Chapter 131 Cross
So what if he retired?
Can't a retired person come out to work?
If all else fails, he could drag his son Wesley out to work for him.
Thinking of this, he sent a message to Anna of the Wolf Pack, asking her to send people to keep an eye on a man named Wesley Gibson, and then pay attention to whether there were any strange middle-aged men around him, especially his nearby neighbors.
Anna's efficiency was very fast, just like his housekeeper, the other Anna; before long, she arranged personnel near Wesley to conduct surveillance and synchronize information in real-time.
Present-day Wesley, due to the destruction of the Assassin Brotherhood, did not embark on the path of patricide that Sloan had once preset for him, but it was still hard to change his wimpy nature.
Perhaps the only change was that his girlfriend had completely left him and ran off with his good friend and colleague Barry, that guy who looked like Star-Lord.
Cross, that is, Cross Gibson, had silently guarded his son from beginning to end, acting as an invisible Guardian.
He was like a pervert, silently prying into his son's life next door; the good and the bad were all there.
He did not interfere with his son's life. In his view, good and bad ultimately belonged to a part of everyone's own life, and he would definitely break through the shackles in the future and get rid of his current life.
However, he never expected that this day would come so quickly.
Three days later, a very abrupt knock on the door sounded.
He never ordered takeout, nor had he been in contact with anyone; anyone who could come to his door to knock could only be an insurance salesperson or someone specifically looking for him.
Regarding this, he was more inclined toward the latter.
Quietly holding the gun in his hand, he approached the door step by step silently, carefully observing outside the door through the peephole.
When he saw an Asian man wearing a white trench coat standing outside the door, he was somewhat surprised.
He did not know this person, and had never seen him in the Assassin Brotherhood; could he have joined later?
Didn't he hear that the Assassin Brotherhood had long been destroyed?
Even Fox went to be a bodyguard for Stark's girlfriend.
Then who was this person in front of him?
Carrying such doubts, he tucked the gun back behind his waist, thought about it, and opened the door.
"Hello, who are you looking for?"
Hearing this, the Asian man grinned broadly, "I am looking for Mr. Cross Gibson."
Hearing this, Cross's expression changed on the spot.
Even Sloan was not clear about this name, yet the other party actually knew it?
What this meant, he knew very well in his heart, indicating that the other party's intelligence gathering capability was exceptionally powerful, and even his past had been investigated thoroughly.
Did he have the ability to confront such an organization?
Obviously not.
Therefore, he slowly sighed, "Speak, what is your purpose in coming to find me?"
"Straightforward. Our leader wants to invite you to join us, on the condition of ensuring your son's personal safety and promising not to force you to execute assassin missions. After all, our organization is not The Continental Hotel."
Mentioning The Continental Hotel, there was still a bit of disdain on the Asian man's face, as if he thought that the identity of an assassin also had tiers.
This condition sounded very simple, but it hit his soft spot.
His son was his only motivation to continue living nowadays, and furthermore, he did not want to repeat his past life.
The two did not mention so-called welfare benefits; being able to sit atop such a mysterious organization made it unlikely for them to be stingy with material rewards.
After pondering for a long while, Cross finally nodded, "I agree, take me to see your leader."
The Asian man smiled, took out his phone, and handed it to him.
Cross raised an eyebrow, so mysterious?
Yet he didn't say anything and snatched the phone over.
"Mr. Gibson, I know it is very difficult for you to make a comeback, but there is no help for it; the people I have on hand who can be used are not many."
The specially processed voice sounded with a hint of sincerity, "I can guarantee here that once I find the right person, I will give you enough money to let you and your son fly far away and live the life you want."
"Since Your Excellency is so sincere, I am not someone who doesn't know what's good for him."
Cross pondered for a moment, his tone carrying a bit of pleading, "But I hope to try my best not to disturb my son's life."
"I agree to your condition."
Hearing the other party's prompt reply, although Cross had doubts in his heart, he could only choose to believe the other party.
After the Asian man left, he closed the door, and then, as usual by the window where he had to stay for half a night every day, he quietly observed his son.
Only today, he inevitably carried a bit of resentment.
"This brat, before even recognizing you, has brought me a lot of trouble."
Meanwhile, Logan's private harbor.
