Chapter 87

Plans to find the symbiote several brains to eat ultimately failed, because Shieler discovered that this symbiote wasn’t just eager to scream for food—it was also extremely picky about its tastes.

“What do you think of him? I’d bet he’s got at least a dozen human lives on his hands—that gang thug…”

“No, his brain isn’t fragrant enough. I won’t eat it.”

“How about this one? I hear he’s a lawyer who defends serial killers—he must be smart, right?”

“He’s not tasty either. Doesn’t suit my palate.”

“What about this one? I heard he once robbed Manhattan’s largest silver…”

“Definitely bitter.”

Shieler, having returned empty-handed to his psychological clinic, argued with the symbiote inside his own mind: “Why are you so picky? Can’t you just make do? Why can’t you eat the brains of a few ordinary criminals?”

“Then why don’t you drink Americano?”

Shieler opened his mouth but couldn’t think of a rebuttal—this symbiote was getting smarter by the day.

“Fine, but you at least have to tell me where you want to go to drink the espresso you’re craving.”

The moment Shieler asked that question in his mind, the clinic door creaked open—Steve had just finished his morning run and walked in. The symbiote exclaimed happily: “...here comes the espresso.”

Behind Captain America came Natasha. Before Shieler could speak, a yellow figure flew toward him—Natasha tossed Pikachu straight into Shieler’s arms and said: “First! SHIELD doesn’t offer pet boarding services!”

“But the contract…”

“We just amended it—no rodents allowed for boarding!”

“That’s discrimination! Dogs and cats are fine—why not rats?”

“Exactly!” Pikachu crossed his arms in agreement: “Why not rats?”

“Shut up!” everyone else said in unison.

“Dogs and cats aren’t allowed anymore either. We’ve canceled this employee benefit—and everyone voted unanimously in favor.”

“I just left him there for a few days…”

“A few days??? How many more days were you planning to leave him??? Coulson changed six phones in seven days; Nick Fury used up all his vacation days and fled; the UN inspection team left in a hurry after less than two days; even the Army Lieutenant General, who normally loves harassing SHIELD, bought an economy-class ticket and left overnight…”

Natasha stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips—this female agent was clearly furious. She said: “The only good news is that the damages he caused and the emotional distress to staff will add another 50% to Nick’s reimbursement claims next month…”

Shieler looked down at Pikachu and said: “I remember you promised me you’d stay put before I left…”

He gripped Pikachu’s two tiny paws and stared into his eyes. Pikachu stared back with wide, glossy black eyes, looking utterly innocent—then he wrinkled his nose and leapt onto the sofa.

“PIKA—PIKA!”

“You’ve been gone a long time,” Steve said as he sat down on the sofa.

“So, has anything big happened lately?”

“Nothing major—but a whole pile of small troubles.”

“Oh?” Shieler asked while washing a cup at the kitchen sink: “What kind of troubles?”

“Stark and the military have completely broken ties,” Natasha said. “They say he found concrete evidence that the military orchestrated the Afghanistan kidnapping—but I think that’s Obadiah’s scheme to sow discord.”

“You mean Obadiah actually planned the kidnapping and framed the military? Is he really that opposed to Stark Industries cooperating with the military?”

“Obadiah is like a hen guarding her eggs—he won’t let anyone lay a finger on Stark Industries. Whoever dares touch his life’s work, he’ll find a way to eliminate.”

“Even before Stark was kidnapped, Obadiah was already under heavy pressure from the military. The military’s appetite is endless—they wanted too much, even encroaching on Stark Industries’ core interests. Obadiah had disliked them for years.”

“At first, they only bought ordinary weapons. But Stark Industries’ weapons were too effective. The military wanted their technology, then reverse-engineered it to produce their own. Obadiah would never allow that.”

Natasha leaned back on the sofa. Steve poured her a glass of water. She said: “Thank you.”

Then Steve said: “But I still think it’s absurd—he hired terrorists to kidnap Stark just to ruin his relationship with the military?”

“Obadiah is clever. He knew Stark would eventually create astonishing technology. He needed to give Stark an unshakable reason to refuse any compromise with the military—so his life’s work wouldn’t be stolen.”

“As long as Stark, the keeper of the core technology, refuses to surrender it, at least Stark Industries’ core tech will remain secure.”

“But that came at the cost of his nephew’s life.”

“Obadiah doesn’t care,” Natasha lit a cigarette and asked: “You don’t mind if I smoke, do you?”

“Go ahead,” Shieler said.

Natasha looked at Steve. He said: “I don’t smoke, but there are plenty of smokers on the battlefield—I don’t mind.”

The female agent exhaled a slow stream of smoke. Clearly, she was under pressure too—Stark’s complete rupture with the military wasn’t entirely good news for SHIELD.

The current situation is this: SHIELD and the military have always been at odds, due to disputes over defense budget allocation and SHIELD’s absurdly vast law enforcement powers.