S.H.I.E.L.D.'s efficiency was swift; less than half an hour after receiving Mike's notification, Senior Agent Coulson arrived at Mike's villa with a team of special agents.
After a handover, more than a dozen HYDRA members were secretly escorted away by S.H.I.E.L.D. special agents.
"Director Fury asked me to express his gratitude to you. He had long suspected HYDRA infiltration within the organization, and you've done us a great service this time." After completing his mission, Coulson, who remained behind, sincerely thanked Mike.
"No need to thank me," Mike shook his head slightly, not particularly bothered.
He wasn't catching HYDRA for S.H.I.E.L.D. this time.
Handing them over was even a bit like "diverting trouble to the east."
In such a situation, there was naturally no need for them to thank him.
Then, seeing that Coulson and Natasha, dressed in casual clothes, still showed no intention of leaving, Mike asked, "Do you still have something else?"
It was currently around Hit-Girl's afternoon dismissal time, and after all the earlier commotion, it was almost dark outside.
"Well, Director Fury heard that you have two very capable young people here and wanted to ask your opinion. Would they be willing to join S.H.I.E.L.D., or even the Avengers..." Coulson said, his gaze subtly drifting towards Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver sitting on the sofa.
Recruiting people right in front of him, even for a seasoned agent like Coulson, brought a hint of awkwardness to his face.
Needless to say, it must have been Director Fury's idea.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had probably been eyeing Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, these two potential assets, just like HYDRA.
"You don't need to ask me about this; just ask them directly," Mike said with an indifferent attitude.
He indicated he respected the siblings' personal choices.
"Of course, thank you for your understanding." Coulson nodded to Mike, expressing his gratitude again.
Then he turned to look earnestly at the siblings sitting at opposite ends of the sofa.
Observing them, he first walked towards Quicksilver, who seemed more approachable.
"Mr. Pietro, Director Fury greatly appreciates your recent performance. It's clear that you're a young man with a strong sense of justice. Therefore, if you're willing to join us, the organization will offer you the best possible treatment, at its discretion..." Coulson subtly conveyed the organization's high regard for Quicksilver, then asked, "What are your thoughts?"
At this stage, S.H.I.E.L.D. was facing both internal and external troubles and desperately needed capable individuals like Quicksilver to join.
The situation with the Avengers was similar.
Therefore, no matter which side Quicksilver chose to join, it would be a good thing for Director Fury.
As for Quicksilver, having not seen much of the world, it was his first time being treated so seriously.
For a moment, it left him a little flustered.
Soon, he looked to his sister for help.
However, Scarlet Witch's face remained taut, showing no expression.
Finding no help, he could only turn back to Mike, hoping he could give him a hint.
Then he saw Mike, like an elder, with a faint smile on his face.
As for a hint, Quicksilver didn't see any.
Ultimately, the decision of how to choose still fell to Quicksilver himself.
"Thank you for your invitation." Quicksilver thought for a moment and said, "However, I'm very satisfied with my current life and haven't considered joining other organizations for now."
Quicksilver was just young, not stupid.
He had food and drink at Mike's place, his sister's company, and if he got bored, he could go to Hell's Kitchen to hang out with other street heroes.
There was absolutely no need to bring himself discomfort by finding a job.
Not to mention, he had Coulson right in front of him as a comparison.
This "worker" didn't look very old, but his hairline was truly worrying.
Quicksilver, with his non-mainstream white hair, couldn't imagine himself bald.
Therefore, even for the sake of his hairline, Quicksilver would reject Coulson's recruitment.
"Is that so?" Coulson, who hadn't considered that his appearance might negatively impact S.H.I.E.L.D.'s recruitment efforts, maintained a polite smile on his face. He then pulled out a business card and handed it to Quicksilver, saying, "It has my private contact information. When you've thought it over, be sure to contact me immediately."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. welcomes you anytime."
As a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Coulson's behavior was indeed impeccable.
"I will." Not wanting to offend someone with a smiling face, Quicksilver took the business card and carefully put it away.
He appeared equally polite.
Coulson also noticed this. Realizing there was still room for negotiation, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief, then turned and walked towards his other target, Scarlet Witch.
"Ms. Wanda..." Coulson, with a smile on his face, was about to repeat what he had told Quicksilver to Scarlet Witch.
However, Scarlet Witch, who had no good feelings for S.H.I.E.L.D., interrupted him as soon as Coulson started, saying, "Don't waste your breath, I refuse."
