Jessica's strength shocked everyone, and Foggy recoiled in terror.
His neck began to ache as he thought about how he always liked to tease Jessica, this seemingly harmless little girl. If she ever hit him, he'd be in a coffin, buried in the ground.
The middle-aged police officer, Michael, rubbed his ribs with a wry smile, seemingly recalling something unpleasant.
Natasha was even more surprised, never imagining such strength from a young girl. To leave a palm print on such a sturdy table wasn't something just anyone could do; at least, she'd never seen anyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. achieve such a feat with pure physical power.
The intelligence she received didn't mention this impossibly strong girl. To be precise, all the information about this restaurant in the intelligence was wrong!
Just then, the restaurant door was pushed open again, and a middle-aged man walked in from outside, impeccably dressed in a suit, slightly balding, with a gentle smile and a mild demeanor.
His sincere smile gave a very good impression. The middle-aged man smiled as he walked to the bar, nodded to Alven, and said apologetically, "I'm very sorry for the trouble I've caused you. My name is Phil Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."
Coulson then turned to Natasha, "Agent Romanoff, I apologize for the error in our intelligence. That was outdated information, nearly a year old. The Purple Man hasn't been here for a long time.
I don't know what happened, but you'll still need to submit a report to headquarters when you return to explain your passive behavior today."
Natasha's face was cold as she nodded silently and turned to walk towards the restaurant door. She didn't want to stay here for another minute. She had wasted so much time on outdated intelligence; it was truly foolish! Someone would pay the price for this!
Alven looked playfully at the good-natured man in front of him, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson, the glue of the Avengers.
"Why do you think that after putting on a show of force here, you can just walk away so easily? I need to remind you, this is Hell's Kitchen, the Peace Hotel. No one can do wrong here and leave without paying a price."
No sooner had Alven finished speaking than Natasha, who had reached the restaurant door, grunted and was knocked back inside, falling ungracefully to the ground with her legs splayed. Thor, the black giant wolf, was snarling aggressively at her with bared teeth.
Coulson reacted quickly, turning and drawing his gun, pointing it at Thor. The other giant wolf, Dom, darted in through the door, circled along the wall, and came up to Coulson's side, baring its teeth and letting out a "huffing" growl.
"Mr. Ye, you need to think carefully. Are you planning to attack a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent? Have you considered the consequences?" The smile on Coulson's face vanished, but he didn't appear scared. He simply moved his gun barrel, pointing it at the two giant wolves, calmly questioning Alven.
Alven smiled and didn't respond to his words. "I have surveillance and audio recordings here, which clearly document how Agent Natasha abused her authority to threaten a law-abiding citizen.
And you, Agent Coulson, think a simple apology will resolve this matter? You're probably thinking too simply."
Alven then turned to Matt and asked, "Matt, if I sue them over this, what will be the outcome?"
Matt slowly took a sip of lemonade and said, "We can sue them for abuse of power, threatening and intimidating citizens. Oh, and now add one more charge: coercing a citizen's pet with a gun!
The result will be that these two agents will lose their jobs, and S.H.I.E.L.D. will need to provide a public explanation for this incident. Why do they disregard the safety of ordinary citizens when carrying out missions? Why do they abuse their authority when citizens refuse?
Hmm, maybe we can also secure some financial compensation."
Matt's words made Jessica clap her hands in approval. She was now filled with hostility towards an organization that wanted to recruit a pervert like the Purple Man.
Matt's words made Coulson break out in a sweat. This seasoned agent wasn't afraid of dangerous criminals, but he was at a loss when facing a lawyer like Matt, especially when he had no advantage in either reason or power.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had never been popular among the government law enforcement agencies in America! Recently, due to a series of incidents, S.H.I.E.L.D. had a very unpleasant falling out with the FBI and Homeland Security.
Despite being at a disadvantage, Coulson remained calm, not arguing with Matt. He just said softly, "Then, Mr. Ye, what do you want? To forgive my colleague's impulsiveness? She has also bled and been injured for this country. I think Mr. Ye, you should know."
Alven waved his hand, signaling Thor and Dom to return to the door. He poured another beer and offered it to Coulson, saying, "You're right. I pulled her out of the water by the sea last week and called an ambulance for her."
Believing the atmosphere had eased, Coulson put away his pistol, sat at the bar, and took a sip of beer.
"The ambulance and the advanced medical fees totaled $2000. Matt, write that down. I want them to compensate me for it." After Alven finished speaking, Coulson nearly spat out his beer. He hadn't expected that his extra comment would bring him an additional $2000 worth of trouble.
"Oh, by the way, Foggy, you told me you know people in the media. Give them a call and ask them to come over. They should be interested in how S.H.I.E.L.D. operates. Also, consider this matter a commission. Your law firm can take 20% of the compensation as a commission fee." Alven said, smiling and nodding at the eager Foggy.
"20% is too little. How about 50%? There's still some risk in going up against S.H.I.E.L.D." Foggy haggled with a cheeky grin.
"40%, no more. Your efforts will determine the quality of the kindergarten facilities on the corner and the caliber of the teachers hired." Alven decided with a firm hand.
Foggy excitedly saluted in a Barton-esque military fashion, saying, "Understood! I'll notify the media right away, Alven, you're the best! I've decided to donate half of the income from this commission for the kindergarten." He then pulled out his phone and made a call.
Coulson annoyedly ran his hand through his thinning hair. In the past, they had never encountered such a situation. It was bad enough that a civilian wouldn't cooperate when agents were on a mission, but to sue S.H.I.E.L.D.? Was there no law anymore?
He quickly stopped Foggy, who was on the phone. The astute Coulson even glanced at the phone number, confirming it was indeed the news tip line for FOX TV.
"Mr. Ye, we can talk this through properly. Please don't escalate this matter. This was just an individual act by an agent and does not represent S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operating style.
We should sit down and talk. Perhaps you can name a reasonable price, and we can settle this." Coulson said, looking at Alven pleadingly.
By now, Natasha, who had fallen, had also gotten up and stood behind Coulson. She was somewhat curious; this restaurant owner was very special.
In her memory, no one had ever been able to handle the pressure from S.H.I.E.L.D. with such ease as he did.
The incorrect intelligence had led her to make many wrong judgments. Although her goal of quickly ending this mission was certainly achieved, she still harbored a grudge for the great embarrassment she suffered.
She would wait for Coulson to resolve this matter, and after she found the culprit who almost cost her her life, she would frequent this place. As an ace agent, where one falls, one should get back up.
Alven felt a little creeped out by Natasha's gaze. Not out of fear, but just a feeling that being targeted by such an old monster could lead to a lot of trouble in the future.