"Natasha, you weren't like this before..." Director Fury said with a hint of melancholy.
He felt that even though Natasha was no longer an S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, they were still friends.
But Natasha wouldn't even reveal the slightest bit of information, which made Director Fury so sad!
"Hmph..." Hawkeye, who was eating nearby, choked. Director Fury's mournful gaze almost made him burst out laughing.
"Why don't you just ask Lin Feng directly?" Natasha tried to shift the focus.
Director Fury glared with his dead fish eyes, "Do you think he'll tell me?"
Natasha shrugged helplessly; she truly couldn't do anything about it.
Natasha refused to speak, but Director Fury was relentless, pulling out all the stops with emotional appeals and feigned suffering, making Natasha increasingly annoyed.
He even kept winking at Hawkeye, trying to enlist him to join their "emotional poker game" of three.
In response, Hawkeye pretended not to understand, keeping his eyes on his nose and his nose on his hands, savoring the rare fine wine.
As Lin Feng walked into the venue, he saw Director Fury jumping around, trying to manipulate Natasha.
He chuckled and walked towards Natasha's table.
The table was filled with members of the Avengers: Captain America, Hawkeye, and Banner.
Conveniently, there was an empty seat next to Director Fury.
Lin Feng plopped down into the chair and immediately launched into his sarcasm.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"What's going on? I heard you were swapped out not too long ago? Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
"You can't protect Earth like this!"
"Lin Feng..." Director Fury was momentarily speechless, his eyelids twitching.
To be honest, his previous defeat was a complete accident, and it had become a dark history Director Fury would never want to revisit.
The atmosphere became a bit awkward.
"Lin Feng, you're here for Tony's wedding too!"
Captain America broke the ice, smiling and engaging Lin Feng in a bout of "small talk art."
The other Avengers also greeted Lin Feng with smiles, and Lin Feng reciprocated with a smile.
They could barely call themselves friends; given their connection to S.H.I.E.L.D., Lin Feng couldn't get any closer to them.
After the greetings, Lin Feng clapped Director Fury on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Fury, listen to me."
"If you can't even manage Earth, let's not bother with the universe..."
"If it's really that hard, why not retire early? Isn't a wife, kids, and a warm hearth more appealing?"
"Leave saving the world and the universe to us young people!"
Director Fury's eyelids twitched violently. He wondered if he should stock up on eye drops.
As for saving the universe, he really wanted to retort that they had Captain Marvel.
But after his lips moved for a while, he still didn't say it.
It was true that the Avengers had Captain Marvel, but he could never reach her when he needed her!
Director Fury was speechless, and retreated...
He finally slunk away, not even staying until the end of Tony's wedding ceremony, which left Lin Feng feeling amused and a little speechless.
He wondered if he had gone too far.
The old Director Fury would have argued back.
With the annoying Fury gone, Lin Feng was happy to relax and started a drinking contest with Natasha on his own.
The specialty of the Star race had a low alcohol content, and ordinary people could sober up quickly even if they got drunk.
Before long, Tony, accompanied by Susan, reappeared and began to mingle in the venue.
By the time the wedding ceremony concluded, it was already dark.
As Lin Feng was leaving, he saw Tony beaming and nodding at him.
Someone who didn't know might think he was excitedly expressing his joy at getting married.
But Lin Feng understood; "Teacher" Tony had successfully persuaded his elders.
He returned a gratified smile and left with Susan.
In the car, Lin Feng closed his eyes to rest.
Susan noticed that Lin Feng didn't seem well.
She reached out, gently smoothing his furrowed brow, and asked softly, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Today was the wedding day of his good friend Tony, and he should be happy, but at this moment, she sensed a hint of sadness from him.
Lin Feng smiled at Susan, signaling that he was fine.
"I just... remembered my parents..."
"Since I was little, I've never met them, not even a single photo of them..."
"And today, seeing Tony and his parents, I couldn't help but get a little sentimental. It's nothing." Lin Feng smiled and patted Susan's small hand.
He hadn't hidden the matter of Tony's parents from Susan.
Susan understood; Lin Feng was feeling nostalgic and sad at the sight.
Lin Feng had also told her about his parents, so Susan naturally knew that Lin Feng had grown up in an orphanage.
Not knowing what to say, Susan could only gently hug Lin Feng, trying to offer him comfort.
Lin Feng returned the embrace with a slightly amused helplessness; he wasn't that fragile.
In the darkness, the two sat in the back of the car, whispering softly, and Lin Feng's mood gradually improved...
...
A few days later, Lin Feng was, as usual, lounging in his yard, doing nothing.
He spent his days basking in the sun and eating, living a premature retirement.
You can't deny that although it felt a bit boring, doing nothing was incredibly comfortable; it wasn't just talk.
However, a strange, metaphysical law had struck again!
Whenever Lin Feng lounged around and soaked up the sun, something inevitably happened.
"This is bad, Main Body! I'm fighting with that woman, hurry up and get here!"
A hurried voice echoed in Lin Feng's mind.
Lin Feng sat up with a somersault.
It was his clone!
"What's going on?" Lin Feng asked urgently.
"Come here first, then we can talk!" The clone sounded breathless, as if he was in the middle of a fight.
Lin Feng's expression darkened. He seemed to hear the sounds of a struggle coming from the clone.
The clone possessed most of his strength; what kind of battle could make him feel this difficult?
Without time to think, Lin Feng didn't even switch perspectives. He directly locked onto the clone's location and teleported.
It was space!
Lin Feng opened his eyes and sensed that he was in space, with the blue and white Earth in the distance.
Beside him was his clone, dressed in a black robe, flailing his arms.
*Swoosh!*
As soon as he appeared, an attack grazed past Lin Feng's forehead, making his eye twitch.
The clone was currently engaged in a beam struggle with a woman.
Lin Feng recognized the woman at a glance; wasn't she the one his clone had teamed up with on a mission last time?
He remembered the clone's guess about the woman's identity: she was likely a Sequence 2 powerhouse, sent to confirm the clone's identity.
Had he been exposed?
"Lin Feng?!!!"
Another voice rang out, and Lin Feng realized that the battle wasn't just between the clone and the Sequence 2 woman.
In the battlefield, there was another familiar figure dressed in a blue combat suit!
"Clark?!" Lin Feng exclaimed.
Holy crap, was this the DC universe?