Facing the swarm of security guards rushing in, Chu Yang grabbed the still-dazed Happy and lifted him up.
"Fuck! You're not seriously thinking—" Happy struggled desperately, screaming in panic. "No! Put me down right now!"
Chu Yang pretended not to hear him. When the guards on the opposite side clustered together, he tossed Happy without hesitation.
Like a bowling ball.
The group of guards was sent flying in all directions as Happy crashed into them, bodies tumbling over one another.
"Being big really has its advantages," Chu Yang couldn't help remarking.
With so many people cushioning him, Happy didn't suffer much injury. He struggled out of the pile, climbed to his feet, and unleashed a torrent of angry curses at Chu Yang.
Chu Yang kindly reminded him, "Careful—someone's coming from behind!"
"You—"
Happy was just about to swear again when he suddenly heard a sharp whistling sound by his ear. Decades of boxing instincts kicked in, and he bent down reflexively.
An electric baton swept past just over his head.
"Again?" Happy couldn't help complaining.
There were way too many guards here—knock one group down, another came right after.
Happy spun around and threw a vicious punch at the attacker's abdomen!
One punch K.O.
"Nice hit."
"Stop watching and run already!"
"Don't you still want to find out about Tony Stark's whereabouts?"
"They obviously don't want me going inside. You think they wouldn't recognize me?"
If someone didn't want Tony Stark to return, they certainly wouldn't allow Happy to dig around for his location.
Chu Yang realized this.
"Today's my first day on the job. If I leave just like that, my performance record will look terrible."
Chu Yang strode straight toward the densest crowd of people.
"Today doesn't count! Tomorrow's your official first day!"
Happy reached out, trying to grab Chu Yang's clothes, but Chu Yang dodged effortlessly.
"Wait for me at the door."
As he spoke, Chu Yang was already completely surrounded by black-clad guards.
Before long, Happy standing outside couldn't see him anymore.
"Fuck, they've got guns! How's your fist supposed to beat that?!"
Cursing angrily, Happy reached toward his waist. He actually carried a gun himself, but earlier he'd avoided using it to keep things from escalating. Now, though, he couldn't afford not to.
"AAAAAH!"
Several different screams rang out in quick succession, startling Happy. He craned his neck to look and saw people flying out from the center of the dance floor one after another.
Moments later, the bar floor was littered with unconscious guards in black suits.
The few who remained scattered immediately.
Chu Yang turned and smiled at Happy, giving him an OK sign.
"Your fists are terrifyingly hard…"
Happy suddenly felt his mouth go dry.
At this level, training wasn't even necessary—Chu Yang could step onto a stage and start collecting trophies right away.
Bang!
A flash of fire burst from the second floor of the bar. Chu Yang tilted his head, and a bullet grazed past his temple before burying itself in the floor.
"AAAAAH!"
Now the entire bar went insane. People panicked and rushed for the exits—brawls and shootouts were two completely different things.
Happy drew his gun, ready to return fire, but Chu Yang was faster. He snatched up a nearby wine bottle and flung it back without looking, precisely blowing the second-floor shooter's head apart.
As people fled the bar, more gunmen appeared upstairs.
Gunfire erupted in rapid succession, and the first floor was soon covered by dense fire. Bottles behind the bar shattered, expensive liquor spilling everywhere.
Using Observation Haki, Chu Yang predicted the trajectory of every bullet in advance.
Dodging as he moved, he picked up scattered playing cards from nearby tables.
He coated the cards with Armament Haki—instantly turning them into razor-sharp blades.
With a flick of his fingers, Chu Yang sent the cards flying. Each one precisely sliced across a gunman's wrist, severing tendons and flesh alike!
The cards traced perfect arcs through the air before returning neatly to Chu Yang's hands.
The bar fell silent—no more gunshots, only screams of agony.
"What was that just now? Chinese kung fu?"
