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In the reception room, Smith watched Phil Coulson walk in and immediately understood that S.H.I.E.L.D. was still keeping an eye on him—or more precisely, had locked onto him as a target.
He wasn't sure whether it was because of the battle with the High Table or because of the Dragon Balls. As for the wish made to the dragon on the high seas, the other side probably hadn't noticed it.
Coulson walked over and sat down in front of Smith Doyle, then said:
"Hello, Mr. Smith Doyle. I'm Agent Phil Coulson from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
Seeing Coulson introduce himself so directly, Smith joked:
"Isn't that the FBI?"
"It's a departmental transfer," Coulson replied.
He didn't mind Smith's tone at all and smiled as he continued:
"We don't have much public recognition, so sometimes we have to borrow the identities of other agencies."
Smith wasn't surprised by Coulson's explanation, but he still asked:
"Then may I ask what business Agent Coulson of Homeland Security has with me today?"
Coulson corrected him:
"It's the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
Smith Doyle immediately began to complain:
"Don't you think that name is way too long?"
Coulson smiled and nodded.
"I agree. I'll suggest to the Director that we shorten it next time."
"But before that, I need to introduce our department to you, Mr. Smith."
"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division is an organization under the World Security Council, mainly responsible for handling all kinds of… unusual events."
Smith remained silent, signaling for Coulson to continue.
Coulson smiled.
"Based on our observations, Mr. Smith Doyle's physical abilities have already exceeded the limits of an ordinary human."
"I'd like to know whether the Assassin Brotherhood has developed some kind of super-soldier serum."
When Coulson mentioned the super-soldier serum, Smith was momentarily startled. Then he realized that his previous performance really did resemble Captain America's serum—if not an enhanced version of it.
Smith Doyle shook his head and said regretfully:
"We don't research super-soldier serums."
Coulson stared closely at Smith's expression and felt that he wasn't lying. That realization made him feel a bit disappointed.
If the Assassin Brotherhood really had developed a side-effect-free super-soldier serum, it would be an enormous benefit to S.H.I.E.L.D. Whether they bought it, stole it, or seized the finished product, it would greatly enhance S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strength.
What a pity.
Coulson said:
"Since it's not a serum, then you're a special case. People like you are exactly what we're responsible for."
Smith Doyle raised an eyebrow.
"How so?"
"Are you planning to take me away for a biopsy?"
Hearing this, Coulson laughed.
"Mr. Smith, you make us sound like some evil organization out of a movie."
"Our purpose is to maintain world peace and deal with supernatural events. After all, most people in this world are just ordinary humans, right?"
Smith nodded in agreement.
Coulson continued:
"One of the reasons I came here today is to make friends with Mr. Smith Doyle."
"On the other hand, I also want to tell you that you're not the only special person in the world. There are many individuals with extraordinary abilities."
Smith was surprised.
Shouldn't S.H.I.E.L.D. have come with hostile intent, prepared for combat or even assassination? Was their goal really this simple?
"Just that?" Smith asked.
Coulson smiled again.
"Of course, it would be best if you didn't display your abilities in front of ordinary people, to avoid causing panic."
"As for the Assassin Brotherhood's activities, while they are illegal, they fall outside our department's jurisdiction."
"However, when dealing with extremely dangerous individuals, we may still need your help."
Seeing Coulson's goodwill, Smith had no reason to be angry, so he said:
"The Assassin Brotherhood has its own ways of dealing with certain villains."
"If even you can't handle an enemy, I doubt I'd be of much help."
Smith had no intention of becoming a free tool for S.H.I.E.L.D., nor of formally joining the Assassin Brotherhood.
Coulson didn't mind being turned down. Instead, he took out a business card and placed it on the table.
"The world isn't as simple as it seems. I believe we'll meet again someday."
After leaving the card behind, Coulson said goodbye and left.
Smith Doyle looked at the documents on the table and began to think about Coulson's true purpose.
As for Coulson's claim that Smith wasn't the only special individual, he understood that perfectly well. His understanding of this world was even deeper than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s.
After all, many people within S.H.I.E.L.D. maintained files on individuals with special abilities, and their attitude toward him was similar to how they treated the Human Torch—no, actually, much better than that.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had been monitoring that firefighter as well, ordering him not to publicly use his powers.
What Coulson had just said followed the same logic. He even wanted to use Smith's abilities for free.
Smith had no intention of overthinking S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plans. In the face of all these changes, he only needed to maintain the status quo.
He wasn't afraid of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current strength. The only uncertainty was whether the energy beams of the Tesseract-based weapons could penetrate his defenses.
There was one more thing—he still couldn't defeat Captain Marvel.
Other than that, he had nothing to worry about.
After putting the business card away, Smith Doyle headed to Training Ground No. 2.
He wanted to try flying.
Back then, Goku didn't originally have the ability to fly. He learned the technique after defeating Demon King Piccolo and training at Kami's Lookout—and that was before he obtained the Flying Nimbus.
However, Smith Doyle wasn't worried.
His current combat power far surpassed Videl's. Videl had learned how to use ki under Gohan's guidance, so mastering ki himself shouldn't be difficult.
After arriving at Training Ground No. 2, Smith Doyle controlled the energy within his body, recalling scenes from his past life where Gohan taught Videl how to fly.
He then extended his ki outward, enveloping his entire body.
After several failed attempts, he finally lifted off the ground.
As he grew more familiar with aerial control, he soon found himself freely flying around the airspace of Training Ground No. 2.
"Haha! Just as I expected—given my foundation, I learn fast."
Smith Doyle was exhilarated after successfully flying.
After all, who wouldn't long for the freedom of flight?
However, he couldn't fully unleash his abilities in the training facility. He wanted to test his speed at full power.
After some thought, he decided that the open sea would be a better place.
Without wasting any time, Smith Doyle called John Wick and asked him to take his yacht to an uninhabited area near the open ocean.