Obadiah Stane's actions were constantly under the surveillance of Zed and Dan Kuroto. The subordinates left in the mall to monitor the lockers couldn't escape their notice either.
Zed stretched, yawning, and said to Dan Kuroto, "Let's mark those two. We'll come back for the five million after we've taken Stane's money."
Dan Kuroto, with the experimental funds secured, was also very happy, humming a little tune as he lay back in his chair, feeling quite content.
But he didn't get to enjoy it for long. Dan Kuroto thought of something and turned to Zed, asking, "The funding is solved, but what about the lab? I still need professional equipment and instruments to recreate the Gashats."
This question truly stumped Zed. After all, it was just him on Zed's side, and Dan Kuroto wasn't even human.
Neither Zed nor Dan Kuroto were suitable for public-facing work right now, and the operation of a lab couldn't be done without a team's collaborative effort. This problem was simply not something that could be solved with just a handful of people.
Once a lab was established, the interpersonal relationships that would develop could easily expose Zed's secrets. Tony Stark was a good potential source of funding, but Tony's future involvement with S.H.I.E.L.D. was too deep; he wasn't suitable to be a patron. As for S.H.I.E.L.D. – heh, let's call them Hydra instead, they were even less of an option.
After much thought, Zed still couldn't come up with a solution, so he could only placate Dan Kuroto, saying, "Let's get the money first. We still have a day to prepare. Don't let anything go wrong."
"Who do you think I am? I am…"
Just as Dan Kuroto was about to launch into a long speech emphasizing his god-like talent, a flash of orange sparks appeared in the small warehouse, and a spatial portal formed.
A bald woman in orange ancient monk robes walked in and said to Dan Kuroto, "I've seen many gods, but you're not among them."
"What did you say?!" (▼皿▼#)
Seeing Dan Kuroto about to lose it, Zed promptly forced him back into the Driver, then said, "Welcome, Sorcerer Supreme, to my humble abode."
"You indeed know a lot." The Ancient One turned and said meaningfully to Zed, "I've been observing you for a long time, ever since you mastered the Time Force."
Zed shook his head with a wry smile, "I never thought I could hide from you. After all, your current power far surpasses mine, doesn't it?"
"But who can truly know the future? Especially a Demon King who controls the Time Force!" The Ancient One's eyes were fixed on Zed's, exerting an invisible pressure.
Zed had always feared meeting these big shots prematurely, but what would be, would be. He looked up, calmly meeting the Ancient One's gaze, "So, Sorcerer Supreme, what brings you here?"
After a long silence, the Ancient One spoke first, "Your actions have already changed the future, and as the Sorcerer Supreme, who guards this world, I am obligated to stop this."
At this topic, Zed regained his confidence, "Ancient One! We both wield the Time Force and can observe the future, so let's not beat around the bush. You chose to entrust the future to your successor, but you can't expect everyone to believe in your successor."
"He is a responsible and capable person. I believe he can shoulder the responsibility of the Sorcerer Supreme."
Zed interrupted the Ancient One, "But you still can't expect everyone to believe in him, can you? Rather than entrusting the future to others, I'd rather create the future with my own strength."
The Ancient One still hoped to persuade this young man, who was not inherently bad but had obtained the inheritance of a demon king from another world, and patiently said, "Indeed, I shouldn't force others. But you must understand the danger of arbitrarily changing time, right? Threats from other dimensions have always been surrounding the Earth. Your actions may trigger even greater disasters."
"But I have also gained power from these changes, the power to confront change with change. I am preparing for the future in my own, positive way. If the Ancient One can't be certain that your successor will save the world one hundred percent, you won't be able to persuade me."
The Ancient One not only failed to persuade the other party, but was instead left speechless. However, the Ancient One, after all, had several hundred years of experience, and soon realized something was amiss. She asked Zed,
"You prepared this speech long ago, waiting for me to come, didn't you?"
Unfazed by being exposed, Zed said, "Doesn't this just prove that I see further and understand the future better than you?"
The Ancient One sighed, giving up on trying to reason with him. "I hope your actions are all for the sake of protecting this world. You also need to keep an eye on that guy who calls himself a god, don't let him cause trouble everywhere."
"Don't worry about Dan Kuroto, Ancient One. As for protecting the world, I think even the devils in hell would protect their own territory, wouldn't they?" Zed practically thumped his chest to reassure her.
After giving Zed a long look, the Ancient One prepared to leave.
Phew~ He finally got through that. It wasn't easy. Just as Zed breathed a sigh of relief, he saw the Ancient One turn back. He was startled, fearing that she'd changed her mind and was going to erase him.
