Charles, following the system prompts, made his selections swiftly, choosing ten 084 items in just a short time, even though he had only inspected less than a tenth of the options available.
The system merely indicated that the items were chargeable but didn't provide specific values, so Charles's choices were essentially blind picks.
With the final payment for the mission in hand, Mei Terumi wrapped up her conversation with Hill and promptly left.
Back at the Kirigakure base, just as Charles was about to use the Hiraishin technique to leave, Mei Terumi spoke up:
"Charles, the mission is complete, but Kimimaro was also taken by Orochimaru. What kind of mission reward do you have for me?"
Charles considered Mei Terumi's situation, recognizing that she was somewhat short-handed, but still asked, "What reward do you want? I have some vibranium left."
However, Mei Terumi stepped forward and embraced Charles, saying, "A hug will do."
Feeling the warmth against his chest, Charles was momentarily stunned, not expecting this to be her request. After a brief hesitation, he wrapped his arms around Mei Terumi, returning the hug.
The hug lasted for ten full seconds—neither too short nor too long.
Releasing him, Mei Terumi smiled and said, "I've received my reward. You can go about your business now."
Charles smiled back at her, then said, "I'll take my leave, then."
He immediately used the Hiraishin technique and teleported back to his room.
In another room just outside the main hall, Ao watched the embrace through a crack in the door, feeling elated.
"Lady Mizukage finally took a step forward. This is fantastic!"
"If Lady Mizukage and Lord Charles get together, it would be perfect!"
…
Back in his room, Charles merely smiled at the recent hug and didn't dwell on it further.
He retrieved 300 energy blocks from his storage space and initiated the charging process.
Ding! Rechargeable items detected. Proceed with charging?
Ding! Recharge successful, you have earned 54,000 gold coins!
Charles then took out the ten 084 items from the sealing scroll and charged them all. The items varied in value, with the most valuable one worth 6,800 gold coins, and the least valuable only 2,000.
After completing the process, he had amassed an additional 36,000 gold coins.
Glancing at his total gold, which now amounted to a whopping 140,000, Charles nodded in satisfaction and then proceeded to practice his chakra control.
…
Elsewhere-
On a recently constructed stage by the coast, Killer Bee was dancing under the spotlight.
"Oh, ruai!"
"Seeing you approach makes me feel so alive."
"I've never felt this way before, 'Cause I got a crush on you!"
"Who you???"
Killer Bee danced to the beat, rapping while incorporating some street dance moves.
"Who am I to you?"
"Who are you to me?"
At this point, Killer Bee executed a flawless Thomas spin.
In the audience, Skye and Simmons were holding up support signs, while Ward, Fitz, and Coulson waved glow sticks, surrounded by a crowd of rap enthusiasts cheering below.
The crowd was quite tolerant of seeing such a young performer on stage, but they were amazed to find that this kid had such a cool stage presence and performance.
Ward, waving his glow stick, turned to Coulson and complained, "Coulson, there are twelve more of these events. I should've kept my mouth shut."
Coulson, smiling calmly, replied, "Don't you think this is relaxing?"
Ward shrugged in resignation.
Killer Bee then performed a kip-up, standing back up to continue dancing and singing:
"One more look, just one more, and I'll explode."
"Come closer, just a little closer, I'm about to melt."
"I want to make you mine, baby bae!"
Skye, holding up her support sign, shouted, "Killer Bee! Killer Bee!"
A nearby audience remarked, "Don't you think his outfit is really cool? Especially those two prop swords on his back—so stylish!"
"Yeah, especially for someone so young with such talent. I'm really looking forward to his future creations," another attendee chimed in.
…
As Coulson and the others enjoyed the concert with Killer Bee, elsewhere, a S.H.I.E.L.D. truck was transporting a cargo.
"Fatman, this is Slim calling. How's the 'Henhouse' looking?"
The truck driver picked up the radio, "Cargo is secure. Everything seems smooth."
"Roger that. The little girl will lead you up ahead. See you at the drop-off, Mike. Over."
Mike glanced in the rearview mirror at the Chevrolet SUV escorting him, watching it move ahead to take the lead. He exchanged a nod with the driver as they passed.
But just moments later, the SUV suddenly catapulted into the air without warning, flying several meters high before crashing back down with a heavy thud.
"Boom!"
Mike's eyes widened at the sudden, shocking sight. He swerved the truck to avoid the crushed SUV in front of him, cursing under his breath, "Damn it!"
Regaining control of the truck, Mike grabbed the radio and shouted, "Did you see that? The little girl's down."
The radio crackled back, "Unit Two is down."
Mike responded, "I know, Sherlock. What the hell hit us?"
Without waiting for a reply, Mike hit a button on the dashboard, bringing up a virtual screen on the windshield.
He quickly scanned the driving route, then spoke into the radio again, "We're moving to Plan B. Plan B."
Immediately, the lead escort vehicle accelerated, overtaking Mike.
"Left side is clear."
"Rear is also secure."
"No matter what, protect the cargo."
As Mike continued driving, he urgently contacted the S.H.I.E.L.D. regional command, "Calling S.H.I.E.L.D. Regional Command, this is Agent Mike. We're under attack by an unseen force."
But before he could say more, the lead escort vehicle was suddenly flung into the air, just like the first one.
Command's voice came through the radio, "Agent Mike, report the threat's nature. Over."
Staring in disbelief at the airborne vehicle, Mike muttered, "What the hell is…"
Before he could finish, the front of his truck lifted off the ground, sending the entire vehicle soaring into the air.
"Calling S.H.I.E.L.D. Regional Command, damn it, I can't explain this."
"No!"
The truck, now in freefall, came crashing down with a violent impact.
"Boom!"
Mike was knocked unconscious instantly. At a nearby intersection, camouflaged soldiers armed with guns emerged, accompanied by a bulldozer.
The bulldozer quickly dismantled the truck's cargo container, revealing a pile of pizza boxes.
The soldiers tossed the boxes aside, uncovering a metal door emblazoned with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo.
Wasting no time, the soldiers pulled out welding torches and began cutting through the door.
After some effort, the door was pried open, revealing a scientist inside, calmly holding a briefcase.
Looking at the soldiers, the scientist asked with a composed expression, "Are we there yet?"