At sunset, the coastline of New York was bathed in a splendid glow, as if a snowstorm of gold foil had descended the night before. Not far from the shore, a cruise liner was steadily setting sail.
From its exterior alone, this was evidently a luxury cruise. As the sky gradually darkened, a bright glow emerged from within the ship's cabin. The people on board took in the approaching twilight in quiet admiration.
On the balcony of a prime restaurant on the second deck, two figures in suits sat next to the railing. Grant was idly playing with the food on his plate, while Shiller, having finished his meal, leaned back in his chair to watch the sunset and enjoy the sea breeze.
After a while, he stood up. Grant, without uttering a word, followed him. Shiller strode briskly through the restaurant and the bustling dance floor, weaving through the swirling attire of dapper gentlemen and graceful ladies, and the dim light reflected from their exquisite glassware.
He made his way to the corridor of the cruise liner's cabins, where he stopped in front of a door, knocked, and spoke as the door was being opened. "I know that the moment you see me, you'll think you've been discovered by S.H.I.E.L.D. But quite the contrary. Nick is on to you, but I hid the truth for you, Alexander Pierce."
An elderly man with partially grey hair appeared on the other side of the door. He was taken aback by Shiller's words but seeing Grant Ward standing outside with a gun in his hand, he knew he had no choice but to comply.
For a moment, Pierce seemed to age by a few years. He no longer bore the confident demeanor he exhibited on his United Nations Security Council seat. He slowly retreated and allowed Shiller to enter.
Shiller looked around the room and said, "I know you're going to say something like 'the most dangerous place is the safest place'. But in reality, you're just unwilling to suffer in those dark and damp underground bunkers and portray your risky hideout on this cruise as evidence of your foresight and omniscience."
"You and I both know well why you're still alive today, despite your habit of taking chances and resolving to change your ways every time you manage to survive yet never actually doing it, Pierce."
Pierce's face twisted in discomfort. Never before in his life had he heard such piercing words that targeted his innermost thoughts. Agents tend to be straightforward and dislike wasting time, but they are even more reluctant to probe into people's hearts and seldom bring up the subject in conversation.
But this psychologist in front of him clearly didn't hold back, indicating his ill intentions.
Pierce quickly composed himself, knowing that a fierce battle awaited him. The fact that Shiller didn't simply gun him down at the door indicated that they had matters to discuss.
In the same evening, Stark took off his mecha suit and was at his lab desk reading a book. He rubbed his philtrum, shook his head, and said, "If I hadn't committed all sorts of chaotic game theories to memory overnight, I might not have the patience to sit here and read these books about mental illness and psychology."
"Sir, I suggest not investing too much of yourself into these readings. People often project themselves onto the cases in psychology and psychiatry literature, which could potentially affect your mood."
"You seem to be far more advanced than me at the moment, but I should catch up with you soon, Jarvis," Stark dismissed casually.
"Originally, I had no interest in such matters. But Shiller's performance today has raised my suspicions. Like your findings, his recent changes are as if he became an entirely new person. This doesn't seem like it can be explained by multiple personalities, and you also didn't notice any physical abnormalities during the body scan; everything about his veins and neural structures were perfectly normal."
"If he really is ill, then I will find a way to cure his disease. If Hydra has replaced him, I will expose this conspiracy and rescue him. Imagine the look on his face. Haha!"
Stark chuckled and continued to read, but his facial expression soon turned serious. He turned the book's pages between his fingers and hesitated before asking, "Jarvis, did you cover the part about anxiety disorders?"
"Yes, I have more detailed information here. Would you like to hear it?"
"No, that's not necessary," Stark immediately replied. He bit the inside of his lower lip, jolted his neck lightly, arched his spine backwards, and quickly said, "I'm fine now. If you'd learned all of this sooner, maybe I wouldn't have been exploited by that Vampire Doctor."
Jarvis didn't respond. Stark made a concerted effort to focus back on his book. But later, he muttered, "What's this disorder here? Narcissistic personality disorder? Is narcissism a disease?"
"Malignant narcissism can lead to harmful behavior, referring to a severe level of self-centeredness that results in harm to others..."
Stark went quiet for a moment before asking, "Do you think I'm narcissistic?"
"I am unable to answer this question."