With a smug look on his face, he jerked his chin at Fox, "How is it? With me taking action, it can be said to be effortless."
Fox rolled her eyes, turned to the side, indicating that she couldn't be bothered to deal with you.
Logan didn't find it uninteresting either, continuing to tease this woman who looked cold on the outside but was sensitive on the inside, "Hey, I'm talking to you, don't act so cold."
"Yes, yes, yes, you are the most powerful, you are the best."
Fox helplessly pulled the quilt over her head, "Can you let me sleep? I'm so sleepy, I haven't been able to rest after being tossed around by you for half a day."
"Alright, alright, alright, go to sleep."
Logan chuckled, shook his head, stood up, walked to the second-floor terrace, and overlooked the feeding pool below.
Feeling Logan's gaze, Poseidon sprinted and leaped up, then heavily smashed into the surface of the sea, the powerful impact seemingly causing a heavy rain to fall all around.
Logan on the second floor was drenched all over, and cursed with a smile at the mischievous Poseidon, "You stupid fish!"
Three months later.
Killian met with a You-Know-Who at his own company.
He bluntly stated that he could provide the other party with more living subjects for experiments as well as official-level support, but the condition was that he must be injected with Extremis and share a portion of the technology.
Eager to complete his revenge plan, Killian did not think for too long before agreeing.
And as the frequency of experiments became more and more frequent, failure cases were commonplace.
When the first explosion occurred due to the test subject's temperature overload, Killian came up with an idea — to use a terrorist attack to cover up the truth of the explosion.
In order to make the public believe it was true, he brought in an eighteenth-tier minor actor Trevor Slattery from the Sun Never Sets to disguise himself as the terrorist leader, The Mandarin, proclaiming in front of the television that he would bring fear to the World.
At first, no one took it seriously.
But following the first explosion, a second and a third came one after another, and the panic of the public was also slowly pushed to its peak.
Many people on the astral network were discussing just how magical and powerful this The Mandarin was, actually making so many people willingly act as his human bombs?
However, only Logan and the mastermind Killian knew clearly what all of this was really about.
Chapter 132: Give a Lesson
"Have you heard?"
"What?"
"It's that The Mandarin!"
"Why are you bringing up that terrorist?"
"Don't you think this guy is very mysterious? I guess he's a Mutant, otherwise why would anyone willingly risk their life for him?"
"You talk as if there weren't any back then, a Mutant? What era is this, who in the entire World doesn't know the X-Men are searching all over the World for Mutants affecting order."
"Uh... That's true, even Beast Hank entered the council."
Similar conversations were being discussed in many places.
However, the Mutant threat theory died in the womb before it could start again.
This also benefited from Logan's identity and the efforts made by the X-Men to maintain the image of the Mutant.
However, rumors never appear for no reason, and it would be strange if no one was fanning the flames behind the scenes.
When Logan learned the news, he sneered, and almost without thinking, he knew this was Killian's trick.
Because he was Tony's good friend, the other party, in order to deal with Tony, didn't want him to become Tony's assistant, so they came up with this method to tie up his energy.
It's just that the other party didn't seem to realize that everything has two sides; when you are gazing into the abyss, how is the abyss not gazing back at you?
Originally, Logan didn't plan to meddle in the experience that should have belonged to Tony, because this matter would teach him some lessons.
For example, restraint and calmness.
But since Killian was now trying to fool him, he shouldn't blame him for giving the other party a little lesson.
Thinking of this, he dialed his housekeeper Anna's phone, "Anna, how much cash do I have in my account?"
"The funds currently available are about 3.5 billion U.S. dollars."
"Arrange internet trolls on the Astral Realm to talk down AIM, and then find me some top stock traders to short it!"
"Yes, Mr. Logan."
Anna didn't ask why and faithfully executed Logan's order, but couldn't help thinking in her heart how this president of AIM, Aldrich Killian, had offended her boss.
Soon, many videos talking down Advanced Idea Mechanics began to appear successively on the Astral Realm, and even some well-known economists began to analyze them seriously.
For a time, many retail investors began to sell stocks, and then they were bought in large quantities.
After lasting for a period of time, the stock price of Advanced Idea Mechanics slowly returned to normal.
