"Oh my God, I know him." Phil Coulson let out an audible gasp when he saw the photo of Liu A'dou.
His reaction startled both Black Widow and Director Nick Fury. Fury asked, "Where have you seen him before?"
"Next to Thor. He was right there with the God of Thunder."
"So he's the man in that report—the one who disappeared along with Thor?" the director asked.
"That's right. It's him," Coulson confirmed. Even after several months, he still remembered Liu A'dou. "It's him, no mistake. Others said he was a friend of Thor."
First Athena, now Thor—how was this man so closely tied to the gods?
"Then Liu A'dou wasn't lying? Maybe he really does know Athena," Black Widow said.
"Just what kind of person is he?"
Unlike other superheroes, who become known for their masked identities and slowly have their real names fade into obscurity—ordinary people by day, with only a few exceptions like billionaires—Liu A'dou refused to be overshadowed by his persona as Kaitou Kid.
Both of his identities would be legendary.
Kaitou Kid: elusive, cunning, a master thief in name.
Liu A'dou: upright and sharp-witted, a man of strategies who navigated freely among powerful factions.
Only five people in the world knew Liu A'dou's dual identity. One was Harvey Dent, one was his ex-girlfriend Iselin, one was the Snow Queen Elsa, one was his wife Ada Wong, and the last was Liu A'dou himself.
As his reputation grew, it became harder for people to associate him with the Moonlight Magician.
"Could this man be a messenger of the gods? But then… what do the gods want?" Director Nick Fury suddenly felt it was necessary to speak with Liu A'dou face to face. "Let's go. We're meeting him."
That night, the director personally arrived at Liu A'dou's apartment. At the time, Liu A'dou was mid-call with Ada using their Microcosmos link, pouring out his longing.
"Agent Natasha. We meet again. And these two are?"
"Hello. This is our director, and this is my colleague, Agent Coulson."
"Pleasure to meet you. Please, come in." Liu A'dou stepped aside and let the three enter.
Director Fury walked straight to the window. From there, he could see the agents stationed on the opposite rooftop. The protective setup here was thorough.
"Mr. Liu A'dou, I'll be blunt," Fury began. "I want to ask—do you know Thor?"
"Yes, he's my friend," Liu A'dou replied.
"And Athena?"
"I know her as well. Also a friend."
"Then, can you tell me what they've asked you to do?" Fury cut straight to the point.
Liu A'dou met the director's one remaining eye and answered slowly, "Since they're my friends, they haven't asked me to do anything specific. I just give them some advice from time to time. Just lending a hand, that's all."
The three visitors couldn't help but feel like he was bluffing. Gods asking a mortal for advice? That didn't sound likely.
"You don't have to believe me. Just because they're gods doesn't mean they know everything or can do everything. And while I'm just a man, I do happen to have a good brain. Offering advice is something I can actually help with. Take Frozen for example—that whole concept? That was my idea."
"The whole film was your idea? Didn't you say Athena blessed it?"
"The story and music came from her, yes. But the theme about mutants? That was mine. After I met Elsa, I wanted to change how people saw mutants—and that's how the movie came to be," Liu A'dou explained.
"It was a good film—and a smart idea," Nick Fury admitted. He was well aware that people who previously knew nothing about mutants had changed their attitudes after watching it.
"Exactly. You get it."
"You've got a sharp mind, and you know how to make the most of your resources. Your movie only got made thanks to funding from Professor X, and you walked away with a big payday," the director said, clearly having done his homework.
"Win-win," Liu A'dou replied casually.
"Then tell me—if you're so favored by the gods, why did you come back to Earth?"
Liu A'dou couldn't exactly say, I just wanted to watch you Americans fight aliens and sneak off with some high-tech stuff. That was too shameless.
"Because I still have family here. And it's not like the gods need my advice 24/7. They'll come to me when they need me," Liu A'dou said.
"So what you're doing now is fighting for mutant rights? Using your brains to help them?"
"Yeah. I'm making way more money now than I ever did as a reporter, and I get to help mutants. Why wouldn't I? Besides, that's not even my full plan."
"I know. You want to turn Elsa into a star who'll reach beyond the solar system, right?"
"Exactly." Liu A'dou was extremely optimistic about the future. With the knowledge he'd gained from Pandora's Magic Box, technology for space exploration was coming together fast. He firmly believed that the future of the universe belonged to humanity.
Others weren't so sure. They just thought Liu A'dou was delusional. We couldn't even travel to the moon freely—now he wanted to make someone a universal diva? Was he looking to get punched?
"I look forward to it. It's good for young people to have big dreams." In just a short conversation, Nick had already pegged Liu A'dou as arrogant. He figured Liu A'dou's connection with gods had made him overly self-important. The whole "universal diva" thing sounded like the kind of fantasy only teenagers would have. Once Liu A'dou matured, he'd realize how ridiculous it all was. Still, as an elder, Nick didn't want to crush a young man's dreams too harshly.
Nick's words were meant to encourage, but Black Widow's eyes showed clear disdain. Coulson even chuckled under his breath. From their expressions alone, it was obvious they didn't believe he could pull it off.
But Liu A'dou was going to show them. Earth had superheroes to defend it—but someone had to introduce Earth to the galaxy. That job would be his.
With a cold smirk in his heart, Liu A'dou thought, I don't believe I can't do it. When the time comes, you Americans will be eating my cosmic dust.
Of course, Liu A'dou wasn't naive. He understood how complex interstellar politics were. So he had to start with Earth. Elsa's first goal was to unite the mutants. Once the mutants followed Elsa, and Elsa followed him—then he'd really be in business.
"How could a sparrow understand the ambitions of a swan?" Liu A'dou said proudly.
The others didn't understand this ancient Chinese phrase. These front-line soldiers weren't trained to appreciate that kind of language. Their job was to handle crises, develop responses, and build weapons. They only had two modes: preparing for battle and being in battle.
Which was why Liu A'dou could never truly align with S.H.I.E.L.D. He didn't believe in solving problems with force—violence would always be his last resort.
While both sides were silently looking down on each other, none of them noticed that the surveillance agent on the rooftop across the street had already been killed—his neck snapped.
Nightcrawler and Lady Deathstrike now stood on the edge of the building, hand in hand. Nightcrawler activated his ability.
The two instantly teleported into the apartment.
Director Nick Fury was about to be caught in a fight no one saw coming.