The flight from China to New York was quite lengthy, so long that Evans succumbed to drowsiness after his initial excitement waned.
As Evans drifted off to sleep, the five members of the special division from China, who had been resting in their first-class seats nearby, all opened their eyes. It turned out they hadn’t been sleeping but rather resting with their eyes closed.
After opening their eyes, the five members of the team exchanged glances before discreetly assessing the slumbering Evans. Then, they exchanged a few knowing glances amongst themselves before once again closing their eyes.
This time, four of them genuinely started to sleep, while only one middle-aged man with a square face maintained a state of faux slumber, ready to react to any external events.
Whoo, Whoo…
After several hours of flying at an altitude of ten thousand meters, the plane finally began its descent, revealing the bustling cityscape of New York below. When the aircraft landed and Evans, leading the team of unassuming special division members from China, exited the airport, he once again felt the vibrant atmosphere of New York.
“Finally back. I wonder if I’ll still be able to get authentic red-cooked pork from now on…” Evans mumbled to himself as he walked towards the SHIELD vehicles waiting at the airport’s entrance, accompanied by the five individuals from the China special division.
Having spent so long in China, Evans had grown attached not only to the vastly different culture but also to the delectable cuisine.
Having savored the delights of China’s cuisine, Evans was uncertain whether he could readjust to the typical American fare of hamburgers and fried chicken. People naturally yearned for the finer things in life, especially in terms of food.
After muttering to himself, Evans noticed someone waving to him beside the SHIELD reception convoy up ahead. He raised his hand in acknowledgment.
Bang!
“Hey, Evans! Haven’t seen you in months! You seem to be doing well!” A firm pat on Evans’s shoulder was accompanied by a thorough appraisal from the SHIELD agent who had come to greet Evans and the special division team from China.
Compared to several months ago, Evans had indeed put on some weight, and it was evident that he was living a more comfortable life than the SHIELD agents stationed in New York or Washington.
After all, his investigation into the mastermind behind Killian, concealed in China, had left him with very little to do, leaving him with plenty of idle time.
“I’m managing, I guess. Although the overseas quest was challenging, I persevered,” Evans replied, unable to admit to his colleagues that he was genuinely enjoying himself. That would be inviting trouble.
“Hehe! You’ve done exceptionally well with this overseas quest! Let me share a little insider information with you – the rewards from this assignment are quite substantial. You might just level up a few more times!” After Evans’s response, his colleague leaned in and whispered.
Upon hearing this tidbit from his colleague, Evans displayed a surprised and delighted expression on his face. However, his eyes remained calm. In truth, Evans’s rank had quietly increased when he brought the special division team from China, but he pretended to be unaware of it.
“Really?! That’s fantastic news!” Evans responded, feigning his astonishment.
“Heh heh! From now on, we’ll be looking up to you, buddy!” Unaware of Evans’s composed demeanor, his colleague continued patting him on the shoulder with a friendly grin.
After exchanging these pleasantries with Evans, his colleague shifted his gaze to the five handsome individuals from China who had been standing quietly in the background. While observing them, the colleague’s expression displayed a hint of puzzlement, clearly unaware of the true origins of these five individuals.
“Hehe, we’ll still need everyone’s support!” After offering some casual responses, Evans ushered the five individuals from China into the waiting SHIELD vehicles.
Subsequently, the unassuming SHIELD motorcade transported the five special division members from China to the New York SHIELD branch. During the journey, Evans’s colleague engaged in a friendly conversation with the five handsome China individuals but gleaned no useful information, and thus refrained from further inquiries.
Half an hour later, the smoothly gliding chauffeur-driven cars had entered the SHIELD branch in New York.
Once inside SHIELD, the five members of the China team, who had previously paid little attention to the outside world while in the car, began to take an interest. They occasionally shifted their gaze outside the window, inspecting the facilities within SHIELD.
“Hehe! Pretty advanced, right? Our SHIELD’s technological prowess is among the world’s finest!” As the China team examined SHIELD’s internal facilities, Evans’s colleague sitting in the front boasted with a hint of pride.
“Yes, it’s quite impressive,” The middle-aged man with a square face and wheatish complexion responded calmly to the agent’s words.
“Erm…” Noticing the somewhat subdued response from the China team, Evans’s SHIELD colleague decided not to say much more.
Exhaling deeply, when the cars came to a stop in the parking lot within the SHIELD branch, they had arrived at the heart of the SHIELD division. Typically, individuals of lower ranks couldn’t access this area, but Evans was clearly benefiting from his role as their host.
Ding, Ding, Ding…
“Evans, please escort our guests. Your clearance has been upgraded,” Evans received a message from Captain America, Steve Rogers, from above as soon as they got out of the car.
Bang!
As Evans looked up, his SHIELD colleagues had already closed the car doors. Without waiting for Evans to say anything, they waved at him and stepped back.
“We’re heading off now! Evans, let’s grab a drink sometime after you’ve completed your quest!”
“Yes, we’ll stay in touch!”
Waving goodbye in response, Evans watched as his colleagues quickly departed from the parking lot through another exit. Subsequently, Evans led the fully disembarked China team towards another direction, where Captain America was waiting for them.
However, Evans, who was leading the way, didn’t notice that two of the China team members had already begun to exhibit a different kind of excitement and enthusiasm in their eyes, something that had not been present before. Of course, they concealed it well and were not detected by Evans.
…
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