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John Wick first drove Smith Doyle to the beach, then took the yacht belonging to the Assassin Brotherhood and headed toward the open sea.
"Boss, there are no other vessels nearby, but we still need to go a bit farther before we reach international waters."
Smith Doyle gazed out at the ocean. There truly were no ships in sight. The sea was vast and boundless— even if there were any vessels, he would be able to spot them from a great distance. To avoid attracting attention, he spoke softly:
"Continue toward international waters."
John Wick was somewhat curious about why Smith Doyle had chosen to go out to sea alone. After all, the Dragon Balls had flown away that day and had not landed anywhere nearby. In the end, however, he didn't ask.
After sailing for some time, the yacht entered international waters. John Wick stopped the vessel and reported:
"Boss, we've reached international waters. There are no other ships around."
Smith Doyle nodded.
"Good. You did well."
Smith Doyle stepped onto the deck and then used his aerial movement technique to float upward.
Seeing this, the calm expression on John Wick's face was instantly replaced with shock. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.
Smith Doyle slowly rose into the air. Then the air around his body burst outward as he shot straight toward the sea. The violent gust of wind nearly knocked John Wick off his feet.
As Smith Doyle released more of his ki, his flying speed increased rapidly.
"Whoosh!"
Smith Doyle streaked across the surface of the ocean like a flying missile, sending massive waves rolling in his wake.
"What the—!"
Smith pushed his energy to its limits, becoming even faster, but he quickly realized that his internal energy was being consumed at an alarming rate.
After repeated trials, Smith Doyle finally found a balance point. At a certain cruising speed, his energy consumption did not affect his combat power. In emergencies, he could still explosively release energy to dramatically increase his speed.
After several more attempts, and nearly exhausting all of his strength, Smith Doyle finally returned to the yacht.
By this time, John Wick had regained his composure, but when he saw Smith Doyle fly back, he couldn't help asking:
"Boss… can I fly like you?"
Smith looked at John Wick and replied calmly:
"Not yet. You're not strong enough."
"Train properly first. Reach the limits of the human body."
John Wick froze for a moment, but soon realized that even if it wasn't possible now, it might be in the future. That meant flight was a learnable skill—not something innate like superpowers or genetic mutations.
The thought thrilled him.
Seeing the excitement flush John Wick's face red, Smith said:
"Let's head back."
······
A three-winged arc-shaped building.
Inside the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, Phil Coulson was once again reporting the latest developments to Nick Fury.
Nick Fury looked at Coulson and asked:
"Coulson, after meeting Smith Doyle this time, what's your assessment of him?"
After thinking for a moment, Coulson replied:
"Smith Doyle confirmed that the Assassin Brotherhood has not developed a super-soldier serum, which aligns with our recent analysis."
"However, according to our latest intelligence, the Assassin Brotherhood has been purchasing advanced research equipment and appears to be setting up a laboratory."
"My assessment is that they intend to study his own genetic mutation."
"However, we have yet to identify which scientist has joined the Assassin Brotherhood."
"Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that they're being scammed on the research front."
Nick Fury thought for a moment and then asked:
"Can we intervene?"
Coulson shook his head and continued:
"It's complicated. All we know is that they ordered a large amount of scientific equipment—beyond that, we know nothing."
"We don't know who the lead scientist is, nor who makes up the research team, which makes intervention difficult."
"Moreover, based on our understanding of the Assassin Brotherhood, their previous research capabilities were extremely limited—mostly focused on firearms and ammunition, at best that wax-bath process."
"This likely requires external recruitment. As long as we can find scientists willing to join us, there's still an opportunity."
"Additionally, Smith Doyle shows some resistance toward organizations like ours and has expressed concern about being studied."
"This was only an initial contact, but based on the Assassin Brotherhood's training and code, he's unlikely to develop anti-human tendencies."
Nick Fury thought for a moment, then said:
"That means there's no need for detention or containment."
"But allowing him complete freedom also carries risks."
"Coulson, do you think it's possible to invite him to become a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?"
Coulson's eyes lit up. Somewhat uncertain, he asked:
"Director… is that the plan?"
Nick Fury remained silent.
After a moment of thought, Coulson continued:
"I previously attempted to enlist Smith Doyle's help, but he refused."
"However, given the Assassin Brotherhood's philosophy and operating style, we still have a chance to win their support—though it will take time and preparation."
"Oh, and the Director also said our name is a bit too long and suggested shortening it."
Nick Fury smiled faintly.
"I understand. You should continue to make contact with them, observe their actions, and try to gain their support through appropriate means."
"In terms of physical ability alone, he's certainly stronger than Captain America."
Coulson nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Elsewhere.
Inside Stark Industries Tower, Pepper Potts looked extremely anxious.
Tony Stark had been missing for a long time, and there was still no news. He was neither confirmed alive nor dead.
Tony's friend Rhodey had told her that bodies of others were found at the attack site, but Tony's body was not among them. That meant Tony might still be alive. The military was also conducting search-and-rescue operations, so there was still a sliver of hope.
At that moment, Tony's bodyguard Happy walked in.
Pepper Potts asked immediately:
"Any news?"
Happy shook his head helplessly.
"Not yet."
Pepper stamped her foot anxiously and said:
"We can't just keep waiting like this. Happy, do you have any reliable channels that could help us find him?"
Seeing her grief-stricken and anxious expression, Happy thought for a moment and said:
"Actually, there used to be an extremely powerful organization—the Continental Hotel."
"In the criminal underworld, its intelligence network spanned the globe, and its influence was immense. But I heard it was shut down not long ago."
"This organization seemed to be called the Assassin Brotherhood. They should have taken over its intelligence system."
"If there's still any effective information channel left, this might be the only one."
Pepper Potts thought for a moment and asked:
"How strong were they, really?"
Happy recalled what he had heard and answered:
"They were supposedly the strongest in the world, controlling about eight percent of the entire underground power structure."