Agent May

Considering the adversarial relationship between Mrs. Peggy Carter and Hydra, the blonde beauty before her was clearly sent by Fury to monitor her. Daisy had anticipated this, but she hadn't expected a seasoned agent to be assigned to surveillance duty.

It's unknown whether the blonde woman's thoughts were similar to Daisy's, but this civilian woman was definitely here to monitor her!

As a descendant of a distinguished agent, Sharon's starting point was high, but challenges were equally abundant. The higher-ups didn't want to see another Carter joining S.H.I.E.L.D.; there was already a nearly seventy-year age gap between Peggy Carter and Sharon. Was the Carter family devoid of capable members? Not at all! Their family was vast, and the main lineage of the Carter family had previously attempted to enter S.H.I.E.L.D., but each one had been thwarted by various circumstances.

It wasn't until Agent Peggy Carter reached the ripe age of ninety, with her old contacts all depleted, that Sharon Carter was finally accepted into S.H.I.E.L.D. in the same cohort as Daisy.

Sharon Carter quickly suppressed her annoyance – she was accustomed to this.

From childhood to adulthood, the household staff, neighbours, schoolteachers, and people monitoring her were unceasing. She didn't mind having one more or one less.

However, the instant display of enmity was caught by Daisy – Sharon's expression had betrayed her. She couldn't fathom where this feeling came from.

The two quickly concluded their sparring session, their enthusiasm undiminished, and they still appeared as harmonious as they did initially.

Laughing and chatting all the way, they rode the elevator back to their respective rooms, nodding and smiling at each other before parting ways. Daisy's face was starting to ache from all the smiling.

"Women's friendships are so unreliable..." she muttered, watching Sharon enter her room. Daisy turned back towards the elevator, determined to enjoy a satisfying meal this time.

Sharon Carter, who had been leaning against the door the whole time, heard Daisy's footsteps gradually fade away, further confirming Daisy's task – she was being surveilled, and now she was likely reporting to her superiors!

The blonde woman sighed, uncertain whether her decision to come to S.H.I.E.L.D. was right or wrong.

Daisy was unaware of the misunderstanding she had caused her pseudo-friend. She entered the cafeteria, grabbed a heap of fried chicken wings and legs, and sat in a corner to eat.

To appear more ladylike, she also ordered a plate of doughnuts, a favorite among enhanced individuals.

When there were fewer people around, she indulged in chicken legs, and when the cafeteria was bustling, she enjoyed her doughnuts.

Halfway through her meal, she fetched five slices of cake, fifteen pieces of chocolate, and a large bowl of mashed potatoes.

Occasional passersby would see this beauty, foreigners finding her eating a delightful spectacle. Little did they know that she had been in the cafeteria for a full hour!

"Satisfying!" As copious amounts of food entered her body and her digestive system distributed energy to her cells, a deep sense of contentment flooded her being. This experience couldn't be articulated in words, so she summed it up with a single word – "satisfying."

Just as she was preparing to return to her room, she heard someone nearby say, "Overeating can lead to digestive problems. You've eaten so much."

She had seen the approaching person earlier but hadn't paid much attention, thinking that eating a lot was a crime?

A Chinese-American woman in black combat attire stood before her, curiously studying her.

A familiar stranger, Daisy reached out to introduce herself, "Daisy Johnson."

The other person quickly gave her a once-over with her eyes, noting the absence of any food residue on Daisy's hands, before extending her own hand. "I'm Melinda May. Do you speak Chinese?" She asked the last part in Chinese.

Hearing the strange-sounding Chinese from the other person, Daisy couldn't help but feel puzzled. Why were these people showing off their Chinese language skills? They all had a distinct Minnan accent, just like Madam Gao, and now this Agent May.

If she were to speak in her native Beijing accent, she would arouse suspicion. Fortunately, she had thought about this before coming here. She mimicked the way foreigners spoke Chinese, elongating her tongue and pulling her back molars inwards, using English pronunciation to laboriously say, "A little bit."

If she were to speak like this in her previous life, she'd be deemed intellectually disabled, eligible to apply for disability benefits.

Melinda May was pleased to hear that Daisy could "speak" Chinese, praising her for not forgetting her roots. "Fury values you a lot. He sees great potential in you," Melinda May said candidly in English, no longer toying with the idea of using Chinese.

Daisy didn't want to brag, so she could only acknowledge that she had many areas to improve in.

"Have you finished eating?"

"Yes..."

"Head to the training room. Let me see your skills." With that, Melinda May walked towards the training room on her own, and Daisy felt that it wouldn't be appropriate to turn back to her room at this point, so she followed along.

They randomly selected a training arena.

"What martial arts do you know?"

"Karate."

"Anything else?"

"...Not really."

Melinda May's eyebrows furrowed. "Karate is quite basic. Come, attack me. Let me show you some real skills."

Did this world even have true martial arts? Daisy knew that it did – Shangri-La, Penglai, they were real places. The people there could truly claim to know martial arts, like Madame Gao, who had been exiled but lived for four hundred years.

At best, Agent Melinda May had decent combat skills.

However, Daisy didn't underestimate her opponent. Even though she knew she couldn't win, she still assumed a karate stance and warned, "Be careful."

Stepping forward to close the attack range, with a sudden step-in punch, she aimed directly at Melinda's face. Melinda reacted swiftly, tilting her head to dodge the punch, and with her right hand, she grabbed Daisy's wrist, using her foot to trip her.

Daisy's response was equally swift. Her right foot traced half an arc, evading the leg trip, while simultaneously reaching to grab Melinda's arm.

"Not bad, it seems you've trained hard," Melinda commented while observing Daisy's movements. Footwork was crucial in combat; without proper footwork, even deep mastery of techniques wouldn't be effective.

In just two exchanges, Melinda found herself intrigued by the Chinese-American agent that Fury had emphasised.

She transitioned into a Crane form from Xingyi Fist, using her left hand to deflect Daisy's attack and following up with a palm strike.

Daisy attempted to circle around from the side, but Melinda's palm strike seamlessly adjusted with her footwork, almost like a shadow, forcing Daisy to raise her arm to block.

Shifting her weight back, Daisy delivered a side kick straight at Melinda's abdomen.

"Fancy," Melinda said with a hint of disdain in her tone, taking two steps back. She evaded Daisy's subsequent spinning kick as well.

"See, these flashy moves have little practical use. You should focus on learning more refined techniques," she said with some frustration.

Daisy was well aware of the mixed bag in karate instruction. In just a week, she had defeated her instructor, exposing the instructor's limited skill. However, she didn't have many options at the time. Now, seeing Melinda's friendly attitude, she approached her training earnestly.

Melinda May's teaching experience was nearly nonexistent. While she excelled in her own training, teaching others was a different challenge altogether. Much of her knowledge was based on combat experience, which outsiders could only grasp; even she struggled to articulate advanced theories.

Fortunately, Daisy had some foundation and was intelligent. Well-fed and well-rested, she was in an unprecedented state of readiness.

The two engaged in a blend of sparring and instruction, during which Daisy picked up several combat techniques.