Chapter 87: Recent Changes

The plan to find a few brains for the symbiote to eat ultimately didn't succeed, because Shiler discovered that this symbiote was not only active in shouting hunger, but also extremely picky in taste.

"Look at him, how is he? I dare say he must have more than a dozen lives on his hands, this gang villain..."

"No, his brain is not fragrant enough, I won't eat it."

"Then how about him, let me see, a litigator who defends serial killers, should be a smart person, right?"

"He is not delicious either, not to my taste."

"Then what about this one? I heard he

"It must be very bitter."

Schiller, who ended up empty-handed and had to return to his psychological clinic, argued with the symbiote in his head: "Why are you so picky? Can't you just make do? Why can't you just eat the brains of a few ordinary criminals?"

"Then why don't you drink Americano?"

Schiller opened his mouth, a bit unsure how to refute that; this symbiote was truly getting smarter and smarter.

"Fine, but you at least have to tell me where you want to go to drink the espresso you want?"

No sooner had Schiller finished asking this in his mind than the clinic door rang, and Steve, having just finished his morning run, walked in. The symbiote said happily: "... The espresso has arrived."

Following behind Captain America was Seeing Natasha. Before Schiller could even speak, a yellow figure flew over. Seeing Natasha threw Pikachu into Schiller's arms and said: "First of all! S. H. I. E. L. D. does not provide pet boarding services!"

"But the contract..."

"We just modified the contract; mice are not allowed to be boarded!"

"That's discrimination. Dogs and cats are fine, why not mice?"

"Yeah!" Pikachu crossed his arms and chimed in: "Why not mice?"

"Shut up!" the others said in unison.

"Now dogs and cats aren't allowed either. We've canceled this employee benefit, and everyone voted in favor with both hands."

"I was just leaving him there for a few days..."

"A few days??? How many more days do you want to leave him??? Coulson changed 6 phones in 7 days, Nick Fury used up his annual leave on the spot and hid away, the UN leaders who came to inspect left in a hurry before staying two days, and even the Army Lieutenant General who is usually most willing to make things difficult for S. H. I. E. L. D. bought an economy class ticket and left overnight..."

Seeing Natasha stood at the door with her hands on her hips; the female agent was clearly also quite angry. She said: "The only good news is that the things he broke and the employees' mental distress compensation can make Nick's report next month have another 50% increase in reimbursement amount..."

Schiller looked down at Pikachu and said: "I remember before I left, you promised me you would behave..."

He grabbed Pikachu's two short arms and stared eye-to-eye with him. Pikachu blinked his two round black eyes, looking extremely innocent, then wrinkled his nose and jumped onto the sofa.

"PIKA——PIKA!"

"You've been gone for quite a long time this time," Steve said, sitting on the sofa.

"So, has anything big happened lately?"

"Nothing big, but a pile of small troubles."

"Oh?" Schiller asked while washing a cup at the kitchen sink: "What kind of trouble?"

"Stark has completely broken with the military," Seeing Natasha said. "It's said he found conclusive evidence that the military planned the Afghanistan kidnapping, although I think that was Obadiah's scheme to sow discord."

"You mean, it was actually Obadiah who planned this case and framed the military? Does he really not want Stark Industries and the military to cooperate that much?"

"Obadiah is like a hen guarding her eggs. He doesn't allow anyone to touch Stark Industries. Whoever dares to touch his life's work, he will find ways to get rid of them."

"Before Stark was kidnapped, Obadiah was already under considerable pressure from the military. The military's appetite is endless; they wanted too much, even touching the core interests of Stark Industries. Obadiah hasn't liked them for a day or two."

"At first, they did indeed just buy some ordinary weapons, but Stark Industries' weapons were too good to use. The military wanted to obtain their technology and then produce it themselves through graft. Obadiah, of course, wouldn't allow such a thing to happen."

Seeing Natasha also leaned on the sofa, and Steve poured her a glass of water. Seeing Natasha said: "Thanks."

Then Steve said: "But I still think it's absurd. Just to destroy the relationship between Stark and the military, he found terrorists to kidnap Stark?"

"Obadiah is very smart. He knew that Stark would one day create amazing technology. He had to give Stark a reason never to compromise with the military, so that his half-life's work wouldn't be stolen by the military."

"As long as Stark, who holds the core technology, refuses to budge even in death, then at least the core technology of Stark Industries can be preserved."

"But that was at the cost of his nephew's life."

"Obadiah wouldn't care." Seeing Natasha lit a cigarette and then asked: "Do you mind if I smoke?"

"Go ahead," Schiller said.

Seeing Natasha looked at Steve, and Steve said: "I don't smoke, but there are plenty of people who smoke on the battlefield, I don't mind."

The female agent slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. It seemed her stress was also quite high. Stark completely falling out with the military was not entirely a good thing for S. H. I. E. L. D.

The current relationship is like this: S. H. I. E. L. D. and the military have always been at odds because of the allocation of military funds and S. H. I. E. L. D.'s ridiculously large law enforcement powers.