Tony's severely damaged armor let out a "clank."
His faceplate popped open.
It revealed a dust-streaked face, still brimming with excitement.
He glanced at William, then at the smoking pile of what used to be the Destroyer's parts, and let out a whistle.
"Upper limit? I don't know if S.H.I.E.L.D.'s budget has an upper limit."
Tony grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth.
"But I do know that your compensation bill certainly has no upper limit."
His words, like a holy light, instantly illuminated William's shattered, bleeding heart.
That's right!
Compensation!
William straightened his back abruptly, the dejected look of a bankrupt boss instantly vanishing.
He looked around, this private paradise, once the culmination of his countless efforts and U.S. dollars, now resembled the main battlefield of World War III.
The massive hole in the office building was like a mocking, gaping mouth.
The half-collapsed warehouse was like a cookie bitten by a giant.
The broken communication tower, twisted metal wreckage, and the top-tier lawn that had been completely ploughed over, with not even a blade of grass left... every extra glance made William's heart ache a bit more.
But at the same time, another line was added to the "Compensation List" document in his mind.
"Custom high-strength bulletproof glass... three million U.S. dollars."
"Handmade Italian leather sofa and matching office furniture... one point eight million."
"Warehouse main structure and internal shelving reconstruction... estimated six million."
"Communication tower and internal network system... this needs a professional company to assess, let's just write ten million for now."
"New Zealand imported 'Paradise' series lawn, with automatic irrigation system... two point two million."
"Madagascar baobab trees, five years old, a total of twelve trees... Damn it, this has to be calculated at auction price, sixty million!"
"Thermostatic circulating filtered outdoor swimming pool, blue and white porcelain tiles custom-made in Jingdezhen... starting at five million!"
William's breathing gradually quickened, not from heartache, but from excitement.
He felt like he wasn't tallying losses, but filling out a winning lottery ticket.
"Hey."
Jessica Jones limped over, pointing at the pile of Destroyer parts.
"What about my million-dollar arm? Now that it's shattered like this, how is that calculated?"
"Calculated! Of course, it's calculated!"
William waved his hand grandly, full of spirit.
"This is called 'target object destruction leading to mission failure,' which is force majeure! I'll calculate it as a work injury for you, plus an additional five hundred thousand for emotional distress! And you all!"
He turned to the other side.
Abomination had reverted to human form and was struggling to pop his shoulder joint back into place, while Tandy and Tyrone also helped each other to their feet.
"Emil! For your bravery, your bonus is doubled! Tandy, Tyrone, same for you! Fearless in the face of danger, you all get a share!"
William Now he is a generous battlefield commander.
"And Maurice! Our main Water mage! Although he was instantly taken out, his courage is commendable!"
"When he climbs out of the sea, tell him his bonus is tripled this month! And the company covers all medical expenses!"
Everyone looked at their boss, who had been wailing and gnashing his teeth a second ago and was now as pumped as if he'd been injected with chicken blood, and for a moment, they couldn't react.
Just then, a huge engine roar came from the sky.
A quinjet descended at an extremely fast speed, its hatch opening, and Phil Coulson, leading a team of Agents in suits, walked down quickly.
When he saw the scene on the island, even Coulson, who was well-traveled and always wore a poker face, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Was this... hit by a meteorite?
He had a bit of a headache.
How long had it been since he left this insurance Agent? His superior had called him to return immediately for support.
It was over as soon as he arrived?
The "actors" in New Mexico hadn't been dealt with yet, and now this was another mess.
The dream of being promoted to a Level 9 Agent seemed far off... "William, are you alright?"
Coulson quickly walked up to William, his tone tinged with concern, but more so with a business-like calm.
William looked at Coulson as if he had seen a relative.
More like he had seen a walking wallet.
The excitement on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a weakness and sorrow of having survived a disaster.
His legs went soft, and if Tony hadn't supported him, he would have knelt down before Coulson on the spot.
"Coulson... my old friend..."
William's voice was hoarse, with a choked sob, as he tremblingly grabbed Coulson's arm.
