Chapter 61

"Really, I want to know where exactly the taxpayers' money has been wasted by you all. Oh! Perhaps it was spent on that long and smelly name of yours."

"You want to know where we've spent the tax money. Alright, I'll tell you. We've spent it on cleaning up after you super-powered troublemakers. If you want to see a detailed tax bill that can be made public, I think it would be better for you to just be a proper playboy."

The dispute between the two was escalating, and the intensity of their words had already reached a certain level. Phil Coulson was already a bit regretful for coming with Maria Hill. She wasn't here to negotiate cooperation; she was definitely here to provoke.

To ensure that Nick Fury's request could be smoothly achieved, Coulson had to intervene between the two.

"Gentlemen, can you control yourselves a bit?" As he said this, Coulson stared straight at Commander Hill. In this matter, she had not done what she should have, and had pushed the situation in an unpredictable direction. This was a serious mistake for a qualified agent.

Maria Hill also realized her mistake in this matter. But for her to admit her mistake to Zhou Yi was more difficult than being killed. She crossed her arms and put on a silent face, leaving the rest of the matter to Coulson.

And this was exactly what Coulson wanted. For him, communication was never a difficult task.

"Mr. Zhou, I think my companion is a bit agitated. If possible, I will take over the discussion of our cooperation from her."

"Of course! That would be best." Zhou Yi, whose throat was already a bit sore from the argument, picked up his teacup. This was the first time he had been so angry with a woman. In a certain sense, they were definitely archenemies.

"If you have any different opinions about joining us, we can set this topic aside for now. We have a proposal for you to look at." Coulson directly skipped the previous topic, took out a document from his briefcase, and handed it to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi took the document and looked at it. The content was a plan for a special combat team, specifically pointing out that all members of this tactical team were special and talented individuals. Zhou Yi was indeed one of the people they planned to invite.

This document was the most important and profound prototype of the Avengers in Zhou Yi's memory. Although, at this point, this so-called prototype had no trace of it.

"What is this, your Superboy plan? And it's a plan without even a basic structure?" Due to the previous argument, Zhou Yi was not very polite in his conversation, using a mocking tone.

In the face of Zhou Yi's sharp tongue, Coulson performed much better than Commander Hill. He ignored all the attacking elements in Zhou Yi's words and responded clearly.

"If you join, you will be the first member. And we can quickly add new members."

"Are you joking? If so, I don't find your joke funny at all." Looking at Coulson's extremely sincere eyes, Zhou Yi forced a smile that was far from pleasant. Anyone could see that his smile was quite strained.

"I'm serious!" Coulson continued with his charming smile.

"Sorry! I've already said I don't want to work for anyone. There is no department in this world that can pay me."

In this situation, Zhou Yi decisively chose to refuse. Joining the current Avengers would bring him no benefits. He would not choose to be a part of it until Tony and the others joined.

Not for any other reason, but to avoid getting involved in the secrets of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.). Every item in this department was a headache. Before his own problems were resolved, he did not want to have any connection with these headaches.

"This team is not a subordinate of our department; it is independent." Coulson ignored Zhou Yi's refusal and continued to persuade. Many things required more communication to develop further.

"We are only responsible for forming this special team. The management of the team is your own business. We will not interfere. And we will share intelligence with you!"

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence was not an ordinary bargaining chip. Since the establishment of this department during World War II, S.H.I.E.L.D. had encompassed most of the world's supernatural information, holding so many secrets that even they themselves were not fully aware of them.

However, Zhou Yi did not believe they would be so kind. The sharing of intelligence was undoubtedly one-sided.

"To convince me to join, I'm afraid your offer is not enough." This time, Zhou Yi's words were not as firm. The world faced many dangers, and he could not completely sever ties with S.H.I.E.L.D. The previous refusal was just a test. He had already guessed their intentions and naturally wanted to get more intelligence if possible.

