Chapter 82: | Recent Changes

Words : 1248 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 82: | Recent Changes After trying various plans to find some brains for the symbiote to eat, they ultimately failed because Schiller discovered that the symbiote not only actively demanded food, but also had extremely picky tastes. "You see him? I bet he has killed more than ten people. He's a thug in this gang..." "No, his brain doesn't smell good enough, I won't eat it." "What about him? I heard he used to rob the largest bank in Manhattan..." "He must be bitter." In the end, they returned to Schiller at the Psychological Clinic empty-handed and argued with the symbiote in his mind: "Why are you so picky? Can't you just compromise and eat a few ordinary criminals' brains?" "Why don't you drink American coffee?" Schiller opened his mouth, unsure how to refute. The symbiote was becoming smarter and smarter. "Fine, but you have to tell me where you want to go to drink your desired espresso." Just as Schiller finished this sentence in his mind, the door of the clinic rang, and Steve, who had just finished his morning run, walked in. The symbiote happily said, "Espresso has arrived."(XD) Following Captain America was Natasha. Before Schiller could speak, a yellow figure flew over, and Natasha threw Pikachu into Schiller's arms, saying, "First of all, SHIELD does not provide pet care services!" "But the contract..." "We just modified the contract. No rodents allowed!" (XD) "This is discrimination. Why are dogs and cats allowed, but not mice?" "Yeah!" Pikachu chimed in, hugging its arms. "Why not mice?" "Shut up!" the others said in unison. "Now even dogs and cats are not allowed. We canceled this employee benefit, and everyone agreed with it." "I just left it there for a few days..." "A few days??? Coulson changed six mobile phones in seven days, Nick Fury used up all his vacation time and ran away, the UN leaders who came to inspect didn't stay for two days and left in a hurry. Even the Lieutenant General who always likes to make trouble for SHIELD bought an economy class ticket and left overnight with his own money..." Natasha stood at the door, hands on her hips. This female agent was obviously very angry. "The only good news is that the amount of reimbursement for the things he broke and the employees' loss of morale can increase Nick's report length next month by 50%..." Schiller lowered his head and said to Pikachu, "I remember before I left, you promised me that you would behave well..." He held Pikachu's two small hands and stared into his big, innocent eyes. Pikachu stared back with two round black eyes, looking very innocent. Then he wrinkled his nose and jumped onto the sofa. "PIKA-PIKA!" "You've been gone for quite a long time this time," Steve said as he sat down on the sofa. "So, has anything big happened lately?" "Not really, but there are plenty of small troubles," Natasha said. "Oh?" Schiller asked as he washed a cup by the sink in the kitchen. "What kind of troubles?" "And whoever the victim says is the culprit, that's who it is." Steve sighed and said, "Perhaps Howard didn't anticipate this day when he founded Stark Industries." "Perhaps he did, at least he must have realized that his genius brain and technology in his hands would be targeted by some ill-intentioned people," Schiller replied. "The situation is on the brink now. Stark is very tough, even arguing with a group of generals. After General Johnson's exposure, the military has become distrustful of Hammer Industries. They are very eager to force Stark to submit." "Do you think this will ultimately be resolved by force?" Schiller asked Natasha. The female agent shook her head and said, "They have already had a fight, and General Johnson lost. The robot army couldn't do anything to Stark, and he somehow obtained the technology of nano armor. If he distributes it to everyone, it would be terrible." "The military is anxious, but they dare not act rashly. I think it will eventually return to the negotiation table for an exchange of interests." "We will have to fight again eventually," Schiller said. "The military won't be willing to sit at the negotiating table so soon, because they know that if they don't give Stark a hard time, they won't have any bargaining chips to exchange for Stark Industries' technology." "At least for now, we are allies," Natasha said. "Stark needs SHIELD to bear some of the pressure for him." "What do you want? His nano armor technology?" Schiller asked. "I don't know. We still need to see what Director Fury wants, but SHIELD's approach is different from the military's. Even if we obtain a large amount of nano armor, there will be no personnel to use it. Agents are not suitable to wear that thing. Maybe Nick has other plans." "Has he ever considered having Stark create armor for the agents?" Natasha extinguished her cigarette butt and said, "You don't really understand how agents work. In simple terms, having an extra set of armor for tasks that require wearing it wouldn't significantly increase the success rate. And for tasks that don't require wearing armor, putting on armor wouldn't bring about much improvement." "Agents are not superheroes. Most of us rely on our brains to make a living." "Brains! Make a living!" Symbiote shouted in Schiller's mind. "So the medical collaboration between Stark and the military has stalled?" Schiller asked. "Well, it didn't really start much to begin with. Stark didn't directly provide technology, but they collaborated in research and development. The military brought in some experts, and Stark provided some technical information and funding support. Of course, now the collaboration should have terminated," Natasha said. "Any results?" Schiller inquired. Natasha shook her head and said, "Research is not child's play. How can there be significant results in such a short time?" Steve said, "If they could truly work together, many soldiers might benefit from it." "That's impossible. Until one side comes out on top, neither side is willing to back down. They both believe they can gain more benefits. This is just an exchange of interests, not a genuine effort to benefit anyone," Natasha explained. Steve looked visibly upset and said, "I understand the reasoning behind it all. Before comprehensive cooperation can truly begin, both sides need to go through numerous tests, probing each other's bottom line, and only then can a cooperative relationship be established." "But sometimes I can't help but wonder, if we could really use our technology and resources where they are needed, we could save so many more people. If people think that wasteful behavior is necessary and I don't stop it, then who will sympathize with those who are not saved because of the wasted resources?" Steve said, pursing his lips. "Captain, I understand you have a compassionate heart, but you don't need to shoulder the blame for this mistake," Schiller said. "I just feel like we can do better, and I have a bad feeling about it," Steve said, his mouth twitching. "One day, those who are considered voiceless by them will eventually have someone speak up for them. By then, their way of speaking up won't be through polite inquiries," Schiller remarked.

Chapter 82: | Recent Changes

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