S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.
Combat Division, Dean's Office.
"Agent Weaver, are you seriously joking with me right now?" said a large middle-aged man built like a polar bear.
His name was Leonid, a Russian, and the current dean of the Combat Division.
Unlike Weaver, who was the dean of the Science Division, Leonid hadn't always worked at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.
Ten years ago, he was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top-ranked field agents, known for his strength and skills. People called him "White Bear," and he was just as famous as May, who was known as "Knight."
But just like May, he could no longer handle missions normally due to certain reasons.
So, he stepped back from active duty and came to the academy to teach. Two years ago, when the previous dean stepped down, he took over the position.
In fact, he wasn't the only one.
Every dean of the Combat Division had once been a well-known S.H.I.E.L.D. field agent.
Without this kind of experience, it was hard to gain respect.
In the world of agents, training alone isn't enough. Without going through real battles and danger, it's all just empty talk.
The same goes for the Spy Division and the Communication Division. Most of the teachers and deans there also worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. before. Only a few didn't.
Only the Science Division was different.
Scientists didn't need combat experience. They could do research anywhere, so many of the Science Division teachers stayed on after graduating.
"Agent Leonid, I didn't come here to joke around," Weaver said when he saw Leonid looking shocked. "Director Fury talked to me several times about this. Please respect my job."
"Agent Weaver, this isn't about respect. You're all making a joke out of the Combat Division!" Leonid refused to back down, clearly annoyed. "Have you all lost your minds? Why would we need to learn psychology in the Combat Division?"
"You misunderstood. Dr. Raymond may be a psychology expert, but he's not coming to teach psychology..." Weaver shook his head.
"Then what is he going to teach?"
"He's going to teach a 'Comprehensive Combat Class.'"
Bang!!
Leonid slammed his hand on the desk and shouted, "Comprehensive Combat Class? Are you kidding me?! Do you all think the Combat Division is some kind of amusement park?!"
"Agent Leonid, this is an order, not a suggestion…"
"To hell with your order—I don't agree with this!" Leonid's face turned red with anger. "I'm going to report this to Principal Dugan! He would never let you ruin the course he created!"
"Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I've already told Principal Dugan about this, and he agreed." Weaver smiled.
"That's impossible!"
Leonid immediately objected.
But then he quickly realized that there was no point in Weaver lying. Principal Dugan might be in Europe, but he could be contacted with a single call.
If it were a lie, it would be exposed in seconds.
Weaver wouldn't make such a stupid mistake.
In other words, Weaver really had informed Principal Dugan, and Dugan had approved it.
With a direct order from Director Fury, and approval from Principal Dugan, it was basically a done deal. Even as dean, Leonid couldn't stop it.
After realizing this, Leonid's face turned pale with anger!
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Come in!" Leonid said, a bit displeased.
To his surprise, the person who walked in was none other than Raymond, the very person he and Weaver had been arguing about.
Leonid recognized Raymond; he had seen him a couple of times when Raymond was a guest lecturer at the academy, so he wasn't unfamiliar with him.
Weaver seemed equally surprised, "Dr. Raymond? What brings you here…"
"I was actually on my way to see you, Ms. Weaver, but when I got to your office, I found you weren't there. Your assistant told me you were here, so I came directly." Raymond smiled. "I didn't expect to overhear your discussion. If I'm not mistaken, you two were discussing me?"
When Raymond, the person they were arguing about, directly asked them, even Leonid, who had been very animated just a moment ago, felt a bit awkward. But staying true to his principles, he forced himself to explain:
"Dr. Raymond, please don't misunderstand. I have the utmost respect for your achievements in psychology… But the standards for the Comprehensive Combat Class are extremely high. Even regular teachers in the Combat Division don't meet the requirements to teach this course."
"I understand that," Raymond nodded in agreement.
The Comprehensive Combat Class was a unique course in the Combat Division. In theory, students from all four divisions could apply, but it was always reserved for the elite students of the divisions.
To enroll in the class, one had to be recommended by the dean of any of the four divisions.
Just this requirement alone filtered out ninety-nine percent of the applicants.
Because if someone wasn't outstanding in a particular division, they wouldn't get the recommendation.
On the other hand, with strict selection came equally impressive instructors!
Only the best of the best, top-level operatives who were skilled in all kinds of combat methods, were qualified to teach this course. They not only had to possess strong overall combat abilities but also be well-versed in many other areas.
Leonid had taught the Comprehensive Combat Class before, so he knew just how demanding it was for an instructor.
Currently, even including himself, only two people in the Combat Division were qualified to teach it.
Since he became the dean, he generally didn't handle teaching, so the Combat Division only had one Comprehensive Combat Class.
As a result, the class was always in high demand.
While there were quite a few elite students in the academy who were eligible to apply, only a small number of them could actually enroll.
As the dean of the Combat Division, Leonid of course hoped for more teachers to be qualified to teach this course.
But with the standards in place, there was nothing he could do.
He couldn't lower the standards just to let more people teach, as that would only damage the reputation of the Combat Division.
As for Raymond?
Honestly, Leonid didn't just think Raymond wasn't qualified to teach the Comprehensive Combat Class; he didn't believe Raymond could teach any course in the Combat Division at all.
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