Hill nodded and replied calmly, "Yes. Based on our analysis, there is a ninety-two percent probability that Ethan Blake obtained information about Tony Stark's disappearance through some unknown channel. There is a seven percent probability that Ethan Blake is directly connected to Tony Stark's disappearance. And there is less than a one percent probability that this was simply a bold but ordinary investment."
Nick Fury leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment before giving an order.
"Send Phil Coulson and Natasha Romanoff to investigate," he said in a low voice. "Find out the reason behind it. If necessary, the target can be arrested."
"Yes, sir," Hill responded immediately.
…
After two straight months of decline, Stark Industries' stock price had almost reached its lowest point. At this stage, even if news broke that Tony Stark had died, the company's stock probably wouldn't fall much further.
But Ethan Blake had no intention of ending his short-selling operation yet.
He knew something the rest of the market didn't.
Tony Stark, that rich genius who had never cared much about the weapons business, would shut down Stark Industries' entire weapons manufacturing division the moment he returned.
In other words, Stark Industries' stock still had plenty of room to fall.
Only an idiot would stop shorting now.
Another beautiful day of skipping work had arrived. Ethan happily prepared lunch for himself while thinking about how to spend the massive fortune he was about to receive.
First, his current car—a Mercedes G-Class—needed to be replaced. It had served him well, but it was time for an upgrade.
Next, he planned to move into a new home. Ethan had been eyeing an eighty-million-dollar manor not far from his current villa for quite some time.
And then there was the yacht.
Not just any yacht.
A super luxury yacht, the kind that started at one hundred million dollars.
Just imagining it made Ethan grin.
But suddenly his expression froze.
His Observation Haki, the same perception ability he had obtained when he first used the summoning system, had already developed to an extremely refined level during his military service. Although it wasn't powerful enough to hear everything happening in the world, sensing movements within five hundred meters around him was effortless.
And right now, within that range, he felt two unfamiliar presences rapidly approaching his villa.
One of them carried a stronger aura and had already slipped through a guest room window. The other, slightly weaker presence had stopped outside the villa's front gate.
At the entrance of the villa, Phil Coulson waited calmly.
After standing there for a moment, he estimated that Natasha Romanoff had already successfully infiltrated the house through the window. Just as he was about to knock on the door, Coulson raised his hand to press the doorbell.
But before his finger could reach it, the front door slowly opened by itself.
Even stranger, no one was standing behind it.
Coulson examined the door briefly. It looked completely ordinary and showed no signs of advanced technology.
In reality, Ethan had opened the door using telekinesis.
"Welcome," Ethan's voice called from inside the villa. "Come in."
Hearing the voice, Coulson stopped worrying about the strange door and stepped inside.
The villa was quite spacious. Following the direction of the voice, Coulson soon found the dining area.
Ethan immediately recognized him.
So S.H.I.E.L.D. had noticed.
After thinking about it for a moment, Ethan quickly understood the reason. Shorting Stark Industries with such a massive amount of money at such a sensitive time was practically a flashing neon sign that something unusual was going on.
If this had happened ten years ago—or even five years ago—being targeted by S.H.I.E.L.D. might have been a serious problem for him.
But now, Ethan didn't care very much.
Besides, the grand stage of the future had already begun opening. Sooner or later he would inevitably cross paths with S.H.I.E.L.D. or other powerful organizations.
Even though he had just welcomed the guest, Ethan didn't bother standing up.
He casually cut a piece of steak, placed it in his mouth, and chewed while speaking.
"So," he said lazily, glancing at Coulson, "what do you want?"
"Hello, Mr. Blake."
With a polite smile, Coulson pulled a small notebook from his pocket and briefly displayed an identification card.
"At the moment I'm working with the National Security Agency," Coulson explained. "There are a few matters regarding which I'd like to ask you some questions."
Ethan glanced at the badge and suddenly smiled in amusement.
"Phil… Phil Coulson, right?" he said playfully. "Aren't you a Level 8 agent working for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division? Since when did you transfer to the National Security Agency?"
He paused for a moment before adding with mock concern.
"Did that bald director of yours fire you or something? If you're job hunting, maybe you should consider the FBI."
The moment Ethan finished speaking, Coulson's relaxed expression disappeared.
Hidden nearby, Natasha Romanoff's expression also turned serious.
Coulson stared at Ethan and asked in a deeper voice, "Mr. Blake… how do you know about us?"
"How do I know?" Ethan leaned back in his chair and shrugged casually.
"You built a gigantic headquarters on a small island in the middle of the Potomac River in Washington," he said calmly. "Did you really think no one would notice?"
He gestured lazily with his fork.
"I'm an FBI supervisory agent. Knowing something like that isn't exactly strange."
The FBI's internal ranking system consisted of nineteen levels, with D4 being the highest and A1 the lowest.
Ethan held a D3 rank.
Although Ethan provided an explanation, the seriousness on Coulson's face didn't fade.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s existence might be known by certain powerful individuals. But specific information like his name and his Level 8 agent status wasn't something even the FBI Director would normally know.
Before Coulson could continue pressing the issue, Ethan waved his hand dismissively.
"Didn't you come here to ask questions?" he said casually. "Go ahead and ask. Once you're done, you can leave. Don't interrupt my lunch."
Seeing Ethan deliberately change the subject, Coulson decided not to pursue the matter further for now.
His job was simply to collect information and report it to his superiors. Something involving a Level 8 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and a suspicious FBI official was far above his authority.
Let Nick Fury deal with the headache.
Coulson looked directly at Ethan and asked bluntly, "Mr. Blake, how much do you know about Tony Stark's disappearance? Or should I ask whether you are somehow connected to it?"
He paused slightly before continuing.
"After all, because of Tony Stark's disappearance, you've made quite a large profit."
Ethan raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.
"Of course," he replied. "As of today, I've made two point two five billion dollars. That's definitely a lot of money."
He placed another piece of steak into his mouth before continuing.
"But don't worry. Every single dollar was earned legally."
Ethan looked straight at Coulson.
"As for Tony Stark's disappearance, it has absolutely nothing to do with me. If you want someone responsible, you should go talk to Obadiah Stane. He's the one behind it."