"Look... look at my home! My life's work! All gone because of that... that big blonde guy you sent! All gone!"
He was in tears.
His performance was sincere and heartfelt.
Like a good citizen whose family had been destroyed by a bully.
Thor had just emerged from his War God mode, feeling his long-lost divine power.
Hearing this, a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.
He walked over, about to apologize.
"Don't come over!"
William pointed at him, shouting in grief and indignation:
"You... you guy who comes with natural disaster attributes! I shouldn't have agreed to you in the first place! I shouldn't have taken you in!"
Coulson felt his head ache even more.
He knew trouble was coming.
"William, calm down. Regarding the damages, S.H.I.E.L.D. will..."
"Calm down? How can I calm down!"
William flung his hand away, pulled out his phone, opened the video he had just recorded, and shoved it in Coulson's face.
"Open your eyes and look carefully! What is this? This is evidence!"
"It is your S.H.I.E.L.D.'s negligence that led to alien weapons invading Earth, causing irreversible, devastating damage to me, a lawful citizen and a major taxpayer!"
In the video.
The Destroyer blasted through his office.
Iron Man's missile leveled his lawn.
Finally, Thor, the Thunder God, descended like a God, smashing a giant crater into his island with his hammer.
Every frame of the footage was filled with the sound of money shattering.
"This is just material loss!"
William turned off the video and pointed to his own traumatized heart.
"And emotional distress! My employees, they were all terrified!"
"Jessica, a weak woman, fought that monster hand-to-hand to protect my property!"
"Emil, he's still a child! No, he's a monster, but he also has the right to psychological trauma!"
"And Maurice, he's still floating in the sea, and he might have permanent aquaphobia! Can you compensate for all of this?!"
Coulson was a bit stunned by his barrage of shouts.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his sunglasses, and tried to stabilize the situation:
"William, let's sit down and discuss this slowly. We can draft a detailed damage report..."
"No need for all that trouble!"
William pulled out a crumpled napkin and a pen from his pocket and scribbled away.
"I'll give you an estimate! Fixed asset loss, preliminary estimate, one hundred million! U.S. dollars!"
Coulson's eye twitched again.
"Employees' medical expenses, lost wages, emotional distress, a lump sum of fifty million!"
"And my baobab trees! They are works of art! They are life! They are priceless treasures! To make it cheap for you, also one hundred million!"
"Most importantly!"
William's tone suddenly became incredibly heavy.
"This attack has severely impacted my company's reputation! I, William Rodriguez, New York's top insurance sales king, can't even protect my own property, how can I sell insurance in the future?"
"How will my clients see me? This is a devastating blow to my career! This, you must compensate for!"
Coulson felt his blood pressure soaring.
He grabbed William's still scribbling hand and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "This is extortion."
"No!" William looked at him righteously, "This is a reasonable and legal claim!"
Coulson fell silent.
He knew that reasoning with this guy was futile.
He silently took two steps back, pulled out his communicator, and dialed a number.
"Commander... it's me."
Coulson's voice carried a hint of fatigue.
"Yes, on North Brother Island... the situation is under control. Yes, Thor is fine, the Destroyer... turned into parts. But, we have a new problem."
The person on the other end of the phone seemed to ask something.
Coulson glanced at William, who was holding the napkin bill and discussing with Tony Stark whether to add "air pollution fees" as well, and took a deep breath.
"Yes, Commander. A financial problem. A very, very big financial problem."
And just as Coulson was on the phone, a crisp notification sound, like a heavenly melody, quietly rang out in William's mind.
[Ding! High-value potential client detected: Thor (Divine Power Awakened State)]
[Client identity: Asgardian Prince, God of Thunder.]
[Risk level assessment: EX-class (beyond current assessable range)]
[Recommended policy types: Inter-dimensional Catastrophe Comprehensive Insurance, Deity-Exclusive Liability Insurance, Fratricide Accident Insurance...]
William looked at the big blonde man holding the war hammer, a look of guilt on his face, not far away, and the sorrow on his face instantly vanished.
It was the undisguised, burning light of a hunter seeing a top-tier prey.
-------------------------------
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