In the blink of an eye, Raymond had already been at home for over two weeks.
During this time, Director Fury had called him a few times, asking if he needed someone to secretly protect him, but Raymond politely refused every time. Fury didn't insist.
Because he knew Raymond was no longer the same person he used to be.
It was clear that Director Fury had probably already learned from Hill that Raymond might be a mutant. Plus, the news about Raymond's bet with Combat Division Director Leonid had already spread. As the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury couldn't have missed that information.
Raymond had completely defeated Leonid, a veteran field agent, in a full-combat evaluation. There was really no need for anyone to protect him now.
Raymond, who had planned to stay home for a full month, decided to return to Washington D.C. a little earlier.
The two women in his family, one older and one younger, strongly disagreed with him leaving so soon. But he promised he would come back every week, so they finally let him go.
After returning to D.C. alone from Richmond, Raymond didn't go back to the academy right away. Instead, he went to the apartment the body's original owner had in the city.
He had to admit, the former owner of the body had good taste. The apartment's location and design were both exactly what Raymond liked.
That's why, after thinking it over, Raymond decided to sell it!
Vincent, the director of the Communications Division, had come over at Raymond's request and now looked at him in disbelief. "Didn't you just say this place was a smart choice? Why do you suddenly want to sell it?"
"There's no conflict there," Raymond replied without looking up.
He was busy packing up the valuable things that belonged to him, planning to take them all at once.
"Come on, man. Be serious. Why are you really selling it?" Vincent asked with a frown.
Raymond stopped what he was doing, turned around, and said, "Alright, alright. Since you're so curious, I'll tell you the truth... I'm planning to open a detective agency. I'm a little short on money right now, so I thought I might as well sell the apartment."
"A detective agency? You're quitting the academy?" Vincent looked confused.
Raymond had just taken on the challenge against Leonid to join the Combat Division and won overwhelmingly—why change direction so soon?
"I checked with Agent Leonid. The academy only has three combat classes a week. I've got plenty of free time, so I figured I might as well take on a side job," Raymond said with a grin.
"Well, that's fair, but will S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Combat Division even agree to this?"
"I already told Director Fury. He's fine with it. As for the academy—don't forget my bet with Agent Leonid," Raymond reminded him.
Then Vincent remembered—Leonid, thinking he couldn't possibly lose, had made a big promise. If Raymond won, he'd give him full support from then on.
While teachers at the academy usually didn't work other jobs, many visiting professors did.
Raymond used to be one of them.
Still, no official faculty had ever taken on outside work before.
But if S.H.I.E.L.D. agreed and no one at the academy objected, it could work. Vincent, as the head of the Communications Division, could see that much.
So he didn't doubt Raymond's plan to work part-time would go through.
Vincent shook his head with a helpless smile and asked, "What kind of spell did you put on Director Fury? Why do I feel like he says yes to everything you ask?"
"Come on, man," Raymond glanced at him. "You're the Director of Communications. I don't believe for a second that someone in your position didn't find out where I went before."
Hearing that, Vincent looked a bit embarrassed.
Because he had, in fact, secretly used his own channels to look into Raymond's whereabouts. His intentions were good, but it wasn't exactly something he could openly admit.
When he saw Raymond at the control tower back then, he pretended, just like the other three division heads, that he didn't know anything.
Now Raymond had called him out on it directly.
"I was just worried about you, in case something happened," Vincent said awkwardly with a smile.
"I know. That's why I asked you to help in the first place," Raymond waved it off. "There are some things I can't talk about, and you know how the rules are. It wouldn't be good for you if I said too much…"
"Understood," Vincent nodded.
"All I can tell you is that Director Fury might feel a bit guilty about the whole thing, so now, as long as my requests aren't too much, he usually agrees to them," Raymond said thoughtfully.
"Got it… Let's stop there," Vincent raised a hand as if to pause the conversation.
With his years of experience handling intel—and combined with what he already knew—he could more or less guess the situation from what Raymond had said.
Besides, he was a seasoned S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He knew better than to be too curious about some things.
If Director Fury had personally ordered Raymond's activities kept secret, it meant it wasn't a small matter. Vincent didn't want to get involved, so he quickly changed the topic:
"But still, if you're short on money to start your agency, you could always get a loan. With your status, I don't think any bank would turn you down."
"No need," Raymond shook his head. "Once it's up and running, I'll either live near the academy or directly at the agency. I won't have time to come back here…"
He was very familiar with how detective agencies work.
In his past life, he usually just lived at the office—it saved time and effort. Now with the academy added into the mix, he didn't want to keep running between multiple places.
If he kept this apartment too, it would be three places to manage, and he didn't have the time for that.
Raymond had asked Vincent for help with this mostly because, in terms of connections, few people in S.H.I.E.L.D. were better than Vincent, the Director of Communications.
Vincent didn't let him down. After hearing Raymond's plan, he agreed right away and smiled mysteriously:
"For stuff , you came to the right person. I'll introduce you to someone who can take care of everything for you."
"Just one person?" Raymond looked surprised.
This wasn't just about selling the apartment. He also needed a new office space and a business license, among other things.
If it weren't for all the hassle, he could've just contacted a real estate agent himself.
But Vincent's solution was to introduce a single person.
Vincent nodded. "I'll set up a meeting for you. Just talk to him—you'll understand. In the future, whenever you hit a small problem , you can just go to him."
"Thanks, I'll leave it to you then."
"We're on the same team. No need for polite words," Vincent replied with a grin.