Chapter Forty-Eight: Cooperation

With these thoughts in mind, Gu Zhongyan nodded.
“Alright, I admit it. I really am not suited to join your plan. Since that's the case, why did you come here today? Did you discover that I’m not suitable to be an Avenger, so you’re here to eliminate me as a potential threat?”
Gu Zhongyan’s eyes narrowed to slits, a dangerous glint flashing through them.
Nick Fury seemed entirely unfazed by his wariness and warning, speaking on his own terms.
“I won’t deny having contemplated such things, but it’s not directed at you personally—rather, it applies to anyone with supernatural abilities.”
“Believe me, S.H.I.E.L.D. has dealt with too many people like that. The harm that can be caused when someone uses their powers without restraint is beyond measure.”
“However, after a thorough evaluation of your profile, I think you might be a self-interested man, but at your core, you’re still a decent person. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have taken in that child, would you?”
Nick Fury nodded toward the large paper bags beside Gu Zhongyan with his chin.
“Su Yan—how did you know?” Gu Zhongyan frowned slightly. Su Yan hadn’t left the room, and under the protection of the Muggle-Repelling Charm, no one should have been able to notice him.
As if seeing through his thoughts, Nick Fury said, “Relax, your magic hasn’t failed, but knowing about the child doesn’t require seeing through your spells.”
“That child wasn’t with you from the start, was he?”
Hearing the hidden meaning in Nick Fury’s words, Gu Zhongyan furrowed his brows, pondering for a moment before comprehension flashed in his eyes.
“The Hand?”
Though it sounded like a question, his tone was utterly certain.
Nick Fury nodded. “Exactly. That’s the flaw of any large organization—where there are people, there are leaks. The Defenders grew under the remnants of the Hand, so naturally some secrets would be exposed.”
“So, you found me by tracing things back through them,” Gu Zhongyan nodded, understanding.
He shook his head with a sigh. “Looks like I wasn’t cautious enough. I really underestimated you people.”

“If you’re not here to cause me trouble, then what’s your real purpose?”
“Cooperation,” Nick Fury replied.
“I know your personality—you’d never truly join the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. Even if you appeared to, the moment anything happened, you’d always act on your own terms.”
“I have no intention of letting you disrupt my team, but I value your abilities, so I hope we can cooperate.”
“That spell of yours that blocks others—how wide an area can it cover? How long does it last? How much material does it require? Can you tell me the details?”
“And, you erased the battle traces on Liberty Island, didn’t you? I’ve checked the place—apart from the burnt plants, everything else is just as before. So you can restore non-living things to their original state. Are there any limitations to that ability?”
Hearing Nick Fury’s questions, Gu Zhongyan’s first thought was:
Secret bases.
Anyone familiar with Nick Fury knows he’s a natural-born base fanatic—poles, equator, deserts, oceans, deep valleys—every corner of the earth houses one of his secret bases or safehouses.
Many Marvel fans joke that, given enough time, Nick Fury would hollow out the entire planet for his bases.
Some even suspect he has secret bases in space.
Clearly, his passion for building secret bases is limitless.
And the Muggle-Repelling Charm, a wizard’s premier magic for hiding their presence, was perfectly suited for such secret bases.
With this charm, Nick Fury’s number of secret bases could probably multiply several times over.
Running a quick calculation in his mind, Gu Zhongyan answered quickly, “The spell that blocks ordinary people’s senses is called the Muggle-Repelling Charm. It’s a high-level wizard’s magic for concealing themselves.”
“At my current strength, if I give it my all, I can cover an area of about ten thousand square meters. In theory, it could last over a hundred years, but as you know, the world is full of unexpected accidents, so I can’t guarantee it will actually hold for a century.”
“However, barring outside interference, it should last at least ten years without issue.”

“So, do you want me to cast the Muggle-Repelling Charm for you? No problem—one million dollars per ten thousand square meters. How’s that?” Gu Zhongyan looked at Nick Fury with eager anticipation.
Nick Fury quickly weighed his options. Ten thousand square meters—neither especially large nor small. It wouldn’t cover a base, but it was more than enough for a safehouse, and with clever design, even some small bases could be concealed.
A decade-long signal shield for a million dollars wasn’t too high, but haggling is universal. Even as he decided, Nick Fury’s expression remained unreadable as he shook his head.
“One million is too much. Besides, your spell only blocks ordinary people. If a superhuman comes along, it’s completely useless—my operations would still need additional camouflage. Make it cheaper. How about a hundred thousand?”
Slashing the price by ninety percent, Gu Zhongyan instantly bristled. “A hundred thousand? Do you think this spell is child’s play? Never mind the magical energy required—just the gold needed to cast it would cost a fortune. No way, nine hundred and fifty thousand.”
Nick Fury’s face remained impassive. “Still too high. If the material costs are the problem, I’ll provide the gold myself, however much you need, but it all must be used on the spell.”
“As for payment, I’ll go up a bit—two hundred thousand. That’s my final offer.”
“Don’t joke. At that price, find someone else. Since you’re covering materials for world peace, I’ll take a loss and give you a twenty percent discount—eight hundred thousand. That’s my lowest.”
“No, still too high…”
“No, still too low…”
The two of them went back and forth, sparring as fiercely as market vendors squabbling over a few cents.
At last, after more than an hour of negotiation, the price was agreed: five hundred thousand per ten thousand square meters, with Nick Fury providing the gold and other materials.
Beyond that, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Defenders forged a confidential agreement—S.H.I.E.L.D. would fund the Defenders to handle matters in Hell’s Kitchen related to underground forces and supernatural phenomena falling within S.H.I.E.L.D.’s jurisdiction, effectively granting the Defenders certain law enforcement powers.
In addition, S.H.I.E.L.D. would arrange for Su Yan to receive a legitimate identity, so that Father Langdon could officially adopt him.