Mike looked at Stark curiously, "Aren't you afraid? Going to hell..."
Stark retorted, "Then aren't you afraid?"
"Afraid?" Mike puffed out his chest. "Afraid of what? If I go to hell, believe it or not, I'll beat Mephisto's dog head in."
"I truly appreciate how you can brag without blinking an eye." Stark gave him a thumbs-up, then leaned closer to Mike: "I've already reserved my ticket to hell..."
"You certainly know yourself..."
"Don't interrupt!" Stark shot Mike a glance. "Anyway, pot calling the kettle black, there's a seat for you in hell too. I just want to know, succubi, banshees, are they... you know, hehe."
Those two words, "hehe," were so profound that Mike didn't need to crack open Stark's skull to know what he was thinking.
Filthy!
Mike's mind conjured an image: a voluptuous succubus with an explosive figure, wagging her tail, licking her lips, and beckoning him with a finger.
Mike swallowed, a slight hardening indicating respect.
He suddenly felt a little excited about going to hell.
Oh my god!
Something was very wrong.
Mike patted Stark's shoulder, "Don't worry, if we go to hell, your brother here will conquer a territory and give you a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with a two-square-meter bathroom. Aren't you touched?"
Stark: "Pfft!"
Fury: "Ahem, we're in a meeting, be serious."
Mike shrugged and continued playing on his phone, as if playing on his phone was a very serious matter.
Fury asked Mike, "Are you interested in this matter?"
Mike, with reddened eyes, said, "I'm a poor man now. Anyone who talks to me only about interest and not money, I'll get angry with them!"
Stark smiled without speaking.
Fury: "Stark, are you interested?"
Stark stroked his chin, "Not really interested, but if there was a glass of red wine right now, that might change."
A moment later, Fury poured Stark a glass of red wine.
Stark: "Drinking red wine in a meeting, won't that seem unserious?"
Fury straightened his face, "Who said that! A meeting is a brainstorming session; what's needed is free expression and a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. Anyone who's serious is an idiot. Look, Mike is playing a mobile game. Did I say anything to him? No!"
Mike looked at Fury with sympathy.
Was this the true portrayal of a hero brought low by a lack of money?
The esteemed Director of S.H.I.E.L.D....
It was heartbreaking to see.
Stark, however, had no self-awareness of "bullying people" and instead crossed his legs, completely at ease.
"Jarvis, prepare to pay the bill."
"Yes, sir."
Fury's back immediately straightened, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Heh heh, what's face compared to real money?
Easy money, indeed.
Fury was about to speak when Mike gave a thumbs-up, "Before you make your request, there are some things I need to clarify. Although my success rate for commissions is one hundred percent, that doesn't mean I'm omnipotent. The secret to one hundred percent is only taking on tasks that I can complete and am willing to complete."
"Firstly, setting aside the question of whether I can kill Ghost Rider, based on my understanding of Ghost Rider, I don't want to kill him, nor will I help you imprison him, unless he does so voluntarily."
"Secondly, don't make demands that I cannot fulfill. For example, directly eliminating Mephisto. I'm confident, but not arrogant. And don't think I'm always good value for money; the commission for killing Mephisto might require the entire Stark Industries."
"I'm not exaggerating. If you compare the dimensional barrier to a net with ten-centimeter holes, and Mephisto is a big fish, to pass through such a net, you either enlarge the holes or make yourself thinner. The Mephisto bouncing around on Earth is just a projected clone. To kill Mephisto, you have to go to hell. Hell is Mephisto's lair. Kill him? How many can do that?"
"Finally, the key to this incident is not Ghost Rider, but why Ghost Rider appeared, and why he appeared at this specific time."
Fury nodded repeatedly, following Mike's lead and asking, "Why?"
Mike rolled his eyes, "How should I know! Am I an encyclopedia?"
Mike, of course, knew; it was simply Blackheart wanting to snatch his father's prize—the San Venganza Contract.
Mike pretended not to know.
"Ugh, headache~ I'm going to get a coffee, anyone want one?" Fury's tone was exaggerated.
As a spymaster, he couldn't just believe everything people said. He needed to filter the information in Mike's words, discern truth from falsehood, and assess the impact of both on the development of the situation.
In fact, in the interrogation of an experienced Agent, not all truths are useful, nor are all lies useless.
What Fury most wanted to know was how Mike obtained these "fantastical" pieces of intelligence.
Could Mike have an ancient organization hidden behind him?
Fury drank this cup of coffee for a full two hours. The analysts in the intelligence analysis room were bustling. In the end, there was a hundred-page analysis report.
Fury read the first few pages, pulled out the last two pages of conclusions, and threw the rest into the trash.
Mike complained, "That took too long, where's my coffee?"
"Sorry, sorry." Fury pulled a packet of instant coffee powder from his pocket, "Here, I didn't forget."
Mike: "...You're ruthless!"
Next, Fury stated the terms of the commission, and Mike received one unit of Soul Energy and one unit of Destiny Energy.
System Prompt: [Nick Fury's Commission: Investigate the truth behind Ghost Rider's appearance and do your best to prevent the situation from worsening.]
[Commission: 5,000,000 U.S. dollars (90% system commission after deducting fees)]
[Mission Description: Behind the bizarre incident is a bizarre mastermind. This is a story of man-on-man action. Find the truth.]
Five million?
It wasn't a huge amount, but it set a new record for Mike's fees.
"Something's fishy," Mike thought.
If he didn't interfere, Ghost Rider would eventually confront Blackheart, and Mike could do absolutely nothing, just observe the whole process, and get five million.
Was money that easy to earn?
"Is there something I've overlooked?" Mike pondered.
Three hours later, a Quinjet landed on the helipad of the skyscraper.
Mike was the first to jump off the plane, followed by Stark. Two Agents pushed a huge box out of the tail cargo hold. Inside, besides Stark's Iron Man Suit, there were some other pieces of equipment.
What equipment?
"This time, I'll let you witness the power of science!" Stark refused to say directly, being all mysterious.
The one who came to pick them up was naturally Coulson; he looked very haggard, with eye bags that rivaled a panda's.
"Did you stay up all night?"
"Yes."
"Your hairline is crying."
Coulson rolled his eyes at Mike and said weakly, "I checked on that pastor and Professor. You were right, they really were scum, and they deserved to die."
Mike was surprised, "You checked? That's not S.H.I.E.L.D.'s business... Besides, they're already dead."
Coulson was silent for a moment, then said, "We have to give the living an explanation."
The deceased are gone; without an explanation, the living might never find peace, trapped in an invisible circle.
Worse than death.
The truth is very important.
Mike said, "Coulson, you're a good man. I think your hairline has forgiven you."