A stunned Happy walked back inside, looking at the defeated guards on the floor. He mimicked throwing cards, puckering his lips as he made sound effects. "Pew pew pew pew pew…"
"Stop making noises. Little Li's Flying Daggers—never miss. Got it?" Chu Yang muttered in his native tongue.
Happy, who didn't understand a word, stared at him blankly.
"I thought more people would show up, but it's just the two of you."
A heavyset man in an overcoat, cigar in his mouth, appeared on the second floor surrounded by guards. He surveyed the scene and raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Happy Hogan? We're old acquaintances. No need to bring me such a grand gift, is there?"
The fat man had a long scar beneath his right eye. When he narrowed it, his face looked especially vicious.
Taking a deep drag, he reduced his cigar by a third in one puff, then exhaled smoke like a steam locomotive.
Happy asked, "Gustav, can we talk privately?"
Gustav fell silent for a moment, staring down at Chu Yang beside Happy. Then he nodded and gestured for his guards to leave.
Soon, the bar was empty except for the three of them.
"Gustav, you've made plenty of money these years thanks to Stark Industries and the black market arms trade," Happy said.
"Happy, I know what you're getting at, but I really can't help you," Gustav shook his head.
"If Tony doesn't come back, do you think your business can continue?" Happy countered.
"Sigh…"
Gustav let out a long sigh, clearly burdened by something he couldn't say.
Chu Yang knew Gustav had almost certainly been warned by Obadiah Stane. As a black-market player, there was no way Gustav had no dealings with Obadiah.
Happy stared at him. "You know where Tony is, don't you?"
Gustav finished the rest of his cigar in one go and smashed the butt onto the floor. "Happy, Tony Stark's been kidnapped by local terrorists. He's not coming back. What you're doing is pointless. Do you understand?"
Happy asked coldly, "Where is he?"
"Oh, for God's sake!"
Unable to withstand the pressure, Gustav cursed at the air and spilled everything he knew.
He'd done a deal once with the terrorists who kidnapped Tony Stark and knew their location—though he wasn't sure if they'd moved since.
"Don't tell anyone it was me who told you!"
"Got it."
Satisfied, Happy left with Chu Yang.
Soon after, Gustav's guards returned to the second floor. One leaned close and whispered, "Boss, why did you have to tell them? We could've just killed—"
"Kill my ass!" Gustav snapped, glaring at him. "You've been with me this long and still don't know how to read people? Do you think that kid standing next to Happy is ordinary?"
"If I hadn't talked, he alone could've slaughtered all of us. He might be a mutant—or something worse. Forget it."
Gustav trailed off, his expression grim.
Once they had Tony Stark's exact location, Happy was ecstatic and immediately called Pepper Potts.
"Ms. Potts, I've got news on Tony! Please help me arrange a plane!"
He was heading to Afghanistan tonight to rescue Tony.
Pepper was thrilled at first, then calmed herself. "No, Happy. We need to inform the military and have them rescue Tony."
"I don't trust them. I suspect someone's deliberately hiding information—someone who doesn't want Tony back. I'm going myself. Trust me. I met an incredible guy today. I'm confident."
"An incredible guy? Who? Happy, you can't entrust your life to someone you met less than twenty-four hours ago!"
Listening in, Chu Yang silently nodded. She had a point.
But clearly, Happy wasn't listening.
"Listen, Pepper. Notify the military or whoever you want—but I'm going to rescue Tony myself. Damn it! If I'd been with him back then, he never would've been kidnapped by terrorists!"
Pepper heard the guilt in his voice. Everything else he'd said was just an excuse—this was the real reason.
He deeply regretted failing in his duty as Tony's bodyguard.
"Alright," Pepper finally said. "I'll arrange the plane. But promise me you won't act recklessly. You'll get Tony killed!"
"I promise, Pepper. I'll bring Tony back."
Chu Yang's head hurt, especially with Happy planting flags left and right. He really wanted to sew Happy's mouth shut.
