Alvin pinched his chin, grinned at Coulson, and said, "I think a million dollars is a reasonable amount."
Coulson clutched his heart heavily, as if he had been dealt a heavy blow.
He said with difficulty, "You're joking, Mr. Ye. S.H.I.E.L.D. will absolutely not pay a million dollars for this.
That's absolutely impossible. In fact, I was already prepared to pay out of my own pocket. But, Mr. Ye, a million dollars is truly terrifying. That's ten years of my salary."
Alvin ignored Coulson's performance for sympathy and said coldly, "Are you saying S.H.I.I.E.L.D.'s reputation isn't worth a million dollars?
Perhaps you should make a call and ask for instructions. I'm not interested in your salary. Or, we can just resolve this through legal channels."
Foggie, standing by, jumped up excitedly and shouted, "Alvin, sue them, sue them!"
It was no wonder he was so excited; this was the biggest case their law firm had encountered since opening.
Coulson gave Natasha a helpless glare, then turned to a corner to make a call, clearly getting quite an earful.
After hanging up, Coulson returned to the bar counter, looking disheveled, and said in embarrassment, "Five hundred thousand dollars, no more. I'll have to write over fifteen reports for this. If you don't agree, we'll see each other in court." He then picked up the beer glass on the bar and chugged the contents, looking like he had given up.
Alvin glanced at Matt's subtly shaking finger, knowing Coulson was lying.
After a moment of thought, he said, "Agent Coulson, this price is far too different from my expectation." He then looked at Foggie.
Foggie, understanding, jumped up and shouted, "Leave it to me, Alvin! This is a guaranteed win. I can negotiate the compensation to over three million dollars."
"That's impossible! S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have that much extra funding. You'll only drag the lawsuit on indefinitely," Coulson exclaimed in alarm.
"Mr. Ye, I can apologize again. Please forgive me."
"The lawsuit dragging on doesn't affect me much, Agent Coulson," Alvin said noncommittally. "However, it's not entirely non-negotiable. I can agree to five hundred thousand dollars in compensation, but S.H.I.E.L.D. has to agree to a few conditions."
When Coulson heard the word "conditions," he had a bad feeling, like he was about to get on a pirate ship.
But at this point, he could only brace himself and say, "Please state them. I can't promise I'll agree."
Alvin counted on his fingers and said, "First, the police station here has old equipment and needs a new batch. Look, Michael is even still using a ten-year-old gun.
Their demands aren't high. Could you generously sponsor them a batch of your discarded vehicles, weapons, and equipment for free? Don't worry, they'll write to the mayor to praise you."
Michael and Scott hadn't expected Alvin's first request to be for them.
This made the two police officers both happy and moved. The city government had almost forgotten their precinct. Besides annual appropriations and police salaries, they received nothing else—no equipment upgrades, no promotions, no raises.
The dilapidated police station didn't even have a decent front door.
How could Alvin's first condition, being for them, not move them?
Coulson looked at Alvin with surprise. He had expected to face some outrageous conditions, but the result was beyond his expectations.
Coulson readily nodded and agreed. S.H.I.E.L.D. discards a large amount of equipment every year, and as a Level 7 agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., he had the authority to agree to this condition.
Seeing his quick agreement, Alvin smiled and said, "It seems we can easily reach an agreement. Second, the newly built kindergarten on our street corner needs a batch of security monitoring equipment. I believe this is not a problem for S.H.I.E.L.D."
Coulson let out a long sigh and looked around. Everyone in the restaurant was looking at Alvin with reverence.
Coulson straightened his collar and said seriously, "You are a true gentleman. Let me reintroduce myself, Phil Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D. Level 7 Agent. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Alvin Ye." He then extended his hand and shook Alvin's hand firmly, the feeling of being blackmailed somewhat lessened.
Alvin smiled and said, "So you agree?"
"Yes, compared to the other conditions, this is almost not a condition at all," Coulson said gravely.
"Third, and most importantly," Alvin said, looking at Coulson seriously.
"Please speak!" Coulson adopted an attentive posture.
Alvin looked at Coulson, then pointed at Natasha, and said, "I hope you can stay away from me and my restaurant in the future, okay?"
Coulson froze for a moment, not knowing what expression to make.
He had just developed some good feelings for him, and then the other party delivered a heavy blow.
He had thought they could have a peaceful ending, but things ultimately did not go as he wished.
Sighing, Coulson said helplessly, "I can't guarantee anything. I can only promise that we won't bother you without reason."
Alvin nodded and said, "That's enough. Foggie, discuss the reception of those five hundred thousand dollars with Agent Coulson." Alvin said, beckoning Foggie.
"I hope we don't meet again, Agent Coulson, Agent Natasha." Alvin nodded to the two agents, then gave a final greeting, signaling them to leave.
Foggie and Coulson exchanged phone numbers and discussed the payment of the compensation.
Jessica then cheerfully escorted the two agents out the door.
As they left, she even mimicked Alvin's tone and said, "I hope we don't meet again."
Watching the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents retreat from the restaurant in embarrassment, the diners in the restaurant happily high-fived and cheered.
They were all residents of Hell's Kitchen and had never received respect from government officials.
However, Alvin had achieved a victory over them, which made them very excited, as if they themselves were the victors.
Alvin smiled and instructed Jessica, "A beer for everyone, on me!" As soon as he finished speaking, the cheers grew even louder.
Alvin placed a glass of beer in front of Matt, flicked his index finger against the glass, making a "ding~" sound, and said, "Thank you, Matt! You were a great help today."
Matt looked up, smiled, raised his glass, and said, "You deserve it, Alvin! You've made the two nearby blocks better, and as a resident of Hell's Kitchen, I should support you. To victory!"
Alvin smiled and clinked glasses with him, saying, "To victory!" After chugging a large glass of beer, Alvin looked at Matt with some concern, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Perhaps you should rest, Matt. You're not an Ironman. Jumping around Hell's Kitchen every night isn't something a normal person should do."
Matt put down his empty glass, a somewhat unhealthy flush on his pale face, and said with a smile, "Then you should let your pet expand its range of activity. That would reduce some of my workload."