The next day, Leon crawled out of his soft bed early.
After a quick wash, he grabbed a homemade sandwich and hurried out the door.
His residence was a studio apartment located in Queens, New York.This was the accommodation S.H.I.E.L.D. had arranged for him.
Though it wasn't large, it was fully equipped with everything one might need.
In particular, the private garage on the first floor allowed a young man with a special profession like Leon to properly store his equipment and vehicles.
On his second day of joining S.H.I.E.L.D., Leon planned to drive to Washington today.
There were two reasons for traveling to Washington, over three hundred kilometers away:
First, to go to the Triskelion Headquarters to submit yesterday's mission report; second, to find a place to test the extraordinary skill he had just learned.
Indeed, before parting with Hawkeye last night, Leon had gritted his teeth and learned Hawkeye's extraordinary skill, [Heightened Senses]!
At that moment, as ten thousand experience points vanished, the purple light orb on Hawkeye's body erupted like a supernova, turning into grains of starlight that slowly entered Leon's body.
In that instant, Leon immediately felt a massive change in his senses:
His hearing improved to the point where he could hear the whispers of tenants upstairs through the ceiling; his dynamic vision strengthened, allowing him to capture the rapid flapping of a fly's wings; and his sense of smell became so sensitive that he could even smell tacos being sold a block away.
The whole World suddenly seemed to open up!
Leon felt that if he were to have another match with Hawkeye, he might be able to defeat him by relying on the various combat techniques he had amassed!
Of course, it was still necessary to properly hide his strength.
Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why his reactions had suddenly become so sharp... However, having just gained an extraordinary skill, Leon couldn't suppress the impulse in his heart to find a place to test just how powerful his extraordinary skill was.
As it happened, Triskelion Headquarters had sent a message to Clint Barton, asking him to send someone to Triskelion to submit the mission report.
To Leon, this was like someone handing him a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.
Going to the Triskelion for some sightseeing while testing his extraordinary skill was like killing two birds with one stone!
Therefore, Leon volunteered and took on this task.
And so, riding the silver Yamaha FZ-6N—a 20th birthday gift from Uncle Phil and a newly released model—he sped all the way to the capital of the U.S., Washington... several hours later.
After using his Agent badge to pass through layers of checkpoints and parking his motorcycle in the open-air lot, Leon was greeted by a uniquely designed yet majestic interconnected building.
"Is this the Triskelion building?"
The Triskelion was the primary headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its very heart.
The entire Triskelion building was situated on a small island in the middle of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.
The island covered an area of about one square kilometer, all of which belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D. territory.
Perhaps because it was his first time at Triskelion Headquarters, Leon felt that everything here looked very fresh.
However, the well-arranged plants and the high-tech road surveillance seemed to say to anyone looking to cause trouble: "Hey! Be careful! This is S.H.I.E.L.D. territory!"
Of course, Leon, as a S.H.I.E.L.D. newcomer, didn't care too much and just silently observed the surroundings.
Although it was his first time at Triskelion Headquarters and he had no idea where anything was, Leon wasn't an idiot; if he didn't know, he could just ask!
After asking a few S.H.I.E.L.D. passersby along the way,Leon soon arrived at the main entrance of the Triskelion Headquarters building.
He took out his Agent badge and swiped it on the door's scanner, and the automatic doors opened immediately.
As soon as he stepped into the building, Leon noticed that his attire seemed out of place with the people here.
During this season of blooming spring flowers, he had simply thrown a thin trench coat over a white T-shirt, looking like a tourist out for a stroll.
He stood in stark contrast to the staff members around him, who were dressed in formal wear and moving with hurried expressions.
As the public headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its most heavily fortified one, the number of people working inside Triskelion Headquarters accounted for nearly a third of the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. organization!
However, this didn't mean that everyone working at S.H.I.E.L.D. was an Agent like Leon or Hawkeye.
Researchers, logistics personnel, and even ordinary electricians and cleaners all contributed their efforts within this massive structure.
The support of hundreds of thousands of people and decades of development had allowed S.H.I.E.L.D. to truly become the Shadow of the World—the most mysterious yet powerful intelligence agency.
And now, Leon had also become a part of it... However, Leon wasn't overly excited.
His mind was currently full of thoughts about quickly submitting his report and then finding a firing range to test the extraordinary skill he had learned from Hawkeye.
Would his Heightened Senses allow his shooting skills to reach a level of 100% accuracy?
He was very much looking forward to it.
Meeting several gazes filled with various meanings, Leon leisurely approached the information desk and gave the Miss at the front desk a charming smile. "Hello, I'm Agent Lyon. May I ask how to get to the Intelligence Department?"
The black-haired Miss was dazed by his smile and pointed somewhat blankly toward the two o'clock direction, subconsciously replying, "Huh? Go that way, take the elevator, it's on the 8th floor."
"Great, thank you."
With that, Leon made a turn and walked toward the elevator.
All of this was witnessed by a certain brown-haired beauty leaning against the glass railing on the second-floor walkway... After Leon arrived at the Intelligence Department and submitted the detailed report of yesterday's mission, he immediately turned and left under the many curious gazes within the department.
His light footsteps and the faint smile on his face all spoke of Leon's current inner feelings.
He couldn't wait to get to the firing range to see to what extent this [Heightened Senses] skill could elevate his reaction speed and shooting accuracy!
He pressed the elevator button, and before long, he arrived at the firing range located in the basement.
There weren't many people at the firing range. Out of a dozen or so shooting lanes, only five or six people were practicing.
After showing his ID, Leon casually picked up a glock 17, found the nearest shooting lane, put on his goggles and ear protection, and began firing!
Bang, bang, bang... The gunshots blended together without the slightest pause.
In just a few seconds, Leon emptied all 18 rounds from the magazine!
Taking off his ear protection and setting down the pistol, Leon looked at the target moving toward him, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
18 shots, all within the Ten Rings!
Just as Leon was reveling in his divine marksmanship, a slightly cold female voice sounded from behind him:
"As expected of the strongest newcomer."