After hanging up, Happy flagged down a taxi. Just as he got in, he realized Chu Yang was still standing outside.
"Hurry up and get in! We don't have time to waste!"
Chu Yang looked troubled. "Isn't it off work hours already? I know America's capitalist, but we should still respect labor laws…"
With that, Chu Yang turned and walked away.
Happy's eyes went wide. He hadn't expected Chu Yang to actually clock out.
"Fuck!" Happy jumped out of the taxi and grabbed Chu Yang. "You're not seriously planning to make me go to Afghanistan alone, are you?"
"You were planning to go alone anyway," Chu Yang rolled his eyes.
"That was before I met you! Now I absolutely need you! Without you tonight, I'd already be full of bullet holes!"
"Bring me along and we'll still get riddled with bullets!"
"I believe you can protect me and Tony!"
"Bullshit! Handguns and RPGs aren't the same thing! One rocket and the three of us turn into ashes!"
"Fine. What'll it take for you to come with me to Afghanistan?"
"More money."
Happy: "..."
Chu Yang continued, "I'm just a bodyguard. For that little pay, you want me to face terrorists in Afghanistan? Doesn't your conscience hurt?"
Hearing that, Happy's conscience actually did sting a little. He was Tony's friend and could risk everything—but Chu Yang had no obligation to do the same.
"Double salary?"
"Heh."
"Triple!"
"Tsk."
"Five times!"
"Mm…"
"Ten times!"
Happy's eyes were red. If Chu Yang still refused, he might start biting people.
"Deal!"
Chu Yang broke into a bright smile.
"We leaving now?"
"I'm off work. Tomorrow."
Happy's furious roar echoed down the entire street.
"FUUUUUCK!"
...
Afghanistan.
This region lay within a subtropical arid climate zone—dry and rainless year-round, bitterly cold in winter and scorching in summer.
And right now, it was the hottest season of the year.
Even sitting inside the plane, Chu Yang could feel the temperature climbing rapidly.
Happy, the big guy, was already soaked through with sweat.
Looking out the window, there was nothing but endless desert and rugged mountain ranges. Finding a safe landing spot for the aircraft would be extremely difficult.
If they continued flying forward, they'd risk alerting the terrorists who had kidnapped Tony Stark. At that point, the other side wouldn't hesitate to greet them with rocket fire.
"Get ready. We're parachuting out," Chu Yang said.
"What?" Happy blurted out.
"Keep flying and we'll be landing straight in their backyard!"
Happy hurriedly pulled out the map and checked it carefully. After confirming Chu Yang was right, he pressed the intercom button on his seat and contacted the cockpit, preparing to follow Chu Yang's plan.
But for some reason, the pilot didn't respond at all. The plane continued flying straight ahead.
"Damn it, it had to break at a time like this!" Happy pressed the button several more times, growing frantic.
"Break my ass—that's a setup," Chu Yang whistled lightly. "They're clearly trying to deliver us straight into a trap. You got played, idiot."
"A setup?" Happy stared at him, eyes wide with a kind of innocent stupidity.
"The problem isn't the military," Chu Yang said coldly. "It's Stark Industries itself. Someone in the upper management wants Tony Stark to die in Afghanistan."
"Last night, besides notifying the military, that Ms. Pepper probably also informed someone high up in the company. The information leaked. So naturally, we're collateral damage. Sending us to 'reunite' with Tony solves everything without raising suspicion."
Happy slammed his fist hard into the seat. Even he could hear what Chu Yang was implying—there was practically a name attached to it already.
"So what do we do now?" Happy asked anxiously. "The cockpit is sealed with bulletproof materials. We can't get in from the outside."
He paced back and forth in the cabin.
Chu Yang walked up to the cockpit door and threw a few punches. The door made of special materials warped completely out of shape.
Happy froze, then slowly raised his thumb in approval.
