Natasha was right — the "escort mission" Alice from Hydra mentioned last night turned out to be anything but dangerous.
The entire trip from New York to Washington on a private jet was uneventful.
Other than Kai and Alice's so-called "friend," there were just a few bodyguards tagging along.
No enemies. No air trouble.
But the real problem wasn't danger — it was how annoying the rich girl was.
Sitting beside Kai, the glamorous heiress removed her oversized sunglasses and immediately started firing off questions.
First, she wanted to know what it felt like to be a superhero.
Then she asked about Kai's "relationship" with Alice.
Then came a flood of stories about her privileged childhood.
By the time she was done, Kai was ready to jump out mid-flight.
She kept glancing at him like she was trying to solve a mystery — why Alice of all people got to be friends with a superhero like him, while she couldn't.
Even after Kai calmly said that he and Alice were "just ordinary friends," the rich girl's curiosity only burned hotter.
She chirped like a parrot the entire flight, barely pausing for breath.
Her meaning was obvious: having a superhero friend would make her the center of attention among New York's elite.
The problem? Kai wasn't interested in being anyone's social accessory.
Two and a half hours later, when the private jet finally landed, Kai felt like he'd survived an interrogation.
But the torment wasn't over yet — he had to endure another hour of chatter on the drive from the airport to the private manor.
When they finally arrived, his phone pinged — $500,000 had hit his account.
Before the heiress could invite him to lunch, Kai turned into a flurry of photons and vanished from sight.
Catherine — the "rich girl" — watched his sudden disappearance with a composed smile.
In truth, she wasn't some spoiled socialite.
She was a Hydra agent playing her part perfectly: innocent, rebellious, and charmingly naive.
Even the jealousy she showed toward Alice was deliberate — every detail crafted to make her character believable.
Her goal? To slowly draw Kai into Hydra's web.
Catherine was convinced Kai had recognized her as a genuine heiress.
The next time they "accidentally" crossed paths, she'd seem even more natural.
It was a classic script — a rich girl falling for a poor boy, complete with rivalry, drama, and emotional conflict.
She smiled to herself. No matter how powerful Kai was, he was still just an eighteen-year-old kid.
Surely, he wouldn't be able to resist forever.
Back in New York, Kai finally felt some peace again.
Hydra agents pretending to be socialites were exhausting — though, to be fair, earning half a million in a single morning wasn't bad.
Still, if it happens again...
Well, for that kind of money, he'd probably do it again.
Inside a restaurant, Natasha twirled pasta on her fork and smirked.
"So, what happens next? The classic 'rich girl chases poor boy' scenario, huh?"
She shot him a teasing look.
"Most guys wouldn't be able to refuse, especially when the girl is rich and gorgeous. You could play along — maybe there's a big surprise waiting for you. Besides, it's not like you'd be losing anything."
Kai sighed, stirring his untouched pasta.
"I'm in it for the money. As long as they keep paying, I'll keep playing. But selling my body?"
He paused, then shrugged. "Well… that'd cost extra."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you worried you might actually end up joining Hydra?"
Kai smirked. "If I really did, Tony Stark would probably nuke their base himself."
Natasha laughed. "You're not wrong. He'd never let you go dark."
She leaned back. "So, what's next? Want me to prep a fake script for you? I can make sure even Hydra's top agents won't notice."
"What a hassle…" Kai muttered, setting down his knife and fork and grabbing his chopsticks instead.
"Honestly, when I first figured out Alice's identity, I should've just snapped her neck and forced her to spill Hydra's base location."
He switched topics. "Anyway, how's the investigation on that attack at the valley base — the one that hit me and Coulson? Was it Hydra again?"
Natasha's playful look faded. "No idea. We can't trace it. The investigation started off smooth, but the data files were all wiped."
"The tech department tried to recover them, but everything that got restored self-deleted immediately."
"Not just that — the data counter-attacked our servers. It almost breached S.H.I.E.L.D.'s entire defense network."
"All we got were details about some missiles purchased from Stark Industries — and one single name."
Kai frowned. "A name? What name?"
"I don't know," Natasha admitted. "Fury saw it and immediately classified it as top secret. Even I don't have clearance."
She changed the subject. "By the way, Fury wants to know — are you enjoying working under Coulson? If you want, you could go full-time with S.H.I.E.L.D. Maybe even lead a field team, like Steve Rogers."
"No thanks." Kai leaned back, shaking his head. "Too much trouble."
Natasha chuckled. "You really do hate authority."
"Why's Fury so eager to recruit me anyway?" Kai asked.
"Because S.H.I.E.L.D. lost an entire task force recently," Natasha said quietly. "And it looked like an inside leak — someone tipped off the enemy before they deployed."
Kai's eyes narrowed. "Hydra again?"
Natasha didn't answer. She just gave him a knowing smile — one that said this game was far from over.