What happened in Afghanistan couldn’t be hidden from certain agencies.
After all, Qin Zhong hadn’t gone out of his way to conceal anything.
His entry and exit records, car rentals, and expenditures were all under his own ID, meaning the FBI had a dossier on him, and the dark-skinned bald man at Hydra-SHIELD had an even more comprehensive one.
For example, Qin Zhong’s combat power rating.
That single detail was enough to catch the cotton machine’s attention.
On a day off in early May, Qin Zhong received invitations to meet two different people: one from the principal’s office, and the other from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, brought by Phil Coulson.
Qin Zhong was busy studying for his upcoming final exams when he suddenly received a phone call from the principal, saying a guest wanted to visit him.
When he arrived at the principal’s office, he saw four bodyguards standing outside the door.
After identifying himself, Qin Zhong was invited inside—and found a familiar face waiting.
“Hello, Principal.
Ah, Senior Brother Tony, you look so much better than the last time I saw you.
If you could just unfurrow your brow a bit, it’d be even better.
What’s wrong?
Something on your mind?” Qin Zhong greeted the principal before giving Tony a hug.
“To avoid getting in the way of you making your tin-can products, I didn’t even dare bother you, afraid I’d disturb your inspiration.” Tony knew Qin Zhong was different.
He was like a wizard who somehow always knew hidden secrets.
Sure enough, he knew about the suit of armor Tony was building.
The principal exchanged a brief word with Tony and left the room to the two of them.
“Zhong, besides catching up, I came here mainly to give you a present.” Saying that, Tony produced a few boxes sitting beside him and handed them to Qin Zhong.
Qin Zhong accepted them and opened one.
Inside was a suit of clothes—not armor, just a black casual suit.
Feeling the material, he recognized high-strength carbon fiber composite, the exact material used in Spidey’s Mark 1 suit.
It included a suit jacket, shirt, and trousers, along with unconventional accessories like gloves, a holster, and a tie.
There were two sets in total, taking laundry changes into account.
“Wear-resistant, tough, bulletproof—though it won’t stop a sniper rifle, of course.
I thought you’d like it, because I like it myself.” Tony adjusted his own clothes; what he was wearing was also custom-made by himself.
Qin Zhong certainly liked it.
This would significantly boost his combat efficiency—a gift that hit the mark.
Opening the other box, he found a folder.
Flipping it open, Qin Zhong immediately pushed it back.
“Senior Brother, what are you doing?
‘No reward without merit’—what’s the deal with suddenly handing me money?” Inside the folder was an agreement transferring a 5% stake in Stark Industries.
“Hey, hey, Junior Brother!” Tony pressed down on the document Qin Zhong pushed back and shoved it back with a bit of force.
*Junior Brother now, huh?
Tui!
Don’t try to play the relationship card—nothing good ever comes of it.* “Listen to me.
I’ve been keeping an eye on you.
Ever since last September, you’ve been different.
You suddenly became a completely different person—your grades improved, you got stronger.
Because you kept a low profile, most people didn’t notice.
But after you went to Afghanistan to rescue me, things won’t be the same.
Given who I am, people are always plotting against me, and many will notice you and try to win you over—including me.
I can’t sleep in a tin suit for the rest of my life.
So, I need a sense of security.” Tony stared intently at Qin Zhong, his expression deeply sincere.
“I’ll wait for you to graduate, and I’ll fund a laboratory for you.
Like you said, I’m your senior brother, and I’m more than happy to claim you as my junior brother.
All I need is for you to give me some peace of mind.
I haven’t been sleeping well lately.” “A bodyguard?
No way!
Zero freedom,” Qin Zhong rejected outright.
“No, no, no, not a bodyguard, Junior Brother.
I’m talking about the thing you used on Christmas Eve.
I need one dose.
I promise I won’t analyze any of its components—it’ll be strictly for my personal use.
Just one dose is all I need.” Tony got straight to the point.
Divine Strength?
To be honest, he really could provide it.
However, he couldn’t offer the optimized version, only the unoptimized standard genetic template.
After all, the optimization of Divine Strength itself wasn’t 100% complete yet, so its stability couldn’t be guaranteed.
Furthermore, later-stage optimizations leaned heavily toward magic, making it tricky to deal with.
However, the unoptimized genetic template was saved by Wenqu and could be extracted and synthesized at any time.
Wenqu’s analysis was extremely precise; as long as the equipment and raw materials were available, a syringe could be whipped up whenever needed.
Seeing Qin Zhong fall silent, Tony was overjoyed.
There was hope!
Originally, during his investigation, Tony had received an explanation claiming that Qin Zhong’s sudden increase in strength was due to a breakthrough in Chinese kung fu.
But Tony knew how to fight himself; he practiced Wing Chun and had martial arts training.
His intuition told him something was off.
Qin Zhong went from practicing martial arts to a major breakthrough in just a month and a half—what kind of martial arts prodigy was that?
There had to be another reason, so he came to gamble, and his gamble had paid off.
Qin Zhong looked at Tony Stark with a bizarre expression.
*Is this guy a mind reader or what?* He hadn’t even considered bringing this out yet.
Kagome and Peter were still too young, and their personalities weren’t stable enough.
Leaving aside whether using it would affect their growth, Qin Zhong was worried they wouldn’t be able to control such power, leading to disaster.
Uncle Ben and Aunt May weren’t in a rush.
