Chapter One Hundred and Seven: The Flawless Handsome Man

When the black Chevrolet convoy appeared on the horizon along Ingram Street, Coulson understood at once.

Rafael had finally dragged Tony over.

Fortunately, it was not too late. Coulson also took out his phone then, preparing to call Zhong Shenxiu and wake him up.

That was Coulson’s thoughtfulness: at the very least, it would let Zhong Shenxiu sleep as long as possible.

And the clever, hefty agent beside him had already been sent back to the nearby surveillance post...

At the very least, he was a man handpicked by Nick Fury. Though he did not seem all that dependable, he was still part of surveillance, and it was better not to let him come too close to Zhong Shenxiu’s sight if it could be helped.

“Hello, Coulson. What’s the matter so late?” Zhong Shenxiu’s voice over the phone instantly pulled Coulson’s thoughts back. He promptly softened his tone and replied, “Sorry to disturb you, Xiu. Tony has suffered serious injuries and urgently needs your help. We’ve arrived at the entrance of Zhongshen Clinic.”

“All right. I’m coming out now.”

Hearing that voice free of any negative emotion, Coulson felt considerably more at ease.

Thinking of that fat agent again, well—there was the contrast. Both were woken in the middle of the night, and yet this one was so gentle and refined, while that embarrassing agent, ah... it was hard to even put into words.

Coulson still felt a little regret that Xiu had not agreed to join S.H.I.E.L.D.

If Xiu could become an agent, with his intelligence and ability, he would probably be cultivated as the next director before long... Coulson thought to himself.

Soon, after spotting Coulson, Rafael’s convoy stopped in a neat line along the roadside. In the center, heavily surrounded and protected, was an enormous heavy transport truck.

Judging by its tonnage... it looked as if it could haul bridge piers without breaking a sweat.

Coulson looked a little puzzled at the massive truck. Rafael, who had just come over before Coulson and had not yet spoken, immediately understood and explained, “This is for transporting Tony Stark. His condition... well, it’s not easy to explain. Come take a look and you’ll understand.”

To read one’s superior’s thoughts from a glance... in truth, most S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were quite capable.

Coulson had just been about to walk toward the truck when, at that moment, he heard the sound of a door opening from inside Zhongshen Clinic. He immediately abandoned that idea and decided to go over with Zhong Shenxiu later.

At the sound of the disturbance, Rafael’s gaze was drawn there as well.

Ever since arriving here, he had been wondering what was so special about this shabby little clinic on a shabby little street that could lead Coulson and Tony Stark alike to insist on coming here.

Now, it seemed the answer was about to be revealed... Rafael thought darkly.

The agents nearby also stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the entrance of Zhongshen Clinic.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes—Zhong Shenxiu opened the door and stepped out.

He was only wearing a pair of loose gray sleep pants. His bare upper body revealed chocolate-toned muscles, not overly bulky, but perfectly proportioned, with a beauty in every gesture. Even these rough-and-ready male agents, upon seeing him, could not help but think with envy:

Damn. He’s fucking handsome—

Because of restless sleep, Zhong Shenxiu’s hair was a little tousled. A casually sticking-up tuft added a touch of unruly wildness to his gentle, refined bearing.

His sky-blue, alluring eyes were half-open, clearly showing that he had only just woken up.

Seeing this beautiful man, Rafael was somewhat surprised. He had originally assumed the doctor in this clinic would be older, or perhaps a bespectacled bookworm...

In any case, not this striking young man radiating masculine allure from head to toe.

Rafael even had a feeling that if his daughters saw this scene, they would probably start clamoring every day to come to Zhongshen Clinic once they got home...

He really was handsome—of that kind which, however one looked at him, from whatever angle, in whatever respect, was flawless.

Rafael had to admit that.

Coulson, who had already grown somewhat used to Zhong Shenxiu’s face, was momentarily dazzled by that moonlit glance as well, but he quickly recovered.

And thus he noticed something others had not yet seen.

There was a small red mark on Zhong Shenxiu’s neck.

Tsk... so that fat agent had been right after all. Coupled with Zhong Shenxiu’s obviously just-woken-up appearance, Coulson’s doubts about him vanished completely.

“Come, Xiu. Tony is here.” Coulson pointed toward the super-heavy truck and, as he walked, motioned for Zhong Shenxiu to come over.

Nodding, Zhong Shenxiu followed.

Right now, he was naturally in his true form.

After using Skrull transformation to circle around for a bit, he added a speed enhancement to his legs and quickly dodged the cameras, running back home.

Then he overheard the conversation between Coulson and that fat agent and realized that Coulson had also begun to suspect him.

So Zhong Shenxiu simply decided to play along: he had Wanda leave a few little marks on his neck, made a slight change to his appearance, and put on a drowsy, newly awakened look.

Judging from Coulson’s expression, he probably no longer suspected him much at all.

After all, Zhong Shenxiu never left any handles behind in anything he did, and had even provided an alibi... Zhong Shenxiu believed that Coulson’s suspicion was nothing more than a broad, uncertain sort of doubt.

Thinking this, Zhong Shenxiu also reached the top of the massive truck and looked down at the pitiful Tony.

The silver-white Mark Two was nearly scrap metal, and even the arc reactor in the chest was flickering dimly in a way that suited the scene all too well.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhong Shenxiu noticed Coulson freeze in place.

But he quickly understood: this was still Coulson’s first time seeing Tony’s armor.

So Zhong Shenxiu also pretended this was his first time and said, “Tony, just what in the world has this guy invented? Looks pretty intimidating.

“But who beat him up like this... an injury to the abdomen and a severed hand, just like Agent May last time?”

At that, Coulson gave a wry smile and replied, “You observed that very carefully, Xiu. It really is the same as Agent May’s injuries. In fact, I even think the person who injured Tony and the one who injured Agent May may be the same person.

“As for who it is... sigh, I’ll tell you in a moment. Let’s treat Tony’s injuries first. I’ll go down and help clear out the unrelated personnel.”

With that, Coulson went down to Rafael and said something to him.

Then, at Rafael’s command, all the other agents immediately moved away from the truck and stood at a distance with their backs turned.

As for Zhong Shenxiu, he once again turned his gaze to Tony.

With injuries this severe... I wonder if that is enough to trigger the reveal of the Heart of Steel...