After three days and two nights of high-intensity work, expending a large amount of mental energy to create magical artifacts, Shimizu was extremely exhausted. Even with the Mind Stone's energy to replenish his mental strength, he still wanted to get a good night's sleep.
He slept straight through to noon the next day.
At the dining table, Shimizu, with a knife and fork in hand and a napkin on, enjoyed the newly prepared French cuisine while watching a news program projected holographically by Weit Ose.
"It is reported that the terrorist organization Ten Rings Gang in the Middle East recently caused serious damage to downtown Los Angeles with its human bomb terrorist attacks. Currently, Stark Industries executive and head of security, Mr. Happy Hogan, was injured in the attack and is now receiving treatment at New York Presbyterian Hospital…"
The news program quickly cut to footage of reporters interviewing Tony Stark.
Because Happy Hogan was Tony Stark's confidant and had served as his personal bodyguard for many years, their relationship was as solid as could be.
"If you are still a man, remember my address, 10880 Malibu Point, 90625 zip code, waiting for your challenge at any time…"
After eating a piece of tender and soft foie gras, Shimizu swiped his hand across the virtual projection and began searching for the Mandarin's Extremis technology.
Then he saw the Osborne Group's investment in Extremis technology.
The investment amounted to ten billion dollars, making them the second-largest shareholder in the group abbreviated as .
The largest shareholder is .'s apparent founder, Aldrich Killian.
As for why it's 'apparent,' Weit Ose's search revealed that Killian had previously worked at a research institute at a California university. Many of his team members were from that institute, but it disbanded five years ago.
After that, Killian created Extremis Technologies, recruited many people from the institute, and received a secret funding at the start.
There must be others behind him. As for who it is, Weit Ose traced it halfway before the trail went cold.
Someone intervened.
Maybe not a person.
In the network world, only artificial intelligence of the same level as Jarvis could compete with Weit Ose.
However, who was behind this was quite clear.
Who else could have this network capability besides Tony Stark?
That was the guy who intercepted Weit Ose when he was investigating the . network last time.
It should be Zola of Hydra.
Doing this must have attracted Hydra's attention, and they must be taking it very seriously.
But…
I am a top scientist, a super-rich man, a top entrepreneur, why doesn't Hydra want to absorb me?
What a shortsighted bunch.
If I joined Hydra, I would have one more way to obtain luck.
With my power and ability, I might even become a snake head.
That would be a lot of luck!
"Young Master, a Mr. Phil Coulson is looking for you."
Just as lunch ended, Jorge pushed open the door and came over.
"Please ask him to go to the living room. I'll be there right away."
Shimizu wiped his mouth and stood up from the chair.
"He said it's a very urgent matter and suggested we immediately mobilize all the defense forces in the manor."
"Hmm? I'll go now."
Shimizu put down his napkin and turned to leave immediately.
And after Jorge, who was following behind him, closed the door, the news program temporarily interrupted with a new live broadcast.
Several missiles dragging tails of flame shot out from helicopters crossing the sea, bombing a mansion built on the coast.
…
…
"Coulson, long time no see. Have you changed your hair growth liquid recently?"
Shimizu said to Coulson as he walked into the living room.
"How did you know? Is it because my hair has become thicker?"
"No, it's because the speed of your hairline receding has increased, so I feel like you've changed brands."
"Now is not the time to joke around."
Coulson shook his head helplessly, his expression serious.
"The Director is dead."
"So should I applaud and celebrate?"
"It's a fake death."
"I suddenly don't want to celebrate."
Even the good-natured Coulson couldn't hold back.
"I've noticed that your mouth is evolving in Tony's direction."
"Okay, enough nonsense. Jorge just said you suggested I mobilize the maximum security force to protect the manor?"
This was both for Shimizu's own sake and because Nick Fury had been attacked and was ostensibly dead, greatly reducing the available forces.
They needed Shimizu's powerful combat strength and abundant financial support.
Poisoning and assassination didn't concern Shimizu much.
Even without the perfect Oni-fication body and airflow manipulation ability of his main body, Shimizu could rely on ninjutsu, magic, and breathing techniques to avoid being threatened by many things on Earth.
Moreover, as a top ninja and the vice leader of the Assassin Alliance, Shimizu had very deep research into assassination and poisoning.
If he really got poisoned or injured, as long as he didn't die on the spot, he could save himself with medical ninjutsu—although he didn't have the vast chakra reserves of his main body's perfect Oni-fication body, he had the Eye of Watto.
With the help of the Mind Stone, he could enter a perfect flow state, and his chakra would also be enhanced by the energy within the Mind Stone, making it of higher quality and enhancing the effect of chakra.
"So how much have you guys found out now? Which people are Hydra, which are not, have you distinguished them yet?"
Shimizu leaned back in his chair and said to Coulson.
"How do you know it's Hydra?"
Coulson asked in surprise.
"I know more than you think."
"Alright."
Coulson looked into Shimizu's eyes, assuming that Shimizu had found it out using his own abilities.
After all, their Director had always been very accurate in judging people. In his evaluation, Shimizu was a guy with a typical schemer and ambitious personality, wary of everything, good at protecting himself, and liked to hide secrets and create information gaps to plan for himself.
The same personality as Nick Fury, so it made sense.
Whether it was ability or motivation, it was all there.
"Do you know about Project Insight? That is…"
“A plan to use a space-based aircraft carrier in suborbital space to monitor and strike against anyone deemed a threat worldwide.”
“You even know about that?”
Coulson was stunned.
Project Insight required a very high level of clearance within . to even know about. Even he only understood the tip of the iceberg after being promoted to Level 8 agent.