The pilot behind the door panicked and fumbled for his gun, but Chu Yang smashed him in the temple with one punch. The helmet—and the eyeball beneath it—burst apart.
The co-pilot immediately wet himself, trembling as he raised both hands to show he had no intention of resisting.
Chu Yang barked, "Hold the control stick! Fuck!"
The co-pilot hurriedly grabbed it.
"Where are the parachutes?"
"Under our seats!"
"Only two?"
"Yes—only two."
"Let me guess," Chu Yang said coolly. "You tampered with the plane to stage an 'accidental' crash, right?"
"…Yes."
Chu Yang took the last two parachute packs and gave the co-pilot a look that said good luck.
The despairing pilot clutched the controls tightly.
From this moment on, the plane and his life were one and the same.
Chu Yang tossed one pack to Happy. After Happy struggled into it, Chu Yang opened the cabin door, kicked Happy straight out, and then jumped after him himself.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH—!"
"Operation: Saving Private Tony starts now!"
Desert, Gobi, and mountains—where these three terrains intersected, cave systems often formed. Deep within, the tunnels interconnected like a warren of rabbit holes.
This kind of terrain was a terrorist's favorite—natural military bases that could even evade aerial surveillance.
America's most famous playboy, Tony Stark, was currently being held in one such cave.
Gone was the tailored suit, the fine wine, the beautiful women. All that remained was a grease-stained tank top, making the billionaire look utterly miserable.
There was a hole in Tony's chest, filled by a crude electromagnetic device.
After being blown up by his own missile, countless metal fragments had lodged inside his body.
The electromagnetic device kept those fragments from flowing through his bloodstream into his heart.
The man who built the device and performed the surgery was named Yinsen—an essential figure in Tony Stark's transformation into Iron Man.
The terrorists forced Tony to manufacture weapons for them.
To resist—and to escape—Tony asked Yinsen to help him extract palladium from the weapons stockpile and build a miniature reactor to replace the crude device in his chest.
Through their joint efforts, the arc reactor was successfully completed and began functioning normally inside Tony's body.
Tony pulled out a stack of blueprints from a corner and slowly unfolded them under Yinsen's curious gaze.
"A masterpiece," Yinsen sighed while studying the designs. Then he asked doubtfully, "But… can this thing actually move?"
"Are you questioning my abilities?" Tony looked up arrogantly. "Mr. Yinsen, standing before you is the CEO of Stark Industries—the man who understands weapons better than anyone in the world!"
Yinsen smiled but said nothing, his fingers tracing the lines on the blueprints.
Time passed.
One week later—
The same day Chu Yang and Happy arrived in the area.
The terrorists discovered Tony and Yinsen's work on the armor. To buy Tony time to finish the final stage, Yinsen took up a weapon and went out alone to confront the enemy.
"Hey! Yinsen! Come back!" Tony shouted desperately.
No matter how he called, there was no response.
"Damn it…"
...
Meanwhile, Chu Yang located the terrorist base using Observation Haki and guided Happy to land nearby.
"Our luck's pretty good," Happy said.
"No," Chu Yang replied. "You should thank those two pilots for delivering us straight here."
"Right. I hope they're doing okay."
The moment Happy finished speaking, the plane that had carried them crashed directly into a mountainside beside the base. The explosion was no different from a missile strike.
The terrorists poured out of the base instantly, packing the open ground outside.
Looking at the sheer number of enemies, Happy's mouth went dry. He coughed and said, "That's… a lot of people. Maybe we should wait for the military? Pepper might be right—leave professional work to professionals."
Chu Yang shot him a contemptuous look. "This is the best time to attack. Once they retreat back into the caves, it'll be even harder to break in."
"Why do we have to attack head-on?" Happy gestured. "Haven't you seen spy movies? We could sneak in."
"No," Chu Yang said flatly. "You're too conspicuous. Spies aren't this fat."
Happy: "..."
