Chapter 80: Investigation Mission
"In fact, there have been several serious murders recently. The victims all died from excessive blood loss. The most common sign? Heavy bleeding from the neck. Other areas too, but the neck's the usual target."
Coulson pulled out a folder and laid down several close-up crime scene photos. A few were bloody enough to turn the stomach, but most clearly showed two small puncture wounds on the victims' necks—textbook vampire bite marks.
If this was the normal world, you'd think animal attack, maybe a serial killer with a flair for drama. But this was the Marvel Universe. Vampires weren't just fairy tales here—they were real possibilities.
Su Xiuyu glanced at the photos and then raised an eyebrow. "Since when does Homeland Security handle murders like this? You're supposed to be a special ops agency, right? Shouldn't the NYPD be handling these cases?"
He shot Coulson a suspicious look. Deep down, he couldn't help wondering if that damn Black-Braised Egg—aka Nick Fury—was trying to trick him into something. Not that Fury would dare cross him outright, but the man was slippery, bold, and had the audacity to try just about anything.
"Mr. Su, please don't misunderstand," Coulson said quickly, clearly uncomfortable. "We're not trying to dump a case on you. The thing is, these murders have been piling up. NYPD hit a wall—no leads, no suspects. We stepped in, but we haven't had any more luck either. We've confirmed the attacks were man-made, but we still can't pin down the culprit. And based on our profiling, it's likely not the work of just one person."
Coulson gave a tired sigh, as if silently blaming Nick Fury for putting him in this position. The man had warned him to be respectful to Su Xiuyu, but hadn't said a word about how not to look like an idiot in front of him.
Su Xiuyu nodded slowly. "Alright. Sounds like a pain in the ass, but if we're talking supernatural involvement, then yeah—an A-rank mission makes sense. I'll take it. Fee's fifteen million. Up front."
He didn't feel the slightest guilt charging that much. If this really was vampire-related, then it was technically worth the price. And if not? Well, cheating Black-Braised Egg out of a few million felt more like a public service.
"Fifteen million? Isn't that a little steep?" Even someone as level-headed as Coulson couldn't help blurting it out.
"You can call Black-Braised Egg—uh, I mean, Nick Fury. If he thinks it's too expensive, he's welcome to find someone else." Su Xiuyu leaned back casually, looking like he couldn't care less.