Man-Thing's dark red eyes stared at the photo on the phone screen.
It had no emotions, no thoughts, as if it was just receiving the purest data.
William could even feel that through the faint 'Green' connection in his glabella, a vast and gentle consciousness was scanning the plant network, using Nick Fury in the photo as an index.
From the lawns of city parks to potted plants in private Villas, and even to the tenacious moss growing in sewers.
Wherever plants existed, it became its eyes.
A moment later, Man-Thing slowly nodded.
Then, it made a move that even surprised William.
The solid ground beneath its feet began to rapidly turn muddy and soft without any warning.
A rich scent of humus, as if from the deepest parts of Louisiana, permeated the air.
A small, bottomless swamp thus appeared out of thin air on the land of North Brother Island.
Man-Thing plunged its huge hand, made of vines and tree roots, into the black swamp without hesitation.
William watched with interest.
He knew that a 'fishing' across space had begun.
A few seconds later.
The water surface in the center of the swamp churned violently, and a dark figure was suddenly pulled out of the turbid mud by an invisible force, falling heavily to the ground.
The man was drenched, still adorned with a few waterweeds, wearing an obviously ill-fitting patient's gown, with an IV needle still stuck in one arm, the tube broken, and transparent liquid flowing all over the floor.
Most striking were his iconic bald head and single eye.
Nick Fury.
He coughed violently, spitting out a few mouthfuls of turbid muddy water, completely in a state of extreme bewilderment and vigilance.
A second ago, he was still in a top-secret safe house outside Washington D.C., lying in a hospital bed, contemplating how to counter HYDRA.
The next second, he was enveloped by an irresistible sense of suffocation, as if being squeezed by all the mud of Earth, and then appeared in this godforsaken place.
"Motherfucker!"
A powerful roar broke the tranquility of the small island.
Fury instinctively pulled out a compact pistol from his crotch, and as he rolled to his feet, he aimed at the most threatening target in front of him—the two-meter-tall mud monster—and pulled the trigger.
"Bang! Bang!"
The bullets accurately shot towards Man-Thing's head.
However, the bullets only splashed two small mud flowers on its body, then lost their momentum and clinked to the ground.
This kind of physical attack was meaningless to it.
Fury's pupils constricted to the extreme.
He unhesitatingly turned his gun and aimed it at the man next to him, who had a look of watching a show, was wearing a high-end suit, and seemed out of place in this eerie setting.
William Rodriguez.
"Bang!"
The gunshot rang out again.
William's body merely shifted slightly, as if he had anticipated the bullet's trajectory, and effortlessly dodged it.
The bullet grazed his clothes and made a small pit in the ground in the distance.
"Director Fury, calm down."
William didn't even look at the bullet hole, his face still bearing the gentle smile characteristic of a businessman.
"Welcome to our company's latest 'Off-site Emergency Evacuation' service. Judging by your expression, you seem dissatisfied with this teleportation experience? Please rest assured, we will collect your feedback to improve the quality of our next service."
Nick Fury's single eye was filled with confusion and deep apprehension.
This man... this insurance businessman who had sold him intelligence not long ago... what exactly was his background?
This incredible, almost miraculous means of teleportation simply could not be explained by Earth's existing technology!
He looked again at the unharmed swamp monster, and Fury felt his brain somewhat frozen.
Was he kidnapped, or... had he stumbled into some formidable demon's lair?
"Alright, Emil."
William no longer paid attention to Fury's shock; he turned around and waved to Bronski, who had already reverted to human form but was still full of vigilance.
"Take our new colleague to the west to see its new office. Lei Ling has already arranged for the engineering team. Tell them I want the highest-spec ecological simulation environment."
Bronski frowned, glanced at the quietly standing Man-Thing, then at William.
He didn't ask much, just nodded heavily, then made a "follow me" gesture to Man-Thing.
Unexpectedly, Man-Thing was very cooperative.
Its dark red eyes lingered on Fury for a moment, then it took heavy steps and followed Bronski to the other side of the island.
The two "monsters" of vastly different styles thus disappeared into the woods, one after another.
Only William and Nick Fury, still in his gun-wielding stance, remained at the scene.
"Now, Director Fury."
William stepped forward and naturally pressed down Fury's still-raised pistol.
"I think we can go somewhere else and have a good chat about your 'claim' issue."
He patted Fury's wet shoulder, his tone sincere.
"And by the way, help you with your wounds and get you some clean clothes. After all, the client's dignity is also part of our service."
...A few minutes later, in William's familiar office.
Nick Fury changed into a suit prepared by William; although it was a bit ill-fitting, it was much better than the patient's gown covered in waterweeds.
He sat on the sofa, holding a steaming cup of coffee, but didn't drink a sip.
His single eye was unblinkingly scrutinizing the office, then the seemingly ordinary small island outside the window, and finally, it landed on William, who was leisurely pouring himself a drink.
The turbulent waves in his heart were far from subsiding.
He had considered countless possibilities, but never imagined he would escape in this manner.
"Rodriguez."
Fury's voice was hoarse and low.
"Who exactly are you?"
"A businessman, Director Fury, a risk management consultant concerned with the safety of client assets."
William swirled the amber liquid in his glass and sat down on the sofa opposite Fury.
"Now, I have resolved your biggest risk of being hunted by HYDRA. According to our previous verbal contract..."
William took out a printed document from the paradox briefcase and pushed it onto the coffee table in front of Fury.
It was an exquisitely made bill.
[Rodriguez Risk Management Company - Emergency Rescue and Asset Preservation Service Bill]
[Service Item: S-Rank Target (Nick Fury) Emergency Evacuation and Highest Security Level Shelter]
[Service Fee: 200,000,000.00 U.S. Dollars]
[Note: This service is authorized and guaranteed by Agent Natasha Romanoff. Please complete payment within seven business days after the crisis is resolved.]
Fury looked at the long string of zeros, his eyelids twitching fiercely.
Even with his composure, he almost crushed the coffee cup in his hand at this moment.
This bastard!
He actually printed out the bill!
"Your company is very efficient."
Fury squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.
"Client trust must not be betrayed."
William smiled and raised his glass, gesturing to Fury, "Especially when the client is a beautiful lady."
Fury fell silent.
He knew he had no right to bargain now.
His personal safety, and even his future counterattack plans, depended on this unfathomable man in front of him.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to accept this absurd reality.
"I need an absolutely secure communication channel to contact people I can still trust."
"Of course." William snapped his fingers, "'contract', open an independent quantum-encrypted line for Director Fury, with highest authority."
"Line established, Sir. Absolutely secure, untraceable or uncrackable by any known technology."
The AI's voice rang out in the office.
Fury's body tensed again.
There was an AI in this office that he couldn't detect at all!
He felt like a naked man, completely seen through.
"Relax, Director." William took a sip of his drink, "You are safe here with me. Now, you can begin your counterattack plan."
Fury didn't act immediately.
He stared at William, asking the question he cared about most.
"What was that... thing, just now?"
"Oh, you mean Mr. swamp?"
William's appellation made Fury's mouth twitch again.
"It?"
William put down his wine glass, leaned slightly forward, and a mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"It's my new security guard."
-------------------------------
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