Kamen Rider ZZZ, the American comic book spiritual mentor

But one thing is certain: a Spider-Man who is more rational and matures earlier is much better than one who is rushed into action in a tragedy and fumbles around with his wounds all by himself.

Chapter 13 Coulson's Intervention

After school in the afternoon, Lin Nan did not return to her apartment immediately, but instead took a detour to the public library.

He needs information to deduce where the plot is going, but since he's already being noticed, using his home computer makes him vulnerable to being investigated and having clues found.

He found a computer in the library, sat down, logged into an anonymous browser, and searched repeatedly.

He didn't directly search for specific information like superheroes or Iron Man. Instead, he searched for fragmented, peripheral information.

For example: "Energy weapons developed by Hammer Industries in cooperation with the military."

"Osborn Group's biotechnology projects"

"The Rumors of Daredevil and Hell's Kitchen"

"Mutant Conflict"

The vast majority of the information is vague and full of rumors and urban legends.

However, through cross-referencing, Lin Nan also pieced together some general outlines of the events:

After losing its biggest competitor, Stark Industries, Hammer Industries has close ties with the military and may be trying to seize market share in the energy and weapons sectors.

Is there someone behind Whip's energy weapon? Now that Whip is in prison, what will they do next?

Norman Osborn of the Osborn Group, the man who may become the Green Goblin in the future, currently seems to be just an ambitious tech tycoon and businessman, with no obvious inclination to develop biological agents.

Meanwhile, in Hell's Kitchen, the legend of Daredevil has been circulating for a long time.

Daredevil, the blind lawyer, has been active for a long time.

So what is he doing now, Kingpin, Spider-Man's nemesis and the underground emperor?

There are still many topics about mutants. Conflicts between them occur from time to time, but there has been no large-scale public confrontation. The X-Men and the Brotherhood seem to be in a relatively peaceful state.

Lin Nan closed his browser, cleared his browsing history, and let out a long sigh. He put his hands in his pockets, pulled up his hood, and slowly walked back to his apartment under the cover of night.

Every detail of the battle at the dock kept replaying in my mind.

After that battle, the synchronization rate and compatibility improved significantly, but that was a temporary increase under pressure and needed to be consolidated in the next step.

Although there is still a long way to go before the next dream capsule is extracted.

However, he also considered his current shortcomings, namely that his offensive capabilities were barely adequate in terms of direct attack.

But he lacks true flight and high-speed displacement abilities. What will the next dream capsule yield?

As he was pondering this, he returned to the apartment building and looked up to go inside, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone who made his pupils shrink.

In the shadows downstairs stood a middle-aged man in a black trench coat, wearing glasses, with his hair neatly styled, but he didn't stand out much.

He held a black briefcase in his hand, his gaze calm yet sharp as he looked at Lin Nan.

"Hello, Lin Nan." The man's voice was extremely steady, with a very professional smile.

Lin Nan's heart skipped a beat, but her face betrayed the wariness of a high school student living alone towards a stranger: "I'm Lin Nan, and you are..."

The middle-aged man took out a black ID card from his pocket. It was made of leather and had a black eagle emblem printed on it. He waved it at Lin Nan and then put it away.

“My name is Philip Colson, and I work for the Strategic Homeland Defense, Attack and Logistics Agency.”

"I have some minor work-related questions that I'd like to ask you about briefly. Do you have some time right now?"

Lin Nan's heart tightened. Coulson, the people from S.H.I.E.L.D., they arrived faster than expected.

Lin Nan appeared outwardly calm, but her mind was racing. Was this a routine investigation, or did they already have concrete evidence? Most importantly, what was their attitude?

It is unknown; S.H.I.E.L.D. knows far too little about this world.

Lin Nan's face showed appropriate wariness and doubt: "What kind of bureau? I've never heard of it, and I'm just a high school student. What can you ask me?"

Coulson's professional smile was impeccable. He pointed to the inconspicuous black SUV parked not far away: "Relax, Lin Nan. This is a routine inquiry. We can talk in the car. It won't take up much of your time."

"If you have any safety concerns, we can find a coffee shop."

Lin Nan quickly weighed the options in his mind. The S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle was equipped with a lot of advanced technology, and if there was a conflict while inside, it wouldn't be stable.

In comparison, public places are safer.

So Lin Nan said, "Let's meet at the coffee shop."

The two found a cheap 24-hour coffee shop and went in one after the other.

Since it was already evening, there weren't many people in the shop, except for two old men playing chess.

The two found a booth away from other people and ordered two coffees.

Coulson placed his glasses on the booth, his professional smile still on his face: "Lin Nan, according to our records, you transferred from San Francisco to New York two weeks ago. How are you adjusting? Are you getting used to New York?"

