Raymond had no idea that Fury had already sent Deputy Director Hill to personally escort him back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Had he known, he probably wouldn't have bothered to deliberately provoke Raina.
Still, his actions didn't put him in any real danger.
Meanwhile, after leaving Clockwork Psychiatric Hospital, Raina immediately contacted her superior—Addison, one of Hydra's many agents.
Raina wasn't yet qualified to communicate with the Clairvoyant directly. All orders were relayed to her through Addison, and any updates she had to report went through him as well.
Although Addison was currently in prison, he could communicate with the outside world freely—at any time, without restrictions.
This was one of the reasons Raina was convinced that the Clairvoyant had deep and powerful connections.
After all, very few people in North America could treat a prison like their personal backyard.
After Raina had briefly explained the situation, Addison's dissatisfied voice came through the phone.
"Yes, and it seems that he doesn't take my threats seriously," Raina added in a low voice.
"Is he actually insane? I've heard that spending too much time in a psychiatric hospital can make even normal people lose their minds, let alone someone who was already sick to begin with."
"I can't say for sure… But from our conversation, I believe he's mostly sane."
"Then why isn't he afraid of dying? That doesn't make sense. Could someone be secretly protecting him?" Addison paused for a moment before continuing, "Hold on, I'll consult the Clairvoyant."
"Understood," Raina replied.
A few minutes later, the phone rang again.
"The Clairvoyant says there's no sign of S.H.I.E.L.D. protecting him. He's probably just bluffing—or maybe he really is crazy."
"What's the next step?"
"For now, just wait. I'll send a team to extract him from the hospital. Once we have him, you'll interrogate him personally. Let's see if he can keep his mouth shut then!"
After hanging up, Raina couldn't shake off a faint feeling of unease.
Even though the mysterious Clairvoyant himself had assured her that everything was under control—that Raymond was either bluffing or mentally unstable—she couldn't forget the way he had smirked at her in the hospital.
His expression had been completely dismissive, and his vague but pointed remarks lingered in her mind.
Something about it didn't feel right.
"I hope I'm just overthinking it..."
After dinner, as night deepened, the patients at Clockwork Psychiatric Hospital gradually returned to their rooms. The sky darkened quickly, and soon, night had fully settled in.
On the hospital's southeast side, a squad of heavily armed operatives—about 20 to 30 men—were silently infiltrating the facility.
As they moved, they expertly disabled the hospital's surveillance systems one by one.
If someone were watching the security monitors, everything would appear normal.
From their precise movements and advanced equipment, it was clear that these were experienced special forces.
With a team , infiltrating a mere psychiatric hospital was a trivial task. Even breaking into a maximum-security prison wouldn't be much of a challenge for them.
Once they successfully entered the hospital, the team leader immediately began to issue commands through his earpiece.
"Team A, secure the surveillance room and take control of the situation."
"Team B, circle around from the back and make sure no one comes from that direction."
"Team C, come with me from the front. We must capture the target within three minutes."
"Team D, stand by outside and be ready for any unexpected situations."
"Remember, avoid killing if possible. The less noise, the better. Understood?"
With a wave of his hand, the leader signaled for the operation to begin.
The squad swiftly split into four groups, each following their assigned orders.
Team C, the largest group, had eight members. Their numbers showed just how much preparation had gone into capturing Raymond.
Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. had agents secretly protecting him, they were confident they could get him first.
Meanwhile, on the hospital's northwest side, Maria Hill and another female agent in a field operations uniform quietly infiltrated the building.
The second agent, a Chinese-American woman, was no ordinary operative. Like the infamous ex-KGB spy "Black Widow," she was a legend in her own right.
Her full name was Melinda May, codename "Cavalry," an experienced Level 7 agent.
Fury hadn't set a strict limit on how many people Hill could bring to the rescue. However, given the sensitivity of "Project TAHITI," she couldn't afford to bring a large team.
After careful consideration, she chose just one partner—Agent May.
May, like Coulson, was one of Fury's most trusted operatives.
In fact, in terms of pure trust, Fury may have relied on May more than Coulson. She was a straightforward agent with little political ambition—an asset as a fighter but not a leader.
That was why Fury had groomed Coulson as a potential successor, not her.
Hill's decision to bring May wasn't just because she was familiar with Project TAHITI. There was another, more important reason—May's combat skills were simply outstanding.
In S.H.I.E.L.D., higher-level agents typically had more experience and stronger combat abilities.
But that wasn't always the case.
May was a prime example.
Her combat prowess far exceeded that of most Level 7 agents, placing her among S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top fighters.
Then there was Black Widow—also a Level 7 agent, yet her combat abilities were even greater than May's.
Hill, despite being a Level 9 agent, had higher clearance but wasn't necessarily superior to May in terms of combat skills.
Bringing May was simply a precaution.
"Something is wrong. It looks like another group is infiltrating the hospital as well..." May said seriously after scanning the area with her infrared binoculars.
Hill froze for a moment, then her expression darkened. "Damn it, they're faster than I expected!"
"What now?" May asked, waiting for orders.
"We have no choice—we're going in. We can't let them take Dr. Raymond!" Hill said firmly.
Without hesitation, she took the lead and rushed toward the hospital's residential area.
May, without a second thought, followed right behind her.
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