Marvel: The Alchemist Just Wants a Peaceful Life

If we're really talking about the heart, I suggest you take a look at the thinking of netizens on the Chinese side. Even Jia Xu would have to admit defeat there, especially Professor Gao Zhikai, the second-generation director of the Strategic Deception Bureau, who can be said to be the ceiling of modern humanities.

Yourself?

Haha, just a little white rabbit, not even worth a punctuation mark in Professor Gao Zhikai's Xi'an Incident 2.0 plan.

As for why the S.H.I.E.L.D. warehouse could impress that old fox Winston, Sherlock didn't explain, but instead directly took out the actual items for Zhao Weike to experience firsthand.

That's right, it's the pistol that Doro gave to Sherlock as a gift.

"The gift Doro brought me back from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s warehouse, even I don't understand how it works yet."

Zhao Weike watched almost as Sherlock pulled out a pistol while speaking, placed it on the table, and slid it in front of him. Zhao Weike picked up the pistol with a puzzled look and examined it.

Well, it's a 9mm Glock pistol that's so common it's practically everywhere in the US. Zhao Weike even disassembled the entire gun but couldn't find anything wrong with it. Both the internal structure and the bullets were the most ordinary stuff.

Seeing the puzzled look Zhao Weike gave him after searching for a long time without finding anything unusual, Sherlock smiled mischievously and said to Zhao Weike.

"You'll know once you fire two shots at the wall."

Despite Zhao Weike's wariness and doubts, seeing Sherlock's fox-like smile, Zhao Weike couldn't suppress his curiosity and fired two shots at the wall of the private room as Sherlock had instructed.

This hotel was specially chosen by Zhao Weike. It was high-end enough, and the brick and stone structure was not only very soundproof but also exceptionally sturdy. In addition, although this hotel looked like just a high-end star-rated hotel, it actually served as an intermediary for independent assassins to meet and trade with their employers.

Furthermore, since Sherlock's alchemy could repair the walls, Zhao Weike fired the gun directly, just as Sherlock had suggested.

Two gunshots rang out, and Zhao Weike couldn't find the slightest problem with the feel of the bullets, the recoil, or even the operation of the gun.

But when Zhao Weike focused his gaze on the bullet holes that should have appeared on the wall, what he saw on the wall almost made his eyes pop out.

The reason is simple: instead of two bullet holes, the wall has three.

A two-headed dragon, bent into a U-shape, was stapled to the wall like a stapler. Below the dragon, a human valve core was also stapled to the wall, with a large heart-shaped diamond on it that shone brilliantly under the light.

After seeing the thing on the wall, Sherlock's lips twitched non-stop, and even the way he looked at the bewildered Zhao Weike started to look strange.

After a while, Sherlock tentatively asked Zhao Weike with a strange expression.

"Old Zhao, tell me the truth, is this restaurant even a legitimate one?"

?

Hearing Sherlock's question, Zhao Weike, who was already full of questions, had even more questions on his mind. Completely unaware of what was going on, Zhao Weike looked at Sherlock with a puzzled expression and answered him.

"Of course, you won't find a quieter, safer, or even more respectable restaurant in all of New York. Why do you ask that?"

Hearing Zhao Weike's answer, Sherlock's eyes even twitched. He pointed at the seemingly ordinary pistol in Zhao Weike's hand and said to him in an annoyed tone.

"The moment the bullet leaves the barrel, it automatically and randomly copies any strip-shaped object within a 10-meter radius of itself, and the entire copying process is completed in just a moment."

At this point, Sherlock paused slightly, his eyes fixed on the dish that Zhao Weike had almost finished eating, before slowly continuing.

"In other words, according to probability, you can throw out a fork, a knife, chopsticks, a kitchen knife, a spoon, or even a TV remote, but it should absolutely not be one of these two things!"

After all, you know, the kitchen of this restaurant is right beneath our feet, and a ten-meter radius doesn't encompass much, so most likely... well...

I don't know whether to say you were lucky or unlucky...

Although Sherlock had been quite tactful, Zhao Weike immediately understood what Sherlock meant. Clearly, this thing must be something from the kitchen.

As for why this thing was in the kitchen, that was beyond the knowledge of Sherlock and Zhao Weike.

Once Zhao Weike understood Sherlock's meaning, his defenses crumbled almost instantly. Especially when he saw the pity in Sherlock's eyes and followed her gaze to the steak on the table that he had almost completely devoured, Zhao Weike's defenses crumbled even more.

"I *****! Yue~ He **********! Yue~ I want to *** Yue~ I'm going to complain about them! Yue~ **********!"

Seeing Zhao Weike's frantic jumping and stomping in the private room before rushing out, Sherlock could only silently summon his spear and use alchemy to turn the two things on the wall into ashes and repair the three large holes in the wall.

