Chapter 34: A Massive Surge in Merit Points!

"Ugh!"

If he could help it, Phil Coulson would rather not bring up this issue. But recalling the words Yu Fei had spoken to him earlier, he could find absolutely no grounds for rebuttal.

"If we in Interpol have been compromised, what makes you think S.H.I.E.L.D. is immune?"

When Yu Fei had said this, he had been remarkably righteous and confident. Phil Coulson had choked on his words for a long time, unable to offer a single counterargument. Should he say that Interpol was just too incompetent? As someone who had cultivated the persona of a "nice guy," Coulson could never bring himself to insult another organization to their face. Furthermore, while S.H.I.E.L.D. might have stolen some of the limelight from Interpol over the years, to call them "too incompetent" would be a gross exaggeration. Even within S.H.I.E.L.D., it was generally acknowledged that Interpol was, at worst, only slightly inferior to them.

If it was now practically certain that Interpol had been infiltrated, why was it impossible for the same to have happened to S.H.I.E.L.D.? Although S.H.I.E.L.D. still maintained the status of a "clandestine agency"—with very few ordinary people knowing of its existence—this did not include certain official organizations. Agencies like Interpol, the FBI, and the CIA were well aware of them, especially since S.H.I.E.L.D. frequently operated under their identities, and in some cases, even held "official" records within their databases. Naturally, the high-ranking officials of these organizations were almost all aware of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s true nature.

Now that Interpol had been compromised, could one really hope that the enemy was unaware of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s existence and hadn't attempted the same infiltration? Phil Coulson couldn't convince himself otherwise. Nor could Nick Fury, the man hailed as the "King of Spies." After his initial fury subsided, he was forced to calm down and seriously consider the possibility of internal rot within S.H.I.E.L.D. In fact, the more he pondered it, the more likely he felt it was.

"Damn it!"

At the thought that his S.H.I.E.L.D. might have already been breached by the Umbrella Corporation, Nick Fury’s opinion of the company plummeted even further.

"What else did he say?" Nick Fury asked, suppressing his rising anger.

Phil Coulson braced himself and replied, "He also said he hopes we will conduct an internal audit first to ensure everything is clear before taking action... The Umbrella Corporation's reach is too vast; they are practically everywhere in the world! Once they realize we have discovered their plan, they might stop at nothing to release the T-virus globally! If that happens, the situation will become dire."

This was precisely why Coulson had felt compelled to speak, even though he knew Fury wouldn't want to hear it. Hearing this, Nick Fury’s mood darkened even further. Knowing there was a problem within his ranks was one thing, but being pointed out by someone else—especially someone from Interpol—was another matter entirely! The "Interpol" status that had made him feel smug just a moment ago suddenly became something he loathed. However, Nick Fury could not afford to lose his temper right now, so he simply said with a cold face, "What else?"

"The rest is good news. They have already obtained the antidote for the T-virus. We can start producing it in advance to grant immunity to the virus."

"An antidote already exists?" Nick Fury’s single eye lit up instantly. But soon, another question occurred to him. "Since they already have an antidote, shouldn't they be able to resolve this current crisis themselves?"

"It’s not that simple," Coulson shook his head. "This antidote is only for individual use. The raw T-virus agent is designed to dissolve into the air and spread widely through the atmosphere. We need another type of antidote to neutralize the T-virus already in the air."

"I see," Nick Fury nodded slightly. "What about the original formula for the T-virus? Did he send that over? With the original formula and the corresponding antidote, developing the secondary treatment shouldn't be difficult."

"Uh, the original T-virus formula..."

"What? Is there a problem?"

"They didn't send it. He said... he said that S.H.I.E.L.D. is untrustworthy!"

"What?!" Nick Fury’s eyes widened instantly.

It was one thing to say there were issues within S.H.I.E.L.D., but to openly declare that S.H.I.E.L.D. was untrustworthy? Did he think they would use the T-virus for some nefarious purpose?! This was outrageous! It was insulting! If Yu Fei were standing in front of him right now, Fury would have given him a piece of his mind. Was he, Nick Fury, that kind of person?!

"Uh!" Phil Coulson wisely remained silent. Only after Nick Fury had cooled down did he continue.

"He said he has already found the best person to create the antidote. We only need to help handle some external factors and hold out for three days; then, everything will be resolved!"

"Three days? Hmph! I hope he can actually pull it off!" Nick Fury snorted with dissatisfaction. "Send me the T-virus antidote first. Then, you head to Raccoon City personally. I will have Black Widow and Hawkeye assist you."

"Understood! I’m on it. I’ve already sent the T-virus antidote to your inbox." Coulson spoke immediately; he was always that sensible. In fact, even before Nick Fury had given the order, he was already on his way to Raccoon City.

***

Elsewhere, Nick Fury issued a series of rapid commands and immediately initiated an internal audit of all S.H.I.E.L.D. members. It wasn't until he checked that he realized the truth. Once the investigation began, he not only discovered the Umbrella Corporation's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. but also uncovered even deeper, more hidden problems!

***

A little earlier, on the outskirts of Raccoon City, inside a moving car, Yu Fei hung up the phone with Phil Coulson.

"Ding!"

"The host has acted with kindness; the merit is immeasurable!"

"Merit points +10 strands!"

"Wait!"

"How many merit points?!"

Yu Fei thought he had misread it until he opened his system panel.

Host: Yu Fei
Physique: 1.5
Spirit: 1.3
Skills: Combat LV.3 (MAX), Marksmanship LV.3 (MAX), Computer Science LV.3 (MAX), Throwing LV.2 (0/100)
Merit Points: 10 strands / 85 points

"Hiss! It really is ten strands of merit!"

Yu Fei couldn't help but gasp. Although he had anticipated that his harvest this time wouldn't be low, he never expected to gain so many merit points! He had to remember that after grinding through the entire Hive Laboratory dungeon, all the merit points he had earned combined only amounted to a little over four hundred.

What did ten strands of merit represent? If synthesized from merit points, it would require a staggering one hundred thousand points!