"Uh, alright." Coulson looked at Scarlet Witch's cold expression and awkwardly touched his thinning hair.
Then, bracing himself, he pulled out another business card and said, "This is my business card. You can also contact me anytime once you've thought it over."
Seeing that Scarlet Witch had no intention of taking it, Coulson turned his hand and placed the business card on the table in front of her.
But before he could stand up, a surge of red magic swept it into the trash can.
Such a blatant disregard for courtesy made Coulson realize Scarlet Witch's attitude.
However, being naturally good-natured, his expression only froze for a moment before returning to normal.
"Mr. Mike and everyone, I won't disturb you any further. Goodbye—" Coulson, still smiling, bowed slightly and exited Mike's villa.
"So, Ms. Black Widow, do you still have something else?" After watching Coulson leave, Mike turned to look at the other S.H.I.E.L.D. senior agent, Black Widow, who had remained silent the entire time.
After entering the villa, she had maintained the posture of an observer, her eyes practically glued to Mike.
"What, can't I come to your villa if I have nothing to do?" Black Widow suddenly flashed a charming smile.
However, Mike, who knew Black Widow's identity, wouldn't be so easily fooled.
He then stared at Black Widow expressionlessly.
He wanted to see what tricks this "man-eating spider" was up to.
"You truly are a heartless man..." Black Widow swept her long hair back and said, "Actually, I'm on vacation today, and I'm here in a personal capacity to thank you for your help last time."
During the last Battle of New York, Mike had indeed helped Black Widow clear away alien soldiers around her once.
If they were to establish a connection, they did have a bit of history.
Looking at her attire today, a tight-fitting short dress with a blue and white base, complemented by a bright makeup look.
It showcased a soft, feminine side in a casual manner.
It gave a completely different feeling from the black jumpsuit she wore for work.
"Uh-huh—" Mike admired Black Widow's unusually creative outfit for the day, signaling her to continue.
"I'm being so obvious," Black Widow took a step forward, generously displaying her assets to Mike.
Then, seductively biting her lip, she whispered, as if sharing a secret, "Won't you invite me upstairs for a drink?"
It had to be said, as a senior agent, Black Widow truly understood men's minds.
"Heh, please," Mike chuckled, thinking of not letting a bad girl go, and said, "I have plenty of drinks here."
Then, led by Mike, Black Widow followed him step by step, disappearing upstairs to the second floor.
"What a vixen..." Watching the seductive Black Widow disappear, the precocious Hit-Girl jumped off the sofa, cursing her shamelessness.
However, upon realizing her small arms, small legs, and small flat chest, she dejectedly slumped back down.
"Alright, Mindy. You have school tomorrow, go to bed early." Scarlet Witch, who had also withdrawn her gaze, ruffled Hit-Girl's head and reminded her.
"Sister Wanda, can't you use that whoosh-whoosh-whoosh superpower to throw that vixen out?" Hit-Girl, finding a companion, gestured mischievously to Scarlet Witch.
"That's Mr. Mike's choice, let's not disturb his good time." Scarlet Witch shook her head, but a strange glint flickered deep in her eyes.
It made it hard to guess what she was truly thinking.
"Alright, I'm going to bed now. I want to grow up fast, and then I'll definitely show that vixen... and Mr. Mike, that philanderer..." Rejected, Hit-Girl grumbled, walking to her room like a little resentful wife.
During this time, Mike had attended several more parties with girls at Tony's place, and his philandering nature had long been fully exposed.
And all of this was witnessed by the precocious Hit-Girl.
However, limited by her own situation, she couldn't do anything about Mike.
She could only hope that in the future, when she grew up and became a great beauty, she would definitely give Mike a hard time.
Meanwhile, Scarlet Witch, after sending Hit-Girl back to her room, returned to the living room to find her brother stretching his neck, looking towards the second floor, appearing utterly lost in thought and quite embarrassing.
He was clearly captivated by Black Widow's earlier alluring appearance.
"Why are you still here?" Scarlet Witch's face immediately fell.
"I, I..." Quicksilver, in his adolescence, was indeed very curious about what would happen upstairs.
But seeing the terrifying look in his sister's eyes, almost glowing red, he immediately changed his tune, saying, "I just remembered, I have something to do tomorrow, so I'm going to bed now. Goodnight, sister—"
As his voice faded, he disappeared from the living room with efficiency faster than the speed of light.
One could say his will to survive was at its peak.
As her younger brother, how could Quicksilver not see that his sister was jealous?
