Chapter 566: Chapter 565: S class mission
Charles took the phone from his pocket and said, "Natasha, what brings you to call me?"
Natasha took a deep breath and began, "Mr. Charles, there are four ninjas fighting in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long Island, New York."
"The resulting tsunamis are already three to four meters high. As the battle continues, the tsunamis are intensifying, putting Long Island at risk of being struck."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't know the identities of the combatants, but one of them is wearing a black cloak with red clouds, similar to the attire of the rogue ninja Uchiha Itachi, who defected from your organization. We believe he's from the same group."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. requests your assistance in quelling this chaos."
Charles didn't immediately agree. Instead, he asked, "What are their power levels?"
Natasha looked at Nick Fury, who handed her a paper. After reading it, she said, "Based on our intelligence, we estimate the man in the red cloud cloak has Kage-level strength. On the other side, there's another Kage-level ninja and two Jōnin."
"But this is just an estimate. We can't guarantee the accuracy of our information."
Charles, knowing the exact strength of the four, still asked, "So, we're talking about two Kage-level and two Jōnin-level ninjas."
"To mediate and end this battle, we'd need at least three Kage-level ninjas and several Jōnin. This is quite a difficult task."
Natasha considered this and said, "The one in the red cloud cloak is clearly an enemy. Perhaps you could team up with the others to take him down."
"That way, you wouldn't need as many Kage-level ninjas."
Although Natasha seemed to be considering his position, it was also a test.
Charles shook his head. "Without the power to dominate both sides, who would dare to mediate? Aren't you afraid they might join forces to kill you?"
Hearing this, Natasha thought, "Have the ninjas from Konoha become this powerful?"
Then she asked, "What would it take for you to intervene?"
Charles thought for a moment and said, "1,000 energy blocks, and I'll solve the problem for you."
Natasha looked at Nick Fury, who shook his head and held up five fingers, indicating they were willing to offer 500 energy blocks.
Their stock of energy blocks was already low, and since Dr. Selvig began researching the Tesseract, S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't produced any more, relying solely on their existing inventory.
"How about 500 energy blocks?"
Charles laughed, "Natasha, that's not how you negotiate."
"Mr. Charles, S.H.I.E.L.D. really doesn't have that many energy blocks left. How about we add some 084 items in exchange?"
Hearing about the 084 items, Charles pondered. S.H.I.E.L.D. must have some items he wasn't aware of. However, 084 items were highly uncertain. They could be valuable like the Tesseract, or they could be completely worthless.
As for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s claim about their limited supply of energy blocks, Charles knew that might be true but was still quite skeptical.
Charles scoffed at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s claim of limited energy blocks.
With the Tesseract in their possession, they could theoretically produce an endless supply, as the energy from the Space Stone is virtually limitless within this universe.
After some thought, Charles responded, "800 energy blocks and 2 084 items."
"How about 500 energy blocks and 5 084 items? You can choose the items yourself," Natasha countered.
Considering he could select the items himself, Charles agreed. His initial goal was 500 energy blocks anyway, which would amount to 90,000 gold coins.
"Deal! Come over and sign the mission contract."
Nick Fury, noticing how readily Charles accepted, started wondering if there was more to the 084 items than he knew. Why was Charles so interested, valuing one 084 item equal to 100 energy blocks?
Natasha, relieved at Charles's agreement, said, "Mr. Charles, given the urgency of the situation, can we handle the contract details afterward?"
"Fine, I trust S.H.I.E.L.D. won't default on the payment."
Charles felt a surge of satisfaction, knowing this would add another S-rank mission to his record.
Hanging up the phone, Charles addressed the room, "We've got a mission—S-rank. Target: The Atlantic Ocean off Long Island. Everyone, we're moving out."
Orochimaru, eyeing the screen showing the four fighters, licked his lips and said, "Aren't those people from Lord Charles's group as well?"
Charles laughed, "Yes, they are. So we're just putting on a show."
Kurenai Yuhi, with a grave expression, recognized the black cloak with red clouds. She hadn't expected Charles to bring members of that organization or even the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village.
Might Guy also found Deidara's attire familiar but couldn't recognize it immediately.
Tsunade and Yamato, on the other hand, had no objections. They understood Charles's need for energy blocks and special items.
"Red Queen, have John prepare the helicopter. We'll fly to Long Island."
"Yes, Master!"
…
In Long Island, New York-
Police officers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were evacuating the beach. However, Long Island being a popular tourist destination, the evacuation was proving difficult. Chen Haoran's presence made the task slightly easier.
"Wow, it's Flame Warrior!"
"Flame Warrior, over here, over here!"
Excited tourists swarmed Chen Haoran, though the smarter ones realized his presence meant danger and started heading in the opposite direction.
Chen Haoran addressed the crowd, "Everyone, please leave the beach immediately and head to higher ground. A tsunami is imminent, so please evacuate quickly."
One skeptical man, filming with his phone, scoffed, "I watched the weather report. There's no typhoon or tsunami expected in the Atlantic."
"Is this some kind of cover-up? We have the right to know what's going on."
Chen Haoran felt a surge of irritation towards the man. Annoyed, he thought, "Where does this idiot get off? Just follow orders and evacuate."