Behind the two, a group of people in black suits and sunglasses quietly poured out.
With Saiki Kusuo's ability, he should have teleported away before they reached the rooftop. But now, he wasn't the omnipotent god-level esper from before—just a newly reawakened version of himself at Level 1.
Even the range of his telepathy had been severely diminished.
But Saiki Kusuo didn't mind the weakening of his abilities. In fact, he found the silence quite pleasant.
"This is normal," Shen He said casually, not at all surprised. "After all, I just used my ability in broad daylight." He looked at Kusuo. "What now?"
"It's up to you."
Shen He blinked, then smirked as realization dawned.
Qi Shen was just avoiding trouble as always.
He paused and asked mentally, "Do they have hostile intent?"
"They're waiting for someone named Agent Coulson," Kusuo's voice echoed in his head.
Coulson. One of the legendary "novice village chiefs" often encountered in the Marvel world. A sort of tutorial boss.
According to incomplete cross-dimensional traveler statistics compiled by the system spirit Yuki—whom Shen He had previously summoned during Chapter 1 from the Data Terminal Gate—Coulson, Tony Stark, and Peter Parker accounted for 80% of first-contact incidents.
Shen He hesitated. Normally, contacting S.H.I.E.L.D. on day one wasn't wise. But as someone with no legal identity in this universe, he figured avoiding them completely would mean hiding in the wilderness. Not ideal.
"Then we'll wait. I've got no papers. Rich as I am, hotels are a hassle."
Shen He didn't mind. Coulson was just another scripted event handler.
Besides, S.H.I.E.L.D. was still in its early supernatural phase. With Qi Shen's current presence and his pact with the Terminal Gate, they didn't pose a real threat.
---
Coulson was indeed en route.
And he wasn't happy. He'd thought that chasing billionaire inventors and rage-monster soldiers was enough work.
Now he had two unknowns who used their powers openly in a crowd.
"Sir, we may have been spotted," a voice crackled through the radio.
"I hope you're not telling me they vanished with a whoosh," Coulson said dryly.
"No sir. They're still on the rooftop."
"Then don't engage. Not yet."
Coulson's expression grew tight.
Remaining still despite being surrounded? That reeked of one thing: absolute confidence.
As red lights blinked in front of him, Coulson nudged the wheel and veered into a fire lane, racing to the scene. Ten minutes later, he arrived at the building.
"They're still on top?"
"Yes, sir. Snipers are in position. Armed with tranquilizer rounds."
"Forget the weapons. Show me their data profile." Coulson glanced at his phone—but saw no updates.
"We have nothing, sir."
"Nothing?" Coulson frowned.
"Correct. We scanned the global metadata system, public and private. No facial, biometric, or dimensional traces. One of them literally appeared mid-street. They're like… aliens."
Coulson paused. To a civilian, "aliens" sounded like fantasy.
But as a seasoned S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he knew better. There were anomalies—ancient ruins, unclassified events. Secrets too deep for public records.
"What are they doing now?" Coulson asked, entering the elevator with his team.
"They… uh, they're staring at each other. Affectionately."
---
Shen He was still trying to persuade Qi Shen, speaking not with words, but eyes full of sincerity—transmitting thoughts directly via the Mind Sync Link Yuki embedded in him for intraverse communication.
"I know you only want a quiet life. There's nothing wrong with that. After all, what we don't have is often what we value most. But isn't it hard for you to live like this? Your abilities aren't fully controllable. They cause you pain… But maybe I can help."
Shen He had an edge: he'd watched the entire anime and had read all known meta-data on Kusuo Saiki via Yuki's info stream.
"You think you can help me?" Kusuo's voice was skeptical, even mentally.
"Absolutely." Shen He nodded confidently. "Your power's so strong you have to rely on that limiter on your head to suppress it. But now, after your downgrade, I believe you can remove it—at least partially—and still maintain control."
Kusuo went quiet.
It was true. This world's "law" suppressed psychic overflows in unexpected ways.
"I think I can use something called a Refinement Core—retrieved through the Terminal Gate's summon system—to reinforce your current state. And you can learn to manage it better. Think about it—no more overwhelming voices. No more fear of hurting someone accidentally…"
Shen He's voice was earnest. He wasn't hiding anything.
He needed Kusuo's strength. The Dungeon Center, still locked on the Terminal Gate's interface, was the last unexplored system node. It clearly implied combat. And valuable resources—rare ingredients, dog food, enhancement stones—all dropped there.
By now, Coulson had reached the rooftop.
He spotted them instantly. Two young men sitting quietly, their eyes locked.
Using microexpression training, Coulson noted their synchronized behavior—one seemed anxious, the other contemplative.
A few snack boxes littered the ground. Coupled with the surveillance he'd seen earlier, a theory formed in his mind:
A couple, exposed while quarreling in public. The pink-haired one got upset and lashed out emotionally. Classic case of relationship-induced power burst.
He could even guess further—
"If you keep guessing, I'll turn you into a woman—body and soul."
A voice blasted into Coulson's mind like a siren.
His face paled instantly. Telepathy? Memory read? Mental invasion?
Damn it—he had classified secrets in his brain.
"Qi Mu, don't scare him," Shen He chuckled, rising to his feet. "At the price of two coffee puddings a day, he agreed to help."