"If Natasha isn't an idiot, then she's not here as an enemy." Shen He shook his head with a faint smile.
He had already deduced most of it. Even without Qi Mu Nanzi's telepathic input, he could guess that it was Skye who had come searching for him. She had that reckless persistence written all over her.
"Jeanne, I saw a swimsuit boutique on the upper level when we passed by earlier," Shen He said casually, handing her a sleek black bank card. "The PIN is six-six. Go wild. You, Violet, and Shiki should go prep for the beach. I'm counting on you to pick something... surprising. A little style, a little shock factor. Girls deserve to shine under the sun."
"I'm not your Barbie doll," Shiki grumbled under her breath. The words "girl" seemed to trigger her. She turned sharply, a flush of irritation across her usually stoic face.
Shen He could only respond with a helpless smile. Once she got annoyed, she'd go full silent treatment mode.
"Master, I'll help you choose," Jeanne offered sweetly, gently taking Shiki's hand and beckoning Violet with her other. Her eyes lingered on Shen He with genuine concern. "But if anything happens, call us immediately."
"Don't worry." Shen He nodded, his expression soft. "With Nanzi here, I'll be fine."
With his core team heading to prepare for their beach excursion, Shen He turned to Qi Mu Nanzi. "Let's go. Time to meet our guest."
He didn't hide his presence. Instead, he strode straight toward the burger restaurant where Natasha sat.
It was a typical fast-food joint—same tired design as all others, fluorescent lights, and a smell of over-salted fries. Natasha Romanoff sat in a booth by the window, dressed inconspicuously in a tactical black vest and a woolen cap. She scrolled on her phone, but her peripheral vision never left Shen He and Nanzi.
"I've been made," she muttered into her concealed earpiece.
"I'm coming over," Skye's voice replied, shaky but firm.
She moved quickly, hugging her laptop like a lifeline. With a deliberate pace, she walked into the burger joint and sat opposite Natasha, her back facing Shen He and Nanzi.
"This some kind of spy game you two are playing?" Shen He asked as he and Nanzi slid into the booth across from Natasha.
Natasha tilted her head and smirked. "It's fun. No gunfire, no explosions, no one dangling out of aircraft this time. Just good old surveillance."
She looked at Nanzi with barely hidden curiosity. Same pink hair, same deadpan stare—but clearly not the same as her brother.
"She's Qi Mu Nanzi," Shen He said plainly. "Nanxiong had something else to do today, so he sent his sister to cover for him. Unlucky for you, Nanzi's way more dangerous. She not only spotted you but also your little hacker friend behind you."
"Charming." Natasha rolled her eyes, masking the brief spike of alarm running through her. She quickly shut down any mental processes that could risk exposure, locking away confidential thoughts with trained precision.
Only a few in S.H.I.E.L.D. were aware of Qi Mu Nanxiong's true power level—dangerously high, comparable to Hulk or even above in raw psychic potential. And now… a stronger sibling?
The Chaldeans were more than they appeared.
Skye, realizing the jig was up, exhaled hard and turned to face them. Her eyes met Shen He's.
"I know who you are," she said, trying to steady her nerves. "I know about what happened to S.H.I.E.L.D. last night. You and that virtual reality company… You were behind all of it."
"And?" Shen He leaned forward, fingers interlocked, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Nanzi had already scanned Skye's mind. Everything she needed was laid bare—motives, insecurities, the desperate search for identity.
Shen He hadn't expected Skye, the still-raw Quake of the future, to track him so fast. Whether it was luck or intuition, it was impressive.
Seeing his expression remain calm, Skye's nervousness gave way to cautious hope. She even smiled faintly. He didn't deny it. That meant she had leverage.
Just as she reached into her bag for a recorder, it levitated from her fingers and hovered above the table. Her lips froze mid-word. No sound. Her body stiffened.
"Don't move," Qi Mu Nanzi's voice echoed directly into Skye's mind. The recorder twisted ominously in the air.
"Understood?" she added.
Skye nodded furiously.
With a snap of invisible force, the restrictions released, and Skye slumped, gasping.
This wasn't the MCU's world of open superpowers yet. No Thors or Hulks walking around in public. Outside of urban legends, people didn't expect telekinesis or mental locks. For Skye, facing that kind of power was terrifying.
Her composure shattered. All the planning, the bravery, the investigative edge… gone. But she didn't run.
Instead, her hands trembled, eyes glossy with emotion. She locked eyes with Shen He and whispered, "Please… help me."
"..." Shen He frowned. Her desperation wasn't fake.
"I don't understand one thing," he said after a pause. "Why are you so obsessed with your past? Do you know how many people out there don't know their biological parents? It doesn't stop them from living full lives."
Skye didn't answer right away. Her fingers tightened around her laptop.
"You're not wrong," she said eventually. "But for me, it's not just about names. I've never stayed in one place more than two years. Every time I thought I'd found a home, something awful would happen. I just… I need to know why. I need to know who I am. If I have to give up everything I have now to learn the truth, I will."
Her voice cracked.
This wasn't curiosity—it was a wound that had never healed, an emptiness that shaped her entire identity.
Shen He drummed his fingers on the table, lost in thought.
Skye's mother was of Inhuman descent, a line of evolved beings created by Kree experimentation. Her father, once a kind man, became the unstable Calvin Zabo after the family was torn apart. The pieces of her past were scattered, but the weight of them could shake entire factions.
And the Inhumans weren't just scattered across Earth. The royal family, including Black Bolt, ruled from Attilan—first hidden in the Himalayas, then relocated to the moon.
This wasn't just a family reunion. This had political ramifications among extraterrestrial and Earth-based superpower groups.
"I don't know everything," Shen He said slowly, "but I do know this—your blood comes from a hidden people. A very ancient and powerful one. If you're ready for answers… I can help you contact them."