Nearly half an hour had passed when Sherlock picked up Zhao Weike again at the hotel entrance.

Zhao Weike, his face contorted with rage, got into the passenger seat of Sherlock's Raptor amidst the restaurant manager's obsequious smile. Sherlock didn't even ask the restaurant manager how he had dealt with Zhao Weike's anger.

I just heard that the restaurant laid off a large number of people in the kitchen, and that the subsequent recruitment plan clearly stated that women and homosexuals would not be accepted. This even caused protests from the liberal left.

Sherlock, however, didn't care at all, and even felt that the restaurant's actions were not very useful. After all, anyone who has seen the movies Ted or 2 Broke Girls should know that foreigners always have a lot of tricks up their sleeves when it comes to this.

Upon returning, the two began to make preparations according to the plan. After all, Sherlock could not use props or his alchemy this time, and the only thing he could use was his Destroyer armor. Therefore, the pre-battle training was still necessary.

While Sherlock was busy with these matters, the responsibility of taking care of Laura fell entirely on Helen's shoulders, and it was almost visibly that Laura's dependence on Helen was growing.

Although she still doesn't like to talk, under the gentle influence of Helen, who is like a little sun, Laura, with the encouragement of Anna and Mindy and the company of Doro, still takes the initiative to participate in some daily affairs to help Helen relieve stress.

As for Sherlock, Doro seemed to know that Sherlock and Zhao Weike were cleaning up his mess, so he didn't clamor to join their operation. After all, compared to Lezi, his two friends, Laura and Maodie, were undoubtedly more important.

Anna and Mindy wanted to get involved in Zhao Weike and Sherlock's affairs, but unfortunately, the two of them were under too much academic pressure. It was already very difficult for them to maintain basic physical exercise every day so that their physical fitness would not decline.

Chapter 283 S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York Branch

Everything seemed to be going in a good direction until three days later, the newsboy, who was exclusively employed by the Mainland Hotel, knocked on Zhao Weike's door. Zhao Weike casually gave the newsboy a gold coin as a reward and then took the information to the basement.

At this time, Zhao Weike's basement had been transformed into a war room, with the walls covered with various types of weapons and the intelligence the two had gathered.

Meanwhile, Sherlock, dressed in a combat suit transformed from the Destroyer Armor, was silently wiping his gun on a box, looking as if he were a seasoned veteran.

When Zhao Weike entered the basement, he couldn't help but twitch his lips when he saw Sherlock's appearance.

The reason is simple: in order not to reveal his identity, Sherlock had already planned his disguise: the Ghost from Call of Duty, specifically the latest version with a human bone mask.

Looking at Sherlock, who was wrapped up tightly, Zhao Weike would always hallucinate a former friend of his.

Zhao Weike slammed the documents he was holding onto the table in a huff, his eyes practically rolling to the sky, and complained to Sherlock.

"Stop pretending. If you didn't have that transforming suit of armor, your marksmanship wouldn't even be as good as my grandma's foot bindings! Winston's intelligence has arrived. Come over and study the plan."

Sherlock responded to Zhao Weike with two towering middle fingers. However, Zhao Weike was right; in the past three days, Sherlock had indeed been adjusting the functions of his suit and training to make it more familiar with firearms.

After all, you can't expect Sherlock to transform from an ordinary person with basic training into a battle-hardened veteran in just three days, right?

After a brief and friendly exchange, the two huddled together at the table to study the intelligence Winston had sent them, but the more they looked, the darker their expressions became.

The reason is simple: everyone knows the location of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York branch—it's in the heart of New York City, in that most mysterious building.

The AT&T Longline Building at 33 Thomas Street, Lower Manhattan!

Apart from a main gate, the entire building has only a few ventilation openings. Since its completion, the building has been shrouded in countless legends, making it exceptionally mysterious.

Some say it was originally just a place to store telephone exchanges. The entire building is said to be fireproof, theftproof, and even nuclear-proof. Later, it evolved into a data center, and there are even rumors that it is a surveillance station for the National Security Agency to listen to telephone calls all over the world!

According to the information provided by Winston, these rumors are both true and false.

Although this building possesses all the legendary functions, it is essentially just the 'gate' to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base.

The organizations, companies, and even data centers stationed inside the building are nothing more than free 'gatekeepers' for S.H.I.E.L.D.

If any outsiders attempt to break in, the building's structure itself can provide a thorough "lock-in and trap" solution, without even requiring S.H.I.E.L.D. to intervene; the "gatekeepers" alone can eliminate the intruders.

Most importantly, even if the intruders actually defeated all the 'gatekeepers,' they would still have a hard time finding the entrance to S.H.I.E.L.D., and would subsequently face being hunted down by several organizations and companies.

