No one expected S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrecy to be this poor. In just one day, the enemy had already located Liu A'dou's classified safehouse.
A blue-skinned man and a pale-skinned woman—both were mutants.
The three S.H.I.E.L.D. agents moved quickly, but not as quickly as Nightcrawler. His first target was Black Widow. With a flick of his tail, he knocked the pistol from her hand, then coiled his tail around her neck and hoisted her into the air, rendering her unable to fight.
Lady Deathstrike was a mutant enhanced through adamantium injection, like Wolverine. She had a powerful regeneration ability and could turn all ten of her fingernails into short, razor-sharp blades that could slice through metal like butter.
Phil Coulson was the slowest to react. Before he could even draw his weapon, five holes were punched into his shoulder. He screamed in agony, his pistol falling from his grasp.
Director Nick Fury heard Coulson's scream and immediately turned to help, firing several shots at Lady Deathstrike's back. But it was useless. The bullets were pushed out by her rapidly regenerating muscles just seconds later.
He had miscalculated—the one in real danger was Black Widow, who was beginning to suffocate.
Clawing at her waist, Black Widow finally managed to draw out a small ring-shaped device. She gripped it and swung it toward the tail strangling her. But Nightcrawler's tail was not only strong—it was agile. Sensing the attack, he whipped her violently through the air, nearly snapping her neck in the process.
Lady Deathstrike picked up Phil and hurled him at the director like a cannonball, slamming Nick Fury to the floor. Before he could get his bearings, Lady Deathstrike's ten sharpened nails plunged through Phil's chest and stabbed into Fury's body.
Then, like pistons, her hands pumped repeatedly—stab, stab, stab, stab—leaving matching pairs of gaping wounds in both men.
This was the difference between mutants and ordinary people. A surprise attack was enough to wipe out all three agents in seconds.
Liu A'dou couldn't just stand by. He rolled over and grabbed the two fallen pistols—Black Widow's and Coulson's—and opened fire.
Bang.
The bullet forced Nightcrawler to let go of Black Widow and teleport away.
Bang. Bang.
Both shots hit Lady Deathstrike, passing through gaps in her bones and striking her lungs, causing her to freeze for a moment.
Then Liu A'dou didn't hesitate. He kicked her with full force, sending her flying. For now, the immediate threat to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents was neutralized. But both Coulson and the director were out of commission, and Black Widow would need a few moments to recover.
Now, Liu A'dou stood alone against two mutant killers.
"I'm a friend to mutants. Don't make me do this," Liu A'dou said, holding two pistols crossed in front of him.
But they didn't care. They both charged.
Nightcrawler appeared behind him in a blink, while Lady Deathstrike lunged forward, her deadly ten claws gleaming.
Even under mind control, they coordinated perfectly—front and rear assault.
Still disoriented, Black Widow looked up to see Liu A'dou standing tall, twin pistols in hand, unafraid as he fired at Lady Deathstrike to hold her back. At the same time, he dodged Nightcrawler's sneak attack from behind—as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
"Stop watching the show, gorgeous! Call for backup—Iron Man, Spider-Man, I don't care who! Just hurry!" Liu A'dou shouted.
Black Widow snapped out of it and immediately called for Iron Man. She assumed Liu A'dou thought the government was allied with the heroes. She had no idea he already knew about S.H.I.E.L.D.
Until Iron Man arrived, Liu A'dou had to hold his ground.
For now, it was just dodging. Occasionally, he fired a few shots to disrupt their attacks. Nightcrawler was fast—but Liu A'dou was faster. Every time Nightcrawler appeared close, he still had to swing his relatively weak body to strike, giving Liu A'dou enough time to evade.
It was like toying with a pet.
Of course, to outsiders, it looked dangerously close. Every time, Liu A'dou narrowly avoided being hit—like he was surviving on pure luck.
Liu A'dou didn't want S.H.I.E.L.D. to learn about his real strength. If they found out, they'd never stop pestering him. One insider from S.H.I.E.L.D.—his wife—was more than enough. He had far more important things to do.
He held out for a little over three minutes, emptied both guns, and then Iron Man finally arrived.
"Did someone call for backup?" Tony Stark peeked through the window with his usual playful tone, though he had already locked onto the mutants. "I'd suggest you stand down."
But the mutants didn't care. They kept attacking Liu A'dou.
Iron Man had no choice but to engage. His shoulder-mounted weapon locked onto the targets, and bullets fired. The rounds struck Nightcrawler in the shoulder. With a grunt of pain, he immediately teleported to Lady Deathstrike's side and then vanished from the room entirely.
"What the hell was that?" It was Tony's first time seeing mutants—especially ones with powers like that.
"We need an ambulance!" Liu A'dou saw that Phil Coulson had passed out from blood loss. The director was in better shape—his injuries could still be classified as minor. "One critical, one minor. Agent Coulson is in serious condition."
Liu A'dou was suddenly pushed aside as Black Widow stepped in, holding a short injector. She jabbed it into Coulson's chest. Liu A'dou didn't know what the substance was, but it was clearly some kind of emergency drug—Coulson's complexion visibly improved after the injection.
Tony had already contacted the hospital. An ambulance was on its way at top speed.
The director was still conscious. Grabbing Black Widow's hand, he rasped, "Transfer Liu A'dou to the Helicarrier." He knew there was no way the mutants could've found the safehouse this fast on their own—his instincts told him there was a mole inside S.H.I.E.L.D. "Make sure he's well protected. We can't afford another incident."
"Understood."
Once the wounded were evacuated, Iron Man entered the room, clearly confused. "Okay, someone fill me in. What the hell happened? And who's this guy?"
Black Widow glanced at the blood-stained corner of the room and replied, "He's the one we're protecting now."
"A mutant?" Tony asked.
"No," Liu A'dou answered, shaking his head.
"Then why are mutants trying to kill you?"
"Because I speak on behalf of mutants," Liu A'dou said. "Which makes me a target for extremists who don't want to see peace between mutants and humans."
"Oh?" Tony didn't say whether he believed it. "Well, since the mutants are gone and the guy's safe, I'm out. Just happened to be free, but don't expect me to be on call every time. Time's money, you know."
"Mr. Liu, it's clear they won't stop until you're dead. I'll relocate you to a secure site," Black Widow said.
"It better be more secure than this one," Liu A'dou replied bluntly.
"Definitely safer. Come on, we're heading to the rooftop."
The helicopter was already waiting. The flight was smooth and quiet. Just before they reached the Helicarrier, Black Widow asked, "You don't seem the least bit curious about where we're going."
"Not really. Still on Earth, right?"
Hard man to talk to, Black Widow thought. That reply left her speechless, so she said nothing more. But she was eager to see if Liu A'dou would still act so composed once he boarded the Helicarrier.
The chopper flew into the hangar of the airborne carrier. The opening in the clouds revealed a sci-fi marvel inside—a busy hangar bustling with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and cutting-edge aerial vehicles.
Black Widow sneaked a glance at Liu A'dou's face, expecting some reaction. But he looked completely unfazed.
"You're not even a little impressed that we humans have built something this incredible?"
Liu A'dou refused to act like some backwoods bumpkin. With a calm voice, he said, "Not really. The Bifrost in Asgard allows interstellar travel. This? This is just the beginning. Recognizing our limits is the only way to grow."
But inside, Liu A'dou was cheering—Wife, here I come! He had already sensed Ada Wong's Microcosmos. And she had sensed his presence too—realizing with surprise that he was extremely close.
Could it be that he had infiltrated the Helicarrier just to see her?