Lin Nan held the coffee cup in both hands, his eyes lowered, like a quail approaching a stranger. He answered briefly and meekly, "It's alright."

“Midtown High School is a good school. I’ve heard you have good grades, especially in physics and math.” Coulson took a sip of coffee, his gaze casually sweeping over Lin Nan’s facial expression.

What are your hobbies? Sports? Or are you interested in technological products?

Lin Nan's heart tightened, fully aware that this was an initial test, so she replied, "I like running. As for tech products, do computers and mobile phones count?"

Coulson nodded, his tone gentle: "Exercise is good for your health. So, Lin Nan, do you remember this?"

Coulson took out a tablet computer, unlocked it, and turned the screen towards Lin Nan.

Lin Nan looked in that direction and was suddenly startled.

The tablet displayed a blurry photo against the backdrop of Brooklyn Pier at night, featuring a tall figure covered in black, red, and green armor.

Although blurry, the general silhouette of the armor, the red core on the chest, and the huge red compound eyes are clearly discernible.

His heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure, and a look of surprise and confusion appeared on his face.

Coulson observed Lin Nan's expression and said calmly, "This was a conflict that occurred last Saturday night at the Brooklyn pier. We retrieved surveillance footage from the vicinity."

"Our bureau is currently investigating this armor. Lin Nan, have you seen this before?"

Lin Nan stared at the picture for a long time, then shook his head: "I don't recognize it. Is this a robot? Or a military exoskeleton? Could it be from a movie?"

His reaction was impeccable, filled with surprise and curiosity, but without any sign of familiarity or tension.

Coulson observed for a few seconds with his calm yet sharp gaze, then put away his tablet, his smile unchanged.

"We are not sure what it is either, and it is still under investigation. In short, it is dangerous."

"Lin Nan, if you have any clues about this item, you can call this number, but of course, please make sure you are safe."

He pushed a black card across the table; it had only a few simple numbers on it.

Lin Nan picked up the card and nodded: "Okay, thank you, I will definitely pay attention."

“And another thing!” Coulson leaned forward slightly, exuding a sense of pressure: “Our investigation revealed that last Friday afternoon, before the arms dealers’ shootout in that abandoned office building, someone witnessed you, Peter Parker, and Miss Gwen Stacy in the vicinity.”

"Can you explain what you were doing there at the time?"

Lin Nan frowned slightly. He hadn't expected S.H.I.E.L.D. to be so efficient, even finding out about this.

He gathered his thoughts and calmly replied, "Gwen called that afternoon and said she saw someone carrying a box of energy weapons into that building."

“Peter was worried about Gwen, so he dragged me along to take a look. We thought that if it really was something dangerous, we could do what we could.”

“When we arrived, the police hadn’t come yet. Peter said he wanted to get closer to check, but I didn’t agree; it was too dangerous.”

"Then we heard fighting sounds inside, so the three of us quickly moved away, and then the police arrived."

This explanation is logically sound, with reasonable details, and perfectly fits the persona of a high school student.

He's passionate, has a strong sense of justice, and is also a little timid.

After listening, Coulson remained silent for a long time, tapping the table lightly with his fingers and glancing at Lin Nan several times.

After a long while, he stood up, put his glasses back on, and nodded: "A very wise choice, Lin Nan. Thank you for your cooperation."

He picked up his briefcase and added, "If you remember any clues, please contact me anytime."

After saying that, he turned and left the coffee shop.

Lin Nan sat in the booth without moving. He slowly finished his coffee and rubbed his slightly sweaty palms with the cool cup.

Chapter 14 Opening of the Expo

Coulson's visit signifies that S.H.I.E.L.D. has entered the fray, but based on today's performance, they haven't yet directly linked him, an ordinary high school student, to the armor.

But there is no doubt that S.H.I.E.L.D. has pieced together various clues and has already made some connections to him.

Colson's questioning today could be an investigation, a probe, or even a warning.

After a long while, he stood up, put away the black card Coulson had given him, and turned to leave the coffee shop.

Back in the apartment, I locked the door and sat on the edge of the bed.

The numbers on my wrist are shining:

【Causality Value: 263/500】

He may not have much time left; he needs more causal value.

Is the upcoming Stark Industrial Expo the next opportunity?

Night had fallen, but Lin Nan was not asleep. He sat at the table, his fingertips holding the pure black card.

The card has a very special texture; it's neither plastic nor paper. The ink seems to absorb light, and even under dim lighting, it still has a matte black finish.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was far more efficient than he had imagined; beneath their polite exterior lay an undeniable systemic strength.

In such a short time, they were able to completely connect several events and timelines, and quickly lock onto the target of the armor.

Furthermore, from city surveillance communication records and testimonies, suspicious individuals who appeared in or near the scene before the incident were identified, even though these suspicious individuals were just a few ordinary high school students.