Marvel: Beginning with the Collection of Shinra Tensei

"I didn't need to hack anything," Han Yu said with a smile. "One of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents onboard—Jasper, right?"

Hearing Han Yu speak so confidently, Nick Fury felt a sinking unease. Could Han Yu really know something he himself wasn't aware of?

"He's...?" Fury began, but Han Yu interrupted him.

"Mr. Fury, what I'm about to say concerns S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal matters. With them here," Han Yu gestured toward the others, "is it alright for me to continue?"

"Go ahead," Fury replied, his expression unreadable.

"Alright, here's the truth: Jasper is a Hydra agent. And Hydra has already infiltrated most of S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

Han Yu's words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving the three men stunned. S.H.I.E.L.D., infiltrated by Hydra?

How could that be possible?

For as long as anyone could remember, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been Hydra's sworn enemy. Hydra was thought to have been wiped out long ago, thanks to Captain America. How could they have survived, let alone penetrated S.H.I.E.L.D. to such an extent?

"Ha! If you're going to lie, at least put some effort into it. Hydra was destroyed ages ago," Fury said with a cold laugh. He was beginning to think Han Yu was toying with them.

"How about this?" Han Yu suggested, still smiling. "I'll help you with this mission for free. Let's capture Jasper and interrogate him. Then you can judge for yourself whether I'm lying."

Fury hesitated, then nodded. It wasn't a bad idea. With Han Yu's involvement, the mission would undoubtedly become easier. "Fine. We'll head back and prepare. If your intel checks out, I'll immediately grant you S.H.I.E.L.D.'s highest clearance."

Fury understood that if Han Yu's claims were true, it would spell disaster for S.H.I.E.L.D. The "collapse" Han Yu mentioned would be inevitable. Having Han Yu on their side would stabilize the situation.

"No need. I'll just stay home and play some video games. I've got nothing to prepare. You guys handle it. Just come get me when it's time to go. If there's nothing else, I'll head upstairs now," Han Yu said with a shrug.

With that, he glanced at the group, saw they had nothing more to say, and headed upstairs to continue playing GTA.

"What do we do about this?"

Captain America turned to Fury, his expression grim. Hydra had been his nemesis for decades. Seventy years ago, he'd led a special task force that destroyed several of Hydra's strongholds, only to end up frozen in the Arctic because of them.

"We'll go back and prepare. Don't tell anyone about this for now. Whether it's true or not, spreading the word will do more harm than good," Fury said firmly.

Even Tony Stark, usually the most cavalier of the group, nodded solemnly. He understood the gravity of the situation and knew this wasn't the time for jokes.

The group left Han Yu's shop and went their separate ways to prepare for what lay ahead.

Once they were gone, Han Yu didn't head to his computer room as he'd implied. Instead, he returned to his bedroom.

"System, open my personal attribute panel," Han Yu commanded.

The system responded immediately, pulling up Han Yu's attribute panel in the shop's interface.

[Name]: Han Yu

[Shop Level]: Intermediate Storekeeper

[Basic Abilities]: Immortal Divine Seal, Mystic Conch

[Additional Abilities]: None

[Temporary Items]: Emotion Potions: Storm Cry x2, Basic Skill Selection Card x1

[Permanent Items]: Green Lantern Ring, High-Quality Headphones, Multiverse Phone

[Weapon Arsenal]: Hyōrinmaru, Clear Sky Hammer (One Ring)

[Available Upgrade Points]: 168

[Upgrade Points Needed for Next Level]: 60

...

Staring at the contents of the panel, Han Yu muttered, "Use 100 upgrade points to redeem an item draw card."

"The current level's item draw card limit has been reached. Level upgrade is required," the system responded in its usual flat tone.

Han Yu's expression was one of utter disbelief. "Wait, you never mentioned there was a limit before! Seriously?"

"All interpretation rights belong to the system," the system replied indifferently, further irritating Han Yu.

Frustrated, Han Yu grimaced. He hadn't realized there were restrictions on redeeming items. If he'd known earlier, he would have used his abundant upgrade points to level up like crazy.

"Damn this system," Han Yu muttered under his breath. He suddenly felt drained, as if the system had robbed him of his energy. Resigned, he said, "Fine, use the remaining points to upgrade my level."

"Upgrading in progress…"

"Upgrade complete. Current position: Senior Store Associate. Upgrade cost: 130 points."

Hearing the system's announcement, Han Yu sighed in resignation. Losing 130 points to level up twice was manageable, but when he refreshed his personal interface and saw the updated "Upgrade Points Required" at the bottom, he was stunned.

"500 points for one level?! System, are you kidding me?"

Previously, leveling up had only cost a few dozen points. Now, it suddenly required 500 points—equivalent to five item draw cards. If he spent those points on draws, he'd easily acquire at least one divine weapon.

"All interpretation rights belong to the system," came the system's unchanging response.

Han Yu suddenly felt like the system wasn't his golden cheat, but his eternal creditor. Until he reached the Store Manager level, it would always have the final say. Only then could he truly do as he pleased.

"Wait a second—does the Store Manager level also have tiers?" Han Yu asked, suspicious.

The system remained silent.

"Oh, come on! It does, doesn't it?"

The system's lack of response only confirmed his fears. He was sure the Store Manager level would also be divided into sub-levels—probably basic, intermediate, and advanced. Knowing the system's ways, there might even be more categories.

"You win. Fine, just assign me more tasks in the future. I'll take them all," Han Yu said, shaking his head in defeat. The system not only refrained from giving him tasks but also kept throwing curveballs at him.

The system, as expected, stayed silent.

Not wanting to waste more time arguing with it, Han Yu decided to make better use of his time. There were still hours left until evening, and debating with the system felt pointless. He returned to his computer room to continue gaming with Ultron and the others.

After an intense night of gaming, the four of them had amassed in-game wealth exceeding ten million. Even Ultron, who wasn't prone to emotion, was ecstatic, splurging on new equipment with reckless abandon.

The group's names now topped the in-game wealth leaderboard. Even the poorest among them, Quicksilver, had over 11 million. In comparison, the fifth-ranked player on the leaderboard had just over one million—a laughable gap.

Thanks to their immense wealth, three out of the four—except Wanda, who wasn't interested in in-game vehicles or weapons—had purchased a couple of luxury cars and nearly every available weapon.

They gamed until nightfall when Han Yu heard Captain America calling from downstairs. Logging out of the game, he said goodbye to Ultron and the others before heading out.

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