Chapter Ten: Yang Xin's Speculation

“Absolutely satisfied!” Hill exclaimed excitedly, feeling the power coursing through her body. Then, Hill pulled Yang Xin into her arms and planted a fierce kiss on his lips, only releasing him when he was nearly breathless.

At the very moment Hill and Yang Xin kissed, the Treasure Distribution System’s voice rang in Yang Xin’s mind: “Mission complete. Maria Hill’s skills will be randomly drawn. Skill draw successful: Maria Hill’s shooting ability.”

Excellent! Yang Xin was overjoyed. With Hill’s marksmanship and Melinda’s escape—no, mobility—skills, he could both attack and defend. In ordinary combat, he was practically invincible, though battles with extraordinary beings would be another matter.

Once Yang Xin calmed down and gazed into Hill’s eyes, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.

“Too beautiful!” Yang Xin’s eyes sparkled. Hill had always been tall, with a slender waist and round hips, but after her transformation, she was even taller, her waist narrower, her hips more rounded and lifted, and her legs—long and slender—were dazzling to behold.

“Wait… Why does this look so familiar?” Yang Xin circled Hill twice, finally realizing why. Except for the Wind Horse and the Sword of Hope in her hand, Hill looked exactly like the neighboring Wonder Woman, or perhaps Princess She-Ra of the universe; after all, that animated series was inspired by Wonder Woman.

“Enough, I’ve had a long day. I need some rest,” Yang Xin said, heading into a bedroom.

No sooner had he lain down than Natasha and Hill burst in, insisting on protecting him twenty-four hours a day.

“Do you two really want to see my prized possession?” Yang Xin felt a bit weak.

Natasha and Hill were now superheroes; even without Yang Xin’s treasures, they were elite agents, their bodies extremely hardy. Yang Xin’s small frame could hardly endure their attentions.

“More than your treasured possession, you yourself are the real treasure,” Natasha said with a mischievous smile. Then she and Hill divided the task: one would guard the first half of the night, the other the latter half, ensuring Yang Xin wouldn’t come to any harm.

Natasha spoke the truth. Yang Xin’s existence was invaluable to Nick Fury, to S.H.I.E.L.D., and, to exaggerate, to the Earth itself—a true treasure. S.H.I.E.L.D. possessed countless special artifacts, but none as instantly effective and powerful as those Yang Xin gifted, and certainly none as safe.

Nick Fury cared deeply about Yang Xin’s safety. He knew S.H.I.E.L.D. was not secure at this time, so he sent people to protect Yang Xin, even issuing a strict order: he would rather sacrifice his own life than let anything happen to Yang Xin.

Yang Xin had experienced too much today and was exhausted, with no interest in any intimate affairs with Natasha or Hill. Before sleep overtook him, he reviewed the day’s events in his mind and stumbled upon an intriguing pattern.

Namely: the random extraction of the skills possessed by the artifact’s user.

When Yang Xin first met Coulson, in that situation, Coulson could not help but be wary—even after being transformed into a Warrior of the Era. Coulson was, after all, an agent, suspicious of anything sudden, which is standard procedure. Thus, the skill drawn from Coulson was coffee brewing.

Coffee brewing, to Coulson, was an unconscious means of communication, so the skill was named: “Coulson Teaches You How to Brew Coffee.”

Then came Natasha. Though she possessed rare greatness of character, she was a far more seasoned agent than Coulson. To put it bluntly, when Natasha became a ruthless, cold-blooded agent, Coulson was still just a sperm cell. Natasha had been active since WWII and earned the moniker “Black Widow.”

Nicknames aren’t misapplied, only misplaced. Black Widow is not a flattering title. Natasha came to test Yang Xin, but her method differed from Coulson’s gentle probing; she came to conquer, to test and subdue with her body.

Thus, the skill drawn from Natasha was her prowess in bed.

In a certain sense, Natasha’s greatest skill was her technique in bed.

Then there was Nick Fury. This old fox is wary of everyone, trusting no one. To him, Yang Xin is simply a useful asset—albeit a mysterious and powerful one. Anyone capable of producing such miraculous treasures must be enigmatic and mighty…

Therefore, the skill drawn from Nick Fury was: “Cold Entrance.”

Melinda was a warrior, not a politician, direct and forthright, cold and emotionless, but grateful for the powerful auxiliary artifact—the Time Ship.

Thus, the skill drawn from Melinda was her piloting skills.

Maria Hill, from her demeanor, clearly felt genuine gratitude towards Yang Xin, even offering him a kiss. As a result, the skill drawn from her was her marksmanship.

Strictly speaking, the skills extracted from these people were each their strongest, though their focus varied—some combat-oriented, others more domestic.

Yang Xin faintly sensed that genuine gratitude from the artifact user might lead to the extraction of their strongest skills.

Lost in these musings, Yang Xin drifted into a deep sleep. Natasha and Hill exchanged a glance, then silently guarded him—one keeping watch, the other staying close, providing true bodyguard protection.

Yet, Yang Xin, deep in sleep, felt none of this…

The next morning, Yang Xin woke to a call from Nick Fury, who first asked about Yang Xin’s plans.

Yang Xin replied he had nothing to do, so Nick Fury immediately brought him into S.H.I.E.L.D., giving him a casual consultant position. He hinted that S.H.I.E.L.D. was quietly recruiting and that Natasha and Hill couldn’t protect Yang Xin around the clock.

Yang Xin understood.

Nick Fury promptly added: rely on yourself; rather than having others protect you, it’s better to defend yourself. He suggested Yang Xin train to improve his own strength and offered to send a combat veteran instructor to guide him.

Yang Xin scoffed. Sending an instructor to “guide” him was just another test—and an attempt to reap further benefits.

He didn’t want to bother, but the Treasure Distribution System’s nature was to give artifacts to anyone he met; hiding wasn’t an option. Since he couldn’t avoid it, it was inevitable—and so his nickname as “the Fool” was equally unavoidable.

Yang Xin knew how Nick Fury and the others viewed him: a fool with miraculous treasures, always gifting them to anyone he met. How could he not be a fool?

“The person will definitely be Hawkeye, Clinton Barton,” Yang Xin said to himself with certainty.

But he was mistaken—a completely unexpected person appeared in Yang Xin’s villa.