Worthy of being a schemer, a seasoned conspirator, and an ambitious person, just like the Director!
“Continue,”
Shimizu waved his hand.
“Alright, we currently don't have many ways to determine who is HYDRA and who isn't. We can only use a process of elimination. For example, Project Insight, which they plan to activate in three days. The Director believes they will likely launch the aerial weapons directly for strikes.”
“So, you believe that anyone on the Project Insight list is not a member of HYDRA?”
Shimizu took a sip of tea.
“Yes, and Mr. Vought, you are ranked second on the list of tens of thousands of names in Project Insight.”
“Second? Who's first?”
“Mr. Stark.”
These HYDRA bastards really have no taste. They actually think my threat isn't as big as Tony Stark's?
Just then, Coulson's phone rang.
He picked up his phone and looked at the number on it.
“One mistake, one hand, one hair, one content, one look!”
“Just a moment.”
With that, Coulson picked up his phone and walked out of the room into the hallway.
Vought OS also spoke up at this moment:
“Sir, a call from Miss Potts.”
“Connect it.”
Soon, Pepper's voice, filled with sobs, rang out from the speaker.
“Walter, help me, save Tony!”
In the hallway.
Coulson frowned, his face showing shock.
“What? Tony was attacked and is missing, his life hanging in the balance?”
A few minutes later, Shimizu hung up the phone from Pepper, and Coulson also ended his call, returning to the living room.
“Walter, I think we need to move as soon as possible. They must think Tony's existence will cause variables in Project Insight, so they made a move in advance!”
Coulson said anxiously.
“I know, I know.”
Shimizu made a downward pressing gesture to Coulson, signaling him to calm down.
“I am absolutely safe, you can rest assured about that. Let's continue discussing Project Insight and Tony. Vought OS, if you haven't contacted Jarvis yet, put it aside for now, and search for relevant information on the internet.
Coulson, can you give me your personal account on the . intranet? Your Level 8 agent clearance will make it easier for me to crack the high-level information on .'s deep network. HYDRA must also have very high network privileges within ., which is why my previous searches were blocked.”
Coulson: ???
Isn't this not good?
Letting your artificial intelligence into .'s intranet, and even obtaining a Level 8 high-level agent clearance, second only to the Level 10 Director and Level 9 Deputy Director.
Then after this, will this still belong to .'s intranet, or will it belong to your, Clear Vought's, private network?
However, what he said makes a lot of sense. The clearance is needed to handle a very important matter!
“This… I need to ask the Director for instructions.”
Coulson replied.
Before Shimizu could say the next sentence, the living room door was knocked on.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a waiter walked in.
About thirty years old, holding a tray in his hand, with two cups of steaming tea on the tray.
“Sir, Butler Jorge anticipated that your and your guest's tea would be cold, so he asked me to bring two new cups.”
The waiter walked to the table with tea, a smile on his face.
Shimizu felt the Mind Stone, hidden under illusion on his chest, move slightly.
“Oh, your butler is so thoughtful.”
Coulson said with a look of envy.
The middle-aged, balding office worker also wanted to enjoy this decadent life of a capitalist.
Shimizu didn't say anything, but suddenly leaned to the side, sat back in his chair, and kicked out at the waiter with one foot.
At the same instant.
A gunshot of “Bang” shocked Coulson back to his senses, and he quickly stood up from his chair, threw the cup at the waiter, then took off the pin from his chest, activated the small switch on it, stimulated the current, and pounced on the waiter.
He was here to see Shimizu, so when entering Vought Manor, he had his handgun confiscated by security, and could only use these small tools of a . agent.
Shimizu's eyes were calm, watching the assassin trembling on the ground with Coulson.
Sure enough, there were HYDRA people lurking inside Vought Manor.
When did this person come in? Seems like last year?
He had noticed the miniature modified pistol hidden in the waiter's cuff through the Transparent World as soon as he came in.
The gun was very small, with only one bullet, so it could be hidden very well.
And before he prepared to act, Vought's Eye also recognized the malice of the person in front of him through the Mind Stone.
Being able to guard, read, modify, and manipulate the minds of others, naturally also allows one to sense the thoughts of others.
“Coulson, step back!”
Shimizu suddenly spoke.
Coulson heard the words and quickly retreated a step, and Shimizu also formed a seal with one hand at this time.
“Wind Release: Wind Blade!”
A thin, round wind blade flew out, instantly cutting off the assassin's hands.
Not killing him directly, giving him a Hayate Gekko-style death, was because Shimizu thought he needed a living person.
Coulson gasped for breath, watching the assassin, whose hands had been cut off, turn red all over, reattach the severed hands, and show a look of shock.
Being able to reattach his hands after they were cut off, and his body was emitting high temperatures, this…
“As expected, it's still not very stable.”
The waiter stood up from the ground, sneered, and was then slapped in the face by Shimizu, falling to the ground on the spot.
At the same time, layers of black incantations swam out of Shimizu's hand, crawling all over the waiter's body, making him unable to move, and also suppressing the energy in his body, and the temperature dropped sharply.
“Tsk, what are you pretending in front of me?”
Shimizu snapped his left finger, and as the illusion created by the Mind Stone disappeared, Vought's Eye slowly emerged, shining with a bright yellow light.
At this time, Jorge, who heard the gunshot, arrived late with the manor's security personnel.
“Young Master Vought, are you alright?”
Jorge came over with a handgun in his hand, running slowly.
He didn't have the experience of serving in special forces like another neighboring butler, Alfred, but was just an ordinary butler with excellent management skills.
“I'm fine, but someone isn't.”
Shimizu stretched out his finger and flicked out a few more wind blades, killing two bodyguards who were secretly doing some small actions on the spot.
