"I am Iron Man."
William smiled as he watched Tony on the live TV broadcast.
Iron Man had finally officially appeared in the public eye.
It wasn't until several hours after the broadcast ended that William picked up his phone and composed a text message.
"Tony, I hope that brand new 'core component' is running smoothly. If you're satisfied, perhaps a five-star review?"
It was a tone that mixed professional customer service with friendly banter.
His phone vibrated almost immediately.
Tony's reply was surprisingly fast, as if he had been waiting for this message.
"Smooth?"
"William, it's like a beast fed on pure lightning, roaring softly in my chest."
"Seriously, your delivery service is faster than pizza delivery, I have to admit that."
Three messages in a row.
The corners of William's mouth curved upwards involuntarily.
He could imagine Tony Stark's expression at that moment.
He continued typing.
"Customer satisfaction is our greatest pursuit. Also, congratulations, Mr. Stark. You are now the most famous person in the World."
On the TV news, there was overwhelming coverage of the press conference.
"I am Iron Man."
This sentence declared the beginning of an era.
Tony's reply was instant again.
"Famous? No, I just made the facts public. But you, William, your 'company,' I'm becoming more and more curious about it."
"A company that can conjure a reactor out of thin air and even foresee the flaws in my armor doesn't seem like one that would care about 'five-star reviews'."
Here it comes.
The genius's probing.
William typed unhurriedly.
"We are just a diligent risk management company, dedicated to providing the strongest backing for excellent clients like you. As for curiosity, sometimes, keeping it mysterious makes for a better experience."
Just as he was about to send the message.
Buzz—
A completely different buzzing sound, unlike before, echoed in his mind.
Jessica Jones has triggered the claim clause for the "Superhuman Third-Party Liability Insurance."
Claim item: Third-party property damage.
Location: Hell's Kitchen bar alley. Please proceed to the scene as soon as possible for inspection and damage assessment.
William's brows furrowed slightly.
This time he actually had to go in person?
William, who had sent the edited message to Tony, stood up.
From a billionaire's high-tech war to a street mess in Hell's Kitchen in an instant.
His client base truly had a wide range.
"Alright, time to get to work."
...Stepping out of the taxi, William again caught a whiff of a sour, pungent smell, a mix of post-rain dampness, cheap beer, and some kind of decaying meat.
The destination on the navigation map pointed to the alley behind a bar named "Josie's Bar."
The alley was deep, with the only illumination coming from a flickering light bulb above the bar's back door.
As soon as William turned into the alley, he saw the target of this claim.
Jessica Jones was leaning against a wall on one side of the alley.
Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her black leather jacket had a worn sheen in the dim light.
Her expression was as impatient as ever, and several empty beer bottles lay at her feet.
Across from her, on another brick wall, there was a glaring human-shaped hole.
Broken bricks and dust were scattered everywhere, and through the hole, one could even see the flashing neon lights of the bar.
"Good efficiency. I thought you wouldn't show up until tomorrow morning."
Jessica's voice was still cold.
"For urgent needs of valued clients, we always respond immediately."
William walked forward, carefully avoiding a suspicious puddle on the ground.
He took out his tablet and aimed it at the large hole in the wall.
An invisible scanning beam shot out.
The tablet screen immediately displayed a large amount of complex 3D structural diagrams and data streams.
"Hmm…"
William looked at the screen and read in a serious tone, "Wall material: standard red brick, mixed mortar. Structural damage area: 1.72 square meters."
"Impact point force analysis shows that the projectile was an adult male weighing approximately 220 pounds, 'thrown' at a speed of 25 miles per hour."
He paused, then looked up at Jessica.
"Looks like the guy was a strong one."
"He tried to snatch my wallet."
"A very unwise decision."
William agreed, his finger swiping across the tablet.
"According to our database, the average market price for wall repair projects of similar scale in the Hell's Kitchen area is between two and three thousand U.S. dollars. Considering expedited night construction and emotional distress, I estimate…"
"What do you Vampires want to do?!"
The bar's back door was suddenly pushed open.
