Druid in the Marvel Universe

In a dark, damp alley in Hell's Kitchen, NYC.

A tall, buff Chinese dude stood there with a black crow chillin' on his shoulder.

He was chatting with a Slavic chick with platinum blonde hair and a killer body, even though she was dressed pretty plain.

"Look, lady, I saved you, but it was just a fluke. Just say thanks, and we're done," the guy said, all serious-like.

He didn't even seem to notice how hot she was, like she had zero effect on him.

"But I don't know where to go? I don't remember anything about my past. The only thing I recall is you saving me from the beach," Anna said, clutching her collar, looking all panicked.

She looked so pitiful, anyone would wanna protect her.

But the guy was stone-cold. He glanced at the trash can in the alley, where a few thugs were knocked out with twisted limbs.

Sighing, he realized they were so obvious, like they thought they had him figured out.

He just shrugged and said, "Miss Natasha Romanoff, let's cut the crap! What do you or your people really want?"

He knew who she was: a super agent trained by the old Soviet Red Room, now working for S.H.I.E.L.D., probably over 80 years old.

Natasha, busted, didn't even flinch.

She adjusted her expression, ran her hand through her platinum blonde hair, and lifted her chin, turning into the charming super agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Mr. Alvin Ye, can we first talk about how you know me? You've become someone we're interested in."

Alvin was just as confused about why S.H.I.E.L.D. was interested in him.

Since he crossed over three years ago, he hadn't done anything to catch S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eye.

In his past life, Alvin was Ye Qing, a regular middle-aged guy from China, with a wife and kid.

His crossing over was kinda funny. While moving, he found an old laptop he used in high school under his bed.

On a whim, he tried it and it surprisingly turned on. During a break, he played the classic game "Diablo II" on it.

Being a cheat code junkie, he downloaded a character and item modifier. He made a Druid character with maxed-out summoning skills and all attributes at 20, ready to relive the nostalgia by clearing maps with summoned creatures.

Of course, he also filled his enhanced backpack and stash with runes, prepping to make rune gear. Oh, and the essential "Horadric Cube."

But whether it was the old laptop or the powerful modifier, the laptop exploded as soon as he started the game with the modded character.

Ye Qing crossed over with his created legacy, into the body of a young Alvin Ye in the Marvel universe.

Realizing he was in the Marvel universe, he decided to keep a low profile.

If he couldn't find a way back, he planned to live out his life quietly here.

Even though he had ten summoning abilities from "Diablo II," he never showed them off. So why was S.H.I.E.L.D. after him?

This puzzled him, as he was just a restaurant owner in Hell's Kitchen.

But from Natasha's tone earlier, it seemed their initial target wasn't him. This gave Alvin a bit of relief, as he didn't wanna mess with a big, violent organization like S.H.I.E.L.D.

Thinking it over, Alvin said, "The day I pulled you outta the sea, someone was yelling your name through your earpiece. So, I just took you to the hospital. Look, Miss Romanoff, I don't want any drama, and agents usually bring a ton of it."

With that, Alvin waved his hand, trying to wrap up this awkward convo.

Natasha touched her ear, like she was listening to someone. After about 20 seconds, she nodded at Alvin and smiled, "I guess I should thank you for fishing me out of the sea. So, thanks!"

"You're welcome. Now, can I go? I gotta look after my restaurant," Alvin said, not even trying to fake it, knowing she was a pro at spotting lies.

He made it clear he wanted to end this chat.

Natasha looked at Alvin, biting her lip out of habit, and smiled, "You're not my mission target this time. It's just that your restaurant's location is super convenient for me to get close to my target. Hope you don't mind having an extra hot waitress around, right?" With that, Natasha placed her hand on Alvin's shoulder and leaned in close.

But before she could get any closer, Alvin shivered, stepped back, and raised his hand to stop her.

Knowing she was over 80 years old, Alvin, a Virgo, couldn't handle any physical closeness with her.

Alvin said coldly, "Miss Romanoff, show some respect! I don't care what you or your people are up to, just stay away from my restaurant! Even though I helped you, I really don't want any trouble. Hell's Kitchen is already a mess..."

He pointed to the knocked-out thugs, showing that this agent wasn't taking her mission seriously, more like she was just going through the motions.

Natasha's expression turned strange. Not many people could turn her down, making her even more curious about this restaurant owner.

Adjusting her collar, Natasha revealed her cold agent side and said, "Alvin Ye, Chinese orphan, parents died in a street shootout when you were 8, then you were adopted by an orphanage. At 18, you came back to Hell's Kitchen to take over your parents' restaurant."

She continued with a cold smile, "Within a month, everyone involved in that shootout died one by one. Mr. Ye, how do you think they died?"

Alvin shrugged, "Who knows? If you find out, Miss Romanoff, let me know so I can write a thank-you note. Or if you wanna call the cops, I can lend you my phone to dial 911."

Natasha looked at Alvin mockingly, "The cops might not care about those scumbags, but the local gangs would definitely wanna know why two famous gangs vanished mysteriously."

Natasha's threat made Alvin inexplicably angry. It seemed she didn't care about her own safety, even though he had saved her from the sea a few days ago. Maybe in her mind, the mission was all that mattered, or this was just payback for his non-cooperation.

Sensing Alvin's anger, the crow on his shoulder cawed twice and flew up, circling above the alley.

Alvin stared into Natasha's eyes and said in a voice as cold as ice, "Is this how you treat your savior? As an agent, you threaten a law-abiding citizen? Who gave you that right? Now, I just want you and your people to get out of my territory. This is Hell's Kitchen. I hate trouble, but I'm never afraid of it!"