During this period, Logan hardly concealed that it was his doing, so many people on Wall Street knew he was shorting Advanced Idea Mechanics, and made a huge profit of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars before leaving.
However, strangely enough, Killian, as the victim, actually didn't make any counterattack, which left people baffled.
However, how could they know that this was because Killian knew he was in the wrong and didn't dare to fight back, having no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.
He was very clear that this was Logan's warning, so he could only stop his petty tricks.
After quieting down, time unknowingly came to the end of 2012.
The things this year were neither too many nor too few, the Battle of New York at the beginning of the year changed the pattern of the World.
Afterwards, the successive exposure of secret departments also let the public know that this World had actually been in contact with extraterrestrial civilizations for a long time.
Then came the revival of prehistoric animals, making Earthseem to return to the prehistoric era.
This World seemed to be running wildly in a direction that people couldn't understand yet had to adapt to.
Logan's harvest this year was undoubtedly huge, in terms of abilities: Magnetic Field Manipulation promoted to Omega, other abilities had all been upgraded to Alpha, with no obvious shortcomings.
In terms of life: subdued Poseidon and Hades, bought a private seaport along with its subsidiary islands.
In terms of power: housekeeper Anna's heart was won, subdued the Cobra Organization for his own use, becoming his own Wolf Pack.
Of course, this was also thanks to his foresight. If he had been completely in the dark, he wouldn't know how long he would have wasted, just like the original body, making no achievements for more than 160 years.
Anyway, there were still many crises and opportunities waiting for him ahead.
Crisis, he would deal with them one by one; opportunity, he would seize them one by one and not let them slip away.
Just as Logan was thinking about these, Tony, far away in Stark Tower, was entertaining an old friend of his own.
"I really didn't expect you to come see me. It's been 13 years since the last time we met, hasn't it?"
Looking at the woman in front of him who hadn't changed at all from 13 years ago, Tony couldn't help feeling emotional, and the conversation with her surfaced in his mind.
"It's rare that busybody Tony Stark actually remembers me, a woman he only met once. Is this considered my honor?"
Maya looked at Tony with a smile, her tone full of teasing.
"A woman like you is hard for people not to remember, after all, not everyone can get three doctoral degrees through their own ability."
Tony shrugged, his eyes carrying undisguised appreciation.
Of course, he just appreciated the other party's talent.
Now his relationship with Pepper was stable, and he wouldn't dare to do things that would affect the relationship between the two.
Although Tony Stark used to be a playboy, once he seriously started a relationship, he would discard everything from the past and never drag his feet, no matter how attractive the other person was.
Maya stared at Tony intently, and after a long while, she sighed, "You've changed a lot."
"Become mature?"
Tony smiled, picked up the coffee on the table and took a gentle sip.
Maya thought for a moment and said, "In terms of personality, you're not as overbearing and straightforward as before."
"Everyone grows up, is it not allowed for me, this playboy, to grow up too?"
Tony smiled nonchalantly, speaking frankly about his dark history in the past.
"That's good."
Maya forced a smile, but in her heart she was a bit unsure whether her plan would succeed.
Originally, she also planned to use her old friendship from the past to make Tony help her improve Extremis, but seeing the current Tony, she suddenly felt her chances were slim.
Noticing that the other party's expression was a bit wrong, Tony tentatively asked, "I feel like your state seems a bit off, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Maya was about to answer when Pepper's voice suddenly came over, "Tony, what are you hiding here for? I have something to look for you."
The two looked over, and she seemed to only notice Mayathen, smiling in surprise, "And this is?"
"Maya Hansen, a well-known scientist in the field of biotechnology, an old friend of mine."
Tony introduced without any guilt.
Pepper raised an eyebrow, Tony's performance gratified her, but Maya's expression—as a woman herself, how could she not notice the other party's slight guilt? Although she had doubts, she wouldn't show it.
Seeing her chuckle, she generously extended her hand, "Hello, Dr. Hansen, I am Mr. Stark's assistant, Pepper Potts."
"And girlfriend."
Tony added.
Maya was startled, then shook her hand, "Hello, Miss Potts."
Noting the slight smugness on the other party's face, she couldn't tell what kind of mood she was in.
