Marvel's Shendu: Dominating the Multiverse

Chapter 14 S.H.I.E.L.D. Intervention

Quill chuckled twice: "Ha, coincidence, purely coincidence. We were just... taking care of some personal matters."

"Personal matters?" Tony repeated the word.

“Yes,” the Holy Lord continued, “Quill’s mother lives there, let’s go visit her.”

This explanation surprised Tony somewhat. He looked at Quill and asked, "Your mother?"

"Yes," Quill nodded, "I lost contact with her for many years before, and I came back this time to see her."

Tony's expression softened somewhat, but his eyes remained sharp: "Then why were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents outside your mother's house?"

This question left Quill speechless for a moment.

The Holy Lord curled his lip: "S.H.I.E.L.D. seems to have always had doubts about my cooperation with Quill, and has sent people to monitor us. Isn't this an internal matter for you? Don't tell me you didn't know."

Tony didn't deny it, but just snorted: "Even so, he's now a rooster in a tactical vest, and you guys just happen to be here. I need a more reasonable explanation."

"Science is sometimes irrational."

The Holy Lord's tone remained calm: "Mr. Stark, have you studied the Chitauri's biotechnology? Their weapons can be fused with organisms, and their ships can be controlled by nerves. In the face of such technology, the word 'reasonable' itself becomes very limited."

Tony was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"Okay," he said, tucking the tablet under his arm. "I'll accept this explanation for now, but S.H.I.E.L.D. will definitely send someone to ask. You'll have to deal with that yourself. I'm just a concerned citizen passing by, here to give you a heads-up."

Tony turned to leave, but then stopped and said without turning back, "By the way, that agent's partner said that in the last footage he sent back before he disappeared, there was something glowing, like some kind of... pendant."

After saying that, the armor's thrusters activated, and Tony Stark ascended into the air and disappeared.

Quill stood there, his expression changing.

Pendant.

That pendant is now hanging around his mother's neck.

He instinctively reached into his pocket to check; it was empty. He had indeed given the pendant to his mother.

"Valon," he whispered, "that pendant..."

"I know."

Shendu's tone remained calm, but the frequency of his tail swaying was faster than usual: "I said before that the pendant might be problematic. S.H.I.E.L.D. acted faster than I expected. They will soon find out about the pendant's existence."

"What should we do then?" Quill asked anxiously. "What if they connect the pendant to my mother?"

The Holy Lord interrupted him: "Calm down. The most important thing now is to retrieve the pendant before they find it."

"But it's hanging around my mom's neck. If I go to ask it back now, she'll definitely be suspicious."

Before he could finish speaking, a black SUV from S.H.I.E.L.D. drove into the processing area, the door opened, and Phil Coulson stepped out.

He still had that gentle, harmless smile, but Quill noticed that he was followed by four fully armed agents.

"How's work going, you two?"

Coulson walked up to them: "Sorry to interrupt the work, but there are some situations where your cooperation is needed."

He pulled out a photograph, a picture of Quill's mother's house: "You were at this house last night, weren't you?"

Quill nodded. "Yes, that's my home."

"Does your mother still live there?"

"Yes."

Coulson's smile remained unchanged: "That's great. We have a small problem that requires her assistance, but not now, of course. We'll send someone to pick her up tomorrow morning for a brief inquiry, after all..."

He looked at the Holy Lord: "An agent mutation incident occurred near her house. As the person involved, cooperating with the investigation is a necessary procedure."

Both the Holy Lord and Quill knew that this was definitely not a simple inquiry.

"Agent Coulson," the Lord began, "this matter has nothing to do with Quill's mother."

"Whether it's related or not, we'll find out after we investigate."

Coulson's tone was mild, but his attitude left no room for doubt: "Don't worry, it's just a formality. If she really didn't know, it won't have any impact."

He turned and left, leaving Quill standing there with a livid face.

"They're trying to drag my mom into this," Quill said in a low voice. "No, we absolutely can't let her into S.H.I.E.L.D."

The Holy Lord paused for a moment: "Then the necklace must be retrieved before tomorrow."

"But how do I get it? If I go back now, she'll definitely ask why."

"So you can't go back."

Quill was taken aback and looked at the Holy Lord.

Finally, he fell for it. Looking at Quill's worried face, the Holy Lord thought, "Indeed, emotions are one of humanity's weaknesses."

The Holy Lord forcibly suppressed his excitement, calming his tone as he continued to probe Quill: "Quill, where did you get that pendant from?"

This question stumped Quill.

Where did he get it from?

Searching his memory, the image gradually became clear: it was something he had picked up next to a piece of Chitauri wreckage.

It lay quietly in the ruins, emitting faint energy fluctuations. He thought it was beautiful and could be a gift for his mother when he returned to Earth.

"That pendant," Quill began slowly, his voice extremely low, "is problematic, isn't it? It's not an ordinary Chitauri item, it... it can turn agents into chickens?"

The Lord did not answer directly: "The most important thing now is to get it back."

"How can I get it? I can't just ask my mom."

"You can let me go get it."

Quill was stunned: "You?"

"I am a dragon, and I can sneak in silently."

The Holy Lord continued to coax, "But I need your cooperation. You have to hold your mother back, make her take off the pendant, and get her out of the house temporarily."

Quill thought for a few seconds and shook his head: "No, my mother is traumatized right now. Even if we succeed, we'll still have to deal with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who are monitoring us, let alone whether we can succeed."

He paced irritably through the ruins for a few steps, then suddenly stopped.

He turned around and stared at the Holy Lord. "That pendant... what exactly is it?"

The Holy Lord remained silent.

"Valon," Quill stepped closer, "we're partners, aren't we? If you want me to keep secrets, at least let me know what secrets I'm keeping."

The wind stopped blowing over the ruins.

The Holy Lord looked at him and finally spoke: "That was a talisman."

"A talisman?"

"One of the twelve talismans passed down from ancient China, each representing the power bestowed by an animal. The one you gave your mother is the monkey talisman, representing the power of transformation."

Quill's eyes widened.

"So the agent turned into a chicken because he saw the talisman? No, it was my mom!"

"Your mother inadvertently activated the power of the talisman. The thought that arose in her fear acted on that agent through the talisman."

Quill stood there, speechless for a long time.

He suddenly remembered one thing.

"You said before that you were also human, but later you turned into a dragon..."

The Holy Lord did not deny it.

Quill took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "So that pendant, it's been what you wanted all along, hasn't it?"

"Yes," the Holy Lord said calmly, "I do need the talisman, but given the circumstances, it would have aroused suspicion if I had taken it directly. Letting you keep it for the time being was the safest option."

"And then?" Quill asked. "When are you planning to take it?"

The Holy Lord did not answer.

Quill looked at him, then suddenly laughed, a bitter laugh in his eyes: "I actually got outsmarted by a dragon."