Marvel: Master Of Role-Playing-Chapter 206: Reed Joins S.H.I.E.L.D.

Dick had already sent the shopping list to Ben’s personal terminal. With that on hand, the man quickly finished buying everything they needed for dinner at Walmart. But just as he was about to leave, he spotted a familiar figure outside the store entrance.

’Is that...?’

The abilities of the Fantastic Four came from cosmic energy within their bodies. But gaining those powers also brought biological changes. Because of that, Ben was quite familiar with some of the researchers from LexCorp’s biology division.

He had excellent vision. There was almost no chance he was mistaken.

Just now, Richard, the head of the biology lab, had walked past the entrance, carrying something in his arms, clearly in a hurry. The expression on his face looked anxious.

But what could possibly trouble him in New York City?

Even though he only held the title of a researcher, everyone knew that Richard owned five percent of LexCorp’s shares. That wasn’t a secret.

"Richard?"

Curious, Ben stepped out of the store right away. But by the time he reached the entrance, Richard had already vanished.

"That’s odd. He moved that fast?"

Scratching his head, Ben didn’t think too much of it. Richard’s behavior might’ve been strange, but it wasn’t really his business to worry about.

"Hey, Ben! What are you staring at?"

The voice came from above. Along with gasps from nearby pedestrians, Ben looked up and saw Johnny, fully engulfed in flames, hovering over his head.

"Johnny? What are you doing here?"

"Man, do you even realize how long you’ve been gone? It’s been over an hour. Luthor already came out of my sister’s room, and you’re still not back from a simple grocery run. After checking the logs from earlier, Dick sent me out to find you."

"Yeah, about that..."

Ben looked a bit embarrassed. Being stuck for over an hour because of reporters and fans wasn’t something easy to explain. freewёbnoνel.com

"There were some unexpected situations. I mean, I can’t fly."

As he spoke, Ben activated his belt. Cosmic energy surged through his body, and he transformed back into the Thing. Then he reached out and grabbed Johnny’s hand.

"Let’s see if you can actually pull me along."

"Bring it on!"

* * *

"I swear, Ben, I am never flying with you again."

Back at the Fantastic Four’s apartment, Johnny collapsed onto the couch. He looked completely burned out. Ben, on the other hand, quietly handed the groceries over to Dick, who had just walked out of the kitchen.

"I’m only 500 pounds in this form. That’s not even that much. You seriously couldn’t handle that?"

"What are you talking about? I’m only 170 pounds!"

While the two bickered, Dick was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Susan, who had been in her room the whole time, was still excited after setting the date for her wedding with Luthor.

It was supposed to be a calm, uneventful night. Until Susan suddenly came out of her room with a serious look on her face.

"Sue, is something wrong?"

Ben, who had been watching a talk show with Johnny, noticed her expression right away and stood up from the couch.

Dick stepped out of the kitchen too, removing his apron as he walked over.

Even Johnny, the most carefree of the group, paused the show and turned to look at his sister.

"Everyone, we have an emergency. A portion of the cosmic storm samples stored in the basement has gone missing, along with Richard, who was participating in today’s experiment. Lex wants us to locate him as soon as possible."

"What?!" Shouting, Johnny jumped to his feet, but Dick had already started moving.

He walked to the TV and pressed a button. Within seconds, the television transformed into a high-tech supercomputer with direct access to the LexCorp satellite network.

"Johnny, patrol the skies over New York. Look for anything out of the ordinary. Sue and Ben, you both head into the city too. I’ll stay here and monitor everything through the data system. As soon as I find anything, I’ll notify you right away."

"Got it!" All three responded.

* * *

Time rewinds to the day the Fantastic Four successfully stopped the hijacked plane.

At the edge of the airport, as Susan and Ben brought the falling aircraft to a steady landing without a single casualty, the surrounding crowd and passengers waiting to board their own flights erupted into cheers.

In that moment, all the people who had doubted LexCorp—who thought the company was just using the hero gimmick to break into the entertainment industry—were left speechless.

Could paid actors really do what the Fantastic Four just did? Intercept a crashing plane in midair?

Could even Hollywood’s best special effects teams pull off a scene so massive and real?

Among the onlookers, there was one man silently observing everything.

It was Reed.

After losing his identity as a researcher and scientist, he finally realized just how out of place he was in every other part of life.

He had a brilliant mind but lacked emotional awareness. In science, people called that focus. Outside of it, it just meant he couldn’t adapt.

He had tried finding a job, but most employers rejected him during the interview stage alone.

Years of being a scientist made it hard for him to blend into ordinary life.

But this time, watching his best friend Ben standing strong and fearless, he genuinely felt happy.

’This,’ he thought, ’is the kind of life Ben was meant to live.’

And if he hadn’t miscalculated, if the experiment hadn’t gone wrong, he believed he would have been right there with them.

At least, that’s what Reed told himself.

As he turned to leave the scene, planning to apply for another job at a restaurant before the sun went down, a man with thinning hair stepped into his path.

"Are you Mr. Reed Richards?"

The man was, of course, Coulson, sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. to recruit Reed as a research scientist.

In this world, perhaps only them or HYDRA had the courage to bring the man on board.

Reed didn’t have much of a choice either. Besides, working for others didn’t bother him. As long as he could still do scientific research and didn’t have to compromise his values, he could accept it.

And from what he could tell, this agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t seem all that bad.

* * *

Reed’s entry into the spy organization went smoothly. But once he joined, certain people inside the agency began to stir.

First was Nick Fury.

He started thinking about how to make the most of the man’s genius. Having someone like him work alongside the usual research team on regular weapons would be a complete waste.

The best option was to get their hands on the samples of the cosmic storm energy.

So after a brief discussion with Alexander Pierce, Fury issued a direct order: make contact with Richard Parker again. Even if they had to use more aggressive tactics, they needed Parker to hand over some samples of the cosmic storm energy.

Neither Fury nor Pierce could hide their interest in the method LexCorp had used to create superpowered individuals.

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