"Is the offer not enough?" Coulson rubbed his chin, sensing that Zhou Yi was not someone completely impossible to communicate with, but it was not easy to find something that could move him. "Can you be more specific, Mr. Zhou? I don't quite understand your definition of the offer."

"Simple, an empty framework cannot make me join without any thought." Zhou Yi leaned back on the sofa. "To make me join, you need to have members who can stand out. I'm not a nanny, and I don't want to train any of your little guys. If I join such an organization, it must be guaranteed that it will be more effective than I am alone."

"If you can't do that, there's no need for me to join."

"I understand!" After hearing Zhou Yi's requirements, Coulson said understandingly. This was not good news for him, but it was not bad news either.

Getting Dawn Knight to join was not impossible, but for the current Avengers, who didn't even have a codename, it was quite unlikely. To get Dawn Knight to join, they needed to make the framework more complete.

At this point, the main intention of Coulson's group had been basically achieved. They did not get what they most wanted, but they did get a non-committal promise. Just this alone was enough for them to report back.

However, humans always seek the maximum benefit. Even someone as nice as Coulson was no exception.

"Regarding this special team, I think we will make progress soon. I hope we can have further cooperation with Mr. Zhou Yi."

"Let's talk about that when the time comes." Neither side wanted to continue on this topic, so Coulson quickly moved on to an additional matter.

"Mr. Zhou, would you mind discussing a deal with us?"

"A deal?" Coulson's question piqued Zhou Yi's interest. After all, he had another identity as a qualified businessman. "Why not hear it out?"

"We are very interested in Dawn Knight's armor. I wonder if Mr. Zhou has any intention of selling it. Of course, whether it's selling the technology or the finished product, we are willing to accept."

S.H.I.E.L.D. had a well-established team of analysts, and Coulson himself was one of the best. Although they had concluded that Zhou Yi was a natural mutant with extremely rare abilities, this did not prevent them from making other speculations.

No one knew the specific functions of the Dawn Armor, and no one knew what it could do. In their estimation, even if this magical armor did not directly grant superpowers to the wearer, it would enhance the user's abilities. If it really worked as they speculated, the Dawn Armor would be quite valuable.

It's worth noting that the U.S. Super Soldier Program had been ongoing for nearly a century, and to this day, there were only a few non-replicable results. If the Dawn Armor could achieve the expected results, it would undoubtedly open a new direction for them. In the eyes of some S.H.I.E.L.D. executives, the value of the Dawn Armor even exceeded that of Dawn Knight himself.

Of course, there was also an intention to restrain Dawn Knight. Understanding the weaknesses of the Dawn Armor would undoubtedly give them an advantage in dealing with Dawn Knight.

Zhou Yi had guessed this, but he was not at all worried. In his mind, the Dawn Armor was just a cover to decorate his other identity. He was not the future Iron Man Tony Stark, and the Dawn Armor was far less important to him than some people thought.

However, no one else knew this, which became Zhou Yi's advantage.

"Do you want to make such a deal?" Zhou Yi, the businessman, began to awaken. "My price is quite high."

"I think our budget should be sufficient for a small investment in this area." Coulson smiled brightly. He knew that the decision-makers behind S.H.I.E.L.D. were the ones driving this deal, so he was not worried about the bargaining chips and did not feel any pain.

"First, I need to state that I will not sell the technology. I will only sell the finished product, and there will be no guarantees. Even for the finished product, I will only provide the next generation model." Zhou Yi laid his cards on the table, wanting to see how far the people watching him would go.

Coulson gave an apologetic smile and pressed his earpiece. He needed to report this situation, as a purchase of this magnitude was not something a Level 8 agent could decide. At the very least, it needed the Director's approval or the Council's recognition.

Soon, after getting the Council's approval, Coulson smiled and said, "No problem at all. Do you have any other requirements?"

"Of course, I don't lack funds. So I need a resource exchange. I wonder if you can provide the resources I need?"

"For example?"

"Vibranium, or raw Adamantium!"