Chapter Seventeen: Discussion!

After the press conference, Hao Yun returned to Tony Stark's villa, having signed in and received the nanorobots. As soon as he stepped inside, he realized Tony wasn’t alone; Colonel Rhodes from the military was also in the living room.

“Boss, Colonel Rhodes,” Hao Yun greeted them with a nod, intending to head to his room—eager to test out his newly acquired nano suit.

“Hold on, let’s talk first,” Tony beckoned him over. “SHIELD has made its move. What’s your plan?”

“Huh?” Hao Yun was surprised. “Isn’t that something you should be concerned about, Mr. Stark? You’re Iron Man, and…” He paused, glancing at Rhodes.

“Go on, no need to skirt around Rhodes. He’s my friend, definitely on my side.” Tony threw his arm around Rhodes, who pushed him away disdainfully, but didn’t object. It seemed Tony had already told Rhodes about the future, hoping to bring him into the fold.

“All right, you’re also the founder and biggest financier of the future Avengers, so of course you make the call.”

“The people sent to find Ivan Vanko and Killian have returned,” Tony shifted the conversation. “Vanko’s father has received my compensation and apology, got his illness cured, and moved to Norway. He’s still a bit disgruntled, but what problem can’t money solve?”

Tony shrugged smugly. “I gave him three hundred million dollars and promised to help him start a tech company—excluding reactors. He holds no hatred for us now. We’ll go our separate ways, and that’s that.”

Hao Yun’s lips twitched; he had pretty much guessed this outcome. Say what you will, Tony’s way of throwing money at problems is impressive.

“And Killian?”

“Oh, he’s even easier.” Mentioning the villain from Iron Man 3, Tony’s pride was palpable. “It’s not 2013 anymore, and AIM hasn’t even gotten started. I sent a representative to apologize, explained why I missed our last meeting, and invested a billion dollars for him to perfect the Extremis virus. Problem solved.”

“Seriously?” Even Rhodes was taken aback. A billion dollars—hardly a trivial sum.

“I plan to help him perfect Extremis, so it’ll become the standard serum for all heroes joining our alliance. By my estimate, anyone injected with it will have at least one-tenth of Captain America’s physical abilities!”

“All right, you win. With these moves, you’ve pretty much eliminated all your crises.”

Hao Yun shrugged helplessly. One has to admit—money really does talk in America.

“What about everyone else? SHIELD, the US military—what’s your plan?”

“The others…” Tony fell silent for a while, then looked at them both and proposed, “How about we form a superhero alliance?”

“Look,” Tony began counting on his fingers, “Black Widow and Hawkeye are just ordinary people. We can have Happy, injected with serum, replace them. Dr. Banner—he won’t refuse an endlessly funded lab and a company that can negotiate with the military and remove his wanted status. With Thunderbolt Knight joining, plus War Machine and Iron Man, we’ve got power and money. I just don’t see why we’d ever depend on that infiltrated snake den called SHIELD.”

Tony’s words were filled with disdain for SHIELD—his own father died because of them, and he knew Captain America would go to any lengths to protect Bucky in the future. He simply didn’t want to work with them.

Besides, with SHIELD now barely keeping itself afloat, Tony certainly wouldn’t place his hopes for saving the world in their hands.

Rhodes tapped the table, reminding Tony, “Don’t forget, there’s the strongest Avenger—Thor!”

“Oh, him.” Tony looked even more confident. “Jarvis just sent word—a hammer has landed in New Mexico. I think Hao Yun should be able to recruit him for us, right?”

With that, both Tony and Rhodes turned their gaze to Hao Yun. He finally understood—there’s no discussion here. These two had already made their decision; they were simply informing him.

Ha! Did they think he’d give in so easily? Considering all the mess with Asgard in Thor’s storylines, he had no interest in getting involved.

“No!”

Hao Yun declared, resolute.

On Earth, he had the Ancient One as a scapegoat and didn’t fear being schemed against. But Asgard? Who knew what Odin was plotting? If he asked for help dealing with Hela, what then? Besides, with Jane on Earth, Thor would definitely help out.

No, absolutely not! He wouldn’t go!

“One hundred million dollars!”

“No!” Hao Yun sneered. His safety wasn’t something a mere hundred million could buy.

“Three hundred million!”

“No—”

“Five hundred million! Plus a villa, personally designed by me with top-notch security measures!”

Tony raised the stakes a third time, adding a condition Hao Yun couldn’t refuse.

“Deal!” Hao Yun rushed over to shake Tony’s hand. “Boss, you’re too generous! It’s just a trip to New Mexico, resolving a family squabble. No trouble at all, you’re too kind!”

He, Hao Yun, was not in the least tempted by five hundred million dollars! He just wanted his foster mother to have a safe place to live! Absolutely, nothing more!

Tony arched his brows, exchanged a meaningful glance with Rhodes…

...

America, New Mexico.

When Hao Yun arrived at the site where the hammer had fallen, it was already cordoned off by SHIELD, no one allowed in.

But he had no intention of sneaking in to sign in. As long as he found Thor, everything would be simple.

Using the information Tony had provided, Hao Yun headed straight for the nearby town.

Currently, he was a Stark Industries intern, responsible for overseeing investment in Dr. Selvig’s astrophysics research project—a representative of the investors.

It didn’t take long for Hao Yun to find Dr. Selvig’s lab through inquiries. He knocked on the door, which was opened by a woman with an exceptionally generous figure.

“Well, young man, who are you looking for?” She leaned against the frame, flipping her hair and arching her chest, giving off a vibe of charm, allure, and technical prowess.

“Hello, I’m an intern from Stark Industries, here to see Dr. Selvig.”

Hearing he was from Stark Industries, the woman’s flirtatious expression immediately soured. She stepped aside to let him in, her tone growing considerably less friendly.

“Oh, so you’re the one here to check on the investment funds? Come in, the doctor’s been waiting for you… With Stark’s resources, I just don’t get it… When you go back, tell him—stingy Tony Stark is no longer my idol…”