The group got out of the car and entered the alley by the street.
It was dark and cramped inside. Garbage was everywhere, and the stench filled the entire alleyway, causing Tony and Happy to cover their mouths and noses, frowning.
After walking for a while, Tony finally couldn't take it anymore.
He stepped forward quickly, looked at Quinn who seemed completely unaffected by the environment, and asked loudly, "Did you lead us the wrong way?"
"No."
Quinn glanced at him casually, replied calmly, then looked back at the road ahead and continued walking as if nothing had happened.
Tony was obviously dissatisfied with the answer. "But it's too ridiculous for a famous doctor to live here. Aren't you worried about wound infection or something?"
"She has her own methods."
Quinn replied without even looking back. Hearing that, Tony frowned. He was about to say something when Happy's eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "I know! I know what's going on!"
"What?"
Both of them looked over in surprise.
Quinn, in particular, was confused.
Tamayo, whom he'd just summoned this morning—how would Happy know much about her specific medical abilities?
"That person must be a disciple of a hermit master! Now that she's completed her training and is ready to descend the mountain, she just suffers from having no formal credentials, no doctor's certificate, and can't work in a hospital, so she opened a clinic in a place like this, right?"
"This..."
Quinn opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
Tony was even more confused. "What nonsense are you talking about? If she really has the skills, wouldn't it only take a few days to get certified?"
"You don't understand this. It's called 'playing the pig to eat the tiger.' If she has a medical qualification certificate, no one will question her. Then how can she shock people and make them look at her with admiration?"
"..."
Tony obviously couldn't understand such behavior, so he turned to look at Quinn and asked if it was what Happy said.
If it were true, then he had to consider whether he should seek treatment from this so-called famous doctor.
Because no matter how you looked at it, that behavior seemed unhinged.
Happy also looked at Quinn with anticipation, hoping his guess would be confirmed.
Because Quinn had shown his strong personal abilities when he stopped the car and traded with Tony last time, Happy had gone to find some relevant information but accidentally stumbled upon Chinese web novels. Since then, it had been out of control. Every time he encountered Asians, he'd greet them modestly and politely, afraid the other party would yell "dog eyes look down on people" and then beat him and Tony up.
Of course, while being careful, he also fantasized about encountering a master, receiving guidance, and becoming a superhero.
Facing the different gazes from the two, Quinn took a deep breath, gave Happy a strange look, and replied, "She's not playing the pig to eat the tiger. She just arrived in New York today and hasn't found a place to live yet, so she's staying here temporarily."
"Then is she the apprentice of a legendary hermit master?"
"No, she IS the legendary hermit master. She's mastered the Taiyi Profound Needle technique. She can bring the dying back to life—healing flesh and bones is no problem for her."
"Wow, that's amazing! Does she accept apprentices?"
"I don't know about that."
"Please be sure to say something nice for me!"
"Ah, definitely, definitely!"
Seeing them talking and laughing as if it were real, the corner of Tony's eye twitched.
He'd just learned through Jarvis about the so-called "playing the pig to eat the tiger" and Taiyi Profound Needle, and also understood that Quinn was joking around.
But Happy...
This guy was too deep into the roleplay—he couldn't be saved.
Should I consider changing drivers?
The alley grew deeper and more remote.
But the more remote it became, the fewer people there were, and there was less garbage and other things. Although it was still cramped and old, there was no stench like outside.
"We're here."
Quinn stopped in front of a rusted security door.
Tony and Happy stood behind and looked around. The building was an old-fashioned apartment constructed in the 1970s, eight floors tall with exterior stairs made of rusted iron. It was unclear if anyone still used them, and the walls had large cracks, making one worry whether it would collapse at any moment.
At that moment, the door opened.
A woman appeared at the door and looked at them with a smile. "Excuse me, who are you looking for?"
Looking at this woman, Tony and Happy were stunned.
The woman wore a brightly colored kimono with her hair in a bun behind her head. Her facial features were delicate and her skin luminous.
But the reason Tony and Happy were shocked wasn't because of her beauty. As the boss and driver of Stark Industries, what kind of woman hadn't they seen?
Although the woman was stunning, it wasn't enough to make them freeze at first sight. The reason they were truly stunned was that she was covered in blood.
Not a little bit, but a large area.
The kimono and face were stained red with blood over large areas, in sharp contrast with her pale face, creating an extraordinarily eerie and strange appearance.
She seemed to notice their expressions. An apologetic look crossed the woman's face, and she said gently, "I'm sorry. I just finished an autopsy and came out to receive you before I had time to clean up. Please forgive the appearance."
"...No, no, no, no."
Tony came back to his senses and quickly waved his hand to indicate he was fine.
What was wrong with blood on a doctor?
Was there anything abnormal about that?
"Then please come in. I just acquired this place today, and it still has things left by the previous owner. It's a bit messy."
"That's fine!"
The group followed the woman into the house, only to discover just how cluttered it really was.
Randomly discarded wine bottles, ashtrays stuffed with cigarette butts, leftovers with peculiar smells, sofas piled with dirty clothes... Walking inside was like walking into a garbage heap.
This made Tony doubt whether the doctor could actually cure him.
Although they say you can't judge a book by its cover, Tony couldn't imagine that people who lived here could solve toxins he couldn't handle himself.
"The operating room is inside." As the woman walked deeper inside, she introduced herself. "My name is Tamayo, and I am an unlicensed doctor. You're here to treat this gentleman, correct?"
"...Did he tell you about the situation?"
Tony was stunned for a moment, then pointed at Quinn and asked.
"Your poisoning is already quite obvious. If I couldn't see it, I wouldn't deserve to treat people." Tamayo shook her head, her voice soft from beginning to end, giving off a warm feeling.
Hearing this, Tony immediately became filled with hope for this visit.
"The operating room is here."
Walking into a pitch-black room, Tamayo moved inside as if unaffected and turned on the light, revealing the environment within.
Tony and Happy couldn't help but gasp, stunned once again.
The room wasn't large—about forty square meters—but it was very empty.
There was a bed in the middle, presumably an operating table. It had been dyed dark red with blood, and there were still some things like minced meat on it.
What shocked Tony and Happy wasn't the unsettling hospital bed, but the surrounding walls...
Character Notes:
Tamayo - From: Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba)
A skilled demon doctor who broke free from Muzan's control Specializes in medical research and creating drugs to combat demons Despite being a demon, she maintains her humanity and helps humans