Chapter 109: Qin Shi Huang Touches the Electric Wire

Movement patterns?

Hearing this, Coulson’s interest was piqued. What he had always struggled to understand was what kind of connection lay beneath the seemingly random actions of the Scarlet Baron.

“What connection could there be? I’ve just been messing around…” But then Jang Shin-soo straightened his expression and said, “There’s actually a very deep connection in all this!”

“Coulson, think about it: when was the Scarlet Baron’s first known activity?”

Without hesitation, Coulson answered, “That incident on Ingram Street.”

But Jang Shin-soo shook his head. Seeing Coulson’s puzzled look, he explained, “Let me put it this way: the first activity we became aware of was on Ingram Street. Before that, we knew nothing about the Scarlet Baron.”

Hearing this, Coulson’s mind seemed to suddenly clear, and with a spark of excitement, he quickly responded, “So, that means I don’t have to limit my investigation to just these recent Scarlet Baron incidents. I can try to dig up information from before.”

“You won’t find anything from before,” Jang Shin-soo nodded. “Also, what was the purpose of the Ingram Street incident? If the Scarlet Baron has always been planning something, but we only discovered it then, it means he must have been hiding his tracks every time. So why didn’t he hide them during Ingram Street?”

Coulson pondered for a moment, then suddenly jumped up, exclaiming, “Because he couldn’t hide during the Ingram Street operation!”

“Keep your voice down—Wanda’s sleeping in there!” Jang Shin-soo’s face darkened as he put on a look of deep concern for his partner.

Though Wanda had actually been awake for quite some time...

“Oh, sorry… I got carried away,” Coulson said sheepishly, scratching his head before sitting down again.

He then lowered his voice and said, “I heard from Agent May that the enemy had some kind of ritual, which forced them to show up on Ingram Street.”

A ritual… Oh right, that was just an impromptu scene I acted out back then, Jang Shin-soo recalled. Then he continued, “Ingram Street was the ritual, but what about Stark Industries? They injured Tony so badly…”

“I feel like the incidents in Chicago and the Moscow prison were minor compared to these. Only Ingram Street and Stark were grand operations,” he emphasized.

He deliberately downplayed the Moscow prison incident because that was a place where S.H.I.E.L.D. could, with patience and diligent investigation, possibly find clues through Ivan among the prisoners.

As for the others, Jang Shin-soo had covered all bases so thoroughly that S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn’t find any leads.

“If the enemy is making such a show of force, it means there must be some reward behind it that forces their hand,” Jang Shin-soo continued.

“Since Ingram Street was a ritual, then what was Stark Industries?” Coulson asked.

“Weapons!” Coulson’s eyes lit up.

Thanks to Jang Shin-soo’s hints, Coulson felt he had finally grasped a thread of the Scarlet Baron’s trail.

Jang Shin-soo looked like a student eager to learn and went on, “I can’t quite figure out why they would need so many weapons, but I have a strong feeling that their next moves will have a very negative impact on the world.”

“So my suggestion is, if the Scarlet Baron issues any warnings or signals next, S.H.I.E.L.D. should definitely deploy agents.”

“Having a vast arsenal, combined with the enemy’s flawless style of operation — just thinking about this kind of person sends chills down my spine,” Jang Shin-soo said, barely containing a smile as he praised.

Coulson nodded emphatically. “I think the same! I plan to apply to the director soon. An enemy like this roaming the world is scarier than any terrorist. The next time he dares to issue an ultimatum, there will be endless agents waiting for him!”

His voice was filled with barely restrained anger, revealing just how strongly he felt about the Scarlet Baron.

Seeing this, Jang Shin-soo relaxed. His plan was already taking shape. Once he located the Space Stone and sent out warnings under the Scarlet Baron’s name to other places, a large number of agents would be drawn away.

When he went to seize the Space Stone, the obstacles he faced would be much fewer.

“Shin-soo, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be confused. Now, I finally understand just how dangerous that guy is,” Coulson smiled gratefully at Jang Shin-soo.

“No problem,” Jang Shin-soo returned the smile.

Come to think of it, Coulson was quite the character — seeking advice about the Scarlet Baron, he ended up consulting the very person himself.

Whether Coulson’s luck was good or bad was anyone’s guess.

Coulson glanced at the bedroom door, then casually looked at the strawberry-shaped mark on Jang Shin-soo’s neck and gave a knowing smile any man would understand. He stood up and said, “I won’t keep you. I still need to take Tony to remove his armor…”

“Alright, you go ahead. I’m going back to sleep,” Jang Shin-soo replied with a bright smile.

After thanking him again, Coulson left.

…

After repeatedly using his clairvoyant vision to confirm that the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had all left, Jang Shin-soo finally sat up from the sofa and walked toward the bedroom.

Moonlight filtered through the windows, casting a veil of pale silver.

In this softly shadowed room, the moment Jang Shin-soo entered, he saw a pair of large, deep black eyes shimmering in the dark.

“They’re all gone?” Wanda sat up from under the covers and asked.

“Yeah, Ivan messaged me that he’s already at the base. I plan to check on him. Do you want to come?” Jang Shin-soo rummaged through the closet, pulled out a snug short-sleeved shirt, and slipped it on before asking Wanda on the bed.

“No, I want to rest a little more,” Wanda said, pulling the covers back over herself.

Jang Shin-soo chuckled softly. “Alright then, I’ll go first.”

“Hmm…” Wanda started to speak but realized Jang Shin-soo had already climbed out the window.

She wasn’t really sleepy at all.

Breathing in the lingering scent, unique to him, her large black eyes blinked in the darkness, lost in thought...

———

When Jang Shin-soo stepped out of the elevator at the secret base, he saw Ivan pacing beside the truck, grinning broadly, unable to contain his excitement.

Looks like they hit the jackpot… Jang Shin-soo thought, then asked, feigning ignorance, “How was the haul?”

Ivan didn’t answer directly but pointed to the silver metallic block at his feet, about fifty centimeters tall. “This is palladium metal taken from Stark Industries… and there are eleven more blocks this size on the truck!”

!!!

Even the normally composed Jang Shin-soo couldn’t help but lose his composure, a wide grin spreading to his ears just like Ivan’s.

What a haul! What a haul!

Overall, this heist felt like the Emperor Qin’s legendary electricity theft—a total and utter win!