Brother, do you really have to hurt me like this at a time like this?
Happy felt deeply wounded. He'd already prepared himself to take bullets for Chu Yang.
"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!!"
Suddenly, intense gunfire erupted from inside the cave.
Happy's expression changed instantly as he charged forward—so fast that even Chu Yang couldn't stop him.
That alone showed his loyalty to Tony Stark.
Letting Happy rush out like that would get him turned into Swiss cheese.
So Chu Yang secretly used Wood Release behind him. A vine burst from the ground and tripped Happy.
His round body rolled helplessly until it slammed into cover.
Happy looked up and found piles of weapons and ammunition nearby.
The terrorists outside hadn't noticed them yet.
Chu Yang gestured with a throwing motion.
Happy understood immediately, grabbed a grenade from the pile, and hurled it toward the densest crowd.
BOOOOM!
The grenade exploded among the tightly packed terrorists.
Instantly, casualties were everywhere.
Happy didn't bother counting—he just kept throwing grenades nonstop.
The explosions sent everyone scrambling. Those who didn't run fast enough were blown apart on the spot.
"That's why you shouldn't gawk at accidents!" Chu Yang muttered.
He pulled out a few playing cards, coated them with Armament Haki, and flung them out, precisely striking enemies who were about to open fire in Happy's direction.
The cards sliced cleanly through skulls, heads splitting neatly in half—half-brains sliding down like freshly cut tofu.
Fortunately, Happy was too busy throwing grenades to witness the horrific scene. Otherwise, he'd definitely have thrown up.
Because the cards made no sound and Chu Yang moved at extreme speed, the terrorists couldn't even locate their attacker. They could only watch helplessly as their comrades fell one by one.
Hearing the commotion outside, the terrorist leader assumed it was the military and immediately ordered the men who had just entered the cave to rush back out as reinforcements.
That left only a handful of terrorists inside.
Yinsen was temporarily locked in a standoff with them.
"Someone's outside? The military? Or another terrorist group?" Yinsen muttered, confused by the explosions.
Crouched behind cover, Happy was so shaken by the gunfire that he didn't dare raise his head.
Only after a long while, when the gunfire began to fade, did he suddenly think of Chu Yang.
"Why haven't I heard him for so long…? Don't tell me he got shot dead?"
Happy clenched his teeth.
Ignoring the risk of getting his head blown off, he left cover.
"I'm not afraid! I'm not afraid!"
Happy kept hypnotizing himself, then went completely wild and fired in every direction.
One of the bullets skimmed past Chu Yang's hair and flew off into the distance.
"Motherf—"
Chu Yang was so pissed he nearly hurled the playing cards in his hand.
After Happy charged forward for a short distance—
He suddenly realized there was no gunfire left around him.
The only shots being fired… were coming from his own gun.
"Where are the terrorists?"
Happy spun around, sword-at-the-ready in spirit, but utterly lost in reality.
"At your feet," Chu Yang said calmly.
Happy instinctively looked down.
His face instantly went from white… to green.
"Urgh—!"
While Happy was busy emptying his stomach, Chu Yang walked deeper into the cave.
It was completely silent inside—so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
Chu Yang stopped.
Something in the darkness seemed to be writhing.
Click.
The sound of a trigger being pulled echoed.
Chu Yang moved faster.
The card in his hand sliced through the darkness, shooting straight into the depths.
"Ahhh!"
The terrorist leader hidden in the shadows clutched his freshly severed hand, now nothing but a smooth stump, and let out a low, agonized howl.
Pain and terror twisted his face into something grotesque.
He couldn't understand how Chu Yang had even detected him.
Suppressing the pain from his missing hand, the leader raised an RPG and fired toward Chu Yang's position.
Unfortunately for him, Chu Yang had already predicted the move and vanished the instant the rocket launched.
"Fuck!"
The leader looked like he'd seen a ghost.
Just as he was about to fire again—
BOOM!