"Does the Ancient One have something else to add?"
"Someone snuck into this world a few days ago, and I locked him up. I think you might know him."
The Ancient One raised her right hand and beckoned in the air, and a mirrored cage appeared. Accompanied by a shrill scream, a man in a brown trench coat fell to the ground.
"Damn woman, His Majesty the Demon King won't let you off the hook." The man on the ground didn't forget to adjust his scarf.
"Woz?!" Zed asked.
Woz looked up and saw Zed. He was stunned for two seconds, then immediately knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty the Demon King! This subordinate deserves to die, missing Your Majesty's birth ceremony. Please, punish me!"
"Hahaahhaha~~ha That's really interesting!" Zed laughed so hard he was gasping for breath, leaning against the table. After a moment, he straightened up and said, "Woz! Celebrate!"
Woz was a little puzzled, "Is Your Majesty asking me to make up the congratulatory speech for the birth ceremony?"
"No! Celebrate your arrival in this world!"
After agreeing to Tony's request, Pepper went to Stark Industries' R&D center early in the morning. She carefully sneaked into Obadiah Stane's office and inserted the data disk Tony had given her into Stane's computer.
With Tony's data disk to help, Pepper easily cracked Stane's computer's security. All the data inside the computer was accessible to Pepper. Pepper was going through the files one by one.
A file labeled "Iron Monger" caught Pepper's attention. Upon opening it, she saw a suit of armor similar to Tony's Mark III, but noticeably larger.
Although shocked, Pepper didn't forget her objective. She kept meticulously examining Obadiah Stane's files until she found the video of the terrorists kidnapping Tony.
".You didn't tell us the person you wanted to kill was Tony Stark, Obadiah Stane. You deceived us. You will pay a heavy price for your lies, the bounty for killing Tony Stark has increased."
After watching the video, Pepper forced herself to remain calm. She copied the video and the Iron Monger file onto her storage device. Just then, Stane walked into the office. Facing such a dangerous situation, Pepper, in a moment of quick thinking, used a newspaper to conceal the storage device. She feigned pleasantries with Stane and left the office before he could discover anything.
Unfortunately, as clever as Pepper was, she wasn't a professional agent. She still made a mistake: the notification window for the download completion was still open.
Coulson, who had been stood up by Stark, turned his attention to Pepper. "Miss Pepper, do you remember our appointment?"
Pepper, trying to hide her panic, replied to Coulson, "Now!"
"What?"
"I said now! Go to your office, you're going to be in for a huge surprise!"
Coulson, understanding the gravity of the situation, immediately displayed the professionalism of a special agent, protecting Pepper as they left Stark Industries.
Standing on the second floor, Obadiah Stane watched Pepper and Coulson leave, knowing that his moment of desperation had arrived.
"Woz, were you captured by the Ancient One when you were traveling through worlds?" Zed asked, not bothering to be polite with Woz, as if they were old friends.
"Yes, after I piloted the Time Mazine to this world, that woman suddenly appeared and imprisoned me. Therefore, I missed the Demon King's birth ceremony."
"Alright, it's fine."
After Woz was captured by the Ancient One, she must have used the Time Stone to thoroughly investigate Woz's background, and she should know a lot about Zed as well. That's why the Ancient One was more agreeable just now.
Shaking his head, Zed didn't consider the subsequent consequences. He asked the Demon King's retainer in front of him, "Woz! Did you bring your Beyond Driver?"
"I brought them!"
"Besides those, what else did you bring?"
"What do you mean?"
"Spare Ziku-Drivers, Geiz RideWatches, and… the Zi-O II RideWatch."
"My Demon King! As expected of the one who controls time, nothing escapes you. But…" Woz hesitated.
"I know I can't use the II RideWatch yet. Give it to me first. I'll consider using it after I get the Ryuki RideWatch."
Pepper inserted Tony's storage device into Obadiah Stane's computer. The virus hidden inside immediately sent the message to Dan Kuroto's beat-up laptop.
Zed heard the notification sound from the laptop and released Dan Kuroto from the Ziku-Driver.
"You… you actually!" (Fuming)
"Stop messing around! Kamen! The computer's beeping! See what's happening. We need to focus on the important stuff."
After all, his research funding was on the line, so Dan Kuroto didn't continue to make a scene, "Someone hacked into Obadiah Stane's computer and stole the files."
"It's starting. We have to go. Woz, you're coming too!"
"Yes! My Demon King!"
The three of them drove two Time Mazines toward their destination. After flying to the end, Dan Kuroto couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing at the hospital?"
"The main event won't start for a while. I'm here to see an old friend!"
------------------------
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(End of Chapter)