Chapter 96: Save Private Tony [Ninth Update, Request Subscription and Monthly Tickets]

Facing the swarm of bodyguards, Chu Yang lifted up Hapi, who was still dazed beside him.

“Fuck! Itachi don’t mean to…?” Hapi struggled desperately, screaming in terror: “No! Put me down right now!”

Chu Yang pretended not to hear and, as the bodyguards across the way gathered together, he threw Hapi out without hesitation.

Like bowling a pin.

The entire group of bodyguards across the way were knocked over by Hapi’s impact.

“Being strong really is great!” Chu Yang couldn’t help but remark.

Cushioned by many bodies, Hapi wasn’t seriously hurt; he scrambled out of the pile and launched a barrage of verbal abuse at Chu Yang.

Chu Yang kindly warned him: “Watch out—more people are coming from behind!”

“Itachi…”

As Hapi was about to curse, a whistling sound suddenly pierced the air; decades of boxing instinct made him instinctively duck.

A stun baton sliced through the air just above Hapi’s head.

“Again?” Hapi couldn’t help but complain.

There were so many bodyguards here—take down one group, another would arrive.

Hapi spun around and delivered a brutal punch straight to the enemy’s abdomen!

One punch, KO!

“Not bad.”

“Stop staring—let’s go!”

“Aren’t Itachi still trying to find Tony Stark?”

“They clearly don’t want me inside—do Itachi think he doesn’t recognize me?”

Someone didn’t want Tony Stark to return, so naturally they didn’t want Hapi digging around for his whereabouts.

Chu Yang realized this.

“Today’s my first day on the job—if I just walk away now, my performance review will look terrible.”

Chu Yang strode boldly toward the center of the crowd.

“Today doesn’t count! Tomorrow’s the official start!”

Hapi reached out to grab Chu Yang’s coat, but Chu Yang sidestepped effortlessly.

“Itachi wait by the door.”

As he spoke, Chu Yang was already surrounded by black-clad bodyguards, with no gap left.

Soon after, Hapi standing outside could no longer see him at all.

“Fuck! They’ve got guns—how’s your fist gonna beat that?!”

Hapi cursed and reached for his waist—he’d brought a gun too, but had held back to avoid escalating things; now, he had no choice.

“Aaaah!!!”

A series of entirely different screams rang out one after another, startling Hapi; he leaned forward to look and saw people flying out of the dance floor center.

Moments later, the entire floor was littered with unconscious black-clad bodyguards.

The few remaining ones scattered instantly.

Chu Yang turned and grinned at Hapi, giving him a thumbs-up.

“Your fists are really hard…”

Hapi suddenly felt his mouth go dry.

This level of skill didn’t even need training—he could just walk straight onto a stage to accept an award.

Boom! A flash of fire erupted from the second floor of the bar; Chu Yang tilted his head slightly as a bullet grazed his temple and buried itself in the floor.

“Aaaahhh!!!”

Everyone inside the bar went berserk, scrambling wildly for the exits—brawling and gunfighting were two completely different things.

Hapi pulled his pistol from his waist, ready to return fire—but Chu Yang moved faster; he snatched a bottle from the table, turned, and hurled it back with pinpoint accuracy, blowing the shooter’s head clean off the second floor.

As people fled the bar, more shooters appeared on the second floor.

Gunfire erupted in rapid succession; the first floor was soon drenched in concentrated fire—bottles behind the bar shattered, expensive liquor spilled across the floor.

Using Kenbunshoku Haki, Chu Yang predicted the trajectory of every bullet before it was fired.

He dodged while picking up playing cards scattered across the tables.

Then he wrapped them in Busoshoku Haki, turning the cards into razor-sharp blades.

Chu Yang flicked his fingers, launching each card—one by one—each precisely slicing across the shooters’ wrists, severing tendons and flesh alike; the cards traced perfect arcs through the air before returning to his hand.

The bar fell silent—no more gunshots, only moans rising in waves.

“What the hell was that? Chinese kung fu?”

Shocked, Hapi walked back inside, staring at the fallen enemies, mimicking the throwing motion with his hand, puckering his lips: “Chiu-chiu-chiu-chiu-chiu…”

“Stop chiu-ing—it’s Li Xiaoyao’s Flying Dagger, never misses, got it?”

Chu Yang muttered in his native dialect; Hapi stared blankly, completely lost.

“I thought there’d be more outsiders—turns out it’s just two of Itachi.” A fat man in a coat, smoking a cigar, appeared on the second floor, flanked by bodyguards; he glanced around, then showed a look of surprise.

“Hapi Hogan? We’re old acquaintances—why bring me such a big gift?”

A long scar ran beneath the fat man’s right eye; when he squinted, his entire face turned terrifyingly grotesque.

The fat man took a deep breath, and his cigar instantly lost a third of its length; he exhaled, and his mouth spewed smoke like a steam locomotive.

Hapi asked: “Gustav, can we talk privately?”

Gustav fell silent for a moment, staring at Chu Yang standing beside Hapi, then nodded, signaling his bodyguards to step back.

The empty bar now held only three people.

