In fact, Coulson didn't find much useful information at the scene.
The shoeprints left by John on the asphalt couldn't be matched because those shoes were self-produced by Kamar-Taj and were low-level magic items with some protective capabilities.
The only thing he could determine was the temperature at the scene, which only led him to increase the danger level of this presumed Inhuman.
Trace analysis also found some red fibers at the center of the high temperature, but Coulson couldn't be 100% certain of their connection to the case.
Coulson's admiration for Nick Fury increased once again; of course, what he admired most was Nick Fury losing an eye while fighting aliens. (Coulson didn't know Nick's eye was scratched out by a cat.)
He truly was the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., capable of accurately estimating the danger level and dispatching an Agent of appropriate rank like himself without even being at the scene.
However, these thoughts were useless, and Coulson couldn't possibly write such sycophantic flattery in his report.
There was some good news, though: based on the estimated body shape comparison, the person who robbed the Senator was the same person who left the shoeprints.
He now believed there were two Inhumans: one who could emit high temperature and high light, and another who might control air or similar elements.
The affected area that day was not limited to the outskirts; traces of destruction extended from the city hall to the outskirts.
Agents don't believe in coincidences; it was impossible for two unknown Inhumans to be together that day; this was a group crime.
This made Coulson sigh again.
Some Inhumans, after suddenly gaining powers, would do things they normally wouldn't dare to, such as storming into a company and killing the boss who exploited employees and demanded 996 work hours; or running into an alley to commit crimes, forming a small gang to bully men and women.
But even those Inhumans who lived peacefully could very likely go down an anti-social path, so S.H.I.E.L.D. also monitored Inhumans who hadn't yet done anything wrong.
This matter is very complicated, because no one wants their neighbor to be able to carry weapons like submachine guns or RPGs at any time, and even if the neighbor promises not to fire them, who can believe it?
Therefore, Inhumans want a peaceful life, but as soon as their abilities are exposed, they are very likely to be reported.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance system is also very inhumane; installing surveillance cameras and listening devices in the target's home is commonplace.
Very few Inhumans can tolerate the exposure of their privacy and constant surveillance; targets often lose their jobs because they undergo S.H.I.E.L.D. inspections, and they have no choice but to resist.
But overall, this monitoring system is still very useful; under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance, the crime rate of Inhumans is greatly reduced, and targets are often killed by action teams at the very beginning of their actions…
Coulson felt that the Inhumans he was investigating must have been poor and resorted to crime out of necessity.
Their targets were the capitalist class, people of a certain social standing.
According to Coulson's investigation, Senator Ricky White's family was one of those who participated in the Salem Witch Trials.
And those two Inhumans must have only recently gained their abilities and were not skilled in controlling them, which is why they went to the outskirts to use their powers.
They probably didn't want to hurt anyone, otherwise the Senator and his bodyguards wouldn't still be alive.
Thinking of this, Coulson relaxed a little.
They were people who needed help, and he was confident he could calm the emotions of these two Inhumans.
But the problem now was that S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't find them at all; this place was in the outskirts, with no surveillance and no cars parked, making it impossible to check dashcam footage.
Just as he was at a loss, a new clue came into his hands—Agent Sitwell found a waitress at the coffee shop across from the city hall.
In the brown-haired waitress's memory, there were two strangely dressed customers yesterday, and the reason she remembered them so clearly was that one of them ate a lot, and the other had a very good appearance.
The coffee shop's surveillance footage had already been transferred to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s computers.
Coulson, who had arrived at the coffee shop, took the tablet and looked at the surveillance.
"A child?" Although the surveillance was a bit blurry, after adjustment by technical personnel, Coulson still made out the height ratio of Salomon and others in the footage, and Salomon's face, captured on camera, further confirmed his guess.
One could only say Salomon made one oversight; he only remembered to cover his face at the robbery scene but forgot to do so at the coffee shop—though it was understandable, as he originally thought the operation wouldn't need to be so rough.
The brown-haired waitress nodded.
She said, "They looked about twelve or thirteen years old."
Coulson nodded.
He was now glad he hadn't asked for Melinda's help; facing an Inhuman who was also a child would very likely reawaken Melinda's painful memories of Bahrain.
Although the title "Iron Rider" sounded cool, it had plunged Melinda into self-blame.
"What kind of clothes were they wearing?" Coulson pointed at the image on the monitor.
"This fat man looks like he's wearing an Eastern monk's robe; I've seen those 'martial monks.' And this child… a Witch?"
The waitress shrugged.
As mentioned before, Salem is a tourist town, so dressing like a Witch is not strange, and the red robe Salomon was wearing confirmed to Coulson that it was Salomon at the center of that high temperature.
"All right, thank you for your help.
We won't disturb your work anymore."
After asking the waitress to leave, Coulson looked at Sitwell.
"What?" Sitwell blinked, but the light reflecting in his eyes made it impossible for Coulson to see his gaze.
"Request to mobilize surveillance," Coulson sighed.
He really didn't want to lay hands on a child, but based on his guess, these two Inhumans shouldn't be heinous criminals, as Coulson intended to help them as much as possible within his authority.
But unfortunately, even after searching all the surveillance in Salem Town, there was no sign of Salomon and John leaving Salem, which almost made S.H.I.E.L.D. believe that Salomon and John were locals, or tourists driving private cars, because there was no sign of the targets on any of the long-distance buses leaving the town.
"We've completely run out of clues," Sitwell said.
"Let's search the identity database and do facial recognition."
Coulson was silent for a moment, then picked up his teacup and took a sip of coffee—why was this coffee even more sour than instant coffee?
A momentary distraction did not interrupt Coulson's thoughts; he eventually nodded and agreed to the matter.
The danger level of these Inhumans was extremely high, and Coulson couldn't imagine what kind of tragedy would occur if the targets lost control in an enclosed space, such as an elevator or a bus.
Coulson had to find him as soon as possible.
After about an hour, when Coulson could no longer tolerate the smiling waitress who brought him the incredibly sour coffee, Agent Sitwell came to remind him that the target's identity information had been found.
Coulson fled his seat as if granted a great pardon.
"This is the target," Sitwell pointed to the computer.
Coulson looked and saw the same face as in the surveillance—
"Salomon Damnett
Englishman
Currently residing in London
Date of Birth: December 25, 1995"