Nick Fury, however, was different. Not only did he show no trace of anger, but he was all smiles. It was just that the bald man’s smile always felt a bit strange.
"Yes, yes, yes, sir is the Archmage, those insignificant nobodies can certainly not be compared to you."
Everyone likes to hear kind words and flattery. Even the bad-tempered Old Man wouldn't strike a smiling face.
Seeing that the time was right, Nick Fury quickly said, "I just want to ask if this demon tracker you invented can be mass-produced. If so, the United States authorities will definitely pay a heavy price to purchase it."
Chen Long knew how unreliable the things Old Man invented were. Not only did he know, but he had also experienced them firsthand and learned profound lessons. The demon tracker he had invented now was unreliable, sometimes working and sometimes not.
He remembered last time, Old Man had called him up in the middle of the night, saying that the tracker had a reaction and the demon was nearby.
Chen Long regretted his groggy state then and for believing him. He had followed Old Man in the cold wind that night to hunt for demons. The result was that no demon was found, and they ran into a gang fight. If not for Chen Long's quick reflexes, who knew what further trouble would have ensued.
If such an unreliable item were sold to S.H.I.E.L.D., and especially if it were mass-sold, and if quality issues arose, his small antique shop would not be enough to compensate for the damages.
"Director, please don't listen to Old Man's nonsense. His inventions are not very reliable, and they don't always work."
Seeing Chen Long slandering him in front of outsiders, Old Man, who was not benevolent at all, strode forward and hit Chen Long on the head. "Nonsense, the things Old Man makes are of the best quality, only occasionally are there slight deviations."
He then looked at Nick Fury and said, "Old Man's demon tracker cannot be mass-produced, nor will it be sold. Alright, you can leave now. Old Man still has to go hunt for demons. Tru, watch the shop."
With that, he pulled Chen Long and walked out.
However, Chen Long had just looked at Xiao Yu's photo and knew that she was in the United States, being guarded by Shendu’s minions. He had no mind to deal with demons, his mind was filled with how to save his niece.
But before he could speak, Old Man interrupted him. "It's not urgent for Xiao Yu's matters. Xiao Yu is protected by the Shadowkhan, and even Shendu won't be able to harm her. Furthermore, if we can seize this opportunity to seal Shendu, then the resistance to rescuing Xiao Yu will be much smaller."
Seeing that Chen Long was still unmoved, Old Man knew that Chen Long's heart was entirely with Xiao Yu. Even if he forcibly took him to deal with demons, his distracted state would only cause trouble. But if he didn't take Chen Long, with his old bones alone, he would certainly not be a match for Shendu, even with Tru.
Helplessly, Old Man walked up to Nick Fury and said, "The news came from you, right?"
"Yes, old sir."
Nick Fury was extremely intelligent. With just one sentence, he guessed what Old Man was going to say next, but he didn't expose it, waiting quietly for Old Man to finish his words.
"This way, the demon tracker definitely cannot be mass-produced. The magical core alone requires Old Man to personally handle it. Your S.H.I.E.L.D. mages are not capable. Old Man is old and doesn't have that much energy to deal with these things. However, he can still spare some time and energy to build one for S.H.I.E.L.D. In return, S.H.I.E.L.D. must do its utmost to rescue Xiao Yu while we are tracking the demon."
Nick Fury appeared to be in a difficult situation upon hearing Old Man's words, but his heart was already blooming with joy.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were no match for Shendu and his Shadowkhan, but now with Old Man and Chen Long to contain Shendu, even if S.H.I.E.L.D. was lackluster, could they not defeat the remaining human minions?
"Please rest assured, old sir. Protecting national security and the peace of the people is the duty of S.H.I.E.L.D. This time, I will personally lead the team to rescue Miss Chen."
Old Man calmly nodded at Nick Fury's impassioned speech and looked at Chen Long. "Is that acceptable?"
Chen Long had nothing to say about it and could only repeatedly implore Nick Fury to bring Xiao Yu back safely.
"Alright, a grown man acting like a woman, so indecisive."
To facilitate Old Man, Nick Fury even lent them his car, letting Old Man and Chen Long use it to track the demon first. He then slowly walked to the entrance, watching the two of them leave.
After watching the car drive away, Nick Fury took out his phone, about to make a call, when a hearty voice sounded from beside him.
"Want some cookies?"
This sentence startled Nick Fury, and he almost drew his gun.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, he restrained himself. Turning around, he saw a large man in overalls standing behind him, holding a baking tray with freshly baked, steaming cookies.
"No, thank you."
With that, Nick Fury quickly left the antique shop, quickened his pace, turned into the alley next door, and after confirming he wasn't being followed, took out his phone.
"What's the deal with this family? They don't make a sound when they walk."
After complaining, Nick Fury tapped a few times on his phone and dialed a number.
"The plan has changed. Stand by for now and await my command."
"Understood."
Actually, even if Old Man hadn't said anything, Nick Fury had intended to find a way to rescue Xiao Yu. He wanted to use this opportunity to make Chen Long's family owe him a great favor, which would make it easier to recruit him into the Avengers later.
But he hadn't expected Old Man to actually create an instrument capable of tracking demons. Even though Chen Long repeatedly said Old Man's inventions were unreliable, the fact that they came from an Archmage made them far superior to the amateur mages in the bureau.
Currently, S.H.I.E.L.D., and even the highest echelons of the United States, were troubled by their inability to monitor Shendu's movements. All existing surveillance methods were ineffective against Shendu.
Danger itself was not frightening; it was the uncertainty of when danger would strike that was terrifying.
If they could detect Shendu's whereabouts, they could formulate contingency plans in advance and, even if calculations were insufficient, avoid some unnecessary losses. This was why S.H.I.E.L.D. had been trying to develop an instrument to track Shendu.
As soon as this matter was over, and with Old Man's demon tracker, S.H.I.E.L.D. could immediately begin its research.
Nick Fury did not expect his mages to be able to create a demon tracker from scratch, but they could surely replicate it by following the blueprint.
With the assistance of numerous researchers, they could dismantle the demon tracker, understand its secrets, and then mass-produce it. Nick Fury had played a masterful hand.
However, he didn't know that Old Man's craftsmanship was not something others could imitate. Furthermore, the magic of restoration was not as simple as just copying. Having a sample didn't necessarily mean one could fully understand it.