Chapter Thirty-Five: Elm Street

"By the way, we've been talking about my affairs this whole time. Didn't you need my help with something? What is it?" Natasha asked warmly.

"Well... it's like this. You're an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., right? I don't really know what S.H.I.E.L.D. is, but agents usually have pretty good sources of information," Fina said, looking at Natasha and speaking slowly.

Natasha nodded; after all, S.H.I.E.L.D. was quite skilled when it came to gathering intelligence.

"I just received an investigation assignment. I used to follow my mentor around and never operated in the surface world, so... have you ever heard of Elm Street?" As she spoke, Fina wrote out the name.

"Elm Street?" Natasha searched her memory for the name, then shook her head. "Never heard of it. Is there any other information?"

"Not much else. The assignment only mentioned that a sinister aura hangs over Elm Street, and that some evil force may have descended upon it," Fina recited the information she'd received.

"No worries. I'll go back and check the archives, see what happened there. I'm sure I can dig up some clues," Natasha replied confidently.

"Thank you. Actually, this task shouldn't have been assigned to me, but my mentor said the world has changed recently. Most investigators have been pulled into another mission, so they couldn't spare anyone. That's why newcomers like us are suddenly getting assignments," Fina added.

"Hmm... then why didn't I get one?" Natasha wondered aloud, suspecting she might be the victim of some invisible discrimination or exclusion.

"Maybe because you're not a professional operative. Most investigation tasks can't be handled by ordinary people, and the clues aren't something regular folks would notice. That's probably why this awkward situation arose," Fina explained. "Don't worry—even if my mentor can't make potions right now, once I advance to a full-fledged mage, I'll help you myself."

Natasha nodded. The person before her was now her most valuable friend; whether she could get potions at a discount or not, she'd be sure to return the favor.

Over an hour later, after chatting with Fina about this and that, Natasha hurried back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Without hesitation, she grabbed Coulson and together they began searching the internal system for information on Elm Street.

"Natasha, I found something odd. Come take a look," Coulson called out, maximizing the page on his computer screen.

Displayed was a recent case report from Elm Street, dated just over a month ago. In that small area, three people had suddenly died, all from unknown causes, and each had an inexplicable episode of sudden wealth.

"Sudden riches, unexplained deaths—something's definitely wrong here," Natasha declared with certainty.

...

"Hello, we've got the location: Elm Street." A call went out from inside S.H.I.E.L.D.

Natasha hadn't finished reviewing the files yet, but the relevant information was already leaked, and more than one party caught wind of it.

The U.S. military, a hidden Hydra unit, and the American Paranormal Rapid Response Team all dispatched squads to the remote town.

Meanwhile, Yang Qiu sat at home, feeling thoroughly helpless. Now he wondered if he'd made Fina's character a bit too naive and innocent.

Actively seeking Natasha's help—what was she thinking? And in making that decision, Fina should have realized the risk of information leakage, but judging from her behavior, she'd never considered that at all.

At this moment, she was in her room, waiting for Natasha's reply while engrossed in studying her spell models, carefully choosing which model to use for breaking through the apprentice rank. She was totally absorbed, without a single stray thought.

Truth be told, there was nothing much going on with Elm Street; it just had a slightly above-average concentration of negative energy. The reason was likely a normal accumulation from the world's energetic activity. All Fina needed to do was visit the street, submit a relevant report, and that would be it.

Such a simple matter had been complicated by Fina's actions.

Moreover, since others were bound to get involved, Yang Qiu decided not to stick to his original plan. Since they wanted to use this incident to get closer to supernatural events, he would grant them their wish.

After all, the place already suffered from excessive negative energy accumulation. Creating a corresponding negative energy entity wouldn't be difficult.

A few hours later, inside Elm Street, a man in a black jacket surveyed his surroundings warily. Once he was sure no one was watching, he slipped into an underground passage through a concealed entrance.

"Kadar, how's it looking?" A man in a gaudy robe and headscarf asked from inside the basement.

"Amanda, it's not good. The operation might have to be suspended. The police station received two calls, both orders from higher authorities. We're told to prepare personnel files for everyone on Elm Street—they'll be coming to collect them soon. Also, all officers are instructed not to leave their posts and await further orders," Kadar replied heavily, his eyes darting as he spoke, lost in thought.

Amanda slapped the table hard. "No way, we can't stop now! Every extra second the goods stay here, the risk grows—and the boss is pushing hard, they're desperate for supply!"

"What are we supposed to do? You don't expect me to move the goods openly in broad daylight, do you? And the deputy chief dropped me a hint: this time, the folks coming to town are no small fry, and their status is pretty high," Kadar sat down, removing his jacket to reveal a police uniform underneath.

"Did you mess up last time?" Amanda snapped at Kadar, furious.

"What more could I have done? The files and reports all clearly state 'cause of death unknown.' That's as far as I could go. This place is small, not many people—if we name a scapegoat, it'll blow up even faster. You can't expect me to simply erase the deaths from the records! If I could do that, I'd already be chief!" Kadar retorted, glaring at Amanda. "And the money? Where's the money? I'm taking huge risks here—where's my payment?"

"I told you! The money comes only after the goods are shipped! Only a third has moved, and now you want to stop? You're blaming me?" Amanda roared.

If not for the soundproofing around the basement, his shouting would have been overheard by passersby for sure.

"You blame me? Those three couriers just wanted more money per pound! Why not give it to them? Or wait until the goods are delivered, then deal with them!" Kadar pounded the table, refusing to back down.

The two glared at each other for a full minute.

"Forget it, arguing with you gets us nowhere. Starting now, don't leave this place. I need to get back to the station—being absent too long will raise suspicion. I'll update you as soon as I get any news," Kadar said, changing into a different colored jacket and exiting the basement through a hidden passage.