"Tony, you don't know, I was just about to get in the car when that gangster came at me with a boning knife."
"I was so scared then, I thought I was going to die, but I didn't expect Rimuru to just throw a punch, and then that gangster was knocked down!"
Pepper was agitated, recounting the terrifying scene to Tony Stark.
Tony Stark didn't say much, only offering his warm embrace to Pepper.
A Fire raged in his heart, filled with lingering fear; he hadn't expected that closing his weapon department would almost lead to him losing Pepper forever.
If Rimuru hadn't turned the tide, he truly didn't know how he would face any of this.
Towards Rimuru, Tony felt an infinite surge of gratitude.
Come to think of it, Rimuru was their shared savior, both his and Pepper's!
"Tony, you don't know, Rimuru is super cute. Her shyness when changing clothes, her boldness when eating, it's all so interesting."
"Rimuru is definitely the most interesting little girl I've ever met. I really want a daughter like her!"
Listening to Pepper's outpouring, Tony Stark felt increasingly uneasy.
What the hell?
It was his idea to have Pepper take Rimuru to buy a dress, but his real purpose was to prank Rimuru!
He had even had Jarvis prepare to secretly film Rimuru's 'broken' expressions.
This was supposed to be an easy, smooth victory, but why did it turn into such a huge disadvantage now?
In Pepper's eyes, Rimuru was a cute, warm-hearted loli, a junior, and a fellow female.
But Tony knew that although Rimuru's body had shrunk, her soul was that of an old man, and perhaps even a rough, unkempt one.
Pepper was his assistant, and now she was talking about another man non-stop, and it had only been half a day!
WTF!
This bitter feeling of shooting himself in the foot, Tony Stark inexplicably felt as if his head was turning into a grassland.
So infuriating!
He now wished he could directly smash the unfinished Mark II glove onto Rimuru's face. Perverted Slime, let's duel!
Triskelion.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
"Director, I'm sorry, Pepper Potts stood me up again. There's still no substantial progress on how Tony Stark escaped from the Terrorists!"
Phil Coulson, dressed in a suit with a terribly receding hairline, looked helpless.
If the subject of investigation were an ordinary person, he would have long since tied them up in a black room. A little intimidation, and all the information would come out.
But the key was that Tony Stark wasn't an ordinary person!
Director Nick Fury, already dark-skinned and wearing an eye patch, had a face so dark it reflected light.
"You mean to say, as an Agent Level 8 of S.H.I.E.L.D., my right-hand man, you haven't achieved any results in your investigation these past few days?"
Facing the enraged Director, Coulson nervously said, "No, there are still results. Based on my covert investigations these past few days, I found that she might be the key to Stark's escape!"
As Coulson spoke, he presented a document to Nick Fury.
Name: Rimuru Tempest
Gender: Female
Identity: Nina Eve's distant niece, inherited all her shares in Stark Industries, identity information is false, past history has been artificially altered.
Abilities: Unknown. Rimuru once resolved an assailant attempting to assassinate Pepper Potts with a single punch, her skills far exceeding ordinary people.
Abnormal Features: Blue hair, golden eyes, suspected Mutant.
Origin: Before entering the U.S. with Tony Stark, no record of this person existed.
Looking at the investigation report on Rimuru presented by Coulson, Nick Fury fell into deep thought.
Especially the four words "no record of this person existed" stirred his sensitive nerves.
As the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury possessed intelligence that ordinary people could not imagine.
The existence of Captain Marvel had given him an incredibly vivid lesson.
"I'll give you one month to thoroughly re-investigate Rimuru's identity and origin. This matter is classified as Level 8 confidential, and I authorize you to use any means necessary."
Hearing the Director's words, Coulson was greatly astonished.
He had actually thrown out Rimuru with the intention of diverting attention; he had been tracking Tony Stark for several days, and if there was no progress, he couldn't report back.
He hadn't expected to stir up a thousand waves with one stone!
Allowing him to use any means, in other words, kidnapping, interrogation, and forced confessions were all permitted!
By the way, who is this Rimuru?
"Is there a problem?"
"No problem, I guarantee the completion of the mission!"
Stark Industries.
"Damn Ten Rings Gang, they're a bunch of idiots, parasites. I told them to kill Tony, and they actually opened their mouths wide, demanding exorbitant prices from me."
"Now they've even let Tony return to New York. To say they're mentally retarded is an insult to the mentally retarded!"
Obadiah Stane was fuming, almost exploding with rage.
Just then, a call came in, and Obadiah picked up the phone.
"Boss, we found out why Tony escaped. We captured a survivor from the Ten Rings Gang and got his confession. Tony was able to escape mainly because he made a suit of armor, and with the help of that blue-haired girl."
Obadiah: "Armor? Blue-haired girl?"
"Yes. We've already found the armor components, Boss, you can take a look."
Opening the email and seeing the image of the armor, Obadiah couldn't help but smile.
"Tony, Tony, although I wish you would die every moment, you truly are a super genius. You always manage to surprise me."
The bald leader of the Ten Rings Gang, due to the small butterfly effect caused by Rimuru, went to eternal slumber in his dreams.
The armor components naturally became ownerless. Now that his subordinates found them first, they were his.
"Bring back every single armor component, don't miss any!"
"Yes!"
"Boss, according to the Ten Rings Gang remnants, that blue-haired girl is very strong, like a monster. Bullets have no effect on her. We must be on guard!"
A monster that even bullets can't harm?
Obadiah fell silent. To encounter such a person, Tony truly had dog luck!
"I know. Do your job!"
"Yes!"
After issuing the command, Obadiah slumped into his computer chair, his mood exceptionally heavy.
As soon as Tony returned, he buried himself in the laboratory, not telling him anything he was doing.
Clearly, Tony had become suspicious of him, and his time was running out.
Just Tony Stark alone was difficult enough to deal with, and now there was a little monster to worry about!
After some thought, Obadiah habitually opened the small videos on his computer.
Seeing Tony beaten into a pig's head by the Ten Rings Gang, Obadiah immediately burst into pig-like laughter.
Tony, Tony, you have your day too!
These small videos really are good things; nothing is more stress-relieving than them.