After all, if it weren't for the investigation, who would have thought that the entrance to the New York branch of S.H.I.E.L.D. was actually in one of the three seemingly ordinary elevators on the 20th floor of this building?

Logically speaking, these three elevators are just ordinary elevators used to divert pedestrian traffic in high-rise buildings, serving only the upper half of the building. However, once you enter the elevator and open the hidden identity verification channel, the elevator will take you into the real S.H.I.E.L.D.

Located beneath this building, in a massive underground base that is even deeper than the subway!

Of course, such a massive base couldn't possibly have only one entrance; there were also entrances to S.H.I.E.L.D. in the intricate New York subway system.

Or to be more precise, this should be called an entrance/exit!

After all, the base has a large number of people, and it is impossible to rely on only three elevators for personnel transportation. Those three elevators are more of an entrance and exit for field staff, while the remaining permanent staff go to and from get off work through the passageway inside the subway.

Yes, you read that right. This massive base even has its own dedicated subway line!

Every morning at a fixed time, a subway train will take those who work at the base directly into the base via the subway line. Then the base gates will be closed until after get off work, when they will reopen and people can take the subway to leave.

The whole process was just like that of an ordinary office worker, and it did not arouse any suspicion.

Due to historical reasons, New York's subway system is comparable to Moscow's, with its underground network being incredibly complex and vast.

Under such circumstances, S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel were almost never detected by anyone going to and from get off work.

Aside from these two points, the only other place to enter S.H.I.E.L.D.'s underground base is a sewage outlet in the Hudson River.

After all, besides dealing with supernatural and alien matters, S.H.I.E.L.D. also has research and decryption work to do, so laboratories are naturally indispensable. And as long as it's a laboratory, it can't do without water, and even large amounts of water.

Although this place may seem like a perfect infiltration location, the real problem is that you never know what flows through the huge drainage pipe leading to the base.

It can only be said that the US's filtration system is well understood by those who know, and S.H.I.E.L.D. is not stupid either. Naturally, there will be layers of physical barriers such as railings, or even traps, in the waterways.

And that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that in the intelligence report, Winston even specifically noted that once the S.H.I.E.L.D. base discovers an intrusion, the first thing to do is to seal off the entire base, and the alarm will be shared throughout the AT&T Longline Building.

If they want to get out, they will only have two options: either go to the server room to manually activate the controller, power on the elevator, take the elevator up to the building, and then go out, or spend a lot of time and effort to walk out through the waterway.

Taking the elevator means facing a siege from the entire building's security personnel. Even if you manage to fight your way out, you might face endless support from several national departments.

Traveling by water would require carrying enormous and heavy diving equipment, not to mention the underwater cutting and explosive devices needed to deal with iron railings and traps, which would be enough to give any intruders a hard time.

What lies before them now is an absolute fortress for ordinary people, protected by extraordinary power; a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and would be a dead end if invaded.

Even so, this is assuming that there are countless security personnel inside the Aegis-class destroyer.

Chapter 284 Zhao Weike's 'Friend'

Clearly, facing such a massive base, without using Sherlock's alchemy or special tools, it would be a pipe dream for Sherlock and Zhao Weike to break in with just some conventional weapons.

Even at night, when the base's defenses are at their weakest, breaking in would be nothing short of a pipe dream.

After reading the intelligence sent by Winston, the two men's faces turned unusually dark in unison. In the end, Zhao Weike sighed helplessly, rubbed his temples, and then spoke to Sherlock.

“It seems we need to think things through more carefully, and we need more manpower; the two of us alone are definitely not enough.”

As he spoke, Zhao Weike pulled his phone out of his pocket and continued speaking to Sherlock with a somewhat serious expression.

"Even with sufficient manpower, a safe evacuation from such a fortress would inevitably require the use of a certain degree of 'supernatural' abilities, such as your four-dimensional pocket. Sherlock, you should be prepared."

Hearing Zhao Weike's words, Sherlock sighed helplessly. He didn't refute them, but simply nodded silently. As it turned out, Sherlock had oversimplified things.

Sherlock originally thought that with a headquarters like the Tri-Wing Building, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s other branches were destined not to be too large, just like the legendary CIA, which was likely just a 'base' that existed in an office building and looked like an ordinary company.

But when faced with the facts, Sherlock had to admit that he had underestimated S.H.I.E.L.D.'s financial resources and the complex web of interests that had grown from World War II to the present day.

After all, such a base cannot be built overnight, and most importantly, no one knows how many such bases S.H.I.E.L.D. has around the world.

Seeing that Sherlock nodded, Zhao Weike said nothing more, took out his phone, walked out of the basement, and began to contact some of his 'friends'.

What puzzled Sherlock was the enigmatic smile on Zhao Weike's lips as he took out his phone to make a call, which made Sherlock feel that Zhao Weike was secretly plotting something.