Ch.: 7. FBI, Hydra, Nelson

Manav cleaned up the debris from the broken window and removed his iron trapdoor. He replaced it with a wooden block, covering the hole that led to his underground base. Once he was done, he picked up his phone book, flipped through the pages, and found a repair company's contact number. Without hesitation, he dialed.

Later in the evening, Manav stood looking at the newly installed window.

Sigh "My money is rapidly disappearing... If this keeps up, I won't have enough for food or to pay the water and electricity bills," Manav muttered to himself, staring at his dwindling funds.

He paused for a moment, then his face brightened. "Wait, why not sell glass blocks made from my crafting table?" His eyes gleamed as an idea struck him.

Manav walked to the wooden block and began digging it, but just as he was about to remove it, he heard a knock on the door.

Knock

Knock

Knock

Annoyed but curious, Manav walked to the door and opened it, only to be greeted by several agents in black suits and sunglasses.

"FBI! We're here to investigate. Please step aside and let us check your house," the lead agent said, stepping into the house with the others trailing behind. Manav stepped aside, careful not to touch them.

"Do you have a warrant, officers?" Manav asked, raising his phone to record the encounter.

"Please shut off your camera," one of the agents barked, attempting to push the phone down. Manav dodged him and quickly dialed George Stacy.

"Hello? The FBI's here without a warrant... okay, I'll wait," Manav said before hanging up. He dialed another number.

"Hello, Murdoch and Nelson Law Firm, how can I help you?" a voice came through the speaker.

"Hi, I want to hire you as my lawyers. The FBI is checking my house without a warrant… okay." He ended the call and turned his attention back to the agents, still recording.

"Sir, we have some questions. Please cooperate," one of the agents said as he stepped closer to Manav.

"I'll wait for my lawyers," Manav replied, maintaining a calm demeanor. The agent muttered something to his superior, and after a few moments, he was signaled to check another room.

After what felt like an eternity, George Stacy and Nelson arrived at Manav's door.

"Hello, Manav. I'll handle this," George said, stepping forward to confront the agents.

"Are you Mr. Manav who called us?" Nelson asked, walking over to Manav.

"Yes, I was the one who called you. I want you to sue these FBI officers," Manav explained.

"Okay, I'll prepare the necessary documents," Nelson said, nodding as he took a seat and began typing.

"Oh, and Mr. Nelson, if they offer me some ransom, I might just let it go and not pursue a case," Manav added, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Alright, Mr. Manav. I'll try to get a ransom directly. If not, we'll go to court," Nelson agreed.

"Until the lawsuit's settled, I'll take them to the police station," George Stacy interjected.

"Thank you, Mr. Stacy," Manav replied, nodding his appreciation.

"Just doing my job," George said, signaling the agents to leave.

"Okay, I'll go with you, Mr. Manav," Nelson said, standing up and heading for the door.

"Alright," Manav replied, closing the door behind them.

As the agents left, Manav pondered the situation. "Shield has been destroyed... but which agency are they from?" he wondered.

Later, Manav dug the wooden block and jumped into the hole leading to his underground base. As he landed, he pulled out a water bucket and poured it on the ground below to cushion his fall. After retrieving the water, he walked over to his crafting table, where a white bed was hovering. He placed it next to his chest and lay down, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.

[Ding! Respawn point set.]

Manav sat up, recalling the moment he had been flung out of his window. His body had already been damaged, but just before hitting the ground, he had received a timely prompt.

[Ding! Your bed is complete.]

[New achievement unlocked.]

[Downloading Digital Body to Host.]

[Download complete.]

He smiled, grateful for the prompt. Without it, he'd likely have died from the fall.

"I need to be cautious. The FBI must have found Kilgrave's body, and the puncture wound from the arrow in his neck... But why come to me?" Manav pondered, worry creeping into his thoughts.

At the police station, in a holding cell, the agents were already dead.

"Sir, we found nothing abnormal with the target, but we still need to find more clues," one of the agents muttered into his collar microphone.

"Hail Hydra."

"Hail Hydra."

The agents bit into the poison capsules hidden in their teeth.

---

The next morning, the phone rang.

Ring

Ring

Ring

"Hello?" Manav answered.

"Sorry, Mr. Manav, but the agents were found dead at the police station. Your case is closed, and no one will be coming to you," Nelson's voice came through the speaker.

"Okay, and what about your fees, Mr. Nelson?" Manav asked.

"No need to pay anything. I didn't fight the case, so there's no fee. Thank you for calling. If you have another case, feel free to reach out," Nelson said before hanging up.

Manav thought for a moment, then called back. "Wait, I want to open a company. One that sells various types of glass, toys, and equipment. Can you help me? I'll pay you for your services."

"Sure, I can help. I'll come to your house this evening," Nelson agreed.

Manav breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, I'll prepare the products for the company."

---

Later that evening, Manav sat at his small dining table, eating a breakfast he had prepared himself.

"So, what products should I sell for my company?" he mused aloud.

He spent the rest of the day jotting down ideas—basic objects from his previous life, things that made sense but wouldn't raise suspicion. His list included glass, glass panes, slime blocks, sponge blocks, ice blocks, spyglasses, lamps, and more.

He slipped the paper into a compartment under the table and walked to the bathroom.

---

By the time he reached the dockyards, it had been half an hour, but he was determined. He made his way to the secret spot from the previous day, where he began mining iron blocks from the ships. The process went smoothly, and Manav managed to dig out three times the iron he had mined the day before. But he encountered a problem—his stamina was dropping. Although food could restore it, the sheer quantity of food he needed meant he'd have to craft it himself using his crafting table.

Manav called a taxi back to his house. When he arrived, he saw Nelson waiting at the door, accompanied by a blonde woman.

"Sorry for the delay, Mr. Nelson. I had some urgent business to take care of. Come in, and we'll talk," Manav apologized, inviting them inside.

"No worries, Mr. Manav. We just got here a few minutes ago," Nelson replied as they followed him inside.

"Please, sit down. I'll be back in two minutes," Manav said, gesturing toward the sofa before heading to his room.

He quickly changed into fresh clothes, then went to the kitchen and poured two glasses of soft drinks.

"Here you go," he said, handing them each a glass. "I'll grab the documents."

He walked over to his desk and picked up the papers he had written earlier that day.

"Here are the details," Manav said, handing the paper to Nelson and apologizing to the woman sitting next to him. "Sorry, I only have one copy. I didn't expect you to bring someone with you."

"No worries. I'm just an intern," the woman replied with a wave of her hand.

Nelson glanced over the paper, his face falling slightly. "Mr. Manav, these products seem pretty normal. Who's going to buy them when there's already a saturated market?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Nelson. Tomorrow, I'll have all the samples ready. When you see them, you'll be satisfied. But for now, let's talk about how we should set up the company," Manav reassured him.

He continued, "First, I'll pay you the standard lawyer's fee for helping me set up the company. The rest will be paid in company shares. If the company doesn't succeed, I'll pay you in cash."

They spent the next two hours discussing the terms, adding a few additional conditions along the way.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning with my staff to review your products," Nelson said as they wrapped up the meeting.

---

After Nelson and his colleague left, Manav closed the door and headed back to his base. He immediately began crafting the samples, using the goods he had ordered online. But as he worked, he couldn't help but notice that his money was running out—there was just enough to open the company and survive for another week.