Anqiluo walked over to Tony, who was buried up to his chest in gold, crouched down, and said with a teasing smile, "So, Mr. Stark… money really can do anything, huh?"
Tony, future Iron Man or not, still looked unwilling to back down. He struggled hard, but it didn't help.
As for the others—
Pepper and Happy both looked uneasy. Being stuck like this, completely at someone else's mercy, was not a good feeling.
Alexei, on the other hand, looked relaxed. He knew Anqiluo wouldn't go through all this trouble just to kill him. While no one was paying attention, he quietly stuffed gold coins into his pockets, trying to recover some of the "confession fee" he'd paid earlier.
Number One through Number Nine stared at Anqiluo with intense, almost fanatical expressions, like they were witnessing something divine. If he told them to die on the spot, they probably wouldn't hesitate.
"Mr. Anqiluo," Pepper said, sighing as she looked at Tony, who was still being stubborn. "I apologize on Tony's behalf. Could you… let us out first? This really isn't comfortable."
She knew her boss too well. He must have started it, gotten into an argument, refused to let it go, and came here to cause trouble. Like a child who couldn't accept losing.
And now he'd picked a fight he couldn't win.
Facing something this unnatural made it worse. The unknown always did.
"Miss Pepper, I know you and Happy didn't come here with bad intentions," Anqiluo said. "I don't have any issue with you two. But I want to hear Mr. Stark apologize first."
He smiled faintly as he watched Tony struggle.
After a while, Tony finally stopped fighting it.
Anqiluo walked over and crouched in front of him again. "Well? Mr. Stark, buried halfway in gold… ready to apologize?"
"Hey, hey, hey… fine," Tony said, glancing at Pepper and Happy, who were both stuck. Reluctance was written all over his face. "Fine. I apologize, Father."
…
That was how Anqiluo's first encounter with a future superhero ended.
Awkwardly.
With Tony Stark apologizing against his will.
With a wave of his hand, Anqiluo made all the gold disappear—except for the coins Alexei had hidden in his pockets.
Anqiluo glanced at the group now sitting on the floor, then looked at Alexei. "Give them back. Don't play dumb. Your pants are about to fall off from the weight."
Alexei chuckled awkwardly and pulled out a handful of gold coins, returning them.
Once everything was back in place, Anqiluo pointed at the benches and had Number One bring out beer and lemonade from the kitchen for everyone.
Tony took a sip of beer, then glared at Anqiluo. "Kid, you just made a big mistake. I'm telling you right now—I'm challenging you to a boxing match. One-on-one. No using that weird ability of yours."
Anqiluo looked at him like he'd just heard a joke.
Weird ability? That little display was just to shut you up. If he'd gone all out, Tony wouldn't be standing here at all.
Tony was insufferable, sure. But the kind of man who could sacrifice himself to save others… that part was real too.
"Mr. Stark," Anqiluo said, pointing to Alexei, "try beating him first."
Alexei might be a gang boss, but he trained regularly. With his build and presence, he looked even more dangerous than Anqiluo.
Even Alexei himself gave Tony a strange look. He had seen what Anqiluo could do. And this guy still wanted to fight him?
Was staying alive not appealing anymore?
Tony didn't know any of that, but after comparing their builds, he wisely dropped the subject.
"Let's talk about buying the church, then," Anqiluo said with a smile, raising his glass.
In his mind, the "price" was already climbing.
"Forget it. I'm not buying it," Tony said honestly. The moment he saw the gold, he gave up on that idea.
"Not even reconsider?"
"No."
Anqiluo looked slightly disappointed. Then he pointed at Tony's beer and the lemonade in Pepper and Happy's hands.
"Alright then. Pay for the drinks, and you can leave."
Tony's temper flared. Charging him for a cheap beer? Drinking his stuff should've been considered an honor.
He angrily pulled some loose cash from Happy's pocket and slapped it onto the bench. "That enough?"
Anqiluo glanced at it. A few hundred dollars, maybe.
"Sorry, Mr. Stark. This is a church. Drinks here are five hundred dollars each."
Tony nearly choked on his beer. "You've got to be kidding me."
This was a first for him. Not only had he been overpowered, now he had to pay for cheap beer—and at that price.
It wasn't about the money. It was the principle.
Anqiluo shrugged and turned to Pepper. "Miss Pepper, it seems your boss might not be as wealthy as he claims. You might want to consider working here instead. I've got a whole church to manage. I can pay you in gold—"
"Pepper! Pay him. We're leaving!" Tony cut in immediately, his voice sharp with irritation.
The jealousy in his tone was obvious.
Pepper gave Tony a tired look, like she was dealing with a stubborn child again, then wrote a check and handed it to Anqiluo. "Sorry for the trouble."
She didn't argue. Tony had started this, so this was just the price of it. She'd been cleaning up after him for years.
Without her, he probably wouldn't have lasted this long.
Anqiluo took the check, glanced at the amount, and gave Pepper a knowing look that made her cheeks flush slightly.
Tony might not realize it, but Pepper was clearly his weak spot.
Pepper forced a small smile, then followed Tony out.
Behind them, Anqiluo called out cheerfully, "Come again!"
That was enough to make Happy walk faster.
Under Alexei's envious gaze, Anqiluo casually handed the check to Number One. "Use this to cover your wages for the month. If it's not enough, come ask me."
Alexei had seen the number.
Fifty thousand dollars.
Clean money, already taxed. With that check as cover, even the IRS wouldn't have anything to say.
…
Outside, Tony, Pepper, and Happy got into a Rolls-Royce.
Once inside, Pepper sighed. "Head to the New York office first. We still have things to deal with here."
Tony, who had looked frustrated inside the church, suddenly relaxed. He even whistled.
Then he secretly pulled out a gold coin and blew on it.
"Hey, Happy! We're heading back to Washington," he said quietly. "I kept one. This has to be some kind of new tech. Once I figure it out, I'm coming back for round two."