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With Superman's figure appearing and confirming Tony's words,everyone who had doubts before was now completely convinced by this shocking news.
The whole scene instantly became noisy—countless reporters scrambled to make calls, spreading this earth-shattering news all the way back to their headquarters.Taking advantage of the chaos among the reporters, Tony quietly slipped backstage.
Honestly, he'd just announced he was Iron Man on a whim.After all, the other two superheroes who showed up earlier—Superman and Spider-Man—were still keeping their identities a secret. Only he, the great Tony Stark, wasn't afraid of public opinion and openly admitted to being a superhero.So from now on, wouldn't his fame be even bigger than that damn Superman's?
The only thing he hadn't expected was that guy showing up here too.
"Tony, you…"As soon as Tony got backstage, Pepper shot him a stunned look.
"Ahem, we'll talk about that later. Just get me a ride out of here, please…"Tony looked a bit anxious, clearly wanting to leave ASAP.
Of course, there was something he kept inside and didn't say out loud:"That guy coming here can't be good news."
And Tony's gut feeling was right.
"What's the rush, Mr. Iron Man? Looks like you're in a hurry to leave."Without them noticing, Peter suddenly appeared beside the two.
"Hello… Mr. Superman."It was Pepper's first time seeing Peter in person, and her greeting sounded a little nervous.
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Pepper Potts."Peter politely greeted her, then turned his attention back to Tony.
"Since you're so eager to leave, I can give you a ride…""No, don't—"Tony's refusal didn't work. In an instant, the two vanished right in front of Pepper, leaving behind only Tony's panicked and unwilling voice echoing in the air.
Several seconds later, at Tony's villa,two figures suddenly appeared.
"I am Iron Man? You think you're the center of this world… ahem, Mr. Superman, hello!"As soon as they appeared, a perfectly camouflaged black bald head slowly stepped out from the shadows.
"Who are you? Why are you breaking into my villa?"Tony instinctively tapped the nanotech storage device on his chest.The nanotech armor quickly covered his entire body.A laser cannon materialized in his hands, aimed straight at the unfamiliar intruder.
"So this is that portable, powerful suit of armor?"Nick Fury's face showed no fear at all.Instead, his single eye burned with curiosity, staring intensely at Tony's armor, as if trying to figure out the incredible technology behind it.
"Let me introduce myself—I'm Nick Fury, director of the Strategic Homeland Defense, Attack and Logistics Bureau. But now, based on your advice, we've renamed it S.H.I.E.L.D."Ignoring Tony's wary glare, Fury casually stepped closer and continued his introduction.
"Oh, so you're Coulson's boss."Tony lowered his guard a bit and deactivated the nanotech armor.
"But you breaking into my villa now—don't tell me you're here just to show off your sneaking skills as an agent leader?"Tony said, walking leisurely to the wine cabinet, grabbing a bottle of fine red wine and pouring two glasses.
Nick Fury didn't hesitate—he took a seat opposite Tony and Peter, then downed the wine Tony poured in one gulp.
Then, staring at Tony and Peter, he slowly said, "Of course not. I'm here to talk to you both about something—about setting up the Avengers…"
"That so-called Avengers thing? Sounds like some boring band to me. Sorry, I'm probably not interested."
Listening to Nick Fury explain his plan to create the Avengers, Tony didn't hesitate at all to refuse.
"Mr. Superman, are you interested? If you join, you'll definitely become the leader of all members. Plus, the world will be a much safer place because of it."
Nick Fury's original target was just Tony.
But now, Tony didn't matter so much. If he could bring Superman on board, that would be like a bull flying to the sky—totally awesome!
"Sorry, I'm not interested either. After all, I'm not really the revenge type."
Peter took a sip of Tony's prized expensive red wine and flat-out refused.
"Because my enemies definitely won't see the sun rise the next day."
What he said next made both Tony and Peter feel a chill down their spines.
"Alright… fine. Since neither of you seems interested for now, I'll take my leave."
Nick Fury was wise enough to back off; he knew Superman wouldn't come looking for Tony for no reason.
"Take care. No need to see you out."
Tony, as the host, had zero intention of escorting him out.
Nick Fury didn't hesitate either and quickly walked out of the villa.
Once outside, he glanced back at the villa, then pulled out an old-fashioned phone.
He didn't make a call but instead typed out a message.
"Natasha, put your current mission on hold. I need you to infiltrate Stark Industries ASAP and check something out…"
After sending the message, Nick didn't waste time and hopped onto a waiting helicopter, leaving quickly.
"That annoying guy's gone. Now you can be honest—why exactly did he come looking for me this time?"
Watching Nick Fury leave, Tony didn't hesitate and asked Peter directly.
"Don't be so cold. I just saved your life last night—from your dear uncle, no less."
"So, maybe you could at least show a little gratitude?"
Peter said slowly, and his words instantly changed Tony's expression, then made him relax a bit.
"Alright, how much do you want?"
Tony said, anything that could be solved with money wasn't really a problem.
"Not much, not much. Just this amount."
Peter held up one finger slowly.
"Ten million?"
Tony asked uncertainly.
Peter stayed quiet, so Tony guessed again with a bit of a frown, "Not a hundred million, right?"
"Oh great Iron Man, is your life really only worth a hundred million?"
"Damn it, a billion? You might as well go rob a bank! You're a real bandit…"
Tony's face darkened even more. A billion was no small amount to him either.
"Don't slander me—I'm a law-abiding citizen."
Peter smiled, but that smile made Tony want to punch him—if only he could actually beat Peter.
"Fine, a billion it is. Give me your account."
In the end, Tony just gave in.
"Just transfer it directly to Dr. Otto's account. You know him, right?"
Peter wasn't even an adult yet, didn't have his own account, and even if he did, he obviously couldn't tell Tony.
"Okay, you got your ransom. If you don't have anything else, get out of here. Hope you don't come bothering me again."
Tony was helpless. Sure enough, whenever this guy came to him on his own, it was never for anything good.
"Bye-bye, dear Iron Man…"
With the startup money secured, Peter didn't stay any longer. With a wave, he disappeared inside the villa.
"Damn bandit!"
Tony gritted his teeth and cursed.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., transfer two billion from my personal account to Dr. Otto's."
Tony said slowly, giving the order to J.A.R.V.I.S.
"Hopefully this guy won't bother me again."
"Sir, the two billion transfer has been completed. Also, your earlier searches about magic have made huge progress. Would you like to see?"
"What? Let me see!"
Tony instantly got excited. He hadn't expected to actually find anything.
"Sir, here's the latest from Nepal. Explorers found a video there. After verification, it appears to be completely authentic."
As soon as J.A.R.V.I.S. finished speaking, a virtual projection popped up in front of Tony.
It showed a person dressed in a yellow monk's robe, rotating their hand slightly in front of them. Suddenly, a glowing golden ring appeared out of thin air.
The next moment, the person stepped into the ring, and then the ring disappeared—along with the person.
"Is this really… magic?"
"....."