Chapter 122: Bestowing Abilities

"S.H.I.E.L.D.... Strategic Chief Consultant?"

The people in the second-floor reception room were stunned, all wearing strange expressions. A figure synonymous with peace and peak combat power serving as a department's chief consultant? That was even more absurd than Logan working as a babysitter! Most importantly, even Fury did not know that the newly formed S.H.I.E.L.D. had such a position.

"You asked me to lend my name to it, didn't you? A Strategic Chief Consultant is a respectable title to have in the open. I can participate in discussions when there are major decisions to be made, if I have the time," Kyle stated firmly, harboring his own thoughts.

S.H.I.E.L.D. In the Marvel Earth, it was a mysterious, 'high-end' organization meant to deal with supernatural phenomena and maintain world peace. Its destiny to be an unrewarding, miserable entity was set from the start—attempting to counter alien invasions and even evil gods with nothing more than ordinary agents and conventional weapons. Furthermore, it was essentially founded by the remnants of HYDRA, serving as their biggest hidden den in the world; their daily operations to annihilate HYDRA were a classic case of a thief shouting "stop thief." It wasn't until the 21st century, when Nick Fury became the later director and formed the first superhero force in history—the Avengers—that its true value was realized.

Kyle had no intention of wading into the muddy waters of S.H.I.E.L.D. Even if the new department's foundation was clean now, it was a large organization with deep roots and many mouths, and it would inevitably be infiltrated and corrupted by HYDRA again. This was the original reason he founded the Karl Family; power is only truly a card and a foundation when it is held firmly in one's own hands.

"As you wish. Even if it's just a titular position, your name being attached to S.H.I.E.L.D. is already worth more than all the resources the President could provide," Fury said with a headache-inducing sense of helplessness.

"I'll say this first: if, in the future, I discover that S.H.I.E.L.D. is using a false facade to commit evil acts like HYDRA, I can dismantle and abolish it just as easily as I helped establish it." Kyle spoke nonchalantly, yet the arrogance and coldness in his words caused the room to fall into an abrupt, tense silence.

Howard took a confident sip of wine; Joseph withdrew his gaze in awe and trepidation; Fury was busy wiping cold sweat from his forehead. No one dared to question the veracity of Kyle’s words, because those who had questioned him in the past were still buried in the soil of old battlefields, with weeds already growing over their graves.

The Symbol of Peace. No matter how brilliant the title of a god-like hero might be, it could not hide the fact that it was forged during the dark, bloody era of World War II through the loss of countless soldiers' lives and the destruction of nations. Perhaps it was fortunate that everyone in the room were old acquaintances; otherwise, even if the new President or General Chester were here, Kyle would not give them the courtesy of such a friendly, human interaction.

Fury swore an oath as if signing a military warrant: "Kyle, I guarantee you, as long as I am here, S.H.I.E.L.D. will never do anything that violates its founding principles!"

"That's good," Kyle nodded calmly.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was a double-edged sword. If used poorly, it would become a source of disaster; if used well, it would be a highly effective force in the public eye. There were many things the Karl Family found inconvenient to intervene in directly, which could now be done boldly and openly through S.H.I.E.L.D., recognized by the United Nations Council.

"Forget about Logan and Yutong. However, since S.H.I.E.L.D. is just being built, it does need elite personnel who can hold down the fort," Kyle mused for a moment before deciding. "I have a suitable candidate in mind."

"Who?" Fury asked quickly.

"Don't be impatient. You've met her, but she's elsewhere right now." Kyle thought for a moment, opened a long-sealed notebook, and looked around at everyone. "Use your intelligence-gathering networks to find me all the information on the Soviet Red Room by tonight."

"The Soviet Red Room? That legendary secret agent organization?" Joseph was shocked. As if realizing something, he added even more stunned: "Wait, you're going after them?"

Fury caught on quickly and explained: "You probably don't know this. During World War II, the Soviet Red Room once sent a female agent to infiltrate a battleship to ambush Kyle."

"Ambush you? What were they thinking?" Howard couldn't help but laugh. Of all the people to ambush, they chose this demon of a war god—were they out of their minds?

"Don't worry, I've always been a reasonable person. I won't move against them for no reason, just going to collect a debt," Kyle smiled faintly. This statement shocked everyone present again. It was a classic joke: "Kyle is a reasonable person."

As the night deepened, Howard, Joseph, and Fury departed. After they left the manor, the second floor of the building fell into a long silence. Kyle leaned back against the sofa in silence. Outside the door, a large pillow acting as a magical carpet floated over, carrying Yutong—now dressed in pink pajamas—to his side.

"How was it?" Kyle asked, patting Yutong’s small head.

"None of the three guests had any ill intentions toward you, Boss," Yutong whispered through telepathy.

"Alright, there's no need to peek into their minds and thoughts from now on. They are friends we can trust," Kyle said, shaking his head. He had never explicitly asked Yutong to do this, yet she insisted on it secretly. As he had said before, Yutong was his sharp blade. Sometimes, for his sake, she would eliminate any potential enemy with ulterior motives, including members of the Karl Family.

"Sometimes, the human heart is complex and fickle. If you blindly peek into people's minds, it will be hard to make real friends," Kyle instructed her.

"I don't need friends. Having you is enough," Yutong replied, no longer using telepathy, but speaking in a soft, childish voice with firm persistence.

Kyle chuckled silently. Gazing at Yutong, he pulled a blue Ability Card from his card space—a card he had kept for a long time and never used on any family member: [Super Agent].

"Remember what I said when I took you out of the underground research lab? Longevity and strength—this is what you deserve." Kyle held the card, invisible to others, and pressed it against Yutong’s forehead. Under a shimmering blue light, the card’s power submerged into the girl's body.

'[Super Agent] granted successfully!'
'The cardholder cannot use the ability granted by the card for three days!'
'No other ability cards can be granted to this biological entity!'

Yutong drifted into unconsciousness on her pillow. The [Super Agent] card bypassed the steps of reagent preparation, injection, and physical rehabilitation, rapidly remodeling her genes and strengthening her body. As a lesser version of Kyle’s Super Soldier ability, it provided a comprehensive physical development: strength, speed, stamina, damage resistance, and significant improvements in metabolism and aging.

With her innate mutant ability for mental enhancement now combined with this comprehensive physical mutation, Yutong was undoubtedly the strongest person in the Karl Family, second only to Kyle and his Venom symbiote state.