Cloud Ninja Outpost-
It was already late at night.
Karui closed today's trading session, but the crowd outside hadn't dispersed. Instead, the line was getting longer, with more and more people gathering.
Although only two people had successfully exchanged for physical enhancement serums, this had greatly stirred everyone's enthusiasm—especially since one of the individuals used the enhancement serum on-site, becoming an extraordinary being.
Outside, various organizations immediately offered high-paying contracts to recruit them.
These organizations ranged from private corporations to government agencies, and even S.H.I.E.L.D. joined in, each offering different benefits.
In short, anyone who emerged as an enhanced individual from the Cloud Ninja outpost immediately saw a change in their wealth and status.
…
Inside the Room-
Cee was rubbing his head, feeling the strain of repeatedly using his sensory ninjutsu to full capacity.
"Obtaining two items in a day—this rate is beyond our expectations. It seems there are quite a few items out there that Lord Charles needs."
"And this is just the first day. The people coming here now are only from New York or nearby. Once the word spreads more widely, the chances of obtaining items will increase a lot."
"If we can improve efficiency, we'll be able to filter out even more things."
Karui and Killer Bee shook their heads regretfully, "Too bad we can't learn sensory ninjutsu, or we could help you with it."
Looking at the two items on the table, Cee said, "Let's store them in the sealing scroll. In a few days, if we have more discoveries, we'll send them all together to Lord Charles through the summoning realm."
Karui nodded and took out a sealing scroll, carefully sealing the items away.
…
Elsewhere-
The two newly empowered individuals were promptly recruited, one by S.H.I.E.L.D. and the other by the U.S. military.
Initially, S.H.I.E.L.D. planned to recruit both into their Academy to train them well, but the second individual was a retired soldier who returned to the military after being persuaded by the military's offers.
…
Aboard Coulson's Plane-
Skye looked over at May, who was near the bar, and said, "Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt."
May put down her glass, turned, and looked at Skye, "What is it?"
As she walked toward Skye, she added, "Is this about that flash drive again?"
Skye shook her head, "No, it's not."
"Good."
Skye continued, "I know you don't want to help me. You've made that very clear; it's practically ringing throughout the universe."
"It's just that Coulson asked me to…"
But before Skye could finish, May interrupted, "If Coulson doesn't want to tell you the truth, then the truth is…"
However, May trailed off, and then changed her tone, "You need to figure out why you're here."
"We have a mission, and that mission isn't to help you find your family."
"If you can't set aside your personal concerns, then you shouldn't be here."
After saying this, May turned and walked away.
Skye's eyes reddened after May's scolding, and she realized that Coulson and May knew more than they were letting on but were unwilling to share it with her.
Hurt, Skye returned to her room and tore up the S.H.I.E.L.D. files on female agents she had printed, then shut her door.
…
At the Staircase Above-
Coulson watched the scene unfold. He started down the stairs, intending to knock on Skye's door and offer her some words.
However, he stopped when he heard quiet sobbing from inside. Hesitating, he lowered his hand and, after a couple of seconds of thought, turned back toward his office.
Meanwhile, Skye, still in tears, opened her laptop and discreetly logged into her email. There was a new message waiting for her:
"Dear Ms. Skye, this is Charles Agency. Your request has been approved after review by our headquarters. Please come to the agency to sign the contract."
Overwhelmed, Skye covered her mouth to suppress her emotions. She knew that she'd ultimately need to solve her issues on her own.
Resolving to complete her current mission, she decided she'd go to Charles's Agency afterward and place her trust in Charles Doyle.
…
Portland-
Coulson's cellist girlfriend, Audrey, had been kidnapped by three Centipede soldiers and was now standing before Raina.
"So, this is Coulson's beloved—a cellist," Raina observed, her thoughts echoing admiration for the all-knowing Clairvoyant, who had once again proven to be truly omniscient.
Audrey, upon hearing Coulson's name, was stunned. Then, she spoke sadly, "Coulson is gone; you won't gain anything from me."
Raina smiled and replied, "Oh no, Coulson didn't die. In fact, he led a team to raid one of our outposts today."
Audrey's eyes widened in disbelief, "Coulson is alive?"
With a sigh of relief, she added, "Thank goodness he's alive."
Though puzzled as to why she hadn't heard, she quickly grasped that she was being used to threaten Coulson, yet had no means to resist and could only hope that he would handle the situation.
…
Back in Coulson's Office-
Coulson sat deep in thought about the Centipede soldiers. This time, they had deployed three agents—manageable, but he knew the organization had the means to deploy far more.
If they were to face ten or more soldiers at once, his team would be dangerously outmatched.
Just then, his phone rang. The number displayed as unknown.
After a moment's hesitation, he picked up.
"Hello, who is this?" he asked.
On the other end, Audrey's voice replied, "Coulson."
The silence was immediate. Raina took the phone from Audrey and spoke, "Hello, Coulson."
"You've been quite relentless, tearing down one lab after another," she remarked.
"What do you want?" Coulson replied, his voice strained.
Raina glanced at Audrey and smiled, "Our dear cellist here had no idea that her love is still alive. You have a surprisingly cold heart, Coulson."
Coulson spoke urgently, "Please, don't hurt her."
Raina chuckled, "Oh, no, no, no."