Chapter 199: A Night in New York, Who's Using Who?
Late at night.
New York, inside a small apartment.
Skye brought Xi Nian, who was holding the little cat, back to her place. She shut the door behind her, instantly cutting off the noise and light from outside.
Only a sliver of dim light seeped in through the gap beneath the door.
"Why not turn on the lights?" Xi Nian blinked in the pitch-black room. The cat in his arms stared with eyes glowing like two clusters of green flames.
"Turning on the lights makes it easy to be spotted. If there's a sniper in the building across the street, you'd be dead in an instant." Skye's tone was cool as she answered.
Xi Nian glanced toward the windows and saw they were indeed shut tight, covered with heavy curtains. Only the faintest outline of light bled through.
He went silent. He wanted to say that he wasn't really afraid of being sniped…
But then—
Watching her deftly slip off her shoes in the dark and move like a ghost across the room in her slippers, Xi Nian realized this was second nature to her.
A life long used to shadows and solitude.
Fitting for an agent.
He checked the shoe rack, but it was empty.
"I live here alone. I don't usually have guests, so there's only one pair of slippers."
Carrying a stack of blankets back into the living room, Skye spoke quickly. "Just keep your shoes on. If there's an emergency, you'll be able to run. Tonight, you'll sleep in my room. I'll take the sofa and keep watch. Tomorrow morning we'll head to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters."
"Fine by me." Xi Nian didn't protest and agreed directly.
Truth be told—
Even if she acted cold, her presence gave off a strong sense of safety, and the apartment itself carried a quiet warmth.
A cold, beautiful agent?
A warmhearted big sister!
…
After a shower.
Xi Nian changed into a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt Skye had prepared, unisex clothes that surprisingly fit him quite well.
Stepping out, he glanced at the sofa where Skye lay under a blanket, motionless, as if asleep.
"Good night, Skye."
Xi Nian said softly before heading into her room and closing the door behind him.
Silence settled.
Ten seconds later, the living room stirred.
Skye suddenly threw off the blanket, exhaling as if she had been holding her breath.
Her cheeks flushed hot, she pressed her palms against them, then quickly grabbed a set of hidden clothes and tiptoed toward the bathroom.
…
In the bedroom, there was no light. Only faint reflections from outside glowed against the window.
Xi Nian sat cross-legged on the pale pink bed. He waved to the little orange cat beside him, and she leapt lightly onto his lap.
"Meow."
The cat rolled her eyes at him, clearly unimpressed, and mewed a few times.
"I wasn't really unconscious earlier," Xi Nian admitted helplessly, "but not for the reason you're thinking…"
"Alright, open your mouth. I need to grab something."
He slid his fingers into her mouth and fished around.
A moment later, Xi Nian pulled out a touch-screen smartphone.
"Good thing I kept a backup…"
He muttered as the screen lit up, cascading lines of code flowing across it like streams of light.
Skye's personal profile photo soon appeared on the screen.
"Keep monitoring for me… and tomorrow, I'll be counting on you."
Xi Nian whispered as if speaking to the phone itself. The screen blinked faintly in reply.
Setting it aside, Xi Nian closed his eyes. Memories of the day flickered across his mind until, suddenly, he opened his eyes and lifted a finger forward.
He pointed into the darkness.
Buzz—
A faint but undeniable ripple stirred in the air, spreading like invisible waves, only to collapse and vanish the moment it reached the edge of the bed.
"I see." Xi Nian's eyes sharpened.
So this was the side effect of her powers.
…
The next morning.
A black SUV sped across New York streets, climbing onto a sleek modern bridge leading toward an island in the middle of the city. The further they drove, the fewer civilians and cars could be seen.
The place felt like a restricted zone. Dark-clad operatives lingered nearby, speaking in hushed tones.
In the passenger seat, Xi Nian gazed out at the massive lake stretching below the bridge, waves sparkling like the sea. At the far end of the bridge, an island loomed—covered with futuristic towers and sprawling facilities.
Jarro's split bodies had scouted the route beforehand.
So Xi Nian already knew: their destination was S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
"We can still turn back."
At the wheel, dressed in a black tactical suit with her golden hair brushing her shoulders, lips painted with dark red, Skye spoke coldly.
"Why turn back?" Xi Nian asked innocently.
"Do you even realize what's going on?"
Skye inhaled deeply, her voice tightening. "The most respected leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.—Nick Fury—is dead! Killed in broad daylight! Whoever ordered the hit knew Fury's exact route, and even that he'd seek out Captain America when cornered."
"It was all carefully orchestrated. Whoever it was had Fury's movements down to the last detail. To organize that kind of large-scale ambush in the city…"
She trailed off, words failing her.
"You think this was done by insiders?" Xi Nian said bluntly.
"Other than S.H.I.E.L.D., I can't think of another organization capable of this… though it's still just a guess."
Her knuckles whitened on the steering wheel as she continued. "Whatever the case, S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters may now be hiding something dark and dangerous. Once we step in, even I might not be able to walk out alive."
"If you want to turn back, now's your chance…"
Before she could finish, Xi Nian cut her off. "If you didn't have this mission, would you still want to go inside?"
Skye went quiet for two seconds. Then she whispered, "S.H.I.E.L.D. raised me. I can't believe it's fallen this far into corruption and rot. So I need to see for myself. With this escort mission, I at least have a reason to go in."
"Then keep driving. Keep up your mission."
Xi Nian looked harmless, hugging the little cat, his scholarly face showing no hint of concern.
"I'm using you."
Skye's grip tightened again. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.
"Go ahead. This trip just started—I'm not about to go home early." Xi Nian smiled, stroking the orange cat's fur.
Using?
In the end, wasn't everyone?
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