Late Night, New York.
Manhattan, Midtown Park Avenue, Hilton Hotel.
Raina had just finished showering and was about to start a movie when her phone suddenly rang.
The caller ID showed an unknown number, but she didn't need to guess—it had to be Addison.
After all, he was the only one who knew this temporary number.
"You'd better take a trip and leave North America for a while," Addison's slightly grim voice came through as soon as she answered.
"What happened?" Raina sensed something was wrong.
"The team I sent to Clockwork Asylum might have walked into an ambush—none of them came back. Damn it!" Addison's tone was on the verge of exploding with rage.
"How could this happen…" Raina was shocked.
She knew how powerful Addison was. The people he sent on missions were top-tier professional soldiers. Who could have taken them all down?
"I wish I knew! Shit!" Addison gritted his teeth.
The team he had sent was almost a third of the forces he could currently mobilize. If they were truly wiped out, it would completely disrupt many of his plans.
That was the last thing he wanted to happen.
"Could it be S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Raina asked cautiously.
"I'm not sure what happened yet, which is why I want you to keep a low profile for now. If it really was S.H.I.E.L.D., they'll probably find out about you from Dr. Raymond. That means you could be their next target."
"I understand."
"Stay in touch regularly. Don't come back until I say it's safe."
"Got it."
Beep, beep, beep…
Listening to the busy tone, Raina forgot to hang up for a moment.
It took her about thirty seconds before she snapped out of it.
"Was it him?"
A face appeared in her mind—the man who had humiliated her the first time they met.
For some reason, she felt he was involved in this.
Logically speaking, a psychology expert with no combat skills couldn't possibly defeat a squad of fully armed soldiers. Still, she had a strong feeling that he was involved.
She had no proof—just a woman's intuition.
Since she had no proof, she didn't mention it to Addison. He'd probably think she'd lost her mind.
"The Clairvoyant has been going up against S.H.I.E.L.D. for so long, always staying ahead… so why did things go wrong this time?" Raina was filled with doubt.
For the first time, she questioned the Clairvoyant's power.
She had always believed the Clairvoyant was a major figure in the supernatural world, with influence everywhere—even within S.H.I.E.L.D.
But this time, it seemed like the Clairvoyant had made a mistake.
"Maybe I'm overthinking it…" After struggling to piece things together and failing, she decided to stop worrying and focus on getting away first.
__
The small combat aircraft carrying Raymond and the others didn't head straight for S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Instead, it flew toward the area where the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy was located, not far from the Triskelion building.
Inside a mansion west of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy...
Director Fury was already waiting.
As Raymond followed Hill and the others off the aircraft, the one-eyed, pirate-like director immediately stepped forward with a warm hug.
"Welcome back, Dr. Raymond!"
"Long time no see, Director."
Raymond smiled slightly.
From the original memories of this body, he knew that their relationship was quite good.
It was Fury who had personally invited the original Raymond to secretly join Project TAHITI and take a position as a guest professor at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.
Since then, they had maintained a strong personal connection.
"I apologize for not visiting you sooner. I hope you understand… My position is sensitive. If I had reached out, it might've caused you unnecessary trouble," Fury said sincerely.
"No need to explain, we're on the same side," Raymond waved it off with a smile.
Hill interrupted, "Gentlemen, shouldn't we continue this conversation inside?"
"You're right, Hill. That was careless of me." Fury chuckled and touched his forehead.
With that, they entered the mansion.
As soon as they stepped inside, May took the initiative to prepare coffee, while Raymond and the others settled on the living room couch to chat.
It was worth noting that Hill had already briefed Fury via secure communication about the Clockwork Asylum incident while they were still on the plane.
So Fury was already aware of the situation and didn't need a detailed recap.
As soon as they sat down, Fury asked with concern, "Hill told me your health has improved a lot?"
Raymond nodded. "Yeah, I'm recovering well. Under normal circumstances, I shouldn't have any more relapses."
"That's good to hear. I was just telling Hill earlier—if you weren't doing better, I was planning to bring in a doctor just for you."
Raymond laughed. "No need. You forget—I'm the best doctor for myself."
"Of course I believe that. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to recruit you back then," Fury admitted.
Raymond waved him off. "All right, enough with the flattery. Let's get down to business. What do you think about all this? Hill already shared your previous theories with me—any new developments?"
Fury sighed and shook his head. "Easier said than done. S.H.I.E.L.D. is too big, and even if I have my suspicions, I can't just start an internal investigation without causing panic."
"If it comes to that, the Council will definitely find an excuse to replace me. You know how much they want me gone."
"Getting to the bottom of this? Difficult. Very difficult. Extremely difficult."
Fury emphasized "difficult" three times, showing just how tricky the situation was.
Raymond pondered for a moment. "I don't see it that way."
Fury raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What do you mean?"
"The problem is simple. You lack solid evidence to narrow down your suspects, and you can't investigate everyone one by one."
"So why not change your approach? If you can't conduct an investigation, don't. Instead, why not throw out some bait… and let the fish come to you?"
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