Raven was stunned by his twisted logic.
She wanted to retort but found that the bastard's words were, damn it, annoyingly reasonable.
"And," Lin Ent spread his hands, a roguish and playful smile on his face.
"I can't just change my face and run away like you. Would you... be willing to abandon me, your precious human power bank, to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"You...!" Raven felt a surge of anger in her chest, almost suffocating her.
She could kill the thugs Magneto sent, but she couldn't go head-to-head with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Especially after killing people in the heart of New York City.
That call just now...
It was a perfect smokescreen, a scapegoat that could shift all the blame!
This man... For the first time, Raven realized his mind was a hundred times more terrifying than his body.
"Pack your things, three minutes, we're leaving."
Lin Ent stood up, like a general giving orders.
"Also, from now on, the rules of the game have changed. We are partners, not master and pet. You handle the fighting, I handle the money. If you dare to lay a hand on me again..."
He paused, an extremely malicious smile spreading across his face.
"I'll hold a press conference and sell the secret of your power to the World. I think many people would be willing to pay a hefty price to buy me, this 'master key,' a cup of coffee."
"Like... the White Queen of Hellfire? Jean Grey of X-Academy? Or, that Natasha you despise the most?"
Raven's face was bluer than her skin.
In her golden pupils, killing intent solidified, almost freezing the air.
She really wanted to twist the man's head off like a bottle cap.
But in the end, she didn't say a word.
She turned and roughly stuffed their meager belongings into a bag.
An unprecedented feeling of loss of control, like cold vines, tightly entangled her heart.
It's over.
She couldn't control it anymore.
The new safe house was in Brooklyn, a dilapidated apartment building that made you want to call the police just by looking at it.
The air was filled with a sour stench of damp mold, cheap marijuana, and stale pizza mixed together.
But it was messy enough, dirty enough, an excellent place to hide a rat.
"I'm going out to get something to eat."
After settling in, Lin Ent threw out this sentence and was about to leave.
Raven just gave him a cold glance, saying nothing, which was tacit approval.
She needed to be alone for a while, to think carefully about how to deal with this man who was almost riding roughshod over her.
As soon as Lin Ent left the apartment, he expertly slipped into a dim, greasy internet cafe.
What he wanted couldn't be bought at Walmart.
Opening an encrypted browser and entering the dark web, he found the intelligence dealer named "Ghost."
Without a word, three hundred U.S. dollars in cryptocurrency were directly transferred.
Buyer - Adam: "Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff. Her itinerary for the next 24 hours, give me an opportunity to 'accidentally' meet her."
The message was sent, like a stone sinking into the sea.
Lin Ent wasn't in a hurry, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the sticky table, like a fisherman waiting for his prey to bite.
Half an hour later.
The screen lit up.
Ghost: "Three hundred U.S. dollars? Are you f***ing kidding me? The itinerary of a S.H.I.E.L.D. ace Agent! For three hundred bucks, you can't even buy the brand of shampoo she uses! Get lost, you pauper!"
Lin Ent smiled.
He liked this kind of professional.
Buyer - Adam: "Don't get excited. I don't need a detailed plan, that's not worth three hundred. I just need a time, a place. An 'accident' where she'll appear. That shouldn't be difficult for you."
This time, the other side was silent for even longer.
Just as Lin Ent thought the other party was going to block him, a message popped up.
Ghost: "Kid, you've got guts. Since you're so smart, I'll give you a tip. Tonight, at Pier 9 in Brooklyn, some Russians are going to set off 'fireworks.' She might go to watch the show. That's all I can give you, ask one more word, and I'll hack your address and let S.H.I.E.L.D. personally deliver some 'warmth' to you."
A glint flashed in Lin Ent's eyes. He smoothly cleared all traces, formatted the virtual drive, stood up, and left.
Back in that dilapidated room.
Raven sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, but her aura was like a lurking Beast.
"You're back?"
She didn't open her eyes.
"Yeah, bought some pizza."
Lin Ent put the food down and stretched lazily, feigning exhaustion.
"Today was too exciting, I need to sleep early."
Raven finally opened her eyes.
Her golden pupils scanned Lin Ent's body, from his hair to his toes, as if he were going through security.
She didn't even miss the frequency of his breathing or the rhythm of his heartbeat.
"Good."
She spoke slowly, her voice carrying a chilling, sticky quality.
"Get plenty of rest. Tomorrow... we'll have a good 'training' session."
As she spoke, her tongue lightly licked her lips, her eyes greedy, as if she were looking at a rare hen that laid golden eggs, exclusively hers.
Lin Ent sneered inwardly, but a perfectly submissive smile appeared on his face.
"Of course, My Queen."
He walked into the small bedroom and threw himself onto the bed.
Closing his eyes.
In his mind, the entire plan had been rehearsed countless times.
How to slip out without Raven noticing?
How to precisely appear in front of Natasha amidst the chaos at the pier?
But.
These weren't the main points.
The main point was, what kind of entrance would make that top female Agent immediately elevate him from a mere passerby to a top-priority investigation target?
Hero saving the beauty?
Too low-class, and his body couldn't even manage that.
I want to be the dealer.
Tonight's 'fireworks show' is my, Lin Ent's, initiation into S.H.I.E.L.D., my own interview!
Natasha Romanoff... please, don't disappoint me.
In this dilapidated apartment building, the air was a nauseating mix of marijuana, smoke, alcohol, and even some sour smells.
Lin Ent lay on the bed, feigning death.
But his ears were perked up like radar, filtering out the moans of the addict next door in his dreams, only capturing Raven's breathing.
Long and steady.
Like a Beast in a deep sleep.
He curled his lip inwardly.
The fatigue after the battle, combined with the illusion that she had completely reined in her exclusive human power bank, made her sleep soundly.
Pet?
Go to hell with that.
Do you really think you're holding the reins?
Sister, I personally handed those reins to you.
He rolled over and got out of bed.
His movements were cat-like, completely silent.
For the past three days, besides being drained dry.
He had rehearsed every step, every movement of tonight in his mind a hundred times – which floorboard would creak, how stiff the window latch was.
He crouched low and slipped out of that dilapidated building that even cockroaches disdained.
A blast of cold wind hit him, and he shivered, feeling invigorated!