After two pleasant days in Los Angeles, William bid farewell to Tony and returned to New York.
After showering, the lingering warmth of the water still clung to his skin.
He walked barefoot on the cool wooden floor towards the living room.
His phone screen lit up in the darkness, emitting a cold, blue light.
A new message.
Sender: Tony Stark.
"Guess what old antique S.H.I.E.L.D. dug out of the ice? Hint: He likes to play with plates and wears a flag."
William's fingertip hovered over the screen, and he quickly replied.
"Sounds like a mobile exhibit that needs antique insurance. Contact me anytime if you need anything."
Pressing send, he tossed his phone onto the sofa.
The smile faded from his face, leaving only a somber Shadow.
Captain America.
The name was like a depth charge dropped into a calm lake.
The splashes were the blood and Fire of the future.
William walked to the French window.
Outside the window, the spire of the Empire State Building pierced the night sky.
Countless streams of traffic formed golden arteries, pulsating within this steel behemoth.
Everything seemed so prosperous, so indestructible.
But that was only for now.
Captain America's awakening was the catalyst for the Avengers initiative.
Soon.
An arrogant Thor would be banished from Asgard to Earth.
His brother.
Loki, the God of Mischief, would follow closely behind.
Some time later, Loki would bring the Chitauri army.
And then... the Battle of New York.
The shriek of alien warships tearing through the sky.
Familiar skyscrapers collapsing like sandcastles.
This didn't bring him peace of mind, but a deeper fear.
It meant that danger would be everywhere then.
Far beyond the thirty-meter range.
From the sky, from every street corner.
What could five seconds of precognition do in the face of a disaster of that magnitude?
Dodge a falling piece of rubble?
And then be blasted into dust by an energy cannon?
Flee?
This thought was extinguished as soon as it arose.
Where to escape?
New Jersey?
Or the West Coast?
The Chitauri's target was Earth.
All his clients.
All his connections.
All his foundations were in New York.
Leaving here, he would revert to being that insurance salesman with nothing.
He wouldn't even be able to be a salesman.
Just then.
An extremely subtle, needle-like sensation abruptly appeared in his perception.
It wasn't an illusion.
A feeling of being watched.
His gaze sharply swept towards the apartment building opposite.
Hundreds of meters away, there were only dark or lit windowpanes.
But that feeling of "being watched" was clear and unwavering.
Malicious.
No, not entirely malicious.
More like a... assessment, observation, with undisguised scrutiny.
Cold, and professional.
S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Besides them, who else would have this level of interest in an ordinary person who had just exchanged messages with Tony Stark?
They dug out Captain.
Now they were starting to investigate all "anomalous factors."
And he, an insurance Agent who was extremely close to Tony Stark.
And happened to appear at multiple supernatural event sites... was undoubtedly the most conspicuous one on the list.
William slowly stepped back from the window, retreating into the Shadow of the room.
The feeling of being targeted disappeared with him.
He slid down the wall to the floor.
Full of crises.
Aliens were about to attack, and a secret Agent organization was secretly monitoring him.
He was like prey caught between two beasts.
But he forced himself to calm down.
The more dangerous it was, the more he had to think.
This was his creed for survival.
Risk... In William's mind, this word became incredibly clear.
The Battle of New York was a huge risk.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance was also a risk.
But what was the opposite of risk?
It was profit.
It was opportunity.
Why did he transmigrate to this World and get this system?
To survive.
To live better.
And to live better, he needed power.
Every claim was an opportunity to absorb nourishment.
So... how many "claims" would a war affecting millions of people trigger?
What if... what if he could underwrite this war?
Once this crazy idea appeared, it spread like a wildfire, instantly burning through his entire brain.
Underwrite a war?
Provide insurance for a city against an alien invasion?
It sounded absurd, a madman's dream.
But... why not?
His clients were never ordinary people.
His policies never followed the logic of the ordinary World.
Matt Murdock's "Minor Injury Insurance" compensated for precisely delivered first-aid kits.
So, what would a "City-level Disaster Insurance" compensate for?
William's breathing gradually calmed, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Fear was receding.
Replaced by an almost pathological excitement.
He wasn't a soldier, not a superhero.
He couldn't confront the alien army head-on.
But he had his own battlefield, his own weapons.
His weapons were contracts, clauses, and the ultimate actuarial calculation of risk.
He suddenly stood up from the floor.
He walked to his desk and opened his black briefcase, which he never left his side.
He took out a brand new, blank insurance policy agreement.
The paper felt smooth and tough.
He uncapped his fountain pen, and the nib hovered over the paper.
He needed a client.
A client capable of paying the premium and who could be the core "insured person" in this war.
Who was most suitable?
New York City government?
Too bureaucratic, by the time they finished their procedures, New York would have been rebuilt.
S.H.I.E.L.D.?
They were one of the sources of trouble, and they would only want to grab William and slice him up in a lab.
Then... In William's mind, a figure wearing red armor with a blue arc reactor glowing on his chest appeared.
The big spender.
Tony Stark.
The future core and financier of the Avengers.
No one was more suitable to sign this policy than he.
William took a deep breath, and the pen nib fell.
[New York City Special Disaster Response and War Damage Repair Mutual Aid Agreement]
A name that would drive any legal department and actuary insane on the spot.
But this was just the beginning.
He needed to design clauses, design compensation models, and design premiums.
Most importantly, he needed to persuade Tony Stark to sign this contract that seemed like a fantasy.