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After skipping the important parts, Raymond explained his current situation to Roland.
The original owner of the body had mentioned something about S.H.I.E.L.D. to the couple before, but he didn't give any details, just called it a special department.
Since Fang-Mo and Roland were both officials, they understood that such special departments had confidentiality agreements, so they didn't ask too much so as not to cause trouble for their son.
Later, when the original body owner fell ill and was secretly sent to New York for treatment, Director Fury himself visited and told the couple that their son had been injured during a mission. For security reasons, he was being treated in a secret place and might not come back for a long time.
At first, they didn't believe him and thought Fury was an impostor, but with the resources Fury could use, it was easy for him to prove he wasn't lying.
In the end, the couple had no choice but to accept the truth.
Roland, who was always strong at work, secretly cried many times over this. Even Fang Mo often stood alone in the courtyard, smoking in silence.
Even Clarice, who was kept in the dark at first, slowly realized that something was wrong. After much begging and nagging, she finally found out the truth from them.
Although Raymond and Clarice were not real siblings, the original Raymond treated Clarice better than many real brothers would treat their sisters.
So after finding out the truth, Clarice stayed upset for a long time.
Eventually, the three of them made an unspoken agreement not to bring up the subject so as not to hurt each other.
So when Clarice saw Raymond and said, "Brother's back," Roland didn't immediately understand what she meant.
"It's good you're back, it's good you're back…" Seeing her son standing in front of her again, Roland, the strong woman who ruled the courtroom, couldn't hold back her tears.
Clarice was crying too, which made Raymond feel really uncomfortable. All he could do was hand them tissues and clumsily try to comfort them.
He honestly had no experience with this kind of situation in his past life…
Maybe seeing Raymond's awkwardness, Roland quickly pulled herself together so her son wouldn't feel embarrassed, but she still asked worriedly, "What kind of department do you work for that a psychology expert like you would have mental problems?"
"Mom, you said before you weren't going to ask about that," Raymond said with a bitter smile.
"I didn't ask before because I didn't want to pressure you. But after something so serious, you still want to hide it from us?" Roland said firmly this time and refused to back down.
"Alright, alright, I'll explain it when Dad gets home," Raymond said, spreading his hands.
He could tell that his stubborn mother wouldn't let it go, and his stubborn father would probably be even tougher.
If he tried to hide it now, it would only make things worse. Besides, he wasn't the original Raymond, and he didn't really feel that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets were something worth hiding.
It's not a big deal. Even if he told them, what's the worst that could happen?
Anyway, this world was going to get crazier in the coming years, and superpowers were going to slowly become public knowledge. There was nothing worth hiding.
After hearing Raymond's answer, Roland finally looked satisfied. She had already called Fang Mo and asked him to come home as soon as possible, so he should already be on his way.
At S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, in the Director's office.
"Come, come, Fury, let me introduce you..." Former Director Pierce, who now served as a bridge between the Council and S.H.I.E.L.D., entered the office with a slightly chubby middle-aged man.
"No need for introductions, we've met twice. Colonel Stryker, right?" Director Fury got up from behind his desk and shook the man's hand.
It was obvious that he already knew him.
Earlier, when Fury had discussed the attitudes of various governments toward mutants with Hill, he had mentioned that many radical groups had never stopped hunting mutants and were still operating in secret.
Colonel Stryker, who stood before him, was a perfect example of these radicals in the North American military.
He was in charge of "Sentinel Services," a secret division quietly approved by a few hawkish generals.
Although there was no official record of this group in the military, and they would never admit it existed, Stryker was still an active colonel. Anyone smart enough could see what was going on.
For Director Fury, who had access to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence network, this was no secret.
"Our last meeting was two years ago, right?" asked Stryker with a smile.
"Maybe, I don't really remember," Fury replied casually, then quickly changed the subject, "You're a busy man, Colonel. What brings you here?"
Stryker didn't answer right away and looked at Pierce.
Pierce took the hint and said, "You two talk. I've got things to do," and walked away.
Fury didn't stop him and just nodded as Pierce walked out.
Once Pierce was gone, Fury said, "You can speak freely now."
"'Clockworks Mental Hospital, you're familiar with the name, right, Director Fury?" Stryker said, staring straight into Fury's eyes as if trying to read his expression.
But Fury wasn't someone who would let his feelings show so easily.
Since Stryker had come straight to S.H.I.E.L.D. and mentioned that name, Fury knew it wasn't a coincidence.
Connecting the dots, Fury already had a good idea why Stryker was here.
"If you have any questions, just ask. No need to beat around the bush," Fury said calmly.
"Alright, I'll get to the point," Stryker said seriously. "My intel found that a mutant appeared at that hospital and killed a lot of people. But when my people went to investigate, the bodies had already been cleaned up."
"After a deeper investigation, they found that those who cleaned up the bodies were probably S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. So I came to ask you, Director Fury, if you could share any leads with us."
Stryker smiled and added, "Of course, I won't let you help me for nothing. If you ever need the Special Services' help, I'll do my best to assist you too."