[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman":3,"chapter-marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-chapter-431":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Marvel: A Lazy-Ass Superman",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1721937,2198,"Chapter 431 431 — Gitano Dragoneiti","marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-chapter-431",431,"\u003Cp>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For 40 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patreon - Twilight_scribe1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Some people say the taste of brandy is the closest thing to the taste of fresh blood. What do you think, Mr. Brown?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man raised his glass, swirling the liquor with theatrical flair, sniffing it with exaggerated appreciation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry ignored the pretentious display.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted the glass and drank the XO cognac in one gulp—a brandy aged at least six years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've never tasted blood,\" Henry said calmly. \"So I can't compare.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I'm pretty sure whoever said that must've been a Froggy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because if a Rashka said it, brandy would suddenly become vodka.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Froggy\" was an American slur referring to the French—who were stereotypically mocked for eating frogs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rashka\" was a mocking American-Russian hybrid pronunciation referring to Russians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The joke amused the man across from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahaha, quite right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked up the bottle and poured Henry another glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My name is Gitano Dragoneiti. A pleasure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry stood and extended his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Henry Brown. The pleasure is mine, Mr. Dragoneiti.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By standing, Henry subtly increased the physical distance between them again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When people weren't familiar with each other, overly intimate gestures often signaled hidden motives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying went:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>> Excessive courtesy often hides ulterior intentions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragoneiti didn't seem offended by Henry's caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood, shook Henry's hand politely, and gestured for him to sit again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mr. Brown has accomplished quite a few things quietly lately,\" Dragoneiti said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Promoting digital cinema technology.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sony building explosion in Los Angeles.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You walked away with the benefits while escaping the trouble unscathed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Anyone watching would have to applaud.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry chuckled lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That explosion had nothing to do with me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe Sony just couldn't agree with a thief about commission fees and someone blew the building up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After all, I'm the victim whose property was stolen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The usual social dance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Say everything politely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reveal nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if everyone suspected him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragoneiti didn't challenge the denial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he casually added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you know Mickey Schulhof was extremely unhappy with you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He tried to approach the Continental Hotel to place a bounty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fortunately the bounty never passed approval. Otherwise you'd be facing endless assassination attempts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The implication was obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was hinting that Henry's safety existed thanks to his intervention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Henry didn't know how the Continental worked, he might have believed the claim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With Schulhof's personality—lavish and obsessed with appearances—he probably couldn't bear to pay the bounty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe it was just a performance to show he was angry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Continental, placing a bounty didn't require gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the minimum price was $100,000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if the target was particularly dangerous or influential?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A low bounty would simply be rejected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry's case qualified easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bulletproof mutant wasn't exactly an easy target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realistically, the bounty would need to start at one million dollars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most gunmen couldn't deal with someone like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would require specialists—or elaborate poisoning schemes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difficulty rose exponentially.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the reward was too small, no one would bother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Continental demanded full payment in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No killing first and collecting later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if the employer couldn't afford the bounty, the offer simply wouldn't be accepted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragoneiti wasn't surprised by Henry's response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry had once worked within the Continental's orbit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing those details wasn't unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, even if the \"life-saving favor\" didn't work, revealing the information was still a smaller favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragoneiti smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mr. Brown truly matches Ms. Fisher's description.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cunning. Clever.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those who thought you were merely a bookish nerd paid a heavy price.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mentioning Munni Fisher—Henry's former superior—was another attempt to assert dominance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Munni herself had failed to control Henry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why would some stranger succeed now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry smoothly shifted the conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Compared to my small affairs, shouldn't world affairs be more interesting?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Red Empire has collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Japan's economic bubble burst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Europe is integrating.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right now the United States has no real rival.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's not good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My boss and his fellow merchants of death can't sell weapons without enemies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If they can't sell weapons, they don't have money to spend.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And if they don't spend money, the American economy slows.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So the urgent question is: who should be our next enemy?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Some say Afghanistan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others say Iran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some say Saddam Hussein.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you think, Mr. Dragoneiti?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragoneiti raised his glass calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Anyone will do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"None of them can defeat the U.S. military anyway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he still tried to steer the conversation back to his real objective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about Tony Stark?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What has your employer been doing lately?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Probably in bed with some minor actress or model.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you want that information, you'd get better results calling New York paparazzi.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He doesn't exactly report his schedule to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragoneiti leaned forward slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What if we asked you to deliver an invitation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Arrange a meeting between us and Tony Stark.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry spread his hands helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course I can deliver the invitation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I've already said—I'm not his parents, and I'm not his guardian.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That man does whatever he wants.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You remember one of his recent scandals?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At a charity dinner hosted by Stark Industries, President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton attended in person.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Vice President Obadiah Stane told everyone Tony Stark was ill and recovering.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the very same night—photos appeared in newspapers showing Stark partying somewhere else with two women draped over him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragoneiti said calmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wasn't that Stark expressing dissatisfaction with the Democratic administration's military cuts?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who knows?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe he just wanted to sleep with those women.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So tell me—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If I invite him, and he casually agrees…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are the chances he doesn't show up at all?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'll release one bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones we hit!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me know what should I do\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your support means everything—let's crush these goals together! Keep voting, and let the stones pile up! 🚀\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\u003C\u002Fp>",989,"2026-06-06T15:31:22.542Z",1,"novelbin.me","4ef8dc0bc4714f325cd21f006e447005e3f0f22a549b28783afc53ffa0caf157","marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-chapter-432","marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-chapter-430",556,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmarvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-cover.jpg"]