What Coulson said was actually very simple.
After further investigation, they suspected that the weapons used by the gangsters previously might have come directly from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s armory.
A portion of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s armory was independently developed by internal scientists, while another portion was purchased through Military channels.
This purchased portion had always been managed by Level 9 Agent Mary Hill.
"So, you suspect Agent Hill is HYDRA?" Shen He seemed to understand.
"No, we don't suspect Agent Hill," Coulson shook his head. "We believe Agent Hill's subordinates might have been infiltrated, and there might be Military involvement, so we cannot act rashly."
"I'm not good at investigations," Shen He paused slightly.
From his memory, although many high-ranking officials in S.H.I.E.L.D. were HYDRA, Agent Hill was not.
Furthermore, this matter was not part of the plot, which made him a bit hesitant.
"We will send another trustworthy Agent to assist," Coulson tried to allay Shen He's concerns. "And the mission isn't difficult. You just need to infiltrate the location we've pinpointed, check if there are any weapons inside, and if so, destroy them as much as possible. I think this will be very easy for you."
It was indeed very easy.
Teleport in, check it out, and if the situation is not right, teleport out.
With Qi Mu present, there weren't many weapons that could pose a threat to them.
"I need to think about it. If I've made up my mind, I'll reply to you by tomorrow," Shen He still couldn't agree immediately.
Coulson looked into Shen He's eyes. He knew very well that when a person showed such an expression, it wasn't so easy to sway them, so he didn't say anything more.
"What are you worried about?"
After Coulson left, Saiki Kusuo's voice appeared in Shen He's mind.
He could sense that Shen He was very tempted by the reward, but he couldn't understand the reason for his hesitation.
"Of course, I'm worried about you," Shen He looked up at Qi Mu, thinking in his mind, "Qi Mu, this World is very dangerous and cruel. It's not your World filled with ease and all sorts of incredible things. I'll just ask one thing: can you kill people?"
"..."
Saiki Kusuo didn't speak because he was a bit confused.
In his World, he was absolutely invincible, and no one could threaten his safety.
So, killing people... how could a gag manga be so bloody!
"When I was little and got into fights, my father taught me, 'If you can win, fight; if you can't, run,'" Shen He paused, then continued:
"But in this World, even a playboy like Tony has personally killed many people. Of course, he can say they were all murderers, Terrorists, and got what they deserved, but in my opinion, it's just a matter of 'if you can win, fight.'"
At this point, Shen He gently patted Violet's small head, then looked at Saiki Kusuo, "Among all our companions, I worry least about Violet because she adapts to war better than anyone. I only worry about you, and yet, you are the one I rely on most right now."
These past ten days of leisure had also allowed Shen He to buffer from the change in his identity.
He was no longer the ordinary office worker he used to be, but a Master who wielded power and had to survive in this chaotic World.
But Saiki Kusuo couldn't.
The reason was simple: the art style wasn't right.
"Killing people... I can't do it," Saiki Kusuo finally shook his head. "When killing your classmates, your parents, is as simple as moving a finger, killing becomes a very terrifying thing. So please, Master, put me in a defensive position as much as possible."
Shen He suddenly narrowed his eyes and smiled, a very happy smile, "I'm already very grateful that you haven't abandoned me."
His Servant was not some imaginary, void character, nor an NPC executing his orders, but a flesh-and-blood "person" with his own convictions. Shen He was immensely thankful for this.
Because when Saiki Kusuo, who One Heart wanted to be an ordinary high school student, could go to chaotic and exciting places for him, the inner feelings of emotion, pride, and fulfillment were something he, as an ordinary office worker, could never experience.
So Shen He finally decided to accept S.H.I.E.L.D.'s employment this time.
He had to grow quickly enough to live up to his Servants' expectations.
Tony had been feeling quite pleased with himself these past few days.
First, he solved the problem of palladium poisoning, which meant he was no longer on the verge of death. Then, by studying Shen He's mecha, he made powerful upgrades to the new generation of Mark armor. Plus, with his birthday approaching, good things seemed to be piling up.
So he planned to throw a lavish birthday party to celebrate his new lease on life.
"He, I'm specially inviting you as an important guest to my birthday party!"
Tony came into Shen He's room with a hamburger and fine wine, his mustache almost curling up. "Ever since you came, Lady Luck seems to have fallen in love with me. Of course, this has nothing to do with you, after all, I'm the universally loved Tony Stark. Hey, I've made some upgrades to your mecha. We can have a duel in front of the beautiful ladies then. Of course, there's no way you can beat me."
"A duel?" Shen He glanced at him sideways. "How about we take off our armor and have a bare-knuckle fight?"
"Ha, haha," Tony gave two dry laughs. "That's the behavior of a brute. How could it show my wisdom?"
He had occasionally seen Shen He testing his physical fitness last time, and all his indicators were close to seven or eight times that of a strong man. Only a fool would fight bare-knuckled.
"Your birthday is in five days, right? I have something to do that evening," Shen He pondered for a moment, then spread his hands indifferently. "It won't affect anything anyway. You'll definitely be having an all-night party, and I'll be back very soon."
"Alright, you're always so mysterious, but I won't leave any beautiful women for you," Tony raised his glass and clinked it with Shen He's. "To the rebirth of Tony Stark, cheers."
"Cheers."
Shen He took a small sip, but his mind was on other things.
He wondered if it was a coincidence that Tony's birthday happened to be the day of the mission he had agreed upon with S.H.I.E.L.D..
But there was nothing to worry about. After all, with an eighth-level Qi Mu, he would be back after a few teleports.
In the following days, Shen He continued to grind dungeons, teach Violet to speak, and make snacks.
The rest of the time, he stayed in the Villa's infirmary, by Ryougi Shiki's side.
Even though the medical standards of this World were much higher than Ryougi Shiki's World, the conclusion was still the same: she might wake up, or she might remain in this sleep forever. So Tony hired the best Nurse in the World to care for her.
Of course, Shen He was certain she would wake up and looked forward to that day immensely.
Besides that, he also took Violet to the Underground City dungeon and cut off Qi Mu's rations to fully feed her. He didn't know if it was due to potential upgrades, but her talent in combat was even more terrifying than what was shown in the anime. It was a ruthless, precise, mechanical Carnage.
Shen He believed that even if the enemies standing before her were not monsters, but living humans, the result would be the same.
The Violet I'm writing about is the one under the Major's care. To see the Violet from the anime, I'll need to nurture her for another three or four years (^).