A short, stout, bald man rushed out, brandishing a baseball bat.
"Jones! It's you again! I knew it! I'm telling you! This isn't over! My AA didn't even get to go all-in!"
The man was clearly the bar owner.
He was red-faced with anger, spitting as he spoke.
When he saw William, dressed in a suit and holding a high-tech tablet, standing nearby, it only added fuel to the Fire.
"Where did you find this lawyer? You want to sue me? I'm telling you, in Hell's Kitchen, my fist is more useful than a judge's gavel!"
"Josie, calm down."
Jessica said impatiently.
"He'll pay you back."
"Pay? What's he going to pay with? That glowing toy?"
Josie pointed the bat at William's tablet, his face full of disbelief.
William ignored his shouting, simply pressing the final confirmation button on the tablet.
"Sir, according to our company's terms and a precise assessment of the scene, your property damage, including wall repair, business impact, and your emotional distress compensation, totals four thousand three hundred and twenty U.S. dollars."
William stated a figure precise down to the single digit.
"Ha! Sounds like it's real!"
Josie scoffed.
"I want cash now! If you two can't produce it, neither of you is leaving!"
"Of course."
William smiled slightly, putting the tablet back into his briefcase.
He turned the briefcase towards Josie and calmly opened it in front of him.
Then, under the somewhat stunned gaze of both Josie and Jessica, William reached in and pulled out a stack... then another stack... and another stack of crisp, hundred-U.S.-dollar bills, still smelling of fresh ink.
He handed the thick stack of cash to Josie, without any emotion.
"Here is four thousand four hundred U.S. dollars. The excess is a small token of apology from our company for the inconvenience caused. Please count it."
The alley instantly fell silent.
Only the "sizzling" sound from the broken light bulb remained.
Josie's eyes were wide as saucers, staring intently at the stack of green bills. The baseball bat in his hand unconsciously drooped.
He took the money with trembling hands and began counting it, bill by bill, his cautious demeanor as if he were touching a sacred relic.
Jessica was also stunned.
She looked at William's unremarkable briefcase, then at his calm and composed expression, her gaze becoming unusually complex.
She knew William was not simple, but this method of casually pulling out a large sum of cash to solve a problem still exceeded her imagination.
It was even more direct, crude, and effective than her throwing someone through a wall.
Having finished counting the money, the anger and suspicion on Josie's face had long vanished without a trace, replaced by an almost fawning smile.
"Sir! Your… your company is truly… truly reputable! The wall isn't urgent, tomorrow, no, I can fix it next week!"
"Fix it as soon as possible, Josie."
William's tone remained calm.
"We hope that every claim for our clients can be resolved perfectly."
"Ding!"
Claim process completed.
Buzz—
The familiar, system-exclusive notification sound echoed in his mind.
In front of his vision, pale blue data streams reappeared, carrying a mechanical rigor and impartiality.
Here it comes.
William's heart rate subtly quickened; this was the "dividend" moment he most anticipated after every investment.
Outwardly, he remained composed, maintaining a steady pace, but inwardly, he had already perked up his ears.
Congratulations on acquiring a new ability: Superhuman Strength (Novice).
Superhuman Strength?
Jessica Jones's ability?
He subconsciously looked at his hands.
They were the hands of an office worker.
Long fingers, neatly trimmed nails.
Aside from a slight callus on his middle finger from years of writing, there was nothing else special about them.
But at this moment, he felt a difference he had never experienced before.
Ability Description: Your muscle fiber density, bone structure, and bioelectrical conduction efficiency have undergone initial enhancement. You can now easily lift objects weighing approximately 600 pounds (about 270 kilograms), and your instantaneous punching power is sufficient to shatter a standard brick wall.
William slowly, with extreme restraint, clenched his right fist.
No bulging veins, no swelling muscles.
Everything looked the same as usual.
However, an indescribable, solid yet surging sense of power was awakening from deep within every cell of his body.
A never-before-felt sense of security, mixed with a hint of unfamiliar excitement, welled up from his heart.