"So you didn't find the demon and you broke your dad's demon tracker, is that right?!"
As Chen Long had expected, his dad was furious after hearing his explanation.
"Do you know how long it takes your dad to repair a demon tracker?"
Knowing he had messed up, Chen Long dared not retort, lowering his head and repeatedly apologizing.
At this point, nothing he said would help. His dad's words were merely a way to vent his recent accumulated emotions. Now that the outburst was over, it was time to get down to business.
His dad took the demon tracker, snapped in two in Chen Long's hand, and began to inspect it.
After a thorough examination, he sighed helplessly and said, "The core has been damaged. We need to fabricate a new magic core."
Chen Long, who knew nothing about magic, eagerly volunteered, "Dad, let's make the magic core quickly. I'll help you."
This earned him another merciless flick on the forehead from his dad.
"Do you think a magic core is easy to make? To fabricate one, you need the shed skin of an adult lizard, the fifth tooth from the left of a crocodile, the third whisker of a black cat, owl feathers... and most importantly, the droppings of a toucan."
His dad rattled off a long list.
Just hearing the names of these animals made Chen Long's head spin, let alone needing specific items from them.
The preceding items were manageable, as Chen Long at least knew of them. But the toucan was an animal he had never even heard of, let alone needing its droppings.
"I think I can help you."
Following the sound, they saw Natasha, who had spoken.
"Why are you still here? I told you, I won't join S.H.I.E.L.D."
Since the bomber who caused the explosion had been utterly annihilated, Natasha was naturally the outlet for Chen Long's dissatisfaction.
He didn't give Natasha a warm welcome when she approached him.
But in the next moment, he was lectured by his dad again.
"You child, have you forgotten how your dad taught you? Be kind to people."
This statement from his dad completely stumped Chen Long. Be kind? How could he possibly say that?
Ignoring Chen Long's bewildered gaze, his dad walked slowly to Natasha and asked, "You said you could help me?"
Natasha nodded and replied, "Yes, sir."
Natasha was, after all, an undercover agent sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. to infiltrate Stark Industries. Her role was to assess whether Tony Stark, who had developed the Iron Man suit, was qualified to join the Avengers Initiative.
Earlier that afternoon, Natasha had planned to find an opportunity to submit her reports while Stark was away. However, she hadn't anticipated encountering the bomber and the hostage situation, which delayed her plans.
Unexpectedly, her accidental detour led her to Chen Long's family. She happened to overhear the conversation between his dad and Chen Long, which prompted her to speak.
But as soon as Natasha finished speaking, she felt a sharp pain on her forehead. By the time she reacted, her forehead was already red. Looking down, she saw her dad slowly retracting his hand.
Although the flick didn't cause Natasha any significant injury, only a sting, it was still a considerable shock to her as a top agent.
She was a highly trained ace agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the other party was an seemingly ordinary old man. His hand speed was so fast that she couldn't even react.
Then she looked at Chen Long.
Indeed, neither the father nor the son were simple. They possessed mysterious Chinese martial arts.
Regarding his hand speed, his dad casually said, "First of all, I appreciate that you said S.H.I.E.L.D. can help us, but I am not old at all."
Natasha was not foolish; she knew she had just stepped on a minefield.
Many elderly people dislike being reminded of their age, especially being called old, as it implies they are no longer capable or useful.
Therefore, the word "old" and anything related to it are taboo for many elderly individuals, let alone for a proud man like his dad.
Just as Natasha was about to apologize, his dad stopped her.
"Don't bother with pleasantries. Get straight to the point, how can S.H.I.E.L.D. help me?"
Seeing this, Natasha quickly said, "Sir, although you are a great sorcerer, you are only one person. It will surely not be easy to find all the materials to create the magic core in a short period. Furthermore, to my knowledge, toucans are rare species found in southern China, Southeast Asia, and other regions. They are not found in America."
"That's right," his dad nodded in agreement. "Many materials are available in my antique shop, but I am missing the droppings of the toucan."
Natasha continued, "Rest assured, sir. S.H.I.E.L.D. has abundant financial and personnel support. Our agents are distributed all over the world. If needed, we can quickly find all the materials you require."
His dad nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble S.H.I.E.L.D. This is the list of materials needed to fabricate the magic core."
Saying this, he handed a pre-written list to Natasha.
The swift and decisive agreement caught Natasha somewhat off guard. Looking at the long list of materials in her hand, her mouth twitched unnaturally.
Didn't he say most of the materials were in his antique shop? Then what was this list? Did he think S.H.I.E.L.D. was his personal resource?
However, it was too late to back out now. His dad gave Natasha no chance to speak, simply saying that the materials should be delivered to the antique shop as soon as they were gathered, before turning to leave with Chen Long, leaving Natasha in a state of bewildered silence.
Despite her exasperation, the task still needed to be done.
Natasha was aware of his dad's capabilities, and she also understood the importance of an instrument that could track demons.
On their way back, Chen Long asked, "Dad, is this the right thing to do?"
His dad didn't reply. Instead, he handed Chen Long a promotional poster for him to see.
The poster displayed information about the Stark Enterprises exhibition the next evening.
"The demon's aura appearing in such a place at this time suggests its target is likely related to this event. Therefore, we don't have much time left."
His dad knew very well that although S.H.I.E.L.D. could deliver the necessary materials quickly, the favor would eventually need to be repaid. If he had more time, his dad would not have done this, but time was now his most pressing concern. In his predicament, his dad could only delegate the task of collecting materials to S.H.I.E.L.D. while he hurried back to create the new magic core to repair the demon tracker.
As for Chen Long's offer to help, it was just for show.
What could a mere mortal who knew nothing about magic do to help? It would be a miracle if he didn't cause more trouble.