The massive door behind him exploded inward.
A steel-clad figure, radiating cold metallic light, burst into view.
The leader froze.
Bang!
The iron suit raised a mechanical arm, and a single cannon blast sent the terrorist leader flying.
"Yinsen?!"
Inside the armor, Tony looked around frantically, then finally spotted Yinsen lying on the ground—and another man standing beside him.
Tony reacted instantly and attacked.
To avoid hitting Yinsen with a cannon blast, he chose to drive off the man next to him using the flamethrower.
A torrent of searing fire roared from the nozzle.
When Chu Yang saw Iron Man appear, he thought the situation was settled and had come over specifically to check on the injured Yinsen.
What he didn't expect was for Tony to mistake him for an enemy.
The instant the flames burst forth—
Chu Yang flicked a card.
The alloy barrel extending from the armor was cleanly severed.
Tony: "???"
I'm definitely hallucinating.
Tony was convinced his brain had short-circuited.
A playing card… cutting through Iron Man's weapon?
He even clearly saw the face of the card.
Ace of Spades.
"Hey, boss, I'm an employee of Stark Industries! We're on the same side!"
"That's a pretty funny joke," Tony shot back. "Your English is pretty good too."
"I'm serious. Today's my first official day on the job."
"Shut up, you damn terrorist!"
Completely unconvinced, Tony prepared to attack again. The massive armor turned toward Chu Yang as the shoulder-mounted machine guns and cannons began to rotate.
"Tsk tsk, rich people really are impatient."
Under Chu Yang's control, each card precisely struck exposed weld points on the armor, sparks flying with every impact.
After more than a dozen flashes of fire—
Tony suddenly felt his body go light.
Clatter—clang—bang—
In an instant, the Iron Man armor collapsed into a pile of scrap, pieces falling off him one after another.
Suddenly, Tony was basically standing naked in front of Chu Yang.
Awkwardly, he raised both hands and waved them.
"Uh… hello?"
Chu Yang smacked his lips.
This is bad…
Tony's face turned ashen. In his mind, he was already imagining himself being lined up and executed by terrorists.
"Cough—cough… I swear I'll never play cards again for the rest of my life…"
Happy, who looked like he'd just vomited his internal organs out, staggered into the cave from outside, his steps unsteady.
At first, he hadn't understood how those people died—until he saw one corpse with a Nine of Hearts embedded straight into its skull.
"Happy?!"
Tony stared at his bodyguard and best friend, his pale face flushing red with excitement as he shouted his name.
"Tony!"
Happy was just as ecstatic.
Just as the two were about to embrace—
Tony suddenly stopped, turned his head, and stared at Chu Yang in disbelief.
"Fuck! You're really my employee?!"
...
By evening, the military traced the location through the intense combat activity.
Colonel Rhodes personally led a rescue team for Tony Stark.
When he arrived, he was greeted by a completely devastated base.
His heart sank instantly.
With fighting this intense, even if Tony had been there, he was probably nothing but ashes by now…
Thinking that, grief surged through Rhodes. A grown man through and through, his eyes turned red.
Beep beep beep—
His phone rang.
He picked it up without hesitation.
"What?"
"He's already back?!"
"He's throwing a party… in the hospital?!"
"Fuck! Tony!"
...
Hospital.
"So you're telling me," Tony said slowly, "that the kid who sliced steel armor apart with playing cards is sixteen years old, about to start high school, and someone you met on the street?"
"And you've known him for less than twenty-four hours?!"
Lying in his hospital bed, Tony stared at Happy in disbelief until Happy grew embarrassed and shyly turned away.
"You're absolutely sure your intel is accurate? That kid looked like he escaped from some secret government facility…"
Tony still couldn't accept it. Every time he thought about how his carefully built armor crumbled like tofu in front of that kid, it felt like ten thousand ants were crawling all over his pride.
"I'm sure," Happy said seriously.
