manynovel Page 77
Page 77
“Anthony, my good partner!” Tony walked over enthusiastically and put his arm around Chu Hang’s shoulder. “You’ve come at the perfect time. Look at you, as the company’s second-largest shareholder, you’re always elusive, and you don’t even have a secretary to handle your documents. Is that acceptable?”
Chu Hang frowned: "What are you trying to say?"
“I’ve found you the perfect assistant!” Tony pointed at Natalie. “Miss Natalie Rushman, a Juris Doctor, fluent in eight languages, and has been on magazine covers. Most importantly, she’s incredibly efficient. I think it’s a waste of her talent to have her with me. I prefer a free and easy creative atmosphere, and Miss Rushman is too meticulous; we don’t click.”
Pepper's eyes widened: "Tony! What are you talking about! Miss Rushman works for the Department of Justice!"
"What's wrong with the legal department?" Tony said matter-of-factly. "Anthony is also a company shareholder, so of course he has the right to the best legal support! Isn't this a perfect match for his expertise? It's settled then!"
He wanted to pass this hot potato of dubious origin to Chu Hang, letting this mysterious woman deal with another mysterious man. He wanted to see what kind of chemistry would occur when these two came together.
Chu Hang glanced at Natalie.
Natalie was also looking at him, a flicker of emotion appearing in her eyes for the first time. This turn of events was beyond her expectations.
Chu Hang knew exactly what was going on. Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff. Sent by Nick Fury.
That's interesting. Is Fury, that one-eyed guy, insecure about himself, or about Tony? Or perhaps both?
"Okay." Chu Hang nodded, to everyone's surprise.
He walked up to Natalie and extended his hand. "Hello, Miss Rushman. I am Anthony Chen. From now on, you will be my personal administrative assistant, responsible for handling all legal and business documents related to Stark Industries under my name. Your salary will be tripled."
Natasha paused for a moment. She quickly composed herself, her face regaining its professional smile, and shook Chu Hang's hand: "It's an honor to work for you, Mr. Chen."
Their hands were separated as soon as they touched.
Chu Hang could feel that the woman's hands were very soft, but there were several very hidden calluses on the base of her thumb and the knuckles. These were marks left by years of high-intensity combat and equipment training.
Natasha sensed it too. The man's hands were warm and dry, and he looked like a pampered millionaire.
“Tony, you’re a genius.” Pepper was so angry she couldn’t speak.
"Thank you for the compliment." Tony winked at her smugly. He had successfully gotten rid of a potential problem and was in a great mood.
“Alright, Ms. Rushman.” Chu Hang ignored the interaction between the two and went straight into work mode. “Now that you’re my assistant, let’s get started.”
He picked up the "Ark Project" propaganda document on the table, which he had rejected.
“This is your first task.” Chu Hang handed the document to Natasha. “I need a report analyzing all of Hammer Industries’ publicly available financial statements, major contracts, and the equity structure of all its subsidiaries over the past five years. I need to know where every penny they’ve spent and which offshore companies they have financial dealings with. Put it on my desk by eight o’clock tomorrow morning.”
Natasha took the document, her pupils contracting almost imperceptibly.
This workload would be impossible for an average assistant to complete, let alone in one night, or even in a week. This goes beyond business analysis; it's practically intelligence work.
He was testing me.
Natasha understood immediately.
“Okay, Mr. Chen.” She replied calmly without showing any difficulty, “You will see it at eight o’clock tomorrow morning.”
"Very good." Chu Hang nodded, seemingly satisfied.
He took a black, unmarked magnetic card out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Your office is on the 88th floor, and you live alone there. Use this card to go up via the private elevator in the underground parking garage."
The Stark Tower is officially stated to have 87 floors.
Natasha looked at the black card, and her heart was stirred with even greater turmoil.
Chu Hang turned to leave, but stopped at the door and turned back to Natasha, saying:
"Welcome to the team, Ms. Rushman. I hope you... can keep up with my pace."
After saying that, he walked out of the office.
Natasha watched Chu Hang's departing figure, then looked at the almost impossible task in her hand, and for the first time, a serious expression appeared on her face.
She realized that her mission this time might be much more complicated and dangerous than she had imagined.
Who exactly is this man named Anthony Chen?
Chapter 91: War Machines Debut
Tony prematurely resolved the palladium poisoning issue due to Chu Hang's intervention.
Once the threat of death disappeared, he was completely relieved. He felt invincible, technologically at least fifty years ahead of the world, and nothing could threaten him anymore.
People easily feel empty once they lose their goals.
Tony fills his emptiness by indulging in pleasure.
The cliffside mansions on the Malibu beachfront have been anything but quiet for weeks.
The music could be heard for kilometers, making the glass vibrate and rattle. Expensive champagne was sprayed everywhere like free tap water.
The enormous infinity pool was packed with sizzling bikini-clad models, their laughter mingling with the splashing water. On the lawn, a world-class DJ, wearing headphones, was headbanging and swaying to the mixing console, while men and women around him danced wildly to the beat.
The center of the party wasn't the DJ, nor any of the celebrities.
It's Tony Stark.
Wearing that flashy red and gold Mark 4 armor, he stood there next to the DJ booth, looking like an out-of-place tin can, awkwardly swaying his body to the music.
He enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention.
