After the two signed the contract and watched in astonishment as the parchment floated into the air and self-immolated into ashes, Li Ming pushed open the storage cabinet door with a gesture of invitation. "Welcome, both of you, to my private magical domain," he said.
Coulson peeked inside the room filled with display cases and subtly signaled Melinda with his eyes to stay alert before stepping into the cabinet.
At first, Melinda was puzzled about why Coulson had asked her to tour Li Ming's collection. While she was indeed curious about magic, that didn't mean she wanted to step into the magical world.
It wasn't until she caught the meaning behind Coulson's glance that she understood—he didn't trust Austin and had brought her along as backup.
Silently reminding herself to stay cautious, Melinda followed Coulson through the cabinet door.
But the moment she entered the room, Melinda instantly assumed a defensive stance, her poker face fixed on one corner of the room.
There, in the corner, stood a massive mummy wrapped entirely in bandages, its back covered in barbed hooks, carefully dusting the room with a feather duster.
Realizing she had overreacted, Melinda relaxed slightly when she saw the mummy showed no intention of attacking her. She exhaled and squinted. "Why does this guy look familiar?"
Beside her, Coulson, who had entered the collection room first, completely ignored the mummy. He had seen Kreacher before, and encountering a mummy that cleaned in a wizard's home was perfectly normal.
Only after Melinda spoke did Coulson glance at the mummy while surveying the room. After a moment's thought, he said uncertainly, "Is that... the Abomination?" Pausing, he turned to Li Ming with a questioning look. "I remember you took the Abomination's body away. So, back on the streets of Manhattan, you didn't actually kill him—you imprisoned him in your collection room?"
Halfway through his sentence, Coulson suddenly sensed something off. Though he hadn't studied the Abomination's data in detail, he had personally witnessed its rampage.
Now, seeing the Abomination—whose temper was even more violent than the Hulk's—acting obediently while cleaning, Coulson blurted out, "You resurrected and controlled the Abomination?"
Li Ming shrugged. "Isn't that obvious? Finding a bodyguard stronger than the Abomination isn't easy," he said, waving his hand to dismiss the creature back to its corner. "Besides, I gave him a few magical upgrades. The current Abomination not only has immortality but could easily take down ten of his former selves."
"Resurrection? Immortality?" Melinda asked curiously. "With how he'd fall apart if those bandages came off, you call that immortality?"
As she spoke, Melinda walked toward the mummy and suddenly crouched in front of it. After a moment of scrutiny, she couldn't help but laugh. "When the Egyptians made mummies, royalty and the wealthy used pure white cotton to wrap the bodies. Even the poor used linen. How come yours just gets medical gauze and calls it a day?" Li Ming scratched his head slightly awkwardly and muttered, "This is my first time making a mummy bodyguard. Of course, I just used whatever materials I could find. Did you expect me to go all the way to Egypt to buy pure white cotton cloth?"
Coulson had long known about Li Ming's resurrection abilities, so unlike Melinda, he wasn't particularly curious about the revived abomination. After just a few glances, he shifted his attention to the display cabinet holding the books.
Noticing that neither of them was paying attention to him, Li Ming smirked inwardly—'Now's my chance.' He quietly cast a spell, enveloping the room in a mirror dimension without anyone noticing.
Standing before the "Book of the Dead," Coulson remained oblivious to the impending danger and asked curiously, "These look like ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Do you understand them? Or were the priests of ancient Egypt actually mages?"
Li Ming chuckled but didn't answer Coulson's question. Instead, he simply pointed at Melinda, trapping her in a time-stasis spell. Then, turning to Coulson, who had already drawn his gun and aimed it at him, he said, "Relax, I don't want to kill you. Fury knows you're here with me, and I really don't like unnecessary trouble."
Unsurprisingly, Li Ming's words did nothing to make Coulson lower his weapon. Still on high alert, Coulson discreetly sent out a distress signal while saying, "Did you plan something when you invited us into your RV? But let me remind you—S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't to be trifled with. Whatever your goal is, it won't end well for you."
"Even now, you're still trying to figure out my motives? You really are S.H.I.E.L.D.'s model agent," Li Ming sneered. As he spoke, he continued casting spells to tighten his control over the situation. "Think whatever you want. In this sealed space, even if you knew my goal, what could you do? Do you really think your distress signal will get through?"
With time running short, Li Ming raised his hand and petrified Coulson. After all, there were plenty of agents outside the storage room, and Li Ming didn't want them sensing anything amiss. It was better to get things done quickly.
Once the control spell's seed was planted in Coulson's mind, Li Ming carefully and methodically stripped Coulson of his clothes. He then retrieved a long-abandoned wand from the display cabinet and used it to inscribe runes onto Coulson's back.
