NOVEL WEB Chapter 23: quiet day
When Ghost saw that Isaac was only speaking with Haibara Ai and not paying attention to her, she reminded him with a hint of sadness:
"You promised me that you'd be able to solve my health problems."
Isaac reaffirmed:
"Three years! I promise I'll help you fix your physical condition within three years. But during that time, you have to listen to me!"
Ghost hesitated for a moment upon hearing that, as SHIELD had once told her the same thing when they tried to deceive her, claiming they would fix her condition within a few years. However, nearly twenty years had passed, and she was still stuck in limbo.
Still, compared to SHIELD's vague future, Ghost eventually surrendered to Isaac.
It didn't matter — dirty jobs were all the same. Whether it was SHIELD or this new organization, the only thing that had changed was the boss.
She had once done Hydra's dirty work under SHIELD in exchange for hope of healing. Now, she was simply doing the same for another group.
"Do you know that damn organization, SHIELD, used me for free? My god! They promised they'd fix my body — three years, then another three... It's been almost twenty years, and nothing has changed!"
Ghost fumed as she recalled the past, her teeth grinding in anger.
Compared to SHIELD, Isaac at least gave a clear deadline, which made him seem far more genuine.
"So you'll be staying at this base from now on. If you need anything, talk to Haibara Ai. Don't underestimate her — she's a true genius," Isaac continued.
"No problem," Ghost replied simply, having no objection.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Ghost let out a surprised sound, looking at Isaac with a strange expression.
Isaac turned to her and asked:
"What is it? Another question?"
Ghost hesitated before replying:
"Pierce from SHIELD just messaged me privately. Should I respond?"
Isaac seemed interested and asked curiously:
"What did the old man say?"
"He asked how I'm doing, how the mission went, and where I am."
Isaac waved dismissively.
"Answer however you want. You can even tell the truth."
At this point in the Marvel world, there were only four people Isaac truly cared about:
The ancien one, Captain Marvel, Odin, and Hela.
Aside from them, Isaac didn't take many others seriously.
Even Captain Marvel, he didn't regard her with too much weight.
"The ceiling of the physical world? Seems like everyone has a ceiling."
After sending Ghost on her way, Isaac messaged Susan privately.
[Isaac]: I saved your brother. I'm arranging for someone to look after him. Once he recovers, I'll return him to you.
[Susan]: That's wonderful, sir. I don't know how to thank you…
[Isaac]: No need to thank me — we're family!
After finishing the chat, Isaac logged off.
Susan stared at the message silently for a long time.
"Wasn't this just a simple rescue mission? When did we become family?! Did it really escalate that fast?" she wondered.
"I've seen people who are greedy — but this? This is another level!"
X-Academy
After completely overcoming the side effects of the Phoenix Force, Jean's power had reached terrifying levels — enough to crush any mutant.
Her psychic abilities surpassed Professor X, and her destructive force exceeded even Magneto. If she wanted to, she could wipe out the entire United States in a single day.
It wasn't an exaggeration to call her a walking nuclear bomb.
But when one person possesses power that exceeds their entire civilization, humanity will naturally fear them.
Even Professor X was uneasy at this point, afraid that Jean might lose her way — and that no one could stop her.
He had been closely monitoring Jean's thoughts lately.
Especially after the reward distribution, Professor X sensed something unusual about his student.
As someone who had experienced similar emotions, he suspected that Jean had fallen in love, or at the very least, was attracted to someone.
Yet, he saw it as a good thing — for someone with love in their heart, destruction is unlikely to be their goal.
SHIELD
When Nick Fury learned that his superior, Pierce, had been taken to the emergency room, he was extremely concerned.
He still needed Pierce's help to secure funding.
"Commander, please don't die! At least… secure this year's budget first!"
Outside the emergency room, Nick munched on his bear-shaped cookies nervously while silently praying.
And inside SHIELD, Fury wasn't the only one who was worried.
The Hydra members within the organization were tense too. The old leader hadn't chosen a successor yet, and any accident now would be catastrophic.
Hawkeye's mission report had come in, and based on the analysis, the person who had disrupted Hydra's plans was Isaac Leclerc.
Even outside the ER, loyal SHIELD staff like Hill didn't forget to submit her report.
"Isaac… just who the hell are you?" Nick Fury asked aloud, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh.
Thankfully, he was bald — otherwise, he might have pulled his hair out from the stress.
"Have the analysis team keep tracking him. If he's moving, we'll find his location soon enough!" Fury ordered firmly.
"Understood, Director!" Hill responded, equally intrigued by the mysterious Isaac.
And finally, the day ended.
The Marvel Ranking List was about to be announced.