Kamen Rider ZZZ, the American comic book spiritual mentor

She opened the black briefcase on her lap, took out a folder with the S.H.I.E.L.D. eagle emblem, and pushed it over with her slender, pale fingers.

These hands are beautiful in color, but flawed in shape.

The index finger was slightly deformed and had faint calluses, marks left from long-term gun handling.

Hill observed Lin Nan's expression and continued, "You've seen the news these past few days; Mr. Tony Stark just revealed his other identity."

"This is not just an individual act, but also a signal to the world."

“Mr. Lin, the dangers facing this world are escalating. Mythical figures really exist and have come to Earth. We have no choice but to find a way to protect ourselves.”

"It is necessary to unite people with special abilities like knights and fight together."

Then Hill looked directly into Lin Nan's eyes: "No matter who the knight is, he has demonstrated great ability and value in numerous activities."

"Most importantly, he showed us through his actions that he was on the side of the order, so that we were not enemies, but partners."

"Therefore, on behalf of Director Nick Fury, I formally extend an invitation to the Cavaliers and the group behind them."

Lin Nan reached for the folder on the table, opened it, and saw a large title:

Early stages of the Avengers project

A thought struck him, and he looked up at the two agents.

Hill forced a smile, trying to project goodwill as much as possible: "The Avengers plan is currently only in the planning stage."

"Its aim is to bring together the world's most outstanding individuals and scientists to jointly address major crises that are difficult to handle with conventional forces."

“Mr. Iron Man Stark has agreed to participate in the evaluation program, and we are also in contact with other candidates.”

"Of course, joining this plan does not mean giving up freedom, but rather sharing resources and intelligence, working together in the face of real disasters, and exerting greater strength."

At this point, Coulson chimed in, his tone sincere: "Lin, I don't know who you are to the Knights, but if we can get in touch with him, we'd like to have a formal meeting with him."

"He decided everything about the talks, including the location, time, and manner."

Lin Nan glanced at the folder without making a sound, then looked up to observe the expressions of the two people.

One of them is the deputy commander of S.H.I.E.L.D., who is second only to the director, and the other is a top agent.

Both of them adopted a very humble attitude, and their invitations were very sincere.

Lin Nan remained silent for a long time, as if she was really thinking about how to convey this invitation to a friend.

Finally, he spoke: "I need time, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to contact him, or whether I'll be able to wait for him to contact me first..."

"I can assure you that if I get in touch with him, I will definitely pass on your invitation and this document."

"Whether or not they will agree is beyond my control."

Coulson and Hill exchanged a glance and nodded, seemingly unsurprised by the answer.

“We respect Mr. Knight’s independence and right to choose. This invitation is valid indefinitely, and we look forward to your reply.” Ms. Hill stood up.

Coulson also stood up and smiled at Lin Nan, "There's something else, Lin. Mr. Stark mentioned to us that he owes the Cavaliers a great favor. If your friend is interested in Stark, perhaps the two of them could have a chat."

Lin Nan's heart skipped a beat, and she nodded: "If I can get in touch with them, I will pass on the message."

After seeing off the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, Lin Nan sat on the sofa and picked up the folder.

He looked at it for a while, put the folder down, and began to think.

Both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark extended goodwill to him, but such a significant choice required careful consideration.

Tony Stark is arrogant and unconventional, but he has a strong thirst for knowledge and very complex feelings toward knights. These feelings are further complicated by certain inferences.

However, there are also benefits to contacting them. They can obtain a lot of support in cutting-edge technology. After all, they are evil capitalists with money and technology, and they have backers in both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military.

It's worth getting in touch with; there are many benefits.

As for S.H.I.E.L.D., their resources are unfathomable.

There are many benefits. S.H.I.E.L.D. has a vast global intelligence network, and it also provides a platform for the future Avengers team.

Joining means gaining official status, making actions more convenient, and reaping huge benefits.

However, it also has many drawbacks. Such a huge organization is riddled with internal divisions, and the hidden dangers of Hydra make it a huge pitfall.

Moreover, Nick Fury, that one-eyed tyrant, is ruthless and will not hesitate to sacrifice individuals when necessary.

Therefore, Lin Nan's decision was that he could not officially join before he had enough self-defense capabilities, but could temporarily achieve some superficial cooperation as a knight.

Having figured all this out, he lay in bed, planning whether or not he should contact Tony the next day.

Chapter 62 Chief George's Goodwill

The next day, Midtown High School was still bustling with activity. Lin Nan, Peter, and Gwen sat together in the cafeteria for lunch.

Gwen suddenly said, "I have some good news to tell you."

Lin Nan and Peter exchanged a glance, both noticing each other's confusion.

Good news! What good news does Gwen have to tell the two of them?

Gwen was quite pleased with their expressions. She chopped up a cherry tomato, put it in her mouth and chewed, then slowly said, "My father has been promoted. The documents have been issued and it's just waiting for the date to take effect. That means you'll have to call him Chief George from now on."

