"You can go to the United States, but only if I go with you."
After a while, Xu Jia stepped back into the room and looked straight at Ethan Chen as she said those words.
"..."
Was that really necessary?
"It's for your own safety," she added, sensing Ethan's annoyance. "Your physical condition isn't exactly elite. If something happens, it could get dangerous fast. The higher-ups are taking your safety very seriously now. They won't let anything happen to you."
The way she said it stung. Poor physical condition? Did she have to put it like that?
Ethan sighed, silently admitting to himself that she had a point. If anything, the Marvel Universe was no ordinary world. Without enough power, you could be wiped out before you even realized what hit you. He needed to find a way to become stronger—fast.
"But if you follow me, I won't have any freedom…"
He was clearly torn. What he really wanted was to leave on his own, without any baggage.
With his warehouse system, everything he needed could be stored in a snap—no heavy luggage, no travel hassles. But with someone tagging along, especially someone like Xu Jia, it would be hard to access his storage freely.
"That won't be a problem. On paper, I'm your personal assistant. That gives me more than enough reason to accompany you to the States."
To be fair, Xu Jia was extremely capable. She wasn't just fluent in multiple languages and well-trained in martial arts—she also had impeccable business skills. Ethan had long since stopped bothering with the daily affairs of Xiaomu Technologies, leaving everything in her hands, and she handled it all with incredible precision.
Sure, her background gave her certain advantages, but Ethan had to admit—her ability stood on its own.
Honestly, she reminded him of Black Widow from the Avengers: intelligent, deadly, professional, and always two steps ahead.
"I've always wondered," Ethan asked curiously, "With your talent, why not leave the military? You could start a company and easily make a fortune. Why stay in uniform?"
To him, Xu Jia clearly fit the profile of a covert operative—a field agent deployed for high-priority missions. Here, acting as his assistant was just a cover. In reality, she was tasked with both protecting and, quite obviously, monitoring him.
Despite her young age—early twenties at most—she was already so accomplished. If she went into the business world, she'd crush it. Yet, she chose the army and a covert role instead. Ethan genuinely couldn't understand it.
"People chase different things." Xu Jia gave him a level look. "Is life only about money?"
"Isn't it?" Ethan scoffed slightly. Who didn't like money?
Sure, his mission now was to help advance his country's future, but having more money certainly didn't hurt. Even Tony Stark—billionaire genius—never said no to more cash.
"My goal is to serve and protect my country. That's enough for me." She glanced over at him again and added, "Besides, where do you think all this knowledge and skill came from?"
Ethan paused. She was right. With that kind of ability at her age, she clearly had serious backing. Training like that didn't come cheap—and certainly not without a plan.
Of course, some would call it "state indoctrination." Ethan didn't really want to get into that debate.
"Yeah... I guess that lines up with my mission too."
He nodded solemnly, trying to look sincere.
"Shameless." Xu Jia muttered under her breath, just loud enough to register.
"What was that?" Ethan blinked.
"Nothing." Xu Jia waved it off and shifted into business mode. "If that's settled, I'll go ahead and book the flights. Mr. Chen, when would you like to leave?"
"No strict schedule. The sooner, the better. And let's make an appointment with Stark Industries ahead of time if possible. Meeting Tony Stark would be ideal."
After all, Tony was now officially Iron Man. That meant the tech behind the suit was complete. For Ethan, that meant one thing—he only had to get close and "touch" it. Once he accessed the tech through his system, it was all his. And he could hardly wait.
"Tony Stark?" Xu Jia repeated, frowning slightly.
She wasn't clueless. She kept up with international affairs and knew the United States had just revealed Iron Man to the world—and the man inside the suit was none other than Tony Stark.
What many didn't realize was the seismic effect that had internationally.
The Iron Man armor wasn't just a high-tech suit—it was a game-changer. More than nuclear weapons in some ways. Nuclear deterrents could rarely be used, but Iron Man's armor? That was deployable in real conflicts.
Imagine an army equipped with those. Invincible.
So when Xu Jia heard Ethan casually say "meet Tony Stark," she couldn't help but freeze up for a second.
"Is something wrong?" Ethan asked, tilting his head.
"No." She quickly shook it off. The business partnership they'd established was real, and she had to stay professional.
"You're not planning to steal his tech, are you?" Ethan teased with a smirk.
"..."
Xu Jia rolled her eyes and looked away.
Honestly, the thought had crossed her mind, but she wasn't naïve. Tony Stark wasn't the type to leave loopholes in his security. If stealing his armor tech were that easy, the world would already be in chaos.
Thankfully, after realizing how his weapons were misused, Tony had grown a conscience. He'd stopped selling arms entirely—and there was zero chance he'd let the U.S. military have access to the Iron Man armor.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'll go book our flights. We can leave as early as tomorrow. Mr. Chen, you should get ready."
With that, Xu Jia turned around and walked out the door.