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*****
Seeing Coulson's determined expression, Ji Yuan knew there was no persuading him otherwise. Coulson had always been an exceptionally responsible agent—one of the few people the proud Tony Stark actually respected.
"Alright then, Coulson," Ji Yuan sighed. "Can you at least tell me exactly what's been bothering you?"
He decided to follow the standard procedure. Either way, it would end with a shot of Ultraman's healing light.
Coulson rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. "It's the matter of the silver giant. The whole world is speculating about its identity. Some groups are even using it to fuel cult propaganda. Things are spiraling out of control."
"Director Fury has tasked me with interviewing the survivors of that plane. But there were over two hundred passengers on board. On top of that, I'm still managing the Stark assignment. I…"
Listening to Coulson's overwhelmed voice—and the crumbling state of his inner thoughts—Ji Yuan snapped his fingers.
Coulson collapsed into the chair, sound asleep, as if someone had knocked him unconscious.
"No. This is not normal. Not even a little."
Ji Yuan's senses sharpened. Coulson had an incredibly strong will. Being overworked shouldn't have broken him like this. Yet his Ultraman senses told him that Coulson's mental state was teetering on the edge of collapse—an abnormal situation for someone of his resilience.
There was only one explanation: something—or someone—was actively weakening Coulson's mind, attempting to breach his psychological defenses.
But was this in the original timeline? Ji Yuan couldn't recall any such plotline. Had the flap of his butterfly wings really caused this big a ripple?
"Ultraman Healing!"
Without further hesitation, Ji Yuan bathed Coulson in healing light. Then, focusing the energy between his palms, he compressed the light into a simple-looking string of prayer beads.
This bracelet contained pure, gentle energy—non-offensive, imbued only with protective strength. It would soothe Coulson's mind, and if a spiritual attack exceeded a certain threshold, Ji Yuan would sense it instantly through the bracelet—and teleport directly to him. He was determined to find out who was secretly tormenting Coulson.
The man already worked himself to the bone. Now someone wanted to mess with his mind too? Unforgivable.
Roughly twenty minutes later, Coulson stirred and opened his eyes, feeling unusually refreshed. His memory paused at the conversation with Ji Yuan. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep.
"Oh—I'm terribly sorry, Dr. Ji. I must've been more exhausted than I thought."
Coulson rubbed his face, feeling slightly embarrassed. He couldn't believe he'd drifted off mid-session again.
"No need to apologize, Coulson. You should be resting more. Haven't you noticed how much better you feel?"
Ji Yuan sipped his tea slowly, his tone calm and reassuring.
Coulson finally noticed it too—his thoughts were no longer jumbled, his body felt lighter, and his nerves had calmed. He looked at Ji Yuan with newfound admiration. This man truly was a gifted therapist, someone who cut right to the heart of the problem.
"So, Dr. Ji… how much do I owe you for this session?"
Feeling recharged, Coulson was eager to resume data collection. The sooner he gathered enough intel, the sooner he could help decipher the silver giant's intentions and protect the public.
"Five thousand dollars."
Ji Yuan quoted the fee casually. Given the power of his Ultraman healing, he felt even that was a bargain.
Coulson winced. That was no small sum, even for him. But it was worth every penny.
"I'll transfer it to your account, Doctor. Thank you again. I should get back to work."
He turned to leave, but Ji Yuan called him back.
"Wait. The five thousand doesn't just cover the therapy."
Ji Yuan produced the bracelet and held it out.
At first glance, it looked entirely ordinary.
"This is a bracelet infused with Eastern mystical energy. It'll help keep your mind at peace. You might even sleep better because of it."
He placed it gently into Coulson's hand.
Coulson examined it, somewhat skeptical. A cool sensation spread across his palm. But beyond that… nothing. Still, he nodded, slipped it onto his wrist, and left the clinic after bidding farewell.
Ji Yuan watched him go, then rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Maybe it was time to embrace one of Ultraman's classic traditions—"corpse throwing" as a method of investigation. Events like this deviation in Coulson's mental state didn't sit right. Something was off in this universe.
"Forget it. Let's see what's in today's paper."
He walked to the front door, grabbed the morning paper, and scanned the headlines.
The Daily Global Times:
"Mysterious Silver Giant Appears — God Among Men or Alien Entity?"
"Tony Stark Shuts Down Stark Industries' Weapons Division Permanently."
"Giant Footprints Discovered in Brazil—Unknown Origins."
…
"Damn, that photo really makes me look good."
On the black-and-white front page, the silver giant stood tall against the night sky. The low-angle shot gave the figure an awe-inspiring presence. Somehow, a standard camera had produced a cinematic masterpiece.
Beneath the photo, a familiar name was credited—Eddie Brock.
Ji Yuan hadn't realized it at the time, but the man with the camera during the plane rescue had been none other than Eddie Brock—future host of Venom.
Looking back, Ji Yuan wondered… if he hadn't saved that plane, would Eddie have died? Would Venom have lost his perfect host? Also, how did terrorists manage to smuggle explosives aboard so easily? Was the FBI asleep at the wheel?
"This plot's going way off-script…"
Ji Yuan muttered under his breath, feeling like New York was slowly becoming more and more unpredictable—drifting toward something unknown.
Meanwhile, outside the clinic...
Coulson got into his car and parked a short distance away. He pressed a hidden button on the console, placing the bracelet onto a scanning device. After multiple scans, the results showed no anomalies. Relieved, he slipped it back onto his wrist.
Then, he dialed a secure number.
"Coulson. Any findings?" came Director Fury's voice over the line.
"Sir, everything appears normal. Preliminary analysis suggests that Ji Yuan of the Noah Psychological Clinic possesses some form of mental-based superpower. Non-lethal, but capable of inducing sleep when the subject is relaxed. Possibly hypnotic in nature."
Coulson reported clearly, word by word.
"Good. Continue monitoring him. We need more superpowered individuals on our side—ones who can help us face the threats we can't predict."
Fury offered brief encouragement before ending the call.
Coulson started the engine and sped off toward Stark Tower.
"Maybe I should recommend Dr. Ji to Miss Potts."
(End of Chapter)