Coulson had seen what happened when this thing was triggered; he had no desire to turn into a stone man.
He didn't hesitate for a second. The moment the mist began to spread, he made the most decisive choice.
He spun around abruptly, swung his Gorilla Arm, and smashed a heavy punch toward the wall of the cabin closest to him.
Bang—!
He smashed a large hole through the wall.
The cold wind from outside, mixed with the valley mist, poured into the room.
Amidst the flying wood chips, Coulson didn't even look at what was outside before he leaped through the hole.
The moment he lost gravity, Coulson looked down and realized there was a bottomless abyss below.
"Oh! My God!"
Jiaying walked to the edge of the hole and looked down; there was nothing but the sound of the whistling wind.
She let out a cold laugh, believing there was no way he could survive a fall from such a height.
She then turned and pulled a handgun from the desk drawer.
Without hesitation, she pointed the muzzle at her own shoulder.
"Bang!"
The deafening gunshot shattered the tranquility of the village.
Blood splattered as Jiaying let out a pained groan, then she threw the handgun into the abyss outside the hole in the wall with all her might.
Clutching her bleeding shoulder, she burst through the door.
"Help! Help!"
Jiaying stumbled into the village square, still holding her bleeding shoulder.
Skye, Melinda May, and the others, along with the nearby Inhuman villagers who had heard the gunshot, rushed out immediately.
"Mom!" Seeing Jiaying covered in blood, Skye hurried over to support her. "What happened?!"
"Where's Coulson?" May quickly scanned the surroundings but saw no sign of him.
"It's S.H.I.E.L.D.... that Coulson!" Jiaying's face was pale as she pointed at Melinda and the others.
"Because I refused to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s experimental demands, he shot me! He even said Inhumans are monsters that must be eliminated!"
These words instantly ignited the powder keg.
The Inhuman villagers, already wary of outsiders, were now blinded by fear and rage.
"Kill them!"
"Avenge Jiaying!"
Over a dozen Inhuman villagers roared, various superpowers erupting from their bodies as they attacked the S.H.I.E.L.D. team.
"Evasive maneuvers! Prepare for combat!" Melinda May shouted, pushing Fitz and Simmons aside to dodge a thrown rock.
Faced with the Inhumans' siege, the group didn't just sit and wait for death.
Before coming here, considering the potential threat of supernatural powers, Coulson had specifically gone to the Vought Tower Applied Technology Department to request several external 'Sandevistan' units for the team members.
Although these were mass-produced, low-spec versions, they were more than enough to significantly boost reaction speeds and motor functions for a short time.
A faint blue light hummed at the spines of the three Agents.
In their field of vision, everything around them instantly slowed down.
Melinda May drew her tactical batons, her form turning into a blur as she charged directly into the crowd.
Though Fitz and Simmons weren't combat Agents, with the Sandevistan's enhancement, they relied on their Icer Guns to keep pushing back the approaching villagers.
Skye watched the chaotic battle before her, her heart burning with anxiety.
She knew Coulson's character; he would never initiate a shooting. There had to be a misunderstanding!
She raised her hands, wanting to use her vibration waves to separate the two sides and stop the fighting.
But just as she was about to act, a hand covered in blood grabbed her arm.
"Skye..." Jiaying leaned weakly against her shoulder. "I don't feel good, I'm so cold... please, don't let go of me."
On one side was her severely injured mother, and on the other were her friends under attack.
Skye's body froze in place, caught in a painful dilemma.
Meanwhile, on the cliff face, Coulson had managed to stabilize himself.
As he fell frantically, in his desperation, he had dug the fingers of his Gorilla Arm deep into the hard rock wall.
Metal grated violently against stone, sending sparks flying.
But in the end, relying on the arm's immense grip strength, he forcibly halted his descent and hung halfway down the mountain.
"This thing really is useful. I'll have to write a thank-you letter to the Vought Applied Technology Department later."
Coulson gritted his teeth and began to use the strength of the arm to climb up bit by bit.
The Sandevistan's overclock period ended, and Melinda May and the others' speeds returned to normal.
Faced with the continuous stream of Inhuman villagers, they finally couldn't hold out any longer and were knocked to the ground one by one.
A powerful Inhuman raised a giant boulder, preparing to smash it down on Melinda May.
"Stop!"
A thunderous shout came from behind the crowd.
Coulson stood there, covered in dust and grime, holding a Recording Pen high in his hand.
"Your leader is lying," he said loudly, then pressed the play button.
Jiaying's voice came clearly from the Recording Pen:
"These are crystals we cultivated ourselves..."
"For ordinary people without the Inhuman gene... it is a lethal poison."
"You will never learn to respect us; you will only bring destruction!"
The recording finished, and the villagers all turned to look at Jiaying.
Her lie exposed in public, Jiaying's face showed not a hint of panic.
"Yes, I lied."
Jiaying admitted it openly.
"But so what?! Our location has been found by S.H.I.E.L.D.! Do you think they will let us go?"
"Humans are always slaves to greed and fear. Even if the war doesn't happen today, it will surely happen tomorrow!"
Jiaying waved her blood-stained arm, inciting the villagers' emotions.
"For our survival, we have no choice! Keep fighting! Eliminate them!"
"Enough! Mom, stop it!"
Skye finally couldn't take it anymore; she spread her arms to block the path to Coulson and the others.
"Everyone, calm down!"
"They are not the enemy! They only came here to find me!" Skye shouted back at Jiaying.
"Mom, you are trying to start a pointless war! You are using our people's lives to fill the void of your own hatred!"
She looked at the surrounding villagers, her gaze sincere. "I've lived with all of you during this time. I know you only want a peaceful life. No one wants a war with the human World!"
"Right now, there are many people with special abilities like us active in the outside World, and they are deeply loved by the people. Under Homelander's leadership, everyone is doing very well."
"We aren't in any danger at all!"
Most of the Inhuman villagers hesitated. They were used to a life far from the World's conflicts; war felt too distant and cruel to them.
Furthermore, during their time together, Skye's sincerity and kindness had won the favor of many, and they had a very good impression of this leader's daughter.
"What are you doing?! Do it!" Jiaying roared in anger.
A few of Jiaying's loyalists obeyed the command and once again closed in on Coulson and the others.
"Get back!"
Skye planted her feet firmly and pushed her hands forward, a powerful Shockwave erupting from her palms.
The loyalist villagers who had charged forward were blasted back over a dozen meters, crashing heavily to the ground.