Grant Ward was stunned.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't overthink it. It's purely literal. Only by helping me with some things can your life be saved, and your secrets remain secrets."
Li Chengfeng gave Grant Ward no room for rebuttal, nor would he.
Grant Ward seemed to be pondering the pros and cons, his expression gradually becoming dark and unreadable.
"So… what benefits do I get?"
"What? You still want benefits?" Li Chengfeng was shocked. Does this guy value his life or not? "I'm letting a HYDRA Agent keep his life; what more benefits do you want? Isn't that already a huge benefit?"
"…Alright, I understand."
"Sigh, what happened to 'Life is precious, love is dearer, but for freedom, both can be cast aside'? How can you disregard everything just to live? Is this it? The Promised Land, the Land of the Free, is this it?"
Li Chengfeng was indeed somewhat disdainful of America and Western values, but these taunts had no impact on Grant Ward.
He was not loyal to America, nor to HYDRA, nor to John Garrett.
Grant Ward was only loyal to himself.
To survive, above all else.
So he didn't say a word.
Li Chengfeng finally reined in his mocking expression and continued, "It seems you've come to terms with it. Then the first thing you need to do is help me kill someone."
"Kill who?"
"There are quite a few people you need to kill. First is Agent Sitwell, one of the high-ranking officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Most of the HYDRA Agents within the Federal Bureau of Investigation were recruited by him. And his ties to political interests are simply too numerous; he's drawn in too many high-ranking officials in the name of HYDRA, so you need to go and kill him."
Li Chengfeng paused, then continued, "Oh, and while you're at it, send all those politicians who are colluding with HYDRA to hell. The number might be quite large, but I believe that for your own life, you'll definitely complete this mission, right?"
"…Your methods are even more HYDRA than HYDRA."
Even a ruthless killer like Grant Ward, upon hearing the first mission Li Chengfeng gave him, couldn't help but gasp.
He wasn't averse to killing; he was just amazed that this was a mission given to him by an Agent from the Republic.
That country known for its civilization and etiquette.
"Grant Ward, please clear your head. Do you think I'd use humane methods on a bunch of essentially Nazi? And those fat-cat America politicians, for the America people, the more of those things that die, the better."
After Li Chengfeng finished speaking, he extended his hands, partially transforming into a diamond form, and slowly ground the beer bottle in front of him into glass powder.
This move made Grant Ward's eyes widen sharply.
"Besides self-healing, you actually have other superpowers?"
Li Chengfeng pouted and disengaged his diamond form.
"Who told you I only have one ability? And even if I only had one, I could still beat you into an unrecognizable pulp. Now get out, Grant Ward, and don't forget to tell Coulson you're leaving the team."
Grant Ward stood up, his eyes holding fear of Li Chengfeng and the luck of having narrowly escaped death, then quickly left.
Between killing others and killing himself, he decisively chose to kill others.
Li Chengfeng watched Grant Ward's retreating back, a cold sneer on his face.
Although he remembered the more important figures, he didn't understand the network of connections HYDRA had woven in the political sphere.
But while he didn't understand, Grant Ward did.
One's own people killing one's own people is the most efficient.
As for Sitwell, that bald guy, Li Chengfeng hadn't expected that this fellow hadn't been exposed during the last cleanup of HYDRA remnants and had been hiding under Maria Hill's command until now.
So, the Federal Bureau of Investigation still needed a purge at this moment; not a single HYDRA Agent could be let go.
However, for the current Federal Bureau of Investigation, doing this was simply too easy.
The X-Men had at least a dozen psychics!
This thing was incredibly useful for catching moles.
No matter how good the acting, no matter how deep the hypnosis, they would still be swept out by psychic abilities.
Thinking of this, Li Chengfeng slapped his head and quickly opened a portal.
"That's right! Ada's new outfit still needs me! Can't miss the legendary patent leather boots and shiny stockings!"
…
Three days later.
Agent Phil Coulson stood on the open ground outside the aerial command center and said to his team members:
"It is with great regret that I inform you all that Agent Grant Ward has, for personal reasons, withdrawn from this special emergency team."
"But we also welcome a new colleague, Federal Bureau of Investigation Level Seven Agent Melinda May. She was personally recruited into the Federal Bureau of Investigation by the first Director of the America General Bureau, Peggy Carter, and she used to be my partner."
Amidst the cheers of the young members, Melinda May walked in front of everyone, gave a very cold nod, and then glared at Coulson.
"You initially told me there were only two science babies and one forensic expert. Now there's another hacker baby?" Melinda May looked at a somewhat flustered Skye. "The team already has two children who can't fight, and now there's another?"
"Ahem, although Skye wasn't initially part of the Special Emergency Team's plan, it has proven that a top-tier hacker's role is simply too significant." Coulson cleared his throat a few times under Melinda May's scrutinizing gaze, then continued, "However, Skye told me that she doesn't just want to be a hacker, but wants to undergo field Agent training and assessment. For this, I specifically selected a supervisor for Skye."
"Supervisor? Who is it?"
Melinda May asked while casting her gaze towards "Green Arrow" Oliver Queen and "Deadpool" Wade Wilson in the team.
In her opinion, these two should be the most suitable.
But at that moment, a portal appeared out of thin air beside her. Li Chengfeng walked out, putting on his suit jacket, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Melinda May.
"Hello, fellow countryman, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Li Chengfeng, I've heard much about you. You were already well-known at the Republic General Bureau."
Melinda May and Li Chengfeng shook hands, but they conversed in republic language.
Oliver Queen was probably the only one present who could understand their conversation.
"So, you're the supervisor for the hacker baby?"
"That's right, I'll be staying with Coulson for a while."
"Oh? What about the Star Team?"
"The Star Team is undergoing a month-long war training." Li Chengfeng shivered, saying with lingering fear, "It's being handled by our Death Goddess."
Training from a God.
Ada and Harley were fine, but Wanda and Pietro's pitiful little eyes truly made Li Chengfeng unable to look away.
How utterly miserable.