Phil Coulson had been feeling very tired lately. Yorn Arthur, a trainee agent who joined SHIELD some time ago, had been out of contact for almost two months. His cell phone location consistently showed him at the Atlantis restaurant. When Coulson inquired with the restaurant staff, they said Arthur had gone on a trip, but no information about his travels could be found.
Coulson understood that Arthur preferred to be active in the sea, making it difficult for him to carry his mobile phone. He made a mental note to get Arthur a waterproof phone next time.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark, the CEO of Stark Industries, had been kidnapped by terrorists in the Middle East a few days prior. SHIELD was ordered to participate in the investigation and rescue efforts. SHIELD's secret investigation recently suggested that Stark Industries executives might be involved in the kidnapping. Fortunately, military personnel located Tony Stark in the desert yesterday after he had been missing for a week, much to Coulson's relief.
"Where on earth did Arthur go?" Coulson fumed, "When I find him, I'm deducting half a year's salary!"
"Goodbye, Xiaoba! Goodbye, everyone!" Arthur waved farewell to the giant beasts in the bottomless abyss. Arthur had spent a month practicing at the bottom of the abyss, completely saturating his energy. He wondered where he would find a sea area with even greater energy for his next upgrade.
After leaving the abyss, Arthur swam towards the ocean surface. He was wary of traveling in the deep sea near Atlantis again; if he encountered another maelstrom, he had no idea where he might end up next.
Fifty meters above the sea in the Bermuda Triangle, Arthur soared through the air. He had discovered that the Poseidon Trident allowed him to fly for short distances, an incredibly useful ability. Finally able to fly, Arthur was overjoyed as he headed for New York, ready to return home.
It had been nearly two months since he left, a month longer than his planned return. He wondered how the restaurant was faring. Did they miss him?
"Oops, I forgot about Tony Stark," he mused. Based on news from two months ago, Tony should have been kidnapped. Had he already created the Iron Armor? Had Coulson contacted him? Arthur thought of this and immediately accelerated, flying faster towards New York.
On a night as the moon hung high, at the Atlantis restaurant, Isa sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows, her hand on her chin, lost in thought as she gazed at the crescent moon. "Why hasn't the boss come back yet?" she wondered aloud.
Aomily, sitting nearby, playfully teased, "Oh, is our beautiful Isa thinking about her boss again?"
Isa blushed and replied coyly, "Yes, I just miss the boss. Don't you?"
Aomily also showed a look of longing on her face. "Indeed," she sighed, "When will the boss return?"
Lina joined them. All the restaurant staff strongly expressed their disapproval of Arthur's behavior, leaving the shop in their care.
"Why haven't you gone home yet?" It was Zhao Long, Jack, and Mike, who had already finished packing up the kitchen and were ready to leave work.
"We want to discuss why the boss hasn't come back yet. Has he contacted any of you?" Isa asked Zhao Long.
"No, the boss hasn't contacted us," the three of them replied, shaking their heads.
"I'm so mad," Isa exclaimed indignantly. "When he comes back, that irresponsible boss needs to give us a raise!"
"A raise!" Arthur's voice boomed from behind the crowd. "Everyone's wages will be increased!"
"Boss!" "Ah!" "Boss, you're finally back!" All six exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes, I'm back!" Arthur said, looking at the excited group. "Don't go home yet, everyone. How about we have a drink and a barbecue?"
"Yeah, barbecue! BBQ!" Lina clapped her hands happily.
"You just can't stop thinking about eating!" O'Milly gently patted Lina's head, and Lina playfully made a face.
On the beach under the starry sky, seven people gathered around a table laden with all sorts of barbecue, fruit, side dishes, and wine. All seven listened intently as Arthur regaled them with tales of his adventures.
"And just like that, I killed the evil king of Atlantis with a single punch! Afterward, the people of Atlantis made me their new king, the Sea King, to show their gratitude!" Arthur boasted, completely carried away with his story.
"Wow! The boss is amazing!" Isa's eyes twinkled with admiration as she looked at Arthur, while the other four simply curled their lips in apparent disgust.
"You actually believe that? Boss, are you drunk? How many drinks have you had?" Zhao Long mercilessly interjected.
"Boss, why didn't you say you went to Namek, defeated Frieza, and then became the One Piece?" Jack chimed in, sounding like a seasoned anime fan.
"..." Arthur was speechless. "To be honest, you still don't believe me?"
Among the seven, only Lina was engrossed in devouring the delicious food, barely registering their conversation.
"Cheers!" "Cheers!" All seven clinked their glasses and drank them dry.
After listening to Jack's report, Arthur was pleased to hear that the restaurant's business was booming. He decided to allow everyone to invest in the restaurant, and they would all receive a dividend at the end of the year.
"Yeah!" "Long live the boss!" The six people cheered happily upon hearing the news of the dividend. Seeing the joyous faces before him, Arthur finally felt a sense of "home."
In the end, everyone was drunk. The three women were sprawled on the table, while Zhao Long and Mike lay on the beach. Only Jack and Arthur remained sober.
"Boss, that man named Coulson has been here to see you several times since you left," Jack informed him.
"Okay," Arthur said, looking at the intoxicated group. "Let's get them inside so they don't catch a cold."
Ultimately, Arthur and Jack carried the five into the dining room and settled them onto the booth sofas. Jack then found a sofa for himself to rest.
Arthur stepped outside alone, pulled out the mobile phone Coulson had given him, and dialed Coulson's number.
"Arthur? Do you know when you're coming back? Where have you been?" Even Coulson, known for his calm unshakeable demeanor, sounded a little excited.
"I just got back. I went to the Kingdom of Atlantis to deal with some things," Arthur replied.
"Atlantis? Can you explain what happened," Coulson's interest was immediately piqued.
Arthur briefly recounted his experience, omitting any mention of his increased strength or the artifact he had acquired.
"Okay, in that case, please write a detailed report for tomorrow. We need to archive this information," Coulson instructed.
"Okay, I understand." Arthur hung up the phone.
Arthur looked at the Atlantis restaurant behind him. He felt it was time to buy a house. Now that he no longer needed to practice at the bottom of the sea every day, he should live a normal life. "Yes, I'll buy a house tomorrow!" Arthur thought with determination.
The next day, Arthur first visited a gold shop and exchanged a small portion of the gold coins from his personal vault for dollars. Combined with the restaurant's income from recent months, it should be just enough to purchase a villa.
Arthur found the largest real estate agency in New York and selected a seaside villa within ten kilometers of the restaurant. The villa was built on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea, somewhat reminiscent of Tony Stark's villa.
Of course, this villa had only two floors and a total area of just over 300 square meters, making it incomparable to Tony's. This villa cost US$1,000,000, and Arthur had to sell two antiques to afford it.