Chapter 143: Agent Phil Coulson

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After the sound of a knock, Wang Kun couldn't help but glance at Chen Mo.

"Open the door—it's here for me."

Wang Kun nodded and instructed Wang Jin to answer it.

Everyone present were his elders, so naturally the task of opening the door fell to someone of his generation.

As Wang Jin walked toward the door, he mused quietly: the martial arts school rarely receives visitors, and with the founding forefather having only just returned a few days ago, now someone else is arriving. Who could it be this time?

Curious, Wang Jin opened the door to find a sharply dressed man in his forties wearing a crisp suit.

The man didn't appear particularly remarkable; Wang Jin sized him up and felt a tinge of disappointment.

Without further ado, Wang Jin gestured for the man to come inside.

Noticing Chen Mo seated upright on the sofa, the man's eyes briefly lit up with excitement before his expression turned stern. He then said in a solemn tone:

"Commander, I am Agent Phil Coulson, from S.H.I.E.L.D.—the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."

Seeing Chen Mo nod, Agent Coulson continued speaking.

"I've come to announce two things to you."

Chen Mo said nothing but lifted his hand in a beckoning gesture.

"First, in recognition of your outstanding contributions to the Allied forces during World War II—and upon the President's nomination, followed by approval from both the Selection Committee and the Senate—it has been decided to confer upon you the rank of Major General."

"Furthermore, the Strategic Scientific Reserve to which you originally belonged has now been restructured into S.H.I.E.L.D.—the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. By resolution of the Security Council, you are hereby appointed as the commander of its Special Operations Task Force, at Agent Level 10."

Chen Mo knew that word of his "awakening" would inevitably reach nations around the globe; his abilities and steadfast loyalty were never in question—with his illustrious wartime achievements serving as the ultimate proof.

Now that Steve and the others have faked their deaths in succession, there is an urgent need for a new, high-caliber fighting force to counter emerging threats. At this critical juncture, Chen Mo naturally stands out as the ideal candidate—a veteran of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, a Special Operations Task Force commander, the vanquisher of Hydra, humanity's strongest warrior. They had no reason to let his talents go unnoticed.

Although after his awakening Chen Mo disregarded Nick Fury's earnest entreaties and promptly left S.H.I.E.L.D., they were not deterred. In a preemptive move orchestrated in the name of the nation and its allies, they went ahead and formally appointed him as the Special Operations Task Force Commander.

After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. itself is the reorganized successor of the Strategic Scientific Reserve to which you once belonged. Reappointing you to this key position was as much about appealing to sentiment as it was about strategy.

Moreover, according to Chen Mo's own deductions, all of this was a masterstroke by Nick Fury. By enlisting him in S.H.I.E.L.D., the greatest beneficiary would in fact be Chen Mo—though not out of personal ambition, but to enhance S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strength in order to more effectively confront unforeseen threats and safeguard all of humanity.

Thus, even though he was being carefully maneuvered, Chen Mo felt no resentment.

Furthermore, while Nick Fury does serve as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director, completing such a momentous promotion and high-level appointment in such a short time is no minor feat—even if Chen Mo truly was qualified, it was entirely justified.

In truth, behind all of this lay the covert machinations of both Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Those two colossal organizations, hidden in the shadows for over seventy years, wield an astonishing amount of power. It is with their covert backing that Nick Fury's plan was able to pass with such remarkable speed.

Although he found it strange that everything had gone so effortlessly, Chen Mo couldn't imagine any other explanation. He deduced that the military and politicians—not unlike himself—were unanimously won over by his formidable strength and the immense potential he held for the future. This shared vision is what made the entire plan proceed so seamlessly.

Chen Mo's return to New York wasn't just to visit Wang Kun and the martial arts academy; the principal reason was that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters is located there.

That very night after arriving in New York, Chen Mo evaded the agents surveilling him in secret and quietly slipped away from the academy. Relying on his keen senses and agile prowess, he dodged various surveillance systems as he traversed rooftops and shadowed alleys, ultimately arriving at an abandoned factory in the New York outskirts.

The factory spanned a vast area. The deserted workshops, office buildings, hefty pipelines, and towering equipment were all marred by decay. Every steel surface was enveloped in thick rust, while large swathes of vines grew unchecked, crawling over brick walls and conduits. The entire complex exuded a sense of collapse and desolation, and under the cloak of night, an eerie, foreboding atmosphere only deepened its haunting appearance.

After seventy years, this place was even more dilapidated than Chen Mo remembered. Who would have imagined that the immensely powerful S.H.I.E.L.D.—the very organization that emerged from the Strategic Scientific Reserve—was hidden behind this crumbling exterior?

Of course, all of this was merely a façade. Beneath the decayed surface lay layers of impenetrable security checkpoints.

