Karui's Shadow Clone led the first man, Henry, into the estate and presented him to Cee.
"Cee, this gentleman has an item he wishes to trade," Karui said before turning to leave, leaving the two alone.
Cee spoke warmly, "I'm Cee, handling today's trades. May I know your name?"
"Henry Doom. Just call me Henry," the man replied, taking a small metal box from his pocket, placing it on the table, and opening it.
"This ring has been passed down in my family. My grandfather told me that our ancestor once followed a sorcerer, who left this as a token."
"He said he would take my ancestor as his apprentice, but after he left, he never returned."
"And for some reason, I can't keep this ring on my finger."
Henry picked up the ring and placed it on his finger, but in less than a second, it slipped off as if by itself.
Cee observed this closely. Henry's hand was flat, yet the ring slid off naturally, with no strings or mechanisms.
Catching the ring, Henry returned it to the box.
"Mr. Cee, could this item be enough to exchange for a Physical Enhancement Serum?"
Cee picked up the box and carefully examined the ring inside. It reminded him of an artifact mentioned in intelligence from Lord Charles, related to mages.
Earlier bloodline mages would often wear rings, necklaces, or staffs as casting mediums.
These items were imbued with considerable energy.
Activating his sensory abilities, Cee focused on the ring and discovered an energy source distinct from chakra. Was it magic?
Turning off his sensory abilities, Cee looked at Henry and said, "Henry, I'll accept your item."
He then took a box containing a vial of Physical Enhancement Serum.
Opening the box, he showed Henry the serum, saying, "Here's the Physical Enhancement Serum. It's yours now."
Henry gazed at the serum with eager eyes but, after a brief pause, asked, "Mr. Cee, may I use it here?"
Henry understood that once he left the estate with the serum, he might not be able to keep it safe or even find a serious buyer.
Being an average person without significant means, he chose power over a billion-dollar pay for safety.
Cee didn't hesitate to agree, saying, "The serum is taken orally. Just drink it."
"Thank you," Henry replied.
He picked up the serum and downed it, then sat down on the sofa. In the next second, the serum's power surged through his body, beginning a transformation, and he quickly fainted.
Cee, pleased with his luck, thought about how his first trade of the day yielded such a valuable item. He wondered how many more valuable items they'd receive by day's end.
…
Half an Hour Later-
Outside the estate, people still waiting in line began to talk, noticing that Henry still hadn't emerged.
"That guy couldn't have actually gotten a Physical Enhancement Serum, could he? It's been so long."
Another person in the crowd countered, "I don't believe that guy could be so lucky. He's probably just getting his item appraised."
As people continued their discussions, Henry Doom suddenly appeared at the doorway and, in an ecstatic leap, launched himself into the air.
"Aaah!"
His loud shout caught everyone's attention as Henry soared up to a height equivalent to three floors before landing back down.
Henry kept hopping with excitement until he reached the gate, where he finally managed to walk normally.
The crowd stared wide-eyed, "Oh my god, he really did get the Physical Enhancement Serum, and it actually worked!"
The atmosphere became even more intense.
While the press conference earlier had stirred some curiosity, seeing a successful case in person ignited everyone's excitement.
Karui glanced at Henry, who was approaching, and said, "You'll need to learn how to control your strength."
Henry, unable to stop grinning, replied, "I will."
Karui turned back to the line and announced, "Next!"
…
Elsewhere-
Oakland, California-
Coulson's team had arrived, and he examined the signal tracker on his tablet, saying, "According to the signal, Hayward's phone is about 13 miles from here at an abandoned factory."
Ward commented, "That's probably the Centipede Project's new lab."
Coulson nodded, "It's typical for them. We destroy one factory, and they set up another one, putting us right back at square one."
"This time, I want answers, so let's proceed carefully."
May reminded him, "We should try to avoid damaging their equipment."
Coulson instructed, "Ward, May, you'll enter through the west entrance. I'll go in through the loading dock."
He then turned to Skye and Fitz, "You three stay outside and monitor control systems."
Skye asked, puzzled, "It's just us?"
"Ever since Ward pulled me out of my van, it's been one skirmish after another. Isn't S.H.I.E.L.D. going to send any backup?"
Coulson replied, "Trust me, our team is strong enough for this."
"Move out!"
The team immediately set out for their target.
…
Inside the Abandoned Factory-
Coulson entered the facility but found it entirely empty, with no signs of any personnel.
Using his earpiece, Coulson contacted Simmons, "Is it just us here?"
Simmons, watching the three signals on her screen, replied, "It appears so."
"We can only detect your heat signals."
Skye added, "But there's an odd electronic signal. I'm trying to isolate it."
Ward looked at May, "It seems like the place has been cleared out."
May glanced around and nodded.
Switching to the public channel, Ward asked, "Did we arrive too late?"
Coulson ordered, "Fitz, call Hayward's phone and see if he's still around."
Following Coulson's command, Fitz immediately dialed Hayward's phone number.
Suddenly, a phone started ringing from inside a shipping container in the warehouse.
Coulson approached the container but kept his distance as he listened to the ringing from within.
The next second—
"Boom!"
Hayward burst through from inside, slamming the container door outward, aiming it directly at Coulson.
Noticing an additional heat signal on his screen, Fitz urgently shouted, "Sir, you have company!"