Let them live a quiet life for a few years first.
Once he graduated, started working, and had the chance to set up his own lab, he could synthesize a couple of vials to improve their health.
So at this stage, he had no intention of manufacturing it at all.
Yet Tony had somehow sniffed out the opportunity.
Qin Zhong took the transfer agreement from Tony’s hands, pulled out a fountain pen, and looked at Tony to make things clear.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Senior Brother.
Since you investigated me, you should know that I carry Chinese bloodlines.
My family line underwent an evolution, so this thing synergizes extremely well with me and grants me great strength.
But if given to you, the results might not be nearly as good.” “To what extent?” “About ten times human baseline!
And it’s strictly an increase in raw strength along with a modest boost to physical attributes.” “That’s enough!
Worth it!” “As you wish.” Qin Zhong scanned through the document and signed his name on the share transfer agreement.
“Once my exams are over, I’ll visit your home and prepare it for you.” Having obtained a satisfactory answer, Tony stood up and gave Qin Zhong a hug.
“I’ll take care of the shares before then.
Of course, if possible, I’d also like to run a bit faster…
you know what I mean, Junior Brother.” By this point, Tony was certain that Qin Zhong possessed an entire series of such items.
It was just that Qin Zhong usually acted like he didn’t need anything.
Giving him shares was because Tony knew Qin Zhong needed money to maintain a comfortable life—that was the one bargaining chip Tony could leverage.
Qin Zhong rolled his eyes.
*Keep dreaming for now.* He was currently nursing a headache over Immortal’s Touch and had no desire to get bogged down in research.
Tony left, thoroughly satisfied.
On his way back to the dorm, Qin Zhong received a phone call from Phil Coulson, inviting him to meet at a café near the school entrance.
After changing into his new suit, Qin Zhong strolled over.
When he pushed open the café door, Coulson was already standing to welcome him.
“Hello, Mr.
Qin.
Over here.” Qin Zhong walked over and sat down opposite Coulson, ordered an Americano, and then looked at the middle-aged man with a receding hairline sitting in front of him.
Coulson introduced himself first.
“Mr.
Qin, I’m an agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
My name is Coulson.
The title is a bit long, so people usually refer to my organization as SHIELD.
You may call it that as well, Mr.
Qin.” “SHIELD?
I’ve only heard of the FBI.
Which of you is more powerful?” Right then, Qin Zhong’s coffee arrived.
He asked while adding milk and sugar.
“The FBI’s jurisdiction is largely confined to the domestic United States, whereas SHIELD is a global security agency.
In terms of authority, SHIELD definitely ranks above the FBI.” “Ah, got it.
Big Brother.” Qin Zhong took a sip, then put the coffee down with a look of distaste.
*If I’d known, I would’ve ordered juice.* “So, what does Global Big Brother want with a student like me?
I’ve always been a good student and a good citizen.
I never break the law.
In fact, because of my girlfriend’s aunt, I’m even more law-abiding than ordinary people, and I certainly don’t have a record of international crime.” “You misunderstand, Mr.
Qin.
It’s not because of any of that.” Qin Zhong looked left and right: a fake manager, two fake couples, three fake employees, four fake customers, five fake passersby, and six fake construction workers.
There wasn’t a single normal person anywhere near this café.
“As far as I know, Mr.
Qin possesses extraordinary power far beyond that of ordinary humans!” “Yep, passed down in my family!” Qin Zhong admitted it openly.
Ask any further, and the answer was Chinese kung fu.
Coulson didn’t dig into the source of his power either.
Just as SHIELD would later accept figures like Thor and Spidey, in their understanding of the world, Captain Marvel had existed as far back as 1995.
“Mr.
Qin, this world—and not just Earth, but extraterrestrial worlds as well—contains many people like you, or even stronger.
Some are well-intentioned, while others aim to bring destruction to the planet we live on.
Recently, SHIELD has been recruiting extraordinary individuals like yourself.
We plan to assemble a team of heroes powerful enough to safeguard Earth’s security.
I sincerely hope you’ll join us.” To be honest, precisely because Qin Zhong had a clean background, Nick Fury was willing to extend an invitation regardless of how he had obtained his power.
“I refuse!” Qin Zhong didn’t hesitate for a single second.
“I have school.
I’m getting engaged at the end of May, married at the end of August, and then I need to finish my studies.
I also have to work for Tony—after all, Stark Industries’ stock price affects my dividends.
Once my job is stable, I want to have kids, take care of the Lawson family and Uncle Parker’s family, and support them in their old age.
After I get married, I’ll have my wife’s farm to look after as well.
I don’t have time to save the world.” With that, Qin Zhong dropped his coffee spoon, stood up, and walked away.
“Thanks for the coffee, Mr.
Coulson.
Next time you want to chat, it’d be great if you bought me tea instead.
I don’t like coffee.” Coulson returned to SHIELD with his team and submitted his report to Nick Fury.
The cotton machine stood by the window as usual, his back to Coulson.
“He refused?
Does he think he can just stay out of it?
Impossible.
In the face of a crisis on Earth, no one can truly look out for only themselves.
Pay attention to him, keep eyes on him, learn everything about him, and…
put him under surveillance.
We don’t have the leverage to persuade him right now because he appeared too suddenly.
Everyone has a weakness.
Setting aside unethical methods, SHIELD will eventually have something he wants.”