Before long, the carved runes gradually faded into Coulson's skin. Li Ming wiped his brow—though there was no sweat—and nodded in satisfaction.
After redressing Coulson, Li Ming had nothing left to do but wait. The seed would take root in Coulson's mind, growing and sprouting until, eventually, Coulson would unconsciously and instinctively obey Li Ming's commands.
Truth be told, Li Ming had gone to great lengths to ensure S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't detect any signs of magical control over Coulson. He had prepared meticulously for this moment. For example, while the seed's germination takes time, it can slowly alter Coulson without outsiders noticing any changes in him. Or take the signed confidentiality contract—the magical fluctuations of the pact not only mask the disturbances caused by the seed sprouting but also ensure that if Coulson ever recalls what happened today, he'll be forced to keep silent, left to silently endure the fact that he's under Li Ming's control.
Then there's the final layer of protection—the 'Rune' inscriptions—another safeguard to prevent others from discovering Coulson's enslavement.
As for why Li Ming wanted to control Coulson…
In the Marvel universe, aside from the homegrown superheroes popping up like weeds, there's no shortage of extraterrestrials and Inhumans making appearances. And Coulson, seemingly blessed with some kind of protagonist aura, has an uncanny ability to attract these superhumans to his side.
Li Ming admitted he coveted some of those benefits—especially the treasures Coulson would inevitably stumble upon while leading his team around the world to maintain peace.
Unfortunately, Li Ming knew he lacked the means to easily obtain such perks, or at least not without exhausting considerable effort. So, having Coulson secretly work for him was the most cost-effective plan.
This was also why Li Ming had invited Coulson into the RV in the first place—the vehicle was fully equipped, making it convenient to inscribe the 'Rune' script.
Glancing at Melinda, Li Ming mused: Well, this is an unexpected bonus.
No point hesitating over free benefits. Without delay, Li Ming deftly cast the seed spell on Melinda, then stripped her bare to carve the 'Rune' inscriptions onto her.
Once everything was done, Li Ming rubbed his sore neck, wiped both their memories, and fabricated the illusion that they had finished touring his collection.
By the time the two regained their senses, Li Ming had already opened the storage compartment door, smiling as he gestured for them to leave.
"I didn't expect you to know ancient Egyptian," Coulson suddenly remarked, pausing just before stepping out. "While I appreciate the invitation to see your collection, you seem to have forgotten one thing—you never told me how to make my punches actually hurt those demons."
Damn it, why'd you stop like that? Almost gave me a heart attack—thought you'd figured something out.
Li Ming subtly rolled his eyes, then beckoned to the Loki mask. As it floated into Coulson's hands, he walked toward the driver's seat and said, "This is the Mask of the Night God."
Close call—almost said 'Loki's mask.' If the real Loki ever shows up in this Marvel world, I'd have a hard time explaining that.
Turning the mask over in his hands, Coulson found nothing remarkable about it. Curious, he asked, "How does it work? Do I just wear it?"
As he spoke, he experimentally pressed the mask against his face, eager to see what magic would unfold. Li Ming rolled his eyes helplessly and explained, "I already told you it's the Mask of the Night God. Of course, this thing can only be used at night. It's a divine artifact—whoever wears it gains divine power." He paused, then looked at Coulson with a mocking expression and added, "But as powerful as it is, the cost for mortals to use it is also pretty steep."
Coulson gestured for Li Ming to elaborate.
Li Ming continued, "First, lifespan. This thing automatically drains the user's lifespan. It's not a huge amount, but prolonged use would be unbearable for humans, given that we only live for less than a hundred years anyway."
Coulson narrowed his eyes in thought, glanced around, and then whispered so only Li Ming could hear, "You have the Fountain of Eternal Life, so you can use it freely?"
"That brings me to the second cost," Li ming took a deep breath and glared resentfully at the mask. "Aside from granting the user extraordinary power, it also reads the suppressed emotions in their heart and manifests them in reality."
Coulson frowned and asked curiously, "For example?"
Li Ming scratched his brow and explained, "For example, if a lonely person yearning for love wears it, they'll become a love-crazed superhuman. If someone who feels the world has wronged them puts it on, they'll inevitably turn into a sociopath who commits every evil imaginable."
"So," Li Ming glanced at Melinda, who was explaining the mission to the tactical team in the distance, and whispered, "You'd better figure out what suppressed emotions she has. Otherwise, if she turns into a murderous demon, don't blame me."
Coulson looked at Melinda, fell silent for a moment, then shook the mask in his hand and said, "Can I borrow it first? I'll let Melinda decide for herself—or have her wear it only if absolutely necessary."
Li Ming shrugged. "Fine." He paused, then narrowed his eyes and added, "But once Melinda uses it, she has to undergo an examination by me."