Chapter Five: Doing Business with Nick Fury

"Extracted skill: Natasha's bedroom techniques." Yang Xin looked up at the heavens in exasperation. What use did he have for such a skill?

"Handsome, are you going to give me the Flower Key?" Natasha approached with all her seductive charm, her fiery body winding around him like a snake.

Having acquired Natasha's skills, Yang Xin suddenly felt intimately familiar with every part of her body, able to predict her next move with uncanny clarity. His hand, almost of its own accord, found its way to her waist, drawing the two of them impossibly close.

"Comrade Romanoff, you didn’t know about the Flower Key’s power before, but surely you do now..." Yang Xin forced himself to shut out the memories of Natasha’s newly acquired skill from his mind, struggling to resist the overwhelming allure of her body.

"It's precisely because I know that I want it so much. If you give me the Flower Key, you can do whatever you want with me. Don’t you feel anything for me?" Natasha teased, a coy smile on her lips as she saw Yang Xin blushing.

"You misunderstand, Comrade Romanoff. It’s not that I feel nothing for you. You are a warrior worthy of respect. Any improper thoughts about you would be a desecration. But this is a serious matter. The Flower Key is not just a key to inexhaustible attire; it is also the foundation for becoming a god. So..."

"So?" Three voices echoed at once.

One belonged to Coulson, another to Natasha, and the third, ghostlike and lurking in the darkness, was Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., who had evidently been eavesdropping for some time.

"There has to be more compensation," Yang Xin declared in a strange tone, channeling the spirit of Ding Xiu from "Brotherhood of Blades." He was not alone—he was not alone!

"How much?" Surprisingly, it was Coulson who couldn’t contain himself.

Yang Xin truly had no idea how much to ask for. In reality, the Flower Key was already soul-bound to Natasha, just as the Dino Mecha was already bound to Coulson. Yang Xin’s main intention was to make S.H.I.E.L.D. understand that such treasures could not be obtained lightly—and to prepare something for himself as well.

After all, as the Treasure Distribution System put it, he was destined to roam the multiverse. Ensuring his own safety during such journeys was a major concern. Relying on those unpredictable random skills? Yang Xin thought it best to amass some equipment first.

He casually scribbled a list on his notebook and handed it to Nick Fury, who read it over and over with a grim expression.

Perhaps it was just Yang Xin’s imagination, but it seemed Fury’s already dark face grew even darker.

"What do you need all this for? The weaponry alone could outfit a battalion for a month of sustained combat, and these supplies could support ten thousand people for a year," Fury said coldly.

"For interstellar travel. If I end up stranded on an uninhabited planet, these weapons will keep me safe, and these supplies will keep me fed until I die," Yang Xin replied blandly.

"One Flower Key isn’t enough. I want ten!" Fury demanded, adopting the posture of a man ready to take on all comers.

"There’s only one. Take it or leave it. And it’s unique—there’s only one in this world," Yang Xin replied without the slightest courtesy.

Negotiation, after all, was just like business: start with an outlandish offer and bargain from there.

"In that case..." Fury took the notebook and began typing rapidly on the keyboard, then handed it back to Yang Xin.

Yang Xin glanced at Fury’s stern face, but Fury’s expression remained unchanged—a poker face so practiced that even if he had reacted, Yang Xin would not have seen it.

Yang Xin glanced at Coulson, who merely shrugged with a helpless smile. The decision wasn’t his to make; he was just an observer.

Natasha, meanwhile, remained intimately entwined with Yang Xin, her breath warm against his ear.

Yang Xin tried to shake her off but found that he simply didn’t have the strength. Resigned, he fought to ignore the temptation and focused on reviewing Fury’s revised list.

As expected, all the prohibited weapons Yang Xin had requested were struck off the list. He understood; those weapons couldn’t be operated by just anyone. Their removal was only reasonable.

But Fury’s additions left Yang Xin speechless. Not only did Fury not reduce the quantities of conventional weapons, he had added to them—by a lot. For example, Yang Xin had asked for a hundred rocket launchers; Fury simply added a zero. Rifles and ammunition? Fury added two zeros—not after the decimal, but before it. And as for supplies like rice, oil, and salt, Fury had added three zeros...

Ten times, a hundred times, even a thousand times the original amounts! Such extravagance was almost unthinkable—like selling off ancestral land without a care.

"This is almost embarrassing... Director Fury, you’re too generous! I must call you a friend! Coulson, hurry and make our Director a cup of your finest coffee," Yang Xin said quickly.

Natasha, as a super soldier and weapons expert, seemed to sense something off, a mysterious smile on her face. But Yang Xin, exhilarated by his windfall, failed to notice.

"We’ll take you to the military reserve base, but as for moving the supplies and where you take them, that’s your problem," Fury said, his face an unreadable mask.

Yang Xin nodded, untroubled. He’d already communicated with the Treasure Distribution System, which, pleased with his successful mission, had rewarded him with a Dimensional Pocket.

Just like the one from "Doraemon," this pocket opened into another dimension—no matter how much he put in, it would fit. Of course, it didn’t come with any magical gadgets; it was purely for storage.

Yang Xin was more than satisfied.

Fury was a man of action and immediately took Yang Xin to collect his supplies. They didn’t take a helicopter but drove instead. Led by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Fury, Natasha, and Coulson all piled into the battered Dino Mecha—the decrepit Volkswagen Santana.

Why did Fury insist on taking Yang Xin’s car and having him drive? In his words, such an advanced weapon needed to be kept under his watchful eye.

"As far as I know, this isn’t your car," Fury remarked from the back seat.

"As far as I know, it is," Yang Xin replied coolly. Inwardly, he was gaining a deeper respect for S.H.I.E.L.D. In the brief time since the fierce battle between Iron Man and Iron Monger, they’d managed to clean up the aftermath and track down the car’s owner with remarkable speed. Yang Xin couldn’t help but be impressed.

"I’d like you to turn the car over to us," Fury said, his tone even.

"To whom?" Yang Xin countered.

"S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Be more specific."

"Coulson."

"Handing it to Coulson is fine. But in that case, I want another set of the supplies from that list," Yang Xin bargained. Having already bound the car to Coulson, he had no intention of letting it go for nothing—he might as well profit a second time.

Yang Xin’s straightforwardness left Fury somewhat taken aback, but the seasoned director showed no sign of it.

"I have a question," Yang Xin said suddenly.

"What is it?" Fury replied coldly.

"I’ve already authorized the Dino Mecha to bind to Coulson. He’s now the Era Warrior Koseidon. But he’s only one man. He can’t be both the driver and the warrior at once. The vehicle needs a driver," Yang Xin explained.

"Heh." Fury snorted derisively. "If there’s one thing S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t short on, it’s veteran drivers!"

"Though that’s your internal affair, I’m curious—who do you intend to assign as the driver?" Yang Xin pressed.

Fury merely closed his eyes, refusing to dignify the question with an answer.

"We’re planning to assign Agent Grant Ward as my assistant and the vehicle’s driver," Coulson replied.

"Grant Ward?" Yang Xin frowned.

"Is there a problem? Or does the Dino Mecha require a specific kind of driver?" Coulson asked, somewhat anxiously.

Fury, in the back seat, pricked up his ears.

"The car has no special requirements for its driver; anyone with a valid license will do. The problem is Grant Ward. Are you sure he’s one of your elite agents?"

"Of course—he’s a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Level Five," Coulson replied, though knowing Yang Xin’s abilities, his confidence wavered.

"If my information is correct, Grant Ward may appear to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but he’s actually a Hydra operative."

"What?!"