Dum Dum sifted through the shared memory archives in his mind and found a report uploaded by one of his hundreds of clones. He spoke honestly: "As far as I know, he doesn't belong to anyone. I couldn't find any traces of outside interference in any of his actions."
"Good. Let's reanalyze the report you gave me. You spent a week confirming that this person, capable of using unknown methods to create biochemical weapons, trading openly with Blade, and attacking vampires, has one major suspicious trait… he might prefer raw meat over cooked?" Fury's voice carried heavy sarcasm.
Dum Dum forced a smile. "If I say that's not my conclusion, would you believe me?"
He knew this answer was so bad it could only come from a mind crushed by a door.
"I believe you," Fury replied coldly. "In fact, I'm more inclined to suspect that the one standing in front of me isn't your main Level-10 body, but a clone whose competence doesn't even match that of a Level-2 agent."
Fury stared at Dum Dum. The guy couldn't even muster up the energy to suggest something as absurd as "he uses his cute pet animals to eat raw meat."
Encountering a lazy clone was unlucky enough, but getting one that couldn't think at all? That was infuriating.
Dum Dum lowered his head, thinking about how to deceive Fury into believing the faulty memory shared by his archive.
"Alright," Fury said, breaking the silence. "I roughly understand the situation now. Tell your main body to shift focus back… just a bit."
"Understood. But I can't guarantee my main body will review the information I upload in time."
Fury's forehead throbbed. Were it not for the weakened version of the super-soldier serum in his system, he might have had a stroke.
"Based on the intelligence we have, combined with Blade's information, this person can be approached but not trusted for now. He's the legal owner of a company, exploiting legal loopholes by claiming to conduct biological research, supposedly developing a cure for mutants. Who approved such nonsense?" Fury demanded.
It sounded utterly idiotic.
Dum Dum scratched his temple, searching through his memories for something useful, or at least a lie that could prove he wasn't an incompetent clone.
"Because recently, there have been many scammers using similar excuses to get government funding."
A voice interrupted their exchange. A man approached with a calm, self-assured gait and a faint, peculiar smile. It was Coulson.
"Compared to those scammers," Coulson said, "this one is a graduate of Zurich University with a degree in genetics. At least he has some solid academic papers to bolster his credibility. That said, he didn't manage to secure funding—only a plot of land for experimentation. However, the interesting part is that there's a record of government funds being transferred to Weyland Biotech."
"Corruption. Disgraceful!" Fury slammed his fist on the table, flipping it over with his superhuman strength. "Who's in charge of this? How could they let it happen?"
"Colonel Stryker," Coulson replied calmly.
"Oh."
A brief silence followed.
Dum Dum tapped his head and said, "I just reviewed a memory. A clone monitoring the target reported a robbery at a cooked food warehouse. It seems the target ran out of money and had to resort to direct methods. More importantly, he even stole back the money he'd paid the clone—probably intending to use it for the next food purchase."
"I see," Fury said, narrowing his eyes. "So this raw meat enthusiast robbed your cooked food warehouse. Let me get this straight—he's so terrifyingly criminal that he can't even distinguish between raw and cooked food?"
Dum Dum's face stiffened.
Coulson interjected. "Blade conducted three transactions with him, totaling only $200,000. Unfortunately, Blade refused to hand over the biological samples, denying us a chance to study them. Not that it matters—the corrosive nature of the blood would make research nearly impossible. It can dissolve even high-grade alloys. The design itself seems aimed at countering reverse genetic decoding. Even the diluted samples Duncan provided were potent."
Coulson was still unfamiliar with the characteristics of the Xenomorphs. Even if Duncan created artificial ones through genetic fragments, those creatures wouldn't obey him. Instead, they'd wreak havoc in S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Blade is a formidable warrior, but not an ideal agent. He has his principles, and when he's stubborn, there's nothing you can do. Let's do this: allocate another $200,000 to your clones for research funding," Fury instructed.
With a wave of his hand, Fury approved the funds, adding, "And remember to bill the Big Five nations for $2 billion. Tell them to wire the money immediately."
"Boss, I doubt they'll believe that a quirky scientist who barely handles a few vampires is worth $2 billion," Dum Dum pointed out, his sharp observation surfacing.
"Impossible," Fury declared firmly. "If he can create such powerful, unknown biological entities that can even defeat vampires, he's worth the price."
But what Fury truly thought was another matter.
In his eyes, Duncan's work, while novel, was only marginally promising in the field of biotechnology. It might take years, even decades, before any groundbreaking advancements emerged that made him truly valuable.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was privy to countless secrets that could determine humanity's survival. They also had access to many special powers—whether undersea, in K'un-Lun, on the moon, through sorcerers, demons, celestials, icebergs, black dragons, or aliens.
So for now, Duncan wasn't worth Fury's personal attention.
"Keep monitoring him. Focus on assessing his psychological state. Verify whether his personality is stable and trustworthy before making further decisions."
There was no way surveillance would cease. Duncan's abilities weren't as simple as breathing fire or spewing water; they were advanced enough to commit major crimes effortlessly. Monitoring was inevitable.
Because in this world, the truly dangerous aren't just those with special powers but also those with exceptional intellect.
"Coulson, give me an update on your side," Fury said, swiftly moving on. Spending a few minutes discussing Duncan was already exceptional. Other matters demanded his attention.
Coulson's smile faded slightly. "Not great. After his father's death, Banner went into hiding for a while. He's now been located and is being pursued worldwide."