Chen Mo approached the tall, rust-streaked steel door and halted before it. Suddenly, an invisible beam of light slowly swept across him.

"Click!"

As the scanning beam completed its passage, a small door on the side of the main gate gradually swung open.

Chen Mo stepped through the small door into the abandoned factory, and as he did so, the door slowly closed behind him.

Once inside, instead of continuing straight ahead, Chen Mo turned right and entered one of the expansive, deserted industrial halls adjacent to the main entrance.

The night-shrouded hall was silent and dark, with moonlight streaming through the high windows on the ceiling, casting faint shadows that revealed the layout within.

In addition to the vast open space, several adjoining rooms lined one wall—spaces that resembled old offices or storage rooms.

Without a moment's hesitation, Chen Mo strode directly into one of them.

Although the dim lighting of the night was extremely feeble, it did little to affect Chen Mo. The room appeared to be a changing room; aside from a single door, there were no windows. Along the wall, a row of heavy, antiquated iron lockers was placed against it.

After Chen Mo entered the room, he closed the door behind him, plunging the entire space into total darkness.

Undeterred, Chen Mo stepped forward two paces and stood before the iron lockers.

Then, an invisible beam of light—just like the one at the main entrance—reappeared and swept over him. At the same time, hidden cameras in the surrounding corners activated, clearly capturing his image in the darkness.

Before his eyes, the iron locker silently split open on both sides; from the gap emerged a soft, gentle light that revealed a smooth, gleaming silver metal door.

The metal door slowly swung open to unveil a narrow, square chamber reminiscent of an elevator. White light cascaded from above, brilliantly illuminating the entire space.

Chen Mo walked through the passage created by the splitting locker and stepped into the elevator. The elevator doors then automatically closed behind him.

Inside the elevator, there were no buttons. Once the doors shut, the elevator began its descent on its own.

After about a dozen seconds, the elevator came to a smooth halt and its doors opened to reveal a bright, spacious, and futuristic lobby before Chen Mo's eyes. Dominating the wall above was a shield-shaped emblem, its center bearing the image of a long sword.

In the middle of the lobby stood a man in his thirties with a neatly trimmed beard. When he spotted Chen Mo, he quickly strode forward.

"Hey! Boss! It's been a long time!" he exclaimed.

The man was none other than Howard Stark, the current head of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Although his tone was as irreverent as ever, there was no mistaking the excitement in his voice.

A rare smile flickered across Chen Mo's typically cold face. He stepped forward to share a hearty embrace with Howard before promptly pushing him away.

"Come on, Boss, let me give you a proper tour. Seventy years—it's amazing how much has changed."

Originally, this place had served as a small secret base where the supposedly deceased Dr. Abraham Erskin researched the Super Soldier Serum. Later, Dr. Mylen Marklein joined and successfully developed the Edman Alloy here.

But compared to seventy years ago, the transformation has been staggering. What was once a rudimentary underground bunker has now evolved into an advanced, high-tech, large-scale facility.

For seventy years, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been quietly pulling the strings—from its origins as the Strategic Scientific Reserve to its current incarnation as the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. Throughout this time, nearly every key official in these organizations has been one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own.

Because the director is always appointed directly by the International Security Council, over these seventy years there have been directors driven by personal ambition, selfish desires, or pure incompetence. Yet none of them managed to stir any major upheaval—some were completely sidelined and rendered powerless, while others who pushed too far were discreetly eliminated, succumbing to "accidents."

In essence, S.H.I.E.L.D. has worked behind the scenes to safeguard the integrity and stability of the Homeland Division, covertly assisting in the completion of arduous missions and neutralizing numerous threats to international security.

Chen Mo didn't linger long at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base—he took a brief tour to assess the organization's current state and then, after informing Howard of his intentions, departed without delay.

Howard had originally planned to reactivate Colonel Phillips, Steve, and the others, but Chen Mo put a stop to that. Howard had more pressing matters to attend to; clearly, this wasn't the time for nostalgic reunions.

Under the combined impetus of Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury's plan to recruit Chen Mo was progressing smoothly.

When Agent Phil Coulson placed the Major General's rank insignia, shoulder epaulets, and uniform on the table, he felt a surge of anxiety—fearing, perhaps, that Chen Mo might refuse. However, his apprehensions were unfounded; Chen Mo, who had orchestrated every move with painstaking care, would never turn down such an opportunity.

Glancing at the Major General's attire on the table, Chen Mo's expression remained impassive. Meeting Coulson's worried gaze, he stood and, looking him straight in the eyes with measured gravity, declared:

"Agent Coulson, you've been mobilized! 

Congratulations on joining the Special Operations Task Force!"