"…How many colleagues?" Coulson quickly grasped Shen He's implication and murmured, "I really hope there are no friends of mine."
"It's a pity." Shen He handed him a note. "This is all your friends."
Although Shen He wasn't a diehard Marvel fan, the interconnected serial plots intrigued him, and he had rewatched them several times.
The one that left the deepest impression was John Garrett—Coulson's old friend. From his very first appearance, he didn't look trustworthy, and ultimately, he wasn't.
Then there was Jasper Sitwell, a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who turned out to be a Hydra operative. Shen He only knew a handful of such names, but these two were enough.
"When do I leave?" Coulson stared at the note. "I can't wait to punch him in the face."
"Tonight, the sooner the better. I really hope that by tomorrow, I can wipe Hydra out myself." Shen He yawned as he got up from the sofa. After taking a few steps, he turned back. "Coulson, after S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone, do you want to come work for us at Chaldea? We're better at protecting the world."
"…I'll think about it, Mr. Shen." Coulson stood and shook Shen He's hand.
He really needed to consider his future. In fact, every member of S.H.I.E.L.D. needed to. But first, he needed to ask his old friend why he had chosen to betray them.
Lelouch nodded at Shen He and followed Coulson out.
"Mr. Lelouch, we haven't officially met yet," Coulson said, extending his hand.
"Just call me Lelouch." Lelouch shook his hand with a smile. "After learning about you, I've always admired your dedication. It's hard to imagine an ordinary man choosing to give up everything to safeguard the world."
Shen He had tasked Lelouch not only with executing the plan but also with shaping Chaldea's public image.
When it came to strategy and persuasion, Lelouch surpassed Shen He. His approach was more natural, more logical.
"Are there no ordinary people in Chaldea?" Coulson asked curiously.
"No." Lelouch slowly shook his head. "We select individuals with exceptional abilities from different worlds. We believe protection requires strength."
"Guarding does require strength." Coulson nodded before glancing at Lelouch. "But you look so young, about the same age as my nephew in high school. It's hard to imagine you already defending the world."
Fury had given Coulson an additional mission—to communicate with Shen He's group, establish deeper connections with Chaldea's members, and extract intelligence.
"You misunderstand." Lelouch corrected him. "We don't guard the world. We safeguard human principles. Both good and evil exist within those principles. When we intervene, the Master acts based on his own preferences. That is part of human nature. Even if Hydra rules the world, it would not affect the existence of those principles."
"Really? Then we should be grateful that Chaldea has sent us a benevolent lord," Coulson remarked. Some of his doubts were starting to clear.
For example, why did Shen He's actions lack the structure of a formal organization? Why did they seem driven more by personal will than by a defined system?
"To be honest, I still can't fully comprehend what Chaldea is," Coulson continued. "You don't resemble any organization we know. You seem to be a gathering of extraordinary individuals centered around Mr. Shen. More like a family than an organization. Is the whole of Chaldea like this?"
This was another thing he found puzzling.
It wasn't unusual for teams to form familial bonds. But that kind of trust usually required time.
With Shen He, it seemed as if a group of strangers had developed an inexplicably close connection.
"It's just because the Master has good character," Lelouch replied.
After spending several days here, he had observed Shen He's nature. He wasn't weak, but he valued genuine relationships.
"So you do have a structure?"
"Of course. Chaldea is not an unorganized group…"
The two intelligent men continued their conversation, their discussion deepening with each exchange. Despite their age difference, they found common ground.
During this, Coulson contacted several individuals from his list, summoning them to a designated meeting place—a cafe.
Only one responded positively.
"Only one? That's fine." Lelouch considered it briefly and determined it wouldn't affect the plan.
They only needed Hydra to make a move against the captured Captain America.
"For me, Garrett is enough," Coulson muttered as he accelerated. "We're old friends."
The meeting location was a well-known cafe in the heart of New York. Despite the hour, it remained crowded. Coulson and Lelouch entered separately and sat apart.
This was Lelouch's first experience with espionage tactics, but Coulson had provided a crash course on tradecraft in the car—how to use peripheral observation without attracting attention, among other techniques.
Lelouch found them surprisingly effective.
He even considered undergoing formal spy training. It could be useful in his own world, particularly in his quest for revenge.
After a short wait, Garrett entered and took a seat across from Coulson.
"Coulson, what's so urgent? I had a lot to do."
Garrett was a slightly overweight middle-aged man. Even in the current weather, he wore a turtleneck to conceal the burn scars on his neck.
"It's a very, very important matter," Coulson said, looking his old friend in the eye. "It concerns both our lives."
As the conversation began, Lelouch sipped his coffee. He didn't particularly enjoy it, but sitting in a cafe without drinking anything would have drawn attention.
The Holy Britannian Empire didn't have an equivalent to spy agencies like S.H.I.E.L.D., but this type of intelligence work seemed incredibly effective.
Lelouch tested his newfound skills, using his peripheral vision to observe without appearing obvious. The trick was to focus on something else while allowing his vision to register surrounding details. This created a vacant, unfocused expression, as if lost in thought.
Wait…
Everyone around him seemed to be in a daze.
Something wasn't right.