Chapter 133: Visiting to Provoke
When Maya walked out of Stark Tower, she clutched her briefcase tightly, which still contained some of the research data regarding Extremis and related files.
When she returned to Advanced Technology, Killianglanced at her somewhat unsightly expression and said unhurriedly, "Dr. Hansen, has the plan failed? I wonder who was so sworn and certain back then that they had a way."
"He has changed a lot; he is no longer the same Tony Starkas before." Maya bit her lip, a trace of frustration flashing in her eyes.
Hearing this, Killian sneered, "I thought you were so amazing, a doctor with three degrees with all sorts of ways to get him to crawl into your bed, but you ended up coming back sheepishly like this."
"Killian! Watch your wording; I am your partner, not your subordinate!" Maya said with an indignant look.
"Yeah, and I was counting on you, my partner, to help me overcome this difficult problem." As Killian spoke, the anger in his heart distorted his face. "Do you know this is my only chance? Do you know I've already lost 1.5 billion without even making a move? If we don't resolve this as soon as possible, both you and I are done for!"
Maya sneered and retorted, "If you weren't so stupid yourself as to act smart and provoke Logan Howlett, the other party wouldn't have given you this warning."
Hearing this, Killian suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her chin. Amidst her painful expression, he said viciously, "Dr. Hansen, do I need to remind you that we are grasshoppers on the same string now? If I have a hard time, don't expect to have an easy one either."
As he spoke, he suddenly thought of something, restrained his malicious expression, and said, "Instead of sitting here waiting for death, we might as well give it one last desperate fight."
Released, Maya looked bewildered. "What do you want to do?"
"Of course, go see our old friend." Killian's face was playful, madness flashing in his eyes.
"Are you crazy? You actually want to proactively go knock on his door and provoke him? Aren't you afraid he'll see through our plan?" Maya looked at Killian with the expression of looking at a madman.
At this moment, she somewhat regretted cooperating with him.
"Crazy? No, no, no, this isn't called being crazy; this is called fighting for survival from the jaws of death." Killianunhurriedly adjusted his clothes. "Even if there's no way to mass-produce them, the current Extremis soldiers are enough. As for the others, just treat them as disposable bombs."
The next day, at the front desk of Stark Tower.
Killian brought his confidant Savin here. His behavior was proper and charming, drawing frequent glances from the receptionist.
"Hello, I have an appointment with Ms. Pepper."
"Please wait a moment." After making a phone call to confirm, the receptionist put on a charming smile. "Hello, Mr. Killian, Ms. Potts is waiting for you in the conference room on the 6th floor."
"Thank you."
Killian turned around, the sarcastic expression on his face flashing away, and then he wore a hint of smugness once again.
He used to be looked at with strange eyes everywhere he went. It wasn't until he cured himself using Extremis that those once strange gazes disappeared, replaced by reverence and flattery.
Recalling his experience, it could be considered an inspirational American Dream: suffering from polio since childhood, struggling at every step, and having to rely solely on talent to change his fate.
Originally, he regarded Tony Stark as his idol, hoping his research could be partnered with the other party. On that day at the Swiss summit, he once thought he had grasped the key to a bright future, only to find out it was actually hell.
Through the glass outside the conference room, watching Pepper waiting inside, a trace of gloom flashed in Killian's eyes.
'Just wait, Tony Stark, I will definitely make you regret what you did back then!'
To describe it in Logan's words from his past life, this was a typical case of love turning into hatred—a disillusionment after failing to star-chase.
This was also one of the reasons why Logan didn't intervene, because it was something Tony brought upon himself in the first place.
If he hadn't played with that person back then without giving half an explanation, there wouldn't have been such a tribulation. In Buddhism, this is called reaping what you sow.
When Tony found out that Pepper was alone approaching someone who came seeking cooperation, especially when it was a man, he couldn't sit still anymore and immediately came out of the laboratory, not even caring about the modifications to his armor.
When he arrived on the sixth floor and saw Fox guarding outside the door, he quietly gave a thumbs-up, signaling that she did a good job.
Fox raised her eyebrows and gestured with her chin toward the conference room.
Tony looked over and watched as Killian charmingly introduced his product, while Pepper watched intently, and a wave of jealousy unconsciously arose in his heart.