"Pepper mobilized all of Stark Industries' resources to investigate him."
"Yang grew up in a rural town. His parents and family—Chinese immigrants for generations—died when he was very young. He was raised by neighbors and local welfare organizations."
"He was admitted to a public high school in Brooklyn, but for some reason he didn't enroll. Instead, he wandered the streets… and then he met me."
The moment he heard "Brooklyn," Tony frowned instinctively and said with open disdain:
"If it were me, I wouldn't study there either. Brooklyn? That place only produces thugs and junkies."
"Watch your language, Mr. Stark."
Pepper walked into the hospital room just in time to hear Tony's remark and immediately scolded him.
"What you just said would be considered discrimination in the public eye. It's extremely bad for Stark Industries' image!"
"I apologize!" Tony raised both hands. "Even if I was being objective, you're right, Miss Potts."
Pepper was long used to Tony's shamelessness. She sighed and said,
"I've gathered all the information you asked for. Now we need to talk about how to deal with that boy."
"My God—he's only sixteen!"
"He was forced to go to a battlefield in Afghanistan to save someone!"
"Happy, do you have any idea how many laws we violated just because he's a minor?"
"You said you met a capable guy on the street—but you didn't say he was underage!"
By the end, Pepper was practically shouting.
The sheer volume of Pepper's voice made Happy feel like he was standing at the center of a hurricane.
"Hey, you know how it is—I've never been good at telling Asian ages apart," Happy wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and complained. "Under normal circumstances, a minor couldn't possibly beat up that many Black guys."
Tony nodded in deep agreement. "Under normal circumstances, a minor also couldn't destroy my armor with playing cards."
"Maybe he has some kind of special skill?" Pepper snapped, clearly done listening to the two idiots make excuses. "Don't forget—he's Chinese!"
"So what exactly are we going to do with him?!"
Tony and Happy exchanged a look, then answered in perfect unison.
"Of course we keep him!!!"
"I'll say this one more time—he's a minor! We cannot employ him! That's illegal!"Pepper roared in frustration.
She felt like neither Tony nor Happy had listened to a single word she said earlier.
"Oh—oh! Calm down, Miss Potts!"Tony jumped, then hurriedly explained, "I know he's a minor, and I know he has no living relatives. According to regulations, the Stark Charity Foundation can sponsor his education. You know what I mean, right?"
Pepper immediately understood—using Stark Industries' influence to obtain guardianship rights over Chu Yang.
Tony smiled. "We'll get him into a good school. In exchange, I'll need him to help me with a few small tests."
Pepper suddenly realized something. "Test the durability of those metal toys of yours?"
"Hey! You can't insult my intellectual achievements like that!" Tony snapped. "That earlier one was only a prototype—that's why it was so fragile!"
"A prototype that gets wrecked by playing cards—isn't that the definition of a toy?"Pepper sneered, then turned and left the hospital room without looking back.
She wasn't worried about Tony's health in the slightest. Anyone who could throw a party in a hospital clearly wasn't in bad shape.
Happy stood quietly to the side, doing his best to look like less of a light bulb while the two bickered.
As Tony's best friend and bodyguard, he was painfully aware of the unspoken tension between Tony and Pepper.
"She doesn't understand anything!"Tony's face flushed red as he continued ranting. "I'm telling you, there must be something wrong with those cards! Damn it, I should've grabbed a few before leaving!"
Happy kindly reminded him, "Gustav has plenty. If you want, I can bring you a few boxes."
Tony: "..."
With Stark Industries' help, the school Chu Yang was supposed to attend was upgraded from a public high school in Brooklyn to the best secondary school in all of New York City.
And yet—Chu Yang still had no intention of going to school.
Because of this, the kind-hearted Miss Pepper Potts personally came to Chu Yang's cheap motel, sat down on a beat-up fifty-dollar sofa, and had a heart-to-heart talk with him.
