章節 62: Chapter 62: Nick Fury’s Fear
At the Trident Building, S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, in the director's office, Nick Fury, wearing his signature black trench coat, leaned on the table with a serious expression. "Coulson, what did you mean by the message you just sent me? How was such crucial information leaked?"
Coulson, hearing the severity in his director's voice, responded with a wry smile, "Director, the information about the wizard professor is strictly confidential. Recently, only Natasha knew about it. However, based on Tony's current knowledge, he only has a code name and no specific details. I suspect it might be related to the research project, and Tony managed to hack it and gain the information from there."
Nick Fury pondered for a moment, silently considering the situation. "Is it really the research project? Who trained these agents to make such low-level mistakes?"
After a while, Coulson broke the silence. "Director, should we exchange intelligence for the Stark Industries reactor? And Tony mentioned that the power design of the aircraft carrier is complete. But he wants to see our sincerity."
Nick Fury didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Coulson, you've been supervising the wizard gold coin project. Any progress?"
Coulson shook his head slightly. "Director, time is limited, and there hasn't been much progress. According to researchers, some elements in the gold coin are related to gold, but they are mixed with numerous unknown elements, which significantly alter its properties. The metal's properties are sufficient for key fields like aviation and military, meeting strategic resource standards."
Nick Fury, thinking deeply, said, "We can't look at this gold coin purely from a technological perspective. It might be refined through unknown technology. The wizard professor might not have mastered the corresponding technology yet and mistakenly thought it was a metal. Or perhaps he cast a wide net, treating us as a backup without providing detailed information."
He paused, contemplating, and continued, "Don't get obsessed with this gold coin. We need to break through the bottleneck of our current relationship. Use the information related to the wizard gold coin project to communicate more and obtain more information. Find his weakness. If he has desires, he has a weakness."
Finally, Nick Fury addressed Coulson's original question. "As for Tony, we can give him certain information. We need a breakthrough now, and I believe he can help us. The wizard gold coin project requires his participation. He will be very interested, and we also need his intelligence."
Coulson nodded and said, "Okay, Director, I'll handle it." Then he added, "Director, there's one more thing. All our surveillance measures on the wizard professor have failed. The infiltrated agent was discovered, the surveillance equipment stopped working, and we were warned that this was the last time. Should we continue to strengthen our efforts or give up temporarily?"
Nick Fury, having seen this in the mission report before, rubbed his temples in distress and sighed. "Give up. We cannot damage the relationship now. We'll wait for a breakthrough from Tony or other sources before proceeding further."
To be honest, Nick Fury found the wizard professor quite difficult. If not for the other party being a friend of an heir to an alien civilization, suspected of involvement in a new wizard civilization, having strong abilities, and possibly having many wizards behind him, S.H.I.E.L.D. would have captured him long ago.
But so many uncertainties prevented any action. Not to mention whether they could even capture the wizard professor with his current strength. Even if they did, it might provoke the hostility of an alien civilization's heir and many wizards. And the professor's displayed strength made it incredibly difficult to capture him.
That evening, in New York, at the Westin Hotel, Tony and Pepper sat on either side of a round table in a luxuriously decorated hall. The surrounding candlelight shone warmly, and the crystal chandelier overhead made the entire hall sparkle. Tony had booked this candlelight dinner in advance.
Raising a glass of red wine, Tony gently clinked it with Pepper's glass. "Pepper, happy birthday," he said with a smile. Today was Pepper's birthday, and he had come to the office early with flowers and arranged for the candlelight dinner.
Pepper, her face full of smiles, responded, "This birthday is very special. It's the first time you remembered my birthday."
Tony, feeling slightly awkward, smiled and quickly took a drink to cover it up. In the past, he usually forgot her birthday until many days later. When asked, Pepper would tell him the birthday gift had already been bought, thanking him for it—though she had prepared it herself as his secretary.
Just then, Tony's phone vibrated. Seeing the message, a trace of pride flashed in his eyes. He showed the phone to Pepper, saying, "Okay, Pepper, you can send SHIELD's goods now."
Pepper, smiling at Tony's childlike excitement, looked on warmly. The two then continued their conversation. Tonight promised to be a lively night.
章節 63: Chapter 63: The Frustrated Tony Stark
In the early morning, at Vientiane Book Cafe.
The book cafe wasn't far from May's home. She made an early breakfast for her nephew Peter before hurrying to the book cafe to start her day's work.
It had been five days since the official opening. Although she still had serious doubts about her boss's business idea, she had to admit that his vision was excellent. One after another, customers came in for a cup of coffee or to read a book because of the cafe's pleasant environment.
Due to the boss's hobby, the book cafe also provided tea service. However, very few people drank tea. Like her, most people preferred coffee, except for an old Oriental man who enjoyed the tea. Others gave up after a few sips out of curiosity.
