Fury was being quite candid. It seemed he knew a bit about Reze, so there was no point in her pretending anymore.
Reze, who had been shrinking into her chair and looking at the pistol with a face full of terror, was suddenly switched to a different mode.
Her back gradually straightened, and that aura of a frightened little rabbit receded like the tide.
Replacing it was a suffocating coldness and elegance.
Reze lifted her chin slightly; where was there even a hint of tears in her emerald eyes?
There was only bottomless calm and a condescending scrutiny.
"..."
This sharp contrast in just half a second made Natasha's heart leap.
Out of an Agent's instinct, Natasha's muscles tensed instantly, and her right hand subconsciously reached for the spare dagger on her inner thigh—a physiological reaction when facing an extremely dangerous target.
This girl... was she acting the whole time? Were those all lies? And she even fooled me?
Natasha's gaze was complex as she stared intently at Reze.
Seeing Natasha's state of high alert, Fury just waved his hand slightly, signaling her to relax.
"Don't be nervous, Agent Romanoff. Since our guest is willing to show her true face, that's a good sign."
Although Fury appeared calm on the surface, a hint of solemnity flashed in his one eye.
The speed at which this girl changed faces and the strength of her aura made her look nothing like an ordinary person... or an ordinary creature.
"Since everyone's stopped pretending, let's get straight to the point."
Fury rested his chin on his interlaced hands, his scrutinizing eye locked onto Reze:
"I'm here to find out three things."
"First, your identity. Are you an alien? A superpowered individual? Or a super-soldier created by some organization?"
"Second, the organization behind you. Who exactly do you work for?"
At this point, Fury paused, his tone becoming even more serious as he threw out the question he cared about most:
"Third... your purpose. Why are you lurking in human society, pretending to be just an ordinary girl?"
Didn't he say three questions?
Why did he sneakily cram several more in there?
Su Modie rolled her eyes; this Braised Egg really was a cunning old fox.
The private room was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Faced with the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rapid-fire questions, Reze didn't show the slightest panic.
A playful curve touched the corner of her mouth as she asked in return:
"Why should I tell you? I don't know you at all. What's in it for me?"
Fury knew it wouldn't be that simple. He spoke calmly, "That depends on our attitude toward you. I need to know if we're facing an enemy or a friend. I'm sure you also want to know S.H.I.E.L.D.'s stance. I don't think we need to be enemies."
That did make some sense.
Su Modie, Reze, and Perona didn't have the slightest favorable impression of official organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D.—in fact, they quite disliked them. But from any perspective, becoming an enemy at this time and having a falling out would make things very troublesome... Since the other party had laid their cards on the table, Reze stopped hiding.
"Fine, since you put it that way... First, my identity..."
She adjusted her sitting posture and said in a calm tone, "I wasn't lying to you. My name is Reze, but you can also call me—bomb demon."
"Demon?"
Fury's brow furrowed, and he leaned forward slightly. "The kind from the Bible? From Hell? Tempting mortals to sign contracts?"
Saying this, Fury gave a self-deprecating laugh and rubbed his temples:
"This week, I haven't just had to worry about Stark poisoning himself; I've had to investigate a hammer falling from the sky and aliens, handle the matter of the big green guy, and now I have to talk to a demon who blew up half a street... Heh, maybe nothing that happens now will surprise me anymore."
It sounded like Fury knew Reze was the one who blew up the street.
This made Reze pout, neither confirming nor denying it.
The plan to shift the blame seemed to have partially failed.
After all, Fury wasn't a "Hulk dreamer" like General Ross; he could tell whether the ruins were caused by a fist or a bomb.
"Close, but not exactly."
Reze didn't bother with Fury's self-deprecation; she extended a fair finger and tapped lightly in the air:
"I was born from the fear humans have of the concept of bombs."
"..."
Even though Fury had just said he "wouldn't be surprised anymore," he was stunned upon hearing this.
The information in this sentence was too vast and heavy, directly clashing with his materialistic worldview.
Born from fear?
"Because humans fear bombs, the death and destruction brought by explosions, you exist?" Natasha's voice was a bit dry.
"Auntie Natasha, you're quite smart too~" Reze smiled and snapped her fingers.
At that moment, a chill ran up the spines of Fury and Natasha to the tops of their heads.
Even when facing the Hulk and a certain god who descended in New Mexico, Fury could remain calm. But facing such an idealistic, evil creature, he felt a deep sense of helplessness and panic.
If they were born from fear... Fury's face turned pale, and he followed up almost desperately:
"Wait... if demons are born as long as there's fear... then there are far too many things humans are afraid of."
"Is there... a Gun Devil?"
"A Nuclear Weapons Demon?"
"Or... a Death Demon?"
If these things really existed and possessed power matching the level of human fear...
Then what the hell was there left to defend on Earth?
Everyone might as well just dig a hole and bury themselves!
Seeing Fury looking like he was about to have a heart attack, Reze blinked.
Not going to lie, this Braised Egg was quite clever.
These demons did exist, just not in this dimension.
"Don't be so nervous, Mr. Director."
Reze shrugged, her tone light. "In this World, so far, I'm the only demon of this kind."
Phew—
Fury let out a long breath, his whole body almost slumping into his chair.
Thank God... or should he say thank Satan?
Fury wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Seeing Fury like this, Su Modie could understand.
Although the high-end combat power in the Marvel dimension was much higher than in the chainsaw man World—with entire Planets being blown up or even entire Universes destroyed happening from time to time—to ordinary humans, these bizarre and cruel demons that couldn't be killed by conventional means...
The sense of despair they brought was actually more direct than that of aliens.
After a brief adjustment, Fury regained his composure.
Since there was only one, it was still within a controllable range.
"Then the second question: what about the organization behind you?"
Fury continued, "There should be more than one of your kind, right? Like that little girl who rescued you that day."
"Organization?" Reze tilted her head as if she had heard a joke. "There's no such thing."
"As for that brat, she's just... someone I know."
Fury's one eye narrowed slightly.
Clearly, he didn't believe it.
And what did she mean by "someone I know"?
It sounded like they were strangers, but if that were the case, how could she have gone to such a place to rescue her?
But Fury didn't directly have a falling out, nor did he interrupt the rhythm of his conversation.
"Well then, Miss Reze.."
Fury said solemnly, "Since you don't belong to any organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. hopes you can join us."
Reze raised an eyebrow, thinking that as expected, this Braised Egg had finally shown his true colors.
"Join?"
"What makes you think I'd join you? Or that I'd want to?"
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn luffy1898