Peter jumped up and said excitedly, "Congratulations, Gwen! That's wonderful! With someone like Officer George in such a high position, this city will only get better and better, Lin, don't you think?"

Lin Nan nodded and offered his blessings, but he was thinking a little more than Peter, because Gwen wasn't a girl who liked to show off.

There must have been a reason why she told them this news.

Sure enough, Gwen wiped her mouth and said, "It's like this, my father is hosting a dinner party at home, just some family members, and then my good friends, Peter and Lynn, you are also on the invitation list."

Even Peter sensed something was off. Judging from Gwen's tone, Officer George's party was clearly a private gathering with no outsiders. Why invite the two of them?

Lin Nan's expression shifted, but she didn't refuse: "Okay, Gwen, when?"

Gwen smiled and said, "Tonight, after you two finish school, change into nice clothes and come to my house before eight o'clock."

Peter's face was flushed; for some reason, he always felt a bit intimidated by Officer George. That morning, he'd talked to Lin, the guy who supposedly dated eighteen women. Lin said it was because he felt guilty for having slept with someone else's young love interest.

Now that he's heard Officer George is going to treat them to dinner, sure enough, he's even more guilty.

But he still nodded, his face flushed, "We'll definitely be there!"

Gwen was delighted to hear them agree and said with a smile, "Then it's settled. See you tonight!"

The afternoon classes were a bit boring for Lin Nan, so he kept thinking about why George had invited him and Peter to dinner.

Officer George's intuition is usually very accurate. He might have some doubts about their identities and wanted to use this dinner to subtly probe their identities.

That must be it, so Lin Nan silently reconstructed everything that would happen that night.

After school in the afternoon, Lin Nan went back to her apartment, tidied up, changed her clothes, and went out.

His clothes weren't particularly formal; a black sweater and black pants, simple, clean, and neat.

When they arrived at the address Gwen had given them, they saw Peter squatting there alone, dressed in a suit and tie, looking very formal.

"Peter, you're here so early, why aren't you going up?" Lin Nan asked.

Peter scratched his head habitually: "Uh... I'm a little nervous. Let me calm myself down."

Lin Nan glanced at him and praised, "You look so handsome today, what are you nervous about? Come on, let's go up together."

After the two went upstairs, they knocked on the door, and it opened within seconds. Officer George, dressed in pajamas, opened the door.

"Good evening, Officer George!" Peter mustered his courage and greeted him.

George: "Good evening."

Lin Nan nodded and went inside with Peter. Once inside, they found that only George's family was in the living room.

Gwen and her mother were busy in the kitchen. When they heard someone come in, the two women poked their heads out to greet them and then continued with their work.

The interior decoration is very simple, but it is clean and spotless.

George gestured for Lin Nan and Peter to sit on the sofa, made them a cup of tea, and placed it on the coffee table.

The three men sat there, and for a moment the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Peter, feeling guilty, naturally wouldn't initiate a conversation, and Lin Nan was even less likely to, because he couldn't yet figure out why George had invited them to the family dinner.

"Lin, try this tea. You're from the East, you should like it." Officer George wasn't as rigid at home as he was at work; instead, he greeted her with a smile.

Lin Nan picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said, "Very good, Officer George."

George picked up his teacup and took a sip, then suddenly asked, "What do you think of the vigilantes that have recently appeared on the streets?"

Lin Nan was taken aback, and glanced at Peter without making a sound.

Peter stammered, "Street vigilantes... I think they're great. They punish evil, uphold justice, and are heroes of the city."

Lin Nan observed George's expression, and to her surprise, George did not show any unusual reaction.

Instead, he shook his head and sighed: "To be honest, I used to be prejudiced against those masked vigilantes. I thought they were undermining the procedural justice that the police pursue and were abusing their power."

Lin Nan and Peter leaned forward to listen intently.

"But as you may have heard, three volunteer police officers lent a helping hand during the arrest of Kingpin. If it weren't for them, all the officers, including myself, would probably have been killed."

"So I think the benefits of these vigilantes outweigh the drawbacks. What do you think?"

To everyone's surprise, George said these words. He's about to become the chief, and his change of opinion about the masked vigilantes means that the vigilantes will have a better chance in terms of public opinion and their stance in the future.

But why did George tell them this? The topic was clearly pointed at something.

Lin Nan took another sip of tea and nodded: "I think so too, Officer George, and I believe that these vigilantes are actually the vulnerable group."

"Oh? What do you mean?" George frowned, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"The vast majority of them wear masks because they lack the ability to protect themselves. This does not refer to their ability to protect themselves, but rather their inability to protect their families."

"With his many years of experience, Officer George understands that fighting crime sometimes involves facing retaliation from criminals, some of whom have no bottom line and can threaten their families."

"The main reason the masked vigilantes don't release information is to protect their families. After all, most of the criminals they deal with have superhuman abilities, wouldn't you agree, Officer George?"

Peter never expected that Lin Nan would spout such a long speech in front of George. He was a little nervous and glanced at George without making a sound.

But he noticed that George's expression was somewhat subtle. He neither rushed to refute nor agreed, but instead fell into silent thought.