…
Walking through the streets of New York, even though only a few days had passed, Ryan Cole couldn't shake the feeling that everything had somehow changed.
The people were the same—rushing through life as always.The skyscrapers were the same towering giants.
Yet to him, the world looked completely different.
A faint violet glow rotated slowly within his pupils.
With a passing thought, everything—living or dead—was casually "sliced" apart in his perception.
In Ryan's vision, pedestrians were fully dressed one second.
The next second—
Everyone was naked.
Another second passed—
Skin vanished, muscles fully exposed, turning the street into a parade of anatomical models.
One more shift—
Walking skeletons.
The horror-factor instantly spiked.
Buildings along the street appeared like fully manipulable 3D models, complete with zoom, sectional views, and alternate visualization modes—thermal imaging included.
What left Ryan truly speechless was that after strolling around casually for only a short while, he'd already detected over a dozen locations where humanity's most primitive "exercise" was taking place.
And none of them were homes or hotels.
Offices. Bathrooms.And some locations so bizarre they defied explanation.
After silently cursing Americans for being absurdly open-minded, Ryan abruptly changed direction and headed into a nearby alley.
About a dozen breaths later, a middle-aged man—indistinguishable from any other ordinary passerby—also entered the alley.
The moment he realized the alley was completely empty—not even a shadow—his eyes flickered.
But his posture remained calm.
Just as the man turned to leave, a teasing voice spoke from behind him.
"Looking for me?"
"Jesus Christ!"
The man spun around, clutching his chest, looking genuinely startled.
Anyone else would've been fooled by the flawless performance.
But to Ryan, the man's blood flow, heart rate, muscle tension, and adrenaline spike were all plainly visible.
"Are… are you talking to me?" the man stammered, continuing the act."Man, you scared the hell out of me."
Internally giving him points for acting, Ryan responded by completely tearing off the mask.
"If you're trying to contact the guy in the car parked 400 feet down the street," Ryan said calmly,"you really don't need to pretend. I don't mind."
The man's pupils contracted instantly—but his expression remained confused.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I honestly don't."
"Where's Phil Coulson?" Ryan asked flatly."Shouldn't he be the one contacting me? Why send you instead?"
As the man prepared to keep lying, instructions suddenly came through his earpiece.
"No need," Ryan said, tapping his own ear with a grin."I can hear him."
Then he added lightly:
"If you want to talk business, you could've just come to me directly.Don't you agree, Director Nick Fury?"
A figure seemed to materialize at the alley entrance.
"Mr. Cole," Nick Fury said evenly, black coat and eyepatch unmistakable,"with your abilities, there's no need to make things difficult for my people."
"Difficult?" Ryan shook his index finger, shrugging."If I were really making things difficult, this would look very different."
He smiled faintly.
"Still—having the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. show up personally…I suppose I should feel honored."
"There's a place nearby that serves decent tea," Fury said."Care to talk there?"
"Oh?" Ryan replied, casually slicing Fury apart in his vision before smiling."Then I definitely shouldn't miss that."
Despite the harmless smile, Fury felt an instinctive chill—the unmistakable sensation of being watched by a predator.
Minutes later, blending into the crowd, the two arrived at a small café clearly owned by Chinese immigrants.
Aside from two staff members, the place was completely empty.
Ryan didn't need to guess—S.H.I.E.L.D. had booked the whole place.
Soon, a cup of coffee and a cup of tea were placed before them.
Ryan was genuinely surprised.
Fury hadn't been bluffing—the tea really was excellent.
He lifted the delicate cup, admiring the clear amber color and rich orchid-like aroma.
"Top-grade Da Hong Pao," Ryan said with a smile."Didn't expect to find this in a café like this. Impressive."
"As long as you enjoy it," Fury replied, taking a light sip of coffee.
Then he set the cup down and got straight to the point.
"Mr. Cole… who are you?"
"Who am I?" Ryan chuckled, leaning back and gazing at the bustling street outside."That's an interesting question."
"You're already calling me Mr. Cole. Surely S.H.I.E.L.D. knows who I am."
"We don't," Fury said seriously.
"Really?" Ryan teased, sipping his tea."With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s capabilities, you can't even dig up a random civilian's background?"
"We traced your first appearance to New York," Fury said calmly."Before that—there's nothing."
He paused, eyes locking onto Ryan.
"Or rather… you didn't exist."
"So what?" Ryan laughed, pointing at himself."I'm imaginary now?"
"No," Fury said, shaking his head."It means your background is too clean. Clean enough that it doesn't exist."
"And yet," Fury continued,"you're deeply familiar with S.H.I.E.L.D.—and even the Strategic Scientific Reserve."
"You possess biotechnology far beyond current limits."
"So again—who are you?"
Ryan didn't answer immediately.
His gaze swept across the café and the surrounding streets.
Violet light shimmered faintly in his eyes as every hidden agent and strike unit snapped into perfect clarity.
Even though the latest version of Divine Blood still fell short of his expectations in terms of brain utilization—
This conversation, combined with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s posture, made it obvious.
They'd misunderstood something.
"You're wondering if I'm HYDRA," Ryan said casually, setting his teacup down.
Fury neither confirmed nor denied it.
Around them, the atmosphere tightened—one spark away from detonation.
"Alright," Ryan said with a shrug."To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, I'll give you a formal introduction."
"My name is Howard Liu," he said calmly."A Chinese name, Western order. A perfectly ordinary Chinese man."
"As for why you can't trace my origins—simple."
"I'm not from this world."
For the first time, Nick Fury's expression shifted.
"You're not joking," Fury said slowly.
Ryan spread his hands helplessly.
"See? I don't tell the truth, you suspect I'm HYDRA.I tell the truth, you think I'm joking."
Silence followed.
Finally, Fury spoke again.
"Then where are you from?""And don't tell me heaven or hell."
Ryan shook his finger.
"Heaven and hell are Western concepts. They don't really concern us."
"The most accurate scientific description," he continued,"would be a parallel world."
"A parallel world?" Fury echoed.
"Roughly speaking," Ryan replied honestly."I can't explain the specifics yet."
"Yet?" Fury latched onto the word."So you might be able to later?"
Ryan lifted his teacup, gently blowing on the surface.
"The future's a tricky thing," he said lightly."At the very least—no one knows mine."