grew, but she still honestly replied, "Very well, arguably the best treatment in the industry."
"Indeed, I gave you the best treatment and enough trust." Logan's tone suddenly turned cold, "Then why did you keep things from me?"
Anna felt a chill in her heart, her usual composure nearly impossible to maintain; had she been exposed after all?
"Not speaking? Feeling guilty?" Logan straightened up, his gaze piercing, "I once said that if you have any problems you can't solve, I can help you. But you chose to hide it."
"I was just…" Anna wanted to defend herself, but thinking of her identity and stance, she closed her mouth again.
"Are you afraid I can't solve it? Or are you afraid you'll implicate me?" Logan sneered, "What do you think I would be afraid of? In this World, what would I be afraid of?"
Anna gave a wry smile; right, who would her boss be afraid of? But that didn't mean she could naturally open her mouth to ask for help.
"I'm sorry, Boss, I have a reason I have to do this. I didn't deliberately hide anything."
Speaking to this point, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened them again with a look of absolute determination, "Thank you, Boss, for your care over this period of time."
Having said that, she slowly stood up, turned around, and intended to leave.
"Stop right there." Logan looked at this girl acting as if she were going to the execution ground, feeling somewhat amused yet exasperated, "I haven't finished speaking yet!"
Anna turned her head, looking somewhat dazed on her face; matched with her high-fashion face, it carried an indescribable sense of comedy.
"Take a look at this." Logan threw out a piece of paper, which was stamped with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s encrypted seal.
Anna picked it up in puzzlement, and after just a glance, her pupils instantly contracted, "This is…"
"This is Lenny Miller's disposition opinion; now he is no longer your handler. You are free."
She looked up at Logan's understated expression, a surge of warmth welling up in her heart, her eye corners astringent, her nose sour, "Boss, I…"
"Alright, don't cry here, or else people will think I bullied you." Logan waved his hand, "Work well for me in the future, and there will be no shortage of benefits for you."
Anna bit her lip and nodded hard.
At this moment, this former KGB assassin, the CIA's double Agent completely surrendered her heart.
This mermaid could be considered fished up by himself.
It had to be said, this gave Logan a great sense of accomplishment.
Just as he was feeling smug, Carly walked in holding a document.
"Boss, here is a capital injection document that needs your signature."
Logan casually took it, glanced at Carly's makeup today, and praised, "Today's makeup suits you very well; you can wear it like this more often in the future."
"Alright, Boss." Carly forcefully suppressed the corners of her mouth that were trying to twitch upwards, her heart leaping with joy—it wasn't in vain that she got up early and spent two hours doing her makeup.
Logan smiled and lowered his head to start flipping through the document, yet as he turned the pages, the expression on his face became somewhat unusual.
Noticing this, Carly felt apprehensive and asked cautiously, "Boss, is there a problem with this document?"
"There's no problem per se, but when did I fund an international marine scientific research project station?" Logan looked peculiar, "This wouldn't be another random investment of mine, right?"
Carly tried hard to suppress her smile and nodded slightly, "Boss, it was indeed something you casually invested in at the banquet hosted by the municipal government some time ago."
Logan was speechless; sometimes he really liked to subconsciously agree to other people's investment requests. There was no help for it, who asked the other party to flatter him so happily, providing so much emotional value.
"Forget it, let it be."
He honestly signed his name, and then looked at the Chinese name signed at the bottom, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.
"The director of this research station is called Zhang Wenxuan?"
"Yes, Boss, he is a marine biologist. Speaking of which, his daughter also works with him, seemingly called what, Zhang… Suyin?"
Hearing Carly pronouncing it awkwardly, Logan corrected, "Zhang Suyin."
"Right, right, right, that's the name." Carly nodded happily, saying with an adulatory expression, "Boss, you're amazing, you even know Chinese."
"Alright, alright, stop buttering me up." Logan waved his hand with a chuckle, handing her the signed document, "Notify Dr. Zhang and tell him that as the investor, I want to go and take a look at the research institute."
"Alright, Boss."
Carly didn't ask why either; what the Boss wanted to do was not something a subordinate needed to second-guess.
As Carly exited the study, Logan picked up the cigar from the ashtray and took a slow puff.
Dr. Zhang, Zhang Suyin, aren't these people from the movie Megalodon?
That being said, that Guo Da Statham—
Oh, no, right, Jonathan Taylor is there too?
Speaking of which, he hadn't seen a prehistoric animal like the Megalodon yet; he was quite curious about what this thing actually looked like, and whether it was as ferocious and domineering as seen in the movies.
If possible, he'd actually quite like to raise one to see; after all, there was already Ares on land, so there had to be one in the Water too.
On the other side, Dr. Zhang in the research institute didn't show much surprise after receiving Carly's call; an investor coming to check on their own investment project was only natural.
After all, since they spent the money, they should know where it was being spent, right?
Thus, he scheduled the time for three days later and instructed his subordinates to properly entertain this specially-identified investor.
Regarding the matter that the renowned entrepreneur, famous Forbes-ranked tycoon, and superhero Wolverinefrom the Battle of New York was coming to the research institute, it caused many staff members to gasp in surprise and even show off.
They successively posted this news onto the Astral platform, attracting envious comments and discussions from passersby.
Among them, the most discussed topic was: what was Wolverine investing in a marine biology research project for?
Quite a few people solemnly said that this was Wolverinepromoting human in-depth research on marine organisms and contributing to the scientific research cause.
Facing this claim, Logan could only awkwardly accept it; he couldn't possibly say that even he had almost forgotten he had this investment project, could he?