She hadn't seen Chu Yang slaughter terrorists in their base. In her eyes, he was simply a sixteen-year-old boy tricked by Happy into going to a battlefield.
No matter how capable he was, he was still a child who needed education.
"Miss Potts, the main reason I'm not going to school—aside from the fact that that particular school really was terrible—is that, at this stage, ordinary high school can't teach me what I need," Chu Yang explained politely, his tone calm and composed, nothing like a rebellious dropout.
Pepper looked at him in surprise."Yang, are you saying you've already self-studied all high school coursework?"
"Yes, Miss Potts," Chu Yang nodded.
With the talents of countless versions of himself stacked together, high school material was naturally trivial to him.
Even so, Pepper advised gently, "For your future, I still recommend systematic study, then entering a good university for further education."
"Working at Stark Industries, sitting in an office, is far safer than following Happy around as a bodyguard."
Chu Yang shrugged. "You might not believe me, but if I wanted to, I could get into any university."
Pepper was starting to get irritated. In Chu Yang, she saw the same kind of stubborn arrogance she saw in Tony.
That wasn't a good thing—especially for a boy his age.
"Alright. If you pass my test, I won't interfere with your education choices anymore. Deal?"
"Deal, Miss Potts."
Pepper first tested him on standard high school material.
Then—
She started asking questions far beyond the syllabus.
Half an hour later.
Pepper fell silent.
She was beginning to realize how serious the problem actually was.
......
The next day.
Despite her packed schedule, Pepper returned to the hospital once again.
"You've been coming quite often lately. That makes me very happy," Tony grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at Happy, who was watching from the side.
Happy's lips curled upward slightly.
Pepper ignored the silent exchange and walked straight up to Tony, slapping a report down in front of him.
"I think you need to re-evaluate that boy."
"Which one?" Tony blinked, then suddenly realized under Pepper's blazing stare. "The playing-card kid?"
Happy cleared his throat. "Yang."
"Oh—right."Tony awkwardly picked up the report and skimmed it. His expression soon grew just as serious as Pepper's.
"Let me ask you something. What are the odds of randomly meeting someone on the street whose IQ is about the same as mine?"
Happy laughed. "What kind of nonsense question is that? The odds are about the same as winning the lottery—around 0.000001%."
The moment Happy finished speaking, Tony and Pepper both stared at him.
A few seconds later, Happy shuddered violently.
"Congratulations," he muttered. "You hit the jackpot..."
...
Stark Industries.
"Someone explain to me why that idiot bodyguard managed to wipe out a terrorist base and bring Tony back from Afghanistan!"
"I spent millions of dollars—did all I get was a crashed plane and two charred corpses?!"
Obadiah Stane roared into his phone. His carefully planned kidnapping had been completely ruined by a two-hundred-plus-pound idiot.
There was a brief silence on the other end before a cautious voice replied,"On that day, besides Happy Hogan… there was another person on the plane."
Obadiah sneered."Hahaha. A sixteen-year-old Chinese kid? You're telling me he did all that?"
"That joke isn't funny at all. I'd rather believe Happy mutated into Captain America."
The person on the other end ran out of excuses and could only keep apologizing.
Obadiah hung up, his face twisted in rage.
But soon, he composed himself again, carefully practicing a pleasant smile.
Tony Stark was being discharged tomorrow—and holding a press conference. Obadiah couldn't afford to show even the slightest resentment.
"Still… why would Happy bring a sixteen-year-old kid to rescue Tony?"
"That boy checks out as completely ordinary. A Chinese orphan."
"So what secret is he hiding?"
At the same time, in another skyscraper, a bald man with an eyepatch was asking himself the very same question.
Except his intelligence network was far more extensive.
"Using playing cards to tear apart Gustav's bar, walking away unscathed, then heading straight to an Afghan battlefield to rescue someone… Tony Stark's new friend doesn't look like an ordinary person at all..."
(End of Chapter)