May was slightly disappointed. The cost of buying tea was not low, and it seemed the boss would be the only one drinking it. However, it couldn't be considered a complete waste.
After May opened the door of the book cafe, three clerks soon arrived on time. Amid laughter, the three of them, led by May, began their daily cleaning. After cleaning up, they found places to sit. Some read books to recharge, others organized the bookshelves, and some waited for guests.
As the sun gradually rose, May welcomed a few guests. Still, there was no trace of her boss, Mr. Lockhart. May was not surprised by this. Her boss had not been present except for having tea with two friends on the first day of opening. She didn't pay too much attention to his absence.
Suddenly, the roar of an engine came from outside, and a red Ferrari parked in the space next to the book cafe. May raised her head and, through the transparent glass, could clearly see the luxury of the sports car, feeling a twinge of envy. It would be great if she had one.
She continued to watch to see who owned such a luxurious car. "Tony Stark!" she exclaimed in a low voice. She was very familiar with such a famous figure in New York City.
Seeing Tony Stark entering the book cafe, May immediately went to the door to greet him. Iron Man Tony Stark entering Vientiane Book Cafe was a fantastic publicity opportunity. Determined to revitalize the book cafe, May signaled the clerks behind her to do their jobs well and touched her mobile phone in her pocket, preparing to take a photo to promote the cafe using Iron Man's traffic. If her boss knew about her efforts, he would surely give her a bonus.
May thought to herself, paying attention to Tony Stark's steps. "Welcome, Mr. Tony Stark, to Vientiane Book Cafe!" she said as he approached the entrance. Tony raised his head slightly and looked at the tall, curvy store manager in front of him. According to the information he had asked Jarvis to collect, although it wasn't much, he knew the store manager seemed to be named May.
When he saw the beautiful store manager, Tony decided to be polite. "Hello, I'm looking for Mr. Lockhart," he said in a gentle tone.
May was stunned for a moment and asked curiously, "Mr. Stark, are you a friend of the boss?"
Tony shook his head, "No. Is Mr. Lockhart here? Do you have his contact information? I have something to discuss with him."
Hearing Tony's question, May hesitated. Although the other party was a billionaire and Iron Man, her boss had clearly stated that his contact information could not be disclosed to anyone. She was the only one who could contact him if there was any matter.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Stark, the boss does not allow anyone to reveal his contact information. If you have something to tell me, I'll pass it on to him. Alternatively, you can make an appointment to see him."
Although May was a beauty, Tony was still taken aback by her reply. No one had mentioned the word "reservation" to him for a long time. It was always someone else making an appointment with him, never the other way around.
But thinking of the other party's identity, Tony said a little begrudgingly, "I will be free anytime today. Can you call him and tell him I am here waiting?"
May also felt a hint of reluctance in her heart but quickly nodded, instructing Alice to entertain the distinguished guest. She returned to the store, picked up the phone, and found her boss's contact information.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Hey May, what's up?" her boss's curious voice came through.
"Boss, Tony Stark said he wants to meet you. Do you have the time? He said he is free all day today."
There was a moment of silence before the boss's voice sounded annoyed, "I'm not free today. Ask Tony Stark to come tomorrow morning. I have something else to do. That's it, don't let him bother me. If there's nothing important, try not to disturb me."
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Before May could reply, her boss hung up the phone. Recalling the tone, May's face looked a little weird. Her boss even disliked billionaire Tony Stark. He was indeed a weirdo.
She turned and glanced at Tony, who was signing autographs for Alice. Seeing this, May's eyes twitched slightly. She felt a little weak, but remembering her boss's instructions, she walked up to Tony Stark.
"Mr. Stark, I'm very sorry. The boss has something urgent to do today and may not be able to come to the book cafe."
May tried to convey the boss's message tactfully, adding, "He can meet you as soon as tomorrow morning. Do you want to make an appointment for tomorrow at 9 AM?"
Tony sat on the chair, raised his head, and stared into May's eyes, saying nothing. Although May spoke tactfully, Tony understood what she meant. He was just curious before, but now he had to meet Lockhart.
"Okay, I will wait for him here at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning," Tony said calmly.
Then Tony started wandering around the Vientiane Book Cafe, wanting to see what the wizard professor's territory was like. May quickly started to entertain him. Although her boss disliked Tony Stark, she didn't. This was a billionaire, and his presence was a big selling point for the book cafe. Besides, even Alice got an autograph from Tony Stark, so she had to get one for her nephew, Peter Parker, who liked Iron Man very much.
At this moment, Lockhart had just hung up the phone. He was satisfied with the role of Vientiane Book Cafe; it had temporarily blocked a big trouble for him. Iron Man—Tony Stark!
Although he was curious about what Tony wanted with him, Lockhart didn't particularly care because today he had a very important meeting—an audience with the Sorcerer Supreme!
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[More Chapter available at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
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