At the beginning of her interactions with Bi Xiao, Natasha felt somewhat fearful, especially sensing the terrifying aura emanating from him.
It seemed as if his wild nature could awaken at any moment and tear her apart.
This was instinct.
However, after several encounters, and considering the nature of Bi Xiao's victims, Natasha's perception of him began to change.
No matter how many people he killed, regardless of how rational, or how much of a genius he was, he was still just a seventeen-year-old boy. From his profile, Natasha believed that a series of experiences, the disintegration of his family, the death of his parents, bullying, and surviving in a harsh environment had shaped him.
He chose to explode and awaken some special power, but he did not seek revenge against society, and his mind was not completely twisted.
He hated and slaughtered gangs and thugs, but when faced with innocent people, he refrained from killing, indicating that there was still kindness in his heart.
Such a clear distinction between love and hate gradually reduced Natasha's fear of him. She knew she was not on his hit list.
She bore no malice towards him, and naturally, he harbored no killing intent towards her.
Realizing this, Natasha began to feel pity and sympathy for him—emotions commonly found in empathetic women, or perhaps in all humanity.
Setting aside these feelings, Natasha also developed a strong curiosity about the incident at the Stonewall Bar.
Bi Xiao's initial actions, buying silver, crafting weapons smeared with silver powder, and going to the Stonewall Bar, coupled with witness descriptions and the eerie scene when the police sealed the area, made it hard not to think of a certain creature.
That was what Natasha and Coulson had previously speculated.
Vampires.
All of this confirmed the existence of vampires, a creature Natasha once believed did not exist. If vampires indeed exist, do werewolves exist as well?
Do the original ancestors of vampires and werewolves exist?
This made what was once a seemingly normal world suddenly veer into the realm of fantasy.
This shift was something Natasha had never anticipated.
But more so, it made Natasha somewhat fearful. If vampires truly existed, considering her numerous past missions involving supernatural beings, would she still be alive?
Now that the Stonewall Bar case was being handled by S.H.I.E.L.D., which had secretly begun an investigation, Natasha's curiosity about Bi Xiao intensified.
This handsome, straightforward big boy—how did he come to discover vampires? Was it during a deliberate exploration in New York when he accidentally noticed them? So he immediately equipped himself with weapons capable of killing vampires?
If so, then this big boy might be more than just a butcher; he has a kind heart, a protective spirit. The more detailed his profile analysis, the more it shows that due to his tragic past, he shows no mercy to evildoers, only coldness and ruthlessness.
But upon discovering the species of vampires, he traveled all the way to the Brooklyn district, bursting into the Stonewall Bar to slaughter vampires.
Such a person made Natasha's remaining fear dissipate, turning from a cold-blooded butcher into a more real person.
Natasha's shift in thinking was something Bi Xiao had not anticipated, but since his mental strength had continually enhanced, his super-strong senses and intuition allowed him to easily discern the emotions of the people in front of him.
Was it a kind of benign intention and... sympathy?
What was this woman thinking?
Bi Xiao felt somewhat baffled as he glanced at this female spy, whose thoughts seemed to change too quickly, even losing her guard and fear.
It seemed that during their time together, not only had this woman lost her vigilance, but she had also imagined something more?
On the surface, Bi Xiao's expression remained unchanged as he continued to engage in seemingly common topics with Natasha, who was skillfully aligning the conversation with his interests, maximizing his favorable impression of her.
Bi Xiao didn't say much else, only mentioning some recent self-study knowledge in areas like computer science, physics, and chemistry.
Such knowledge was not too challenging for Natasha, a top-level spy. While she might not be particularly knowledgeable, she could engage in conversation about anything, especially topics that made the boy feel proud, occasionally showing admiration.
Any man would feel flattered by a beautiful woman's admiring gaze and expression.
Of course, Bi Xiao felt the same, but he was honest; knowing each other's depths, if you want to see vanity, then he also displayed a fittingly proud emotion.
Both were performing, both aware that the other saw through them, and the fake conversation and acting added some interest to the somewhat boring wait for food.
"By the way, Shaw, since I've been busy recently, I plan to rest for a couple of days. I just moved to Queens; can you show me around there? I heard Chinatown here is interesting, and I'm very curious about Asian culture."
As the food arrived and they began to eat, Natasha suddenly extended the invitation.
"Tomorrow?"
Bi Xiao, cutting his steak, did not refuse.
"Tomorrow."
"No problem, I haven't been to Chinatown in a long time either," Bi Xiao thought for a moment and agreed to Natasha's invitation.
Natasha showed happiness: "Wow, thank you, Shaw. You mentioned some Asian specialties before, especially the food. I'm so curious."
"Asia indeed has many wonderful aspects."
Bi Xiao affirmed.
"I'm looking forward to it even more now."
Their meal, along with the chat, dessert, and coffee afterward, lasted a full hour. After confirming the time for the next morning at eight, they went their separate ways.
Bi Xiao walked straight home without looking back, no gentlemanly gestures of escorting Natasha home.
After all, she only had a short walk to her place, and they both knew they were just performing, so what gentlemanly facade was there to maintain?
~~~
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