Another painting showed a huge crack, hundreds of meters tall, with an ominous purple halo that swirled and rotated as if it could swallow anything at any moment.
Over a dozen magicians raised their hands, releasing energy from the magic circles on their palms to pour into a pattern within the crack.
This suggested that, as previously speculated, the magicians seemed to be closing the crack in some way.
The third, and truly important, painting consisted of four scenes.
In the first scene, the magicians fought hard to close the crack, but a terrifying roar erupted from within it. Then, a powerful purple energy beam shot out from the other side, aimed directly at the magicians.
In the second scene, at the critical moment, a boy in magnificent, sacred golden armor suddenly appeared in front of the magicians. He punched the purple energy beam, causing it to reverse and sink back into the crack.
According to residents who heard the sound, the monster's voice seemed to be in pain.
In the third scene, the boy flew straight into the sky, and the magicians scattered.
In the fourth scene, the magicians cast a spell to clear all the monster corpses and blood, then opened a ring of sparks, stepped into it, and disappeared.
Connecting this with the residents' earlier descriptions of the town in the fog and the terrifying monsters, a clear and coherent picture of the events emerged.
"I've known this world is crazy, but it's a lot crazier than I thought. Magicians, monsters from other dimensions, cracks, a boy in golden armor who can fly... wow."
Barton, a tough, seasoned agent, couldn't help but complain upon seeing the paintings. He had never backed down from a life-threatening mission, but the thought of those terrifying, non-human monsters made his scalp crawl.
Agent Natasha Romanoff, in a form-fitting Kevlar uniform with her hot body and burgundy curly hair, looked at Phil Coulson and raised an eyebrow. "Did our satellite detect the boy's flight path?"
"Our reconnaissance and geodetic satellites didn't find any traces, Natasha," Phil Coulson shook his head. "Maybe he used some ability to block and interfere with the satellites."
Satellites came in many categories, including meteorological, communication, reconnaissance, navigation, and more. Among these were high-resolution ground observation satellites that could clearly monitor and observe the ground, even buildings and roads.
This was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s biggest tools for monitoring the world. However, what happened in the small town—including the boy's high-speed flight—had not been observed by any satellites. Clearly, some form of interference had been at play.
"There's no blood or DNA left at the scene, no one saw his face, just the remains of the houses and buildings," Barton said, spreading his hands in a gesture of defeat. "And the residents who were devoured without a trace... great."
Natasha Romanoff finished her partner's thought. "And even if we track down the magician who can use magic, what about the boy who can physically fly? The residents said they heard a sonic boom, which means his speed could have reached Mach levels. I don't want to provoke someone like that."
Phil Coulson felt helpless. It was obvious that his two ace agents didn't want to take on this case. After all, they were dealing with a magician who possessed what seemed like legendary magic and a boy who could fly at supersonic speeds. They had to pray that the boy had some kind of super ability rather than using his physical body to withstand the immense wind pressure; otherwise, the only thing they could hope for was that a nuclear bomb could cause him damage.
"Don't forget, we are not enemies," Phil Coulson reminded them. "Let's use the old method."
He was suggesting they approach this differently.
Their methods weren't always so extreme. They monitored the world, observed people, and created data reports on potentially dangerous individuals. But there were other ways, such as contact, recruitment, and cooperation.
After he spoke, Barton and Phil Coulson both looked at Natasha Romanoff.
In this regard, Agent Romanoff, with her striking looks, charming face, and expertise in psychology, was undoubtedly the best choice. "Then you have to find someone to talk to," she said. "And I'll need a chip that can resist mind control."
Natasha didn't refuse. Since defecting from the Red Room and joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she had been trying to atone for the guilt and sins in her heart through these tasks. Or perhaps she was simply trying to numb herself.
Danger? She didn't care.
She had nothing to lose, and the magician and the mysterious boy had piqued her curiosity. "Let's go and report these things to the director," she said. "I have a feeling we'll be meeting them in the future."
Phil Coulson smiled and turned to walk toward his special car.
Barton and Natasha Romanoff looked at each other and followed closely.
Only the on-site agents were left to handle the cleanup.
Meanwhile, at home, a barbecue grill was set up in the backyard.
Li Xiang's family was enjoying a barbecue dinner.
As the head of the family, Li Xiang and his son Leon were grilling skewers of beef, lamb, and other meats.
In America, barbecues have their own unspoken rules.
For example, the grill often symbolizes the authority of the head of the family. The fact that Leon was allowed to stand next to his father to grill meant that he was, to some extent, tacitly regarded as the next head of the family.
The two big dogs and two little babies ran around happily. Whenever they smelled the aroma of the barbecue, they would run over and stand by the grill, looking up at Li Xiang and Leon with their big, watery eyes. They were so cute.
Leon would also take a roasted skewer, blow on it to cool it down, and then pass it to the little ones. The little baby would wave a hand, signaling for her brother to squat down, and then take a big bite as a sign of gratitude.
(End of Chapter)
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