At such a time, the wisest thing to do was not to provoke her further.
Otherwise, something incredibly terrifying would surely happen.
As the living room quieted down, Scarlet Witch seemed to lose all strength, curling up on the sofa with her knees hugged.
Red light occasionally flickered in her eyes, deeply hidden beneath her long hair.
...
"Hi, Mike, I heard you caught several peeping perverts here yesterday..." Early the next morning, Tony, hearing there was excitement to be had, rushed over to Mike's villa without even stopping for breakfast.
"Everyone's here." Entering the living room and seeing Hit-Girl and the Scarlet Witch siblings, Tony greeted them casually.
Then he noticed that the atmosphere here today seemed a bit off.
Scarlet Witch sat on the sofa, looking as if she hadn't slept all night, her eyes frighteningly red.
Hit-Girl, on the other hand, had a tight little face, gnawing at her breakfast with gritted teeth.
Most interestingly, Quicksilver looked restless and guilty, occasionally stealing glances in his sister's direction, as if great terror lurked there.
"Why don't I see Mike?" Tony, being thick-skinned, walked over and sat next to Quicksilver, then said to Hit-Girl across from him, "Oh, by the way, Mindy. I heard it was you who first spotted the bad guys through the surveillance yesterday..."
"How is it, isn't the surveillance equipment I gave you very useful?"
Yes, all the high-end surveillance equipment around Mike's villa was specially sponsored by Tony for Hit-Girl.
"Blech..." Seeing Tony's conceited look, Hit-Girl ungraciously made a face at him, then, slinging her small backpack on, exclaimed, "I'm full, I'm going to school now. Goodbye, Sister Wanda!"
"Be careful on your way, come back early after school!" Scarlet Witch forced a smile, watched Hit-Girl leave, then lowered her head again.
She looked utterly drained of energy.
"What's wrong, your sister looks really off. And where's Mike? He's not still sleeping in, is he...?" Tony nudged Quicksilver with his shoulder, gossiping in a low voice.
Normally, Mike would almost always have breakfast with everyone.
Occasionally, he would even personally take Mindy to school.
During this time, Scarlet Witch would also help out like a young wife, setting things up.
That kind of harmonious atmosphere was completely different from today.
"Don't say anything!" Feeling the atmosphere growing increasingly oppressive, Quicksilver quickly made a 'shush' gesture to Tony.
At the same time, he didn't forget to secretly glance at his sister.
Although Tony's voice was very low, there were only a few people in the living room. What he said could clearly be heard by Scarlet Witch.
Knowing his sister was in a bad mood today, Quicksilver was afraid Tony might say something inappropriate again, leading to his sister crushing his limbs.
Of course, it could also be five limbs.
"Why are you being so mysterious...?" Tony, who didn't pick up on Quicksilver's hint, was unaccustomed to the current atmosphere, so he boldly stood up and shouted towards the second floor, "Mike, you lazy bum, we have guests! Aren't you going to get up...?"
Behind him, Quicksilver, who couldn't stop Tony from acting out, looked at his sister's clearly agitated Chaos Magic, his expression utterly terrified.
At the same time, he silently mourned for Tony...
Hoping he would at least leave a complete corpse.
Just then, the door on the second floor creaked open, and a woman in a loose casual outfit walked out.
"Mi..." Tony, still calling for Mike, exclaimed in surprise when he saw the person in front of him, "Natasha, what are you doing here? And why are you wearing Mike's clothes?"
"Oh, right, where's Mike?"
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
After Black Widow appeared, Mike, also dressed in casual clothes, subsequently walked out of the room.
"Hi, Tony. Why are you here so early?" Mike greeted Tony as if nothing had happened.
Saved!!!
When Mike appeared, Quicksilver could feel the atmosphere in the living room lighten up a bit.
And with Mike there, even if his sister went crazy, there was finally someone who could stop her.
"You, you two..." Meanwhile, Tony, looking at the two people in "matching outfits" at the top of the stairs, suddenly understood why the atmosphere in the villa had been so strange earlier.
"When I have my next vacation, can I come see you again?" Upstairs, Black Widow, as if not seeing anyone else, leaned against Mike.
"You're always welcome." Mike, very satisfied with Black Widow's performance last night, nodded slightly.
It had to be said, Black Widow was indeed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s super agent; her physical endurance was almost on par with the female elves of Middle-earth.
And with her various combat skills, she could seamlessly transition between different positions.
She was a great opponent—