Chapter 41: Unchanging Nature
On the elevated highway, a group of ninjas dressed in black could be seen leaping from one car to another, chasing a ninja in red attire.
Even though the ninja in red had her face obscured, Tony was sure she was a woman, and she was clearly injured. After all, her curvaceous figure made it quite evident.
Thinking of this, Tony immediately clutched the metal briefcase in his arms. Inside was the Mark V suit.
"Is Japan always this chaotic? Fighting in broad daylight?"
Hearing his remark, Ando Miyun, who was beside him, quickly spoke up to defend her country.
"Not at all; it's usually very peaceful. I'm not sure what's happening today—maybe some major incident has occurred. They are members of The Hand, a very powerful organization in Japan. Wait! Please, Mr. Stark, don't get out of the car."
In the distance, the red-clad ninja seemed to be out of stamina. She stumbled and fell to the ground, and the surrounding black-clad ninjas quickly encircled her.
Seeing this, Tony immediately opened the car door. With a series of "clink clank" sounds, the Mark V suit activated. In no time, the red-and-white Iron Man appeared.
"Stay in the car," he instructed Ando Miyun, and then he flew to the red ninja's side, raising his hand toward the black-clad ninjas.
"Hey, guys, I don't know what kind of grudge you've got here, but ganging up on a girl isn't very gentlemanly."
The sudden appearance of an iron-clad figure left the ninjas momentarily stunned. After exchanging glances, their leader nodded, and the ninjas threw their shurikens.
Empowered by dark magic, the shurikens flew faster than Tony could react, striking his armor with a series of crisp "clink clink" sounds.
Although the Mark V suit was lighter and thinner than the Mark IV, it wasn't something that ordinary ninjas could penetrate.
Realizing that even their leader's shurikens couldn't pierce the armor, the black-clad ninjas silently retrieved their shurikens and gripped their swords tightly.
The ninja leader stepped forward, glaring fiercely at the red-clad ninja behind Tony, then looked up at Tony.
"Who are you? Why are you interfering in The Hand's affairs?"
Hearing the ninja's broken English, Tony quickly instructed Jarvis to search for information on The Hand.
But as The Hand was a secretive organization in Japan, there wasn't much information available online. Other than knowing it's a ninja group skilled in assassination and intelligence gathering, Jarvis found nothing.
With that, Tony quickly pieced together the situation. A bunch of shady characters, that's all.
"Get lost!" he ordered.
"Bakayarou!" (You idiot!)
Enraged by Tony's arrogance, the ninja leader was about to attack when he noticed Ando Miyun running over.
"Everyone, this is Tony Stark, a major shareholder of Stark Industries. Please give us some face and leave, okay?" she pleaded.
Upon hearing Tony Stark's name, the ninja leader immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, their weapons hadn't penetrated the armor; otherwise, they might have had to flee for their lives.
"If you hand over the woman, we'll leave right away," the leader demanded.
Though they were wary of Tony Stark's reputation, they still had a mission to complete.
Tony responded by raising his hand, the light in his palm glowing brighter, "I'm telling you one last time: Leave!"
Just as the tension reached its peak, the ninja leader's phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller ID, his expression changed instantly, adopting a respectful demeanor.
"Boss... Yes, yes, yes."
After a series of nodding and bowing, he hung up and resumed his stern look.
"Our leader says, in light of Obadiah's relationship, we'll let you off this time. Let's go."
As the ninjas left, Ando Miyun let out a sigh of relief, patting her considerable chest, "Mr. Stark, that was really dangerous just now. Please don't be so reckless next time."
Tony ignored her and turned his attention to the red-clad ninja behind him.
"Are you alright?"
Noticing Tony's gaze, the red ninja quickly covered her torn neckline, hiding her ample chest.
"Thank you, Mr. Stark. My name is Erika."
Upon hearing the name, Ando Miyun immediately tightened her grip on Tony's arm.
"Mr. Stark, I think you should stay away from this woman. She was expelled from the Chaste and killed her master with her own hands."
"Later, she betrayed The Hand. After fleeing to the U.S., she became an assassin under Kingpin, then disappeared. I didn't expect her to turn up in Japan."
Tony glanced at Ando Miyun. It seemed Jarvis had inadvertently arranged for someone who knew far more than he had anticipated.
However, Tony was someone who followed his instincts and didn't care much for these details.
"If you don't mind, you can come with me."
After saying this, Tony didn't pay much more attention to Erika; he simply returned to his car. He had only intervened out of a sense of chivalry; what happened to her afterward was none of his concern.
Erika, standing on the highway, hesitated for a moment before following him.
..............
Meanwhile, at Umbrella Tower in New York~
"Master, the plan is going smoothly. Tony has made contact with Erika."
Adam, seated in his executive chair, smiled faintly upon hearing Red Queen's report.
"Good. As they say, a leopard can't change its spots. Tony still can't resist a beautiful woman. Let Erika continue guiding him."
"Yes, Master."
With that small episode concluded, Adam turned his attention back to the documents in front of him. They detailed a potential collaboration with Russia.
Currently, Russia had made several concessions, agreeing to provide a ten-square-kilometer plot of land under Umbrella's full control, including security personnel and guard duties.
They also offered a 90% tax reduction for the first five years. The only stipulation was the creation of at least a thousand jobs.
The reason Russia was offering such generous terms was that if Umbrella established a branch there, it would likely stimulate several surrounding industries and create significant economic benefits.
However, the United States had always been wary of Russia. If Umbrella agreed to open a branch there, it might cause quite a stir back home.
Since Adam had kept Umbrella private, preventing others from gaining control, many were already wary of him. If he were to collaborate with Russia now, it might give them further ammunition to attack him.
It seemed necessary to keep the U.S. government preoccupied and to win over more legislators to avoid any trouble.
After pondering for a long time, a plan formed in Adam's mind.
In a low voice, he instructed, "Red Queen, create a new file. Code name: Resident Evil."
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