“…Ghost?”
Coulson froze for a moment before finally processing what Leon had said.
His eyes widened.
“Are you saying that the cannibalism cases that have been happening recently were caused by ghosts?”
“Yeah!”
After saying this, Leon noticed that Coulson seemed on the verge of having his blood pressure spike, so he quickly added,
“Of course, they’re different from the ghosts and spirits you see in movies and novels.
They’re simply humanoid creatures known as ‘Ghosts.'”
Hearing this, Coulson’s emotions eased somewhat.
Although a humanoid creature called a “Ghost” still sounded rather ridiculous, at least Leon wasn’t trying to fool him with some kind of supernatural nonsense.
Coulson took a deep breath and calmed himself before asking,
“Can you be more specific?”
“You’re the client, so of course.”
Leon smiled.
While cracking sunflower seeds, he explained,
“Ghosts look exactly like humans, but they feed on humans.
They possess bodies that don’t age or die naturally and are far more resilient than ordinary human bodies.
They also possess abilities far beyond those of normal people.”
“You’re making them sound like vampires.”
“Yeah, they’re quite similar.”
Leon took a drag from his cigarette and slowly exhaled.
“They also evolved from humans through the blood of their progenitor, just like vampires.
That’s why they possess the same appearance and intelligence as humans, while also having an unbearable craving for food.”
“You said they’re immortal.
Don’t they have any weaknesses?”
“Sunlight and Sun-Blades!”
“Sun-Blades?”
Coulson was surprised.
Sunlight was understandable.
Dark creatures like ghosts and vampires generally feared it.
But what exactly was a Sun-Blade?
Some kind of exorcism weapon, like silver bullets?
“This!”
Leon pulled a katana from beneath the counter, his face full of smiles.
“This weapon is forged from a special mineral.
It can inflict effective damage on Ghosts.
If you use it to sever a Ghost’s neck, they’ll die as well.
One million dollars.
Final price!”
Coulson froze.
He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
He felt like he’d been played.
First, Leon sold him information about Ghosts, and now he was promoting a weapon specifically designed to deal with them…
Wasn’t this exactly the same trick used by those door-to-door salesmen?
But…
“I need to request the funds from my superiors!”
After saying this, Coulson pulled out his phone and made a call.
A weapon with this kind of special value would be worth purchasing even if it wasn’t the only method capable of killing Ghosts.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
would definitely want one for research.
“One million and you still need to ask for permission?
Looks like Mr.
Coulson doesn’t have much status in S.H.I.E.L.D.!”
Leon rested his chin on his hand and teased him out of boredom.
Sorry for having a low position.
Coulson shrugged innocently, conveying exactly that message.
“What’s the matter?”
At that moment, the call connected, and a steady voice came from the other end.
“It’s like this…”
Coulson explained the situation.
After a brief silence, the voice on the other end spoke again.
“Let me talk to him.”
“Sure!”
Coulson handed the phone over.
“Director Fury wants to speak with you.”
“Hmm!”
Leon nodded and took the phone.
“Director Fury, what can I do for you?”
“Do you have a license to sell weapons?”
“Hmm?”
Leon paused.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Are you threatening me?”
“No.
I’m simply stating a fact.”
Fury’s voice remained as steady as ever, yet his words often carried an unsettling chill.
“Privately selling weapons in the United States is illegal.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“Two hundred thousand dollars.”
“Two million.”
“Three hundred… What did you say!?”
Fury’s eyes widened.
He had dealt with gray-market businesses operating on the edge of the law more times than he could count and had plenty of experience with them.
Whenever he brought out the big stick of the law, the other party would consider S.H.I.E.L.D.’s influence and usually make some concessions.
That tactic had always worked before.
And that was exactly what he had been doing just now.
Therefore, when Leon responded, Fury hadn’t even thought about it before instinctively trying to negotiate.
But halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized something.
Leon wasn’t negotiating with him.
He was raising the price.
And he’d doubled it in an instant.
Fury could hardly believe his ears.
Coulson beside him was equally stunned.
This was the first time he’d seen someone openly challenge S.H.I.E.L.D…
Well, all right.
Not the first time.
At this point, S.H.I.E.L.D.
was still officially known as the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
It hadn’t yet fully revealed itself to the public, and its public credibility was extremely low.
Not many people gave a damn about them.
But among those who knew what S.H.I.E.L.D.
actually was and still dared to act this arrogantly, every single one was someone capable of influencing the nation’s economy or political landscape.
And Leon?
A mysterious man of unknown origins, someone whose very identification documents had been arranged by S.H.I.E.L.D., a man operating a gray-market business…
Even someone like him dared to go head-to-head with them.
Did he really think S.H.I.E.L.D.
was some charitable organization that helped old ladies cross the street?
“I said two million!”
Leon repeated himself, his voice firm and leaving no room for negotiation.
“One phone call is all it would take for me to shut down your business.”
“One phone call is all it would take for me to make your S.H.I.E.L.D.
disappear.”
Fury:
“…”
Coulson:
“…”
What the fuck!?
After being stunned for a moment, Fury couldn’t help cursing aloud.
“Kid, if there’s something wrong with your head, I know the best neurosurgeons in the world.
They can treat you.
But if you’re perfectly healthy, I can guarantee they’ll be able to make sure you aren’t.”
Leon had already worked with Coulson twice, so they had a certain understanding of each other.
Therefore, this threat was being made after Leon already knew exactly what S.H.I.E.L.D.
was.
It was difficult to imagine that someone saying this could possibly be sane.
“Three million!”
Leon didn’t curse back.
He simply raised the price again.
“What the fuck, you—”
Fury was so angry that he could barely speak.
Of course, it was all an act.
As the King of Spies, his ability to control his emotions was stronger than that of ninety-nine percent of the people on Earth.
He deliberately acted furious because he wanted to observe Leon’s reaction and determine whether the young man was merely spouting nonsense or genuinely believed he could threaten S.H.I.E.L.D.
However…
“Director Fury, you can stop acting.”
The corners of Leon’s mouth curled upward slightly.
His tone was filled with confidence.
“Every time the World Security Council allocates funding to S.H.I.E.L.D., you skim off a portion for yourself.
Three million dollars shouldn’t be difficult for you to produce, right?”
“What do you mean?”
Fury’s heart jolted.
Yet his expression remained unchanged, and his tone didn’t fluctuate in the slightest.
He sounded exactly like someone who had just been falsely accused.
Even Coulson thought Leon was bluffing.
Of course, whether Coulson truly believed that was something only he knew.
This seemingly “honest” man who was already going bald wasn’t nearly as innocent as he appeared.
“You can think I’m bluffing if you want.”
Leon paused before continuing.
“But if my business is affected, information about your embezzlement of funds—and even information capable of threatening S.H.I.E.L.D.’s very existence—will become public.”
Then he added,
“Don’t forget what my business is.”