Coulson thought the situation had become dire.
It wasn't as if he had never dealt with individuals possessing extraordinary abilities before, but never had he encountered someone capable of reading minds so effortlessly.
Still, the core instincts of a seasoned agent took over. He immediately cleared his mind, mentally erecting walls to block out sensitive data, choosing to dwell only on mundane thoughts.
"I can only read surface-level thoughts," came the voice. "I can't see the heart."
"Oh… that's so reassuring," Coulson muttered dryly.
He didn't know where to vent his disbelief. This guy could even casually expose his anxiety.
Regardless, the mission had to proceed. Internally, he had already flagged these two as top-tier priority individuals.
"I'm from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division…"
"Phil Coulson, right?" Shen He cut him off, his mind already racing. "I didn't expect to run into you this early, but this saves us some hassle. I need two legitimate identification documents."
"Sir, that's illegal. If you entered the country via unregistered means, we can help contact the Immigration Office," Coulson replied with a composed smile.
"Well, if you're unwilling to help, we'll look elsewhere. Qi Mu, let's go."
Shen He raised an eyebrow. As if reading his thoughts—which he could—Qi Mu (Saiki Kusuo) gently placed a hand on Shen He's shoulder.
"Wait." Coulson's expression stiffened. "Actually, S.H.I.E.L.D. does have partial immigration authority. We might be able to… assist."
Considering the teleportation ability they had already displayed, Coulson wasn't keen on letting them walk. He couldn't risk ordering a strike against unknown entities of this caliber.
Besides, these two clearly knew about S.H.I.E.L.D.—an agency whose very existence was obscured from most of the world. For them to recognize it suggested either high intelligence clearance or deep external knowledge. Neither possibility was comforting.
"Relax." Shen He gave Coulson a friendly pat on the shoulder, as though they were old friends. "Let me properly introduce myself. I'm Shen He, a lord from Chaldea, originating from China. This is my follower, Qi Mu Nanxiong."
"Chaldea?"
Coulson tried to recall any data on such an organization but came up blank.
Was it a place? A group? Nothing familiar came up.
Still, the pair didn't seem hostile. It was better to gather more intelligence before deciding anything drastic.
"Would you honor us with a visit to our headquarters?"
"Next time," Shen He rejected without hesitation.
He wasn't foolish enough to voluntarily walk into someone else's heavily fortified base, no matter how confident he felt.
His attention shifted slightly toward the center interface of his system—the "copy" menu.
"We have more pressing matters. You can monitor the bench where I initially appeared. If I need to find you later, I'll return there."
Leaving those parting words, he pressed the solitary button in the system's dungeon interface.
Dungeon.
In an instant, both Shen He and Qi Mu's bodies fragmented into digital particles, scattering into light and vanishing before Coulson's eyes.
Coulson froze, stunned by the surreal sight.
He immediately alerted headquarters. Within minutes, a stealth-mode Quinjet swooped down from the clouds. Teams of agents armed with sensors and weapons descended, surrounding the rooftop and scanning for residual traces. Coulson, meanwhile, departed for HQ with the incident report.
Mysterious. Unreadable.
What was Chaldea? Why had they emerged now?
A gut feeling told Coulson: his job was about to get a lot harder.
---
Shen He, meanwhile, wasn't having the best time either.
The teleportation sequence from his system was utterly nauseating. It felt like being flung through a roller coaster of infinite 360-degree spins.
Totally incomparable to Qi Shen's graceful, near-instant teleportation.
"Is this the copy?" Qi Mu's calm voice echoed telepathically into Shen He's mind.
Suppressing the tide in his stomach, Shen He looked around.
Light-blue stone walls and towering corridors stretched endlessly before them, like some medieval fortress merged with a labyrinthine dungeon.
Crossroads, forked paths, stone platforms, crumbling staircases…
"It feels like a real world," Shen He muttered, placing his palm on a wall.
His fingers brushed moss. Dust lingered in the air. The system had replicated sensory data with uncanny precision.
Dungeon… dungeon… was this the one?
Suddenly, a dog-headed creature popped out in front of him.
Adorable in a creepy way.
"Ah hell no—!"
Shen He leapt back. But the goblin-like beast lunged, claws swiping forward.
Wham—! Qi Mu kicked it away effortlessly.
The monster smashed against the wall and dispersed into shimmering particles of light and dark. A soft current of energy flowed into Shen He's body.
"No remains? This really is a game," Qi Mu noted, picking up a glowing thumb-sized gem from the monster's remnants.
"Not quite," Shen He replied, eyes darting around. "We're surrounded."
The walls, floor, and even the ceiling were now crawling with more of the dog-head creatures. Their growls filled the air.
Shen He opened his summoning interface. The screen was sparse—only the dungeon's title and an ominous one-hour countdown remained.
"We're fighting here for one hour straight."
Shen He extended his arm. A sleek black pistol materialized, glowing with azure runes.
Weapon: Dominator
Origin: Psychopass Universe
Evaluation: Looks cool, borderline useless.
Actually, it wasn't entirely useless. At least it had unlimited bullets. Among all the loot from the recent high-tier draws, this was his only decent long-range weapon.
"They're coming!"
He shouted as he raised the gun—dramatically.
Bang bang bang!
Three shots, three misses.
"You watch. I'll fight," Qi Mu calmly said, stepping ahead and kicking three enemies mid-air.
Shen He caught a glimpse of a smile on Qi Mu's face—something rare and almost… heartwarming.
"Yo, you actually smiled! That's the legendary 'Smile of Qi God!'"
Shen He exaggerated his reaction, waving his hands wildly to hide his embarrassment.
Truth was, he hadn't touched a gun since college military training. Despite how simple it looked in films and games, this thing was hard to use.
But still…
"Thanks," he said quietly, raising the gun again. "Thanks for having my back. I'll do my part too."
That thought echoed clearly in his mind. If Qi Mu hadn't answered his summon, if he had refused to join…
Shen He wouldn't have made it this far.
Qi Mu didn't respond—but the quiet smile on his face lingered.
And for him, that was enough.