He raised his right hand, and a faint light flashed from the muzzle of the repulsion cannon in his palm, precisely lighting the cigar held between the fingers of a blonde girl in the distance.
The girl screamed exaggeratedly, drawing cheers and whistles from those around her.
Tony proudly raised his metal chin.
He then reached out his hand towards the pool, and a beam of cold light swept across the surface, instantly freezing a thin layer of ice that perfectly trapped several floating beer bottles inside.
Some people cheered and jumped over, smashed through the thin ice, picked up an ice-cold beer and drank it all in one gulp.
Iron Man's armor, which should have been the ultimate weapon for the guardian of peace, has now become his party toy to show off.
He indulged in this vanity, numbing himself.
Just then, a huge roar came from afar, drowning out the noisy music.
A gray military helicopter hovered on the helipad not far away, and the strong wind it generated made the women on the lawn scream and hold onto their skirts.
The cabin door opened, and Colonel James Rhodes jumped out of the plane.
He was dressed in a crisp, dark blue Air Force uniform, his epaulets gleaming under the neon lights of the party. He looked at the decadent, chaotic scene before him, his brow furrowing deeply.
The air was filled with the smells of alcohol, perfume, and hormones, which made him feel physically uncomfortable.
He walked through the revelry, and the drunken men and women instinctively made way for him when they saw his military uniform.
He walked to the DJ booth and stood in front of Tony.
"Tony!" Roddy's voice wasn't loud, but it slammed down like a hammer amidst the cacophony of music. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Tony turned the red and gold metal helmet around, and the visor popped up with a "click," revealing a face that looked a little swollen from alcohol and staying up all night.
"Hey! Roddy!" He grinned broadly at his old friend, his voice slurred, "My old buddy! You've finally arrived! Come on, go change into your swim trunks, the girls here all want to meet a real Air Force colonel!"
“I didn’t come to this damn party!” Roddy’s face was ashen. He suppressed his anger and said, word by word, “Those politicians in Congress are swarming you like flies, Hammer Industries is pulling strings behind the scenes, and terrorists all over the world want your technology! And what are you doing?”
He pointed his finger and pressed it hard against the reactor in Tony's chest, his voice filled with disappointment and anger.
"You're wearing this and acting like a clown! Have you forgotten how Ethan died? Have you forgotten why you even created this suit of armor in the first place?!"
Tony's smile froze when the name "Ethan" was mentioned.
A flicker of pain and guilt flashed across his eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by an even more exaggerated arrogance and conceit.
"Don't bring up those unpleasant things, Colonel." Tony shook his metal fingers, his tone flippant. "I'm fine now, better than ever."
I've solved everything. I'm invincible. Now I should be enjoying life and celebrating my victory. You're too serious, Roddy, relax.
"Relax?" Roddy laughed at his expression. "Wait until you wake up from your hangover and find that Stark Industries has been swallowed up by those despicable bastards like Hammer, and your technology has been used by terrorists to slaughter civilians. Let's see how you'll relax then!"
"So what?" Tony shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll just fly over and take care of them all. Anyway, nobody's a match for me, right?"
This deep-seated self-confidence has turned into a morbid arrogance.
Roddy looked at him, the last glimmer of hope in his eyes extinguished. He knew he couldn't reason with a drunken megalomaniac.
“Tony, you’ve disappointed me greatly.” Roddy shook his head and said no more.
He turned around and strode towards the villa's basement studio.
“Hey! Where are you going?” Tony called out from behind him.
Roddy didn't turn around.
He walked into the studio.
This place was once brimming with creative sparks and passion, but now it's deserted, with only a few robotic arms listlessly maintaining the equipment. A faint smell of machine oil and dust hangs in the air.
His gaze fell on the silver-white battle armor in the center of the studio.
Mark 2.
Tony's second prototype was a purely flight test platform, without any weapon systems installed. However, its airframe structure, flight capabilities, and defensive features were almost identical to the Mark 4 that Tony was piloting.
A crazy and resolute idea popped into Roddy's mind.
Since reasoning won't work, let's use our fists to wake him up.
The party upstairs was still going on.
Tony noticed that Roddy hadn't come up for a while, and a sense of unease crept over him. He shakily activated the thrusters, flew down the stairs, and landed directly in the studio.
The scene before him sobered him up a bit.
With Jarvis's help, Roddy was donning the silver-white Mark 2. The armor plates were closing, making crisp mechanical sounds.
“Jarvis?” Tony’s voice turned cold. “What are you doing?”
“Sir, I’m sorry.” Jarvis’s voice sounded helpless. “Colonel Rhodes has security clearance second only to yours, and I cannot refuse his orders.”
"What are you going to do, Roddy?" Tony looked at his friend, who was also wearing metal armor, and his eyes turned dangerous.
Mark 2's visor clicked shut, and Roddy's cold voice came from within, resonating with a metallic quality: "Tony, you are no longer worthy of this armor. I'm taking it with me and handing it over to someone who understands responsibility better."
"Ha!" Tony exclaimed, as if he'd heard the funniest joke of the century. "You? You haven't even read the instruction manual!"
Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand and fired a beam of repulsive force.
Although it was Roddy's first time wearing it, he was, after all, an ace pilot, and his reaction speed far exceeded that of ordinary people. He almost instinctively dodged to the side.