He suddenly gave a soft cough, knocked on the conference room door, attracting the attention of the two, and smiled. "I hope I'm not interrupting the two of you?"
"Of course not." The corners of Pepper's lips curved up slightly, and she couldn't help but find it amusing in her heart.
"Naturally not, Mr. Stark." Killian forcibly restrained the continuously rising anger in his heart and maintained a smile. "I originally planned to make an appointment to see you, but I was afraid you wouldn't have time."
This sentence inevitably carried a trace of resentment, causing Tony to gaze at his face for a long time before hesitatingly asking, "Sorry, have we met somewhere before?"
Hearing this, the tightly strung chord of Killian's rationality snapped. "You really are a person of high status who forgets easily! We met once at the 1999 Swiss summit. At that time, you said you really appreciated my research and wanted to have a good chat with me, but I waited on the rooftop all night—a full night!!"
Hearing this, Tony finally recalled that newcomer in the scientific world with polio, and realization dawned on him. "So it's you."
"It's me! Looks like you finally remember." Killian gritted his teeth, carrying the frustration he had suffered from Loganduring this period, as well as the resentment generated because Tony had become a prominent hero.
On what grounds? On what grounds can someone untrustworthy like you also become a superhero?
Since you can save so many people, why didn't you save me back then?
If it were the old Tony, he would have long been ready to mock the other person, but ever since experiencing that incident in Afghanistan and the series of events afterward, he had long put away his past arrogance and conceit.
Even though his personality was still quite awkward, he would face his past mistakes and shortcomings head-on.
"Sorry, it was my problem back then that made you suffer such a big grievance." Tony smiled apologetically. "However, seeing that you're doing pretty well now, I feel a bit better in my heart."
Killian was stunned. Before coming, he had thought of many things: whether he would be mocked, whether he would be ridiculed, and whether he would be humiliated by the other person just like in the past.
But he never expected the other party to apologize.
Is this still the Tony Stark he knew? Why has he changed so much?
At this moment, the long-pent-up resentment in Killian's heart suddenly dissipated by more than half, yet an unconscious feeling of disappointment and exasperation arose.
'This is not the Tony Stark I know at all!'
Chapter 134 The Military Gets Involved
If Logan were here, he would be able to see Killian's mindset at a glance; this guy belonged to that kind of psychopathic fan, in short, no matter how you do it, it's wrong.
If you do well, he feels it's only natural; if you do poorly, he feels you haven't met his demands.
If Tony knew what Killian was thinking at this moment, he would only curse him as a lunatic.
But regardless, the grievances between these two cannot be resolved with a simple apology.
On New Year's Eve in 2013, Times Square was broadcasting the speech of Vice President Rodriguez.
The public had a very favorable impression of this President because he had a disabled daughter whom he cared for meticulously.
However, no one knew that this President had constantly been running around for his daughter's illness.
Until one day, he received an anonymous email stating bluntly that if he wanted to save his daughter, he had to do as instructed.
Thus, this father who loved his daughter more than anything stepped resolutely into the other party's "trap".
Los Angeles Air Force Base.
Rhodes was debugging his brand-new War Machine Mark V armor, equipped with brand-new weapon systems including palm repulsors, shoulder micro-missiles, and Soundwave cannons, while also updating the flight system and armor auxiliary systems.
Today, he had become the Military's core attacking force and even an indispensable part of modern warfare.
"Colonel Rhodes, the General wants you to go to his office."
A soldier reported loudly with a look of reverence.
Rhodes stopped what he was doing, inwardly curious about which place needed him for support this time.
He came unimpeded all the way to General Ross's office, "Officer, are you looking for me?"
General Ross, biting on a cigar, nodded toward the opposite seat, "Sit down, Colonel Rhodes."
After Rhodes sat down, he continued, "You must have heard of The Mandarin recently, right?"
"That terrorist?" Rhodes raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a trace of nonchalance, not taking the other party seriously at all.
General Ross nodded, "I need you to investigate him, find him, and then eliminate him. Can you do it?"
Although Rhodes felt it was a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, he still nodded, "No problem."
Carrying the data collected during this period, he left the Air Force Base and headed straight for Stark Tower.
