Chapter Fourteen: One Month Later

Phil Coulson had been feeling utterly drained lately. For nearly two months, they had been monitoring Arthur Yorn, who had since disappeared without a trace. His phone's location remained fixed at the Atlantis Restaurant. When questioned, the restaurant staff all claimed he was on a trip, yet there was no travel information to be found anywhere.

Coulson knew Arthur enjoyed spending time in the ocean and probably hadn't taken his phone with him. Still, Coulson wanted his help, but Arthur was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Tony Stark, the heir to Stark Industries, had been kidnapped by terrorists in the Middle East just a few days prior, and headquarters had demanded that S.H.I.E.L.D. join the investigation to rescue him.

Recently, S.H.I.E.L.D. had also uncovered evidence that some of Stark Industries' executives might be involved in the kidnapping. Fortunately, just yesterday, the military recovered Tony Stark from the desert after he’d been missing for a week, allowing Coulson to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Where on earth had Arthur run off to? Coulson sincerely hoped he would return soon; with mounting pressures, he was at his wits' end. Natasha couldn't return for the Stark Industries mission any time soon! What was he supposed to do?

...

"Goodbye, Little Eight! Goodbye, everyone!" At the bottomless abyss, Arthur waved to the colossal sea beasts in farewell. He had spent another month training at the depths, ensuring his energy was fully saturated. Next time he sought improvement, who knew where he would find a sea with even greater power.

After leaving the abyss, Arthur swam toward the surface, unwilling to risk traveling through the deep sea near Atlantis again—who knew where he’d end up if he encountered another massive whirlpool?

Above the waters of the Bermuda Triangle, Arthur soared fifty meters above the surface, having discovered that the Trident of Poseidon could grant him short-range flight. This new ability was incredibly useful—he could finally fly! Arthur was delighted, heading toward New York and preparing to return home.

He had been gone for nearly two months this time, a month longer than planned. He wondered how the restaurant was faring, and whether everyone missed him.

Damn, he had forgotten about Tony Stark’s situation! Based on the news from two months ago, Tony must have already been kidnapped. Had he built the Iron Man suit yet? Would Arthur miss out on the story? With this on his mind, he sped up, flying toward New York.

...

Under the moonlit sky, at the Atlantis Restaurant, Isa sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, chin resting on her hand as she gazed at the crescent moon, lost in thought. “Why isn’t the boss back yet?”

Beside her, Omily teased, “What’s this? Is our beautiful Isa thinking about the boss again?”

Isa blushed and replied coyly, “Yes, I am thinking about the boss. Don’t you miss him too?”

Omily’s face softened with longing. “Of course. I wonder when the boss will return.”

Lina came over to join them.

The entire staff strongly condemned Arthur for being such an absentee boss.

...

“Why are you still here?” It was Zhao Long, Jack, and Mike. They had finished cleaning the kitchen and were ready to leave.

“We’re just wondering when the boss will come back. Has he contacted you?” Isa asked Zhao Long.

“No, the boss hasn’t reached out to any of us,” Zhao Long and the others shook their heads.

“So infuriating! When that irresponsible boss comes back, I’m going to make him give us a raise!” Isa huffed.

“Raise! Everyone gets a raise!” Arthur’s voice rang out from behind them.

“Boss!” “Ah!” “You’re finally back!” All six of them exclaimed excitedly.

“Yes, I’m back! Don’t leave yet—how about we stay and have some drinks and barbecue?” Arthur suggested, looking at the excited group.

“Yay, barbecue! Barbecue!” Lina clapped her hands in delight.

“All you ever think about is food!” Omily gave her a playful tap on the head, and Lina stuck out her tongue in response.

...

Beneath the starry sky on the beach, the seven sat together, the table piled with barbecue, fruit, side dishes, and drinks. They listened as Arthur regaled them with tales of his adventures.

“And so, with a single punch, I slew the evil king of Atlantis! In gratitude, the people of Atlantis made me their new king—the Sea King himself!” Arthur boasted, his tall tales growing ever more outrageous.

“Wow! That’s amazing, boss!” Isa gazed at Arthur with stars in her eyes, while the other four rolled their eyes in mock disdain.

“You actually believe that? Boss, are you drunk? How many drinks have you had?” Zhao Long asked mercilessly.

“Why stop there? Boss, why not say you went to Namek and defeated Frieza, then became the Pirate King?” Jack was clearly an anime fan.

“...” Honestly, you don’t believe anything, Arthur thought, exasperated.

Of the seven, only Lina kept her head down, focused on devouring the food, oblivious to the conversation.

“To us!” “Cheers!” The seven clinked glasses and downed their drinks.

After hearing Jack’s report, Arthur learned the restaurant business was booming and felt genuinely happy. He decided to let everyone become shareholders, so they could all receive dividends at the end of the year.

“Hooray!” “Long live the boss!” The six shouted with joy at the news, and as Arthur watched their happy faces, he finally felt he had found a home.

...

In the end, everyone got drunk. The three women sprawled across the table, Zhao Long and Mike lay on the beach, leaving only Jack and Arthur still sober.

“Boss, while you were gone, that guy Coulson came by looking for you several times,” Jack informed him.

“I see. Let’s get everyone inside so they don’t catch a cold,” Arthur said, glancing at his inebriated companions.

Arthur and Jack carried the five inside, leaving them on the booth sofas. Jack found a sofa for himself and went to rest.

Arthur stepped outside alone, pulled out his freshly charged phone, and saw over twenty missed calls—all from Coulson, no doubt. Arthur called him back.

“Hello, is this Arthur? You’re finally back! I’ve been trying to reach you!” Even the usually composed Coulson sounded a bit emotional.

“I’ve just returned, had some things to deal with,” Arthur replied.

“I need your help with something,” Coulson said.

“What is it?” Arthur asked.

“It’s complicated—better we talk in person in a few days,” Coulson answered.

“Alright, understood,” Arthur said, hanging up.

Arthur looked back at the Atlantis Restaurant. He thought it was time to buy a house. He no longer needed to train in the ocean every day—it was time to live like a normal person. Yes, tomorrow he would buy a house! Arthur resolved firmly.

The next day, Arthur visited a jewelry store and exchanged a small portion of his gold stash for dollars. Combined with the restaurant’s income over the past few months, it was barely enough to buy a villa.

Arthur went to New York’s largest real estate agency and picked a villa within ten kilometers of the restaurant, right on the coast. The villa perched atop a seaside cliff, reminiscent of Tony Stark’s own mansion.

Of course, this villa had only two stories and just over three hundred square meters—no comparison to Tony’s. Still, it cost eight million dollars, and Arthur had to sell two antiques to afford it.

Looking at his new home, Arthur was extremely satisfied. He was now a property owner in New York—and not just any home, but a seaside villa!