Charlotte Agency.

At this moment, Charlotte Doyle was giving some instructions to Iruka Umino and was preparing to leave.

The bell on the door rang, and a middle-aged man in a suit, with a faint smile on his face, pushed the door open and entered the Charlotte Agency.

Seeing someone enter, both Charlotte and Iruka turned their gazes toward him.

Recognizing the man's face, Charlotte's pupils constricted slightly. He thought to himself, 'Why has an Agent from the S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) come looking for me?'

He remembered that Winston had locked down the scene of the slaughter outside the Continental Hotel and had even cut the nearby surveillance feeds that same afternoon.

Moreover, based on the strength he had shown, it shouldn't have been enough for them to send someone to his door, especially not Phil Coulson, who was known as a nice guy.

Coulson walked all the way to the agency's front desk, glanced at Charlotte and then at Iruka, before stopping in front of Charlotte Doyle and speaking slowly, "Mr. Charlotte Doyle, there are some matters I need to discuss with you."

"I am FBI Agent Phil Coulson. This is my identification."

As he spoke, Coulson pulled out an FBI badge and showed it to Charlotte.

Looking at the FBI badge, Charlotte felt speechless. Every department seemed to use the FBI as a cover for their identity.

Charlotte kept his expression normal and said calmly, "Agent, I'm not sure what business you have with me?"

Coulson looked around the lobby and smiled. "Mr. Charlotte, it wouldn't be appropriate to talk here, would it?"

Charlotte shrugged, indicating he had no objection, and then said, "We have a meeting room. Let's talk there."

"Iruka, bring me a glass of Black Jack." He then turned to Coulson and asked, "Agent, what would you like?"

"A cup of coffee, thank you."

After Coulson followed Charlotte into the meeting room and sat down, Iruka quickly brought the drinks. He thoughtfully closed the door as he left.

Charlotte took a sip of the whiskey in his glass and looked at Coulson. "Go ahead and say what you have to say. Ordinarily, a department like yours wouldn't be dealing with me."

Coulson stirred his coffee with a small spoon and said slowly, "Mr. Charlotte, there's a child here named Rock Lee. May I see him?"

Hearing Coulson mention the name Rock Lee, Charlotte knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't here for him, but for Little Lee.

He just didn't know what reason had caused Little Lee to attract S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention.

Charlotte looked at the other man and spoke slowly, "Coulson, Rock Lee is just a child. I wonder what matter could bring the FBI to my door?"

"I am Rock Lee's guardian. You can talk to me. I believe federal law does not allow for questioning a child without their guardian present."

Hearing Charlotte reference federal law, Coulson knew the man before him wasn't just a simple, brutish killer.

"Charlotte, I shouldn't need to spell out your identity or your background."

"There were issues with Rock Lee's identity when it was filed. Given your circumstances, you shouldn't be his guardian."

"Rock Lee is still a child. He shouldn't be involved in that kind of life. What he needs is a peaceful, healthy living environment."

Listening to Coulson's words, Charlotte didn't answer immediately. Instead, he picked up the Black Jack from the table, took another gentle sip, and just stared at him.

Seeing that Charlotte remained silent, Coulson continued, "Mr. Charlotte, we looked into your life before coming here. You were also adopted back then, which led you down your current path."

"If—and I mean if—you hadn't met that couple back then, your life wouldn't be like this now."

"Now, Rock Lee is exactly like you were back then. I hope you can hand him over to us, to the government, to give him a healthy and happy environment to grow up in."

Hearing Coulson's words, Charlotte chuckled inwardly. These S.H.I.E.L.D. guys had certainly investigated him thoroughly, even finding information about his adoption. They actually wanted to appeal to his empathy to let Rock Lee go with them.

Charlotte looked at Coulson, his expression turning solemn. "Why have you targeted Rock Lee?"

"The FBI isn't usually responsible for children's affairs, is it?"

"What do you want with Rock Lee? To train him as an Agent? An operative? Or something like you?"

Seeing Charlotte's rapid-fire questions, Coulson picked up his coffee and took a sip, then said slowly, "Charlotte, we are simply informing you and discussing this with you now."

"But you must understand, if the FBI wishes, your status as a guardian can be revoked at any time. That includes this agency and even yourself—we have the authority and the ability to shut down this agency and detain you."

"However, the fact that we can sit here and communicate shows that I've come with good intentions. So, Charlotte Doyle, can you let me see this child named Rock Lee now?"

Although Coulson was a nice guy, it depended on who he was dealing with. For a killer like Charlotte, not arresting him immediately was already a sign of his good temper.

Hearing Coulson's words, Charlotte couldn't help but mock him inwardly. S.H.I.E.L.D. was still as troublesome as ever.

Charlotte's expression changed. He slammed the table and said angrily, "Coulson, are you threatening me?"

"Threatening a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen? Believe it or not, based on what you just said, I could find a lawyer and sue you."

The smile on Coulson's face vanished. He gave Charlotte a deep look and said slowly, "Charlotte Doyle, you should know that I'm not joking!"

Looking at the man before him, Charlotte's face remained angry. "So what if you see him?"

"Rock Lee isn't going to leave with you."

Coulson tapped his coffee cup lightly with his spoon and said slowly, "Charlotte, that's a separate matter. Right now, I want to meet this child named Rock Lee. Is there a problem?"

"Do I need to produce a summons and a search warrant?"

Looking at the Coulson in front of him, Charlotte couldn't reconcile this image with the nice guy from the movies. As expected, movies were movies, and reality was reality.

Speaking of taking Rock Lee away, do you guys really have the ability to do that?

As long as he wanted, he could recall Rock Lee to the System Space from anywhere, simply by removing Rock Lee's character card from the Deployment Slot.

He wanted to see what this veteran Agent, Coulson, would say when he met Rock Lee.

After all, the initiative had always been in his hands.

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