Regarding Rhodes's arrival, Tony seemed a bit surprised, "Didn't I just update your armor? What, something went wrong? It couldn't be that your Military sent people to mess around again, right?"
Rhodes shook his head, "It's not that. I want you to help me investigate something about The Mandarin first."
"Then you should look for S.H.I.E.L.D., the CIA, or the Bureau, why come to me?" Tony looked puzzled.
"Don't think I don't know, you currently share an intelligence network with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Autobots." Rhodes rolled his eyes, "Even the CIA and the Bureau aren't as resourceful as you."
Hearing this, Tony smiled triumphantly, "Consider you've found the right person, follow me."
He brought Rhodes to the intelligence management room on the 88th floor of the building. All the intelligence inside was managed by Jarvis, which would distinguish the importance levels of different intelligence every day and then archive and classify them.
Looking at the giant computer screen constantly analyzing before him, various people, events, and objects popped up rapidly on it.
Rhodes was full of wonder, "God, Tony, you guy really are..."
"Speaking of which, you're the first person to come here." Tony said without raising his head while searching for data about The Mandarin, "Got it, take a look yourself."
Hearing this, Rhodes leaned over and began to read the records about The Mandarin in detail, his expression growing increasingly eccentric.
"Why does your data span such a huge time frame? And the locations too."
"What?" Tony checked the data with a surprised look, his expression also gradually turning weird, "Jarvis, what is this data of yours based on?"
"Sir, this is summarized after I consulted all existing data and literature."
"Why is there a historical span of thousands of years here? And from the East to the West? Obviously, this refers to two different people, right."
"Sorry, sir, I will weed out this part about the East."
Tony couldn't help thinking whether he needed to optimize Jarvis once, actually making such a low-level error.
Rhodes re-watched the data on the modern The Mandarin, starting from the first terrorist attack until the most recent one, and a strange expression immediately appeared on his face, "Tony, don't you find it very strange? Why didn't this guy appear before, but instead chose to do so three months ago?"
"How would I know that?" Tony rolled his eyes, "I only know this guy's whereabouts are a mystery."
Rhodes frowned in thought, "I always feel something is wrong; the timing of this guy's appearance is wrong. Can you have Jarvis search whether similar bomb incidents have occurred in the past?"
Tony nodded and instructed Jarvis, "Jarvis, help me search for previous bomb incidents."
Soon, the data began to display bomb incidents even further back than three months ago.
After careful observation by Rhodes, a look of sudden realization appeared on his face, "I see, this guy might not be the mastermind behind the bomb incidents."
"How so?" Tony was tinkering with Jarvis's upgrade and optimization program.
"Before this, similar explosion incidents had already occurred, but at that time this The Mandarin didn't appear." Logan pointed at the on-site description on the screen,
"That is to say, during the third one, The Mandarinappeared, claiming that he single-handedly arranged the terrorist attack. Don't you think this looks more like covering up the facts?"
"Hmm?" Hearing this, Tony raised his head from the program, "Now that you put it that way, it really does seem possible."
"As long as I find this front-stage The Mandarin, I'll be able to know who the mastermind The Mandarin behind the scenes is."
Rhodes's eyes flickered, a faint smile appearing on his face, "Thanks, Tony, you've helped me a lot."
"I've heard this many times already, remember not to come empty-handed next time, it will show more sincerity." Tonyteased.
Rhodes left Stark Tower with a full harvest, and Tony also began to optimize and upgrade Jarvis's program.
Far away at the private harbor, Logan was riding on Poseidon's back, preparing to head out to sea for a stroll.
He had recently absorbed a Mutant with adaptive evolution, somewhat similar to Darwin of the past.
This guy killed people and plundered goods on the sea, and then escaped using his ability.
Upon learning about this, Logan straightforwardly found this guy and killed him in one fell swoop, thereby acquiring this ability.
After entering the Water, he would evolve gills and fins similar to those of fish, as well as webbed feet.
Anyway, he had plenty of points, spending only a few hundred points to upgrade the ability to Beta-class, playing and interacting with Poseidon in the sea.
Yet this provoked the dissatisfaction of Ares and Hades, who stood on the shore and roared frantically at the sea.
Waiting for more chapters on WTR-Lab