"Sitwell, you are my superior. It was your discerning eye that recognized the potential in me, a newcomer, understand?"
Makima's voice was gentle yet dangerous: "You asked me to investigate this report, but all the discoveries, all the evidence, all the credit, belong to me alone. Your only task is to praise me unstintingly in front of Director Fury."
"Of course! This is your glory! And my honor!"
Sitwell nodded frantically.
"Also," Makima narrowed her eyes slightly, "if you alone report it, Fury, that suspicious one-eyed Braised Egg, might not fully believe it."
After all, on the surface, Makima was a consultant recruited by Sitwell.
If Sitwell handled this matter alone again, it would inevitably make Fury overthink things.
They needed to avoid suspicion... "We need a more influential witness whom Fury absolutely trusts."
She looked outside the door: "I heard Agent Coulson is also at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters today?"
...Twenty minutes later, in the Operations Conference Room.
The atmosphere was so heavy it could almost drip Water.
Agent Coulson had merely been passing by when Sitwell pulled him in to "see a big treasure," but at this moment, he was staring intently at the frozen image on the large screen—that Flaming Skeleton lashing Thugs with chains.
"God... it really is a big treasure..."
Coulson was also someone who had seen many major events, but this scene, full of religious horror, still made his scalp tingle.
He turned to look at Sitwell, then at Makima, who stood quietly as before.
"Jasper, is this really not some movie special effect?" Coulson asked.
"The Technical Department has verified it, Coulson."
Sitwell had now resumed his astute and capable senior Agent image. He pointed at Makima, his tone filled with praise and astonishment:
"This is all Agent Makima's credit. To be honest, when she first asked me to approve her investigation into those Arson Cases in Texas, I never expected her to uncover such a shocking revelation. I thought it was just a few Gangs and Drug Addicts."
Sitwell picked up the thick report and handed it to Coulson:
"But she not only brought back images, she also connected all the cold cases from the past two and a half years. Coulson, you have to see this profile and analysis report—the logical rigor is completely unlike something a newcomer who's been on the job for less than a month would produce!"
Coulson took the report, quickly flipped through a few pages, and his eyes grew brighter with each one.
As Fury's confidant, he knew exactly what S.H.I.E.L.D. was lacking now—
They lacked enforcers, but they also lacked investigators with keen intuition and top-tier analytical abilities.
"Incredible insight..." Coulson closed the report, his gaze towards Makima completely changed. It was the pleasant surprise of finding a treasure. "Agent Makima, did you not feel fear facing such a monster?"
"Fear is a biological instinct, Officer," Makima smiled slightly, making herself appear more like an enthusiastic young person, answering flawlessly, "But for me, the excitement of discovering the truth outweighed the fear."
"Well said." Coulson took a deep breath, clutching the report tightly in his hand.
He looked at Sitwell: "Jasper, this must be reported to Director Fury immediately. No, I'll take Makima up now. With intelligence of this level, this girl's rank needs to be raised."
Sitwell pushed up his glasses, a subtle smile playing at the corner of his mouth: "I agree."
...S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Director's office.
Nick Fury sat behind the semi-circular desk, his sole remaining eye fixed on the report in his hand.
"So..."
Fury finally spoke. He threw the report about the Ghost Rider onto the desk with a soft 'thud'.
"Coulson and Sitwell have praised you to the heavens, especially Sitwell, saying you are the hope of the department for the next twenty years."
Fury interlaced his fingers and rested them on his chin, leaning slightly forward, creating a pressure that would suffocate an ordinary Agent:
"But I'm very confused, Agent Makima."
"This past Monday, as a token of your sincerity upon joining, you submitted a Top-Secret Intelligence report regarding The Hand and the New York underground."
"Less than a week has passed, and you've not only completed the routine investigation in Texas, but also conveniently dug up a Flaming Skeleton that might even rewrite S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Occult Files."
Fury's single eye narrowed slightly, not in appreciation, but in blatant suspicion:
"Even the luckiest person couldn't win the Lottery Jackpot twice in two consecutive days. This efficiency is a bit too high."
"I want to know, Agent, how did you precisely find him amidst the vast sea of alarm calls and data junk in Texas?"
Faced with a question that would make an ordinary Agent break out in a cold sweat, Makima's eyelashes didn't even flicker.
She tilted her head slightly, her light green eyes clear to the bottom, and gave an answer that almost gave Fury a heart attack: "Hmm... probably... a woman's intuition."
"…"
Fury's expression froze.
In that moment, several women who gave him headaches flashed through the mind of this King of Agents.
He had heard that phrase too many times... Motherf***er... Fury felt his temples throbbing.
It was this trick again.
This was practically women's universal shield, and the most annoying part was that this so-called "intuition" was often incredibly accurate for them.
It sometimes left this veteran Agent with no way to refute it.
"Intuition..." Fury gritted his back teeth, squeezing out these words, "A very good reason."
But he had no intention of letting Makima off easily. Changing the subject, questions bombarded her like a volley of cannonballs, giving her no chance to think or breathe:
"How do you know so much information?"
"Because I've been secretly following him."
"Why didn't this guy you call Ghost Rider attack you?"
"Because I held no hostility towards him, and I stayed far enough away."
"How did you manage to escape unharmed, completely unscathed?"
"Because I'm a good person, and he didn't discover I was secretly filming him."
Faced with Fury's relentless interrogation, which would make even veteran Agents break out in a cold sweat, Makima answered fluently.
Although some details were vague, the overall logic was self-consistent.
It perfectly fit the persona of "a lucky, bold, and careful newcomer."
After several rounds of confrontation, Fury not only failed to find any flaws but also felt as if he had been punching a ball of cotton for a long time.
The air suddenly fell silent for two seconds.
Just as Fury was about to organize his thoughts for the next offensive, Makima, who had been on the defensive, suddenly tilted her head.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, calmly observing Fury.
Offense and defense swapped!
"Director, are you interrogating me like this because you don't trust my professional abilities, or because I brought the intelligence back alive?"
"I..." Fury was about to speak.
Makima sighed softly, a hint of grievance on her face:
"I don't have the good luck to win the lottery twice in a week. To understand The Hand's movements, I spent several months hovering between life and death. To escape the pursuit of Ninjas, I even often hid in the Sewers..."
She looked directly into Fury's eyes, every word carefully chosen: "This is all intelligence I earned with my blood and sweat. I originally thought that dedicating all my experience and achievements to S.H.I.E.L.D. without reservation would earn me a 'well done'..."
The unspoken meaning was—
I worked myself to the bone for your S.H.I.E.L.D., telling you everything I knew, and now you're questioning my motives because my abilities are too outstanding?
How heartbreaking! Does your S.H.I.E.L.D. have no conscience?
Is this how you treat diligent employees?
Nick Fury froze.
A drop of cold sweat slowly slid down his shiny black forehead.
He actually felt an inexplicable sense of pressure from a newcomer.