No doubt about it—that was Howard Stark.
Alex's eyes lit up instantly.
What the hell was someone like Howard Stark doing in a cheap bar like this?
Could it be that the infamous playboy had his eye on some girl here and was lying in wait?
Alex couldn't help but speculate with a touch of dark amusement.
When it came to womanizing, Howard Stark could put his son Tony to shame. This guy didn't even spare his friend's wife!
What a scumbag.
"…Wait a second."
"By this point in time… S.H.I.E.L.D. should already be established, right?"
"Could Stark be here on some kind of mission?"
At that thought, Alex immediately perked up.
If something really was going down, he might just trigger a new mission or quest.
"Raven, I was thinking… if Caliban is really that sensitive to unfamiliar auras, maybe it's better if I wait outside."
Alex hesitated for only a moment before making his decision.
Why waste time looking for Caliban when he could keep an eye on Howard Stark instead?
"That's fine. Caliban's inside—I'll go talk to him. You can wait here," Raven agreed with a simple nod, not giving it much thought.
Alex casually found a seat and ordered a drink, playing the part of a lone customer sipping away his troubles.
But in reality, his eyes never left Howard Stark.
And sure enough, his vigilance paid off.
"Sir, it's been over two hours. Are you sure he's going to show?"
The young bartender spoke while pretending to go about his business, his voice low and discreet.
No wonder Old Henry had called in sick today—turns out this guy was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in disguise.
"He'll come."
Howard Stark's tone was confident. "The Soviets never let traitors go, especially not ones like him. We're the only ones who can protect him."
"Then why hasn't he shown up yet?" the bartender asked, placing a freshly polished glass back on the rack.
"Given his situation, a little caution is perfectly understandable," Stark replied with easy optimism.
"Relax. For all we know, he's already here, watching from the shadows."
"Understood, sir."
Their quiet exchange ended just as discreetly as it had begun.
They thought no one could overhear them in such a noisy place.
They didn't realize that among the crowd… was a cheat-level player.
"A Soviet defector? A scientist?"
Alex's mind spun rapidly.
There was only one name that came to mind.
Anton Vanko?
Could Howard Stark be talking about the Anton Vanko—father of future Whiplash, Ivan Vanko?
Given the timeline… it was entirely possible.
If so, then he was witnessing history in the making.
The only question was: would this trigger a mission?
Alex didn't know. All he could do now was wait and see.
Creak.
The door to the bar opened again. A rugged, middle-aged man stepped in.
No one else paid him any attention—he blended right in.
But at the bar, Howard Stark's expression brightened noticeably.
Their target had arrived—Anton Vanko.
"I told you he'd show," Stark said smugly, draining his glass before striding over to meet him.
Guy never missed a chance to show off—even during missions.
"Hey, Charlie! Took you long enough!"
Stark greeted Vanko with a wide grin, sounding like an old friend catching up.
"Don't even get me started," Vanko replied in fluent English. "That bloodsucker Hans—I finished waxing the floors, and he claimed I missed a spot. Made me do it all over again."
The two chatted casually as they walked over to a quiet corner of the bar.
"Howard Stark?"
Vanko finally asked, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Of course it's me! I'm practically a household name. Don't tell me you didn't look me up before coming here." Stark sounded as arrogant as ever.
"I did my research," Vanko said with a shrug. "But I couldn't be sure it wasn't someone wearing a disguise. You know how easy it is to fake an identity."
Then, without warning, Vanko threw out a highly technical academic question.
Howard Stark answered effortlessly, not missing a beat. Only then did Vanko visibly relax.
"Now, can I see the goods?"
Time to verify the trade.
Vanko reached into his coat and pulled out a few sheets of paper.
Stark skimmed them quickly, then nodded in satisfaction.
The documents outlined a critical piece of research in the field of energy. With this, Howard Stark would finally be able to turn his prototype for the arc reactor into a reality.
Even though the data was only half-complete, Stark's expertise made it easy to verify its authenticity.
"Perfect. Let's go."
Stark stashed the report without ceremony and rose to his feet, motioning for Vanko to follow him out.
But just then, a burly man with a thick beard suddenly stood up.
He pulled out a gun and aimed it straight at Anton Vanko, ready to fire.
Did Vanko really think escaping to New York meant he was safe?
"Watch out!"
One of the bar staff—a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in disguise—moved like lightning, hurling himself at Stark and Vanko to knock them down.
In the same breath, he drew a weapon and returned fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots exploded through the bar, loud and piercing.
Chaos erupted. Patrons screamed and scrambled for the exit in a frenzy.
But Alex didn't move.
Because right then, a familiar prompt appeared on his system panel.
> New Mission Generated:
Mission Objective: Protect Howard Stark—no injuries allowed.
Reward: 50 Origin Points
Fifty?
Alex blinked. That was way less than he'd expected.
Back when he took down Sabretooth, he got 100 Origin Points. Now he was getting half that for this?
Then again… these guys were probably just small fry.
Guess the system wasn't wrong to be stingy.
If you're enjoying the story, please consider supporting me with Power Stones!
For every 50 Power Stones, I'll release 2 bonus chapters as a thank-you!
Your support means the world to me and keeps me motivated to write more.
So please—don't forget to drop those Power Stones!
And if you have a moment, leave a review too!
I'd love to hear what you think about the novel so far.
If you're enjoying the story, please consider supporting me with Power Stones!
For every 50 Power Stones, I'll release 2 bonus chapters as a thank-you!
Your support means the world to me and keeps me motivated to write more.
So please—don't forget to drop those Power Stones!
And if you have a moment, leave a review too!
I'd love to hear what you think about the novel so far.