“Gustav, over the years Itachi’ve made a fortune from Stark Industries on the black market.”

“Hapi, I know what Itachi mean—but I really can’t help Itachi,” Gustav shook his head.

“If Tony doesn’t come back, do Itachi think your business can keep going?” Hapi said.

“Sigh…”

Gustav sighed heavily, as if burdened by unspeakable secrets.

Chu Yang knew he’d been warned by Obadiah Stane; as a participant in the underground black market, Gustav must have had dealings with Obadiah.

Hapi stared at Gustav: “Itachi know where Tony is, don’t Itachi?”

Gustav finished his remaining cigar in one drag, then crushed the butt hard into the floor: “Hapi, Tony Stark has been kidnapped by local terrorists—he won’t be coming back. This is all pointless, understand?”

Hapi asked coldly: “Where is he?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!”

Gustav couldn’t hold out any longer; he cursed the air, then revealed everything he knew.

He’d once made a deal with the terrorists who kidnapped Tony Stark—he knew their location, but wasn’t sure if they’d moved.

“Don’t tell anyone it came from me!”

“Got it!”

Hapi left satisfied, dragging Chu Yang along with him.

Soon after, Gustav’s bodyguards reappeared on the second floor; someone whispered behind him: “Boss, why tell them? We could just kill…”

“Kill what?!” Gustav glared at him, furious: “Itachi’ve followed me for years and still have zero instincts! That young man beside Hapi—Itachi think he’s ordinary?”

“If we hadn’t told him, he could’ve killed us all by himself—he’s probably a mutant… never mind.”

Gustav stopped mid-sentence, his expression unreadable.

Now that he knew Tony Stark’s exact location, Hapi was ecstatic and immediately called “Pepper” Potts.

“Miss Potts, I’ve found Tony’s trail—please arrange a plane for me!”

He was flying to Afghanistan tonight to rescue Tony!

Pepper on the other end was thrilled, but after calming down, she said: “No, Hapi—we have to notify the military. Let them rescue Tony!”

“I don’t trust those guys—I suspect someone’s deliberately hiding the truth to keep Tony from returning. I’m going myself. Believe me, I met someone today who’s incredibly skilled—I’ve got this.”

“Incredibly skilled? Who?! Hapi, Itachi can’t hand your life over to someone Itachi met on the street less than twenty-four hours ago!”

Chu Yang, listening through the phone, nodded silently—she had a point—but clearly, Hapi wasn’t listening.

“Listen, Pepper—notify the military, or whoever Itachi want—but I’m going to rescue Tony myself. Damn it! If I’d been with him before, he’d never have been kidnapped by terrorists!”

Pepper heard the guilt in Hapi’s voice; the rest of his words were just excuses—only this one was true.

He regretted failing in his duty as a bodyguard. “Fine. I’ll arrange the plane—but promise me Itachi won’t do anything reckless. It could get Tony killed!”

“I promise, Pepper. I’ll bring Tony back.”

Chu Yang’s head throbbed, especially when Hapi kept making reckless vows—he seriously wanted to sew Hapi’s mouth shut.

After hanging up, Hapi flagged down a taxi; he got in, then realized Chu Yang was still standing outside, shouting: “Get in! We don’t have time to waste!”

Chu Yang looked troubled: “It’s probably quitting time—I know America’s a capitalist country, but we should still respect labor laws…”

Before he finished, Chu Yang turned and walked away; Hapi’s eyes bulged—he hadn’t expected this guy to actually quit. “Fuck!” Hapi jumped out, grabbed Chu Yang: “Itachi’re not seriously planning to let me go to Afghanistan alone, are Itachi?”

Chu Yang rolled his eyes: “Itachi were planning to go alone anyway.”

“That was before I met Itachi! Now I need Itachi with me—without Itachi today, I’d already be a sieve!”

“Taking me to Afghanistan will still get us turned into a sieve!”

“I believe Itachi can protect me and Tony!”

“Bullshit! Can Itachi equate a pistol and an RPG? One shot and we’ll all be ashes!”

“Tell me what Itachi want, and I’ll agree to go to Afghanistan with Itachi.”

“Extra pay!”

Happy: “...”

Chu Yang said: “I’m just a bodyguard. Are Itachi really going to ask me to go to Afghanistan and face terrorists for that little salary? Doesn’t your conscience hurt?”

With Chu Yang’s words, Happy’s conscience truly began to ache slightly—he and Tony were close friends, willing to risk everything to rescue him, but Chu Yang had no such obligation.

“How about double the pay?”

“Heh!”

“Triple!”

“Pfft~~~”

“Five times!”

“Tsk tsk...”

“Ten times!”

Happy’s eyes turned red; if Chu Yang didn’t agree, he might just bite someone.

“Deal!”

Chu Yang flashed a bright smile.

“Leave now?”

“I’m off duty. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Furious Happy let out a roar that shook the entire street!

“Fuck!”

Afghanistan.

This region has a subtropical arid climate—dry and rain-poor year-round, with bitterly cold winters and scorching summers.

And now, the season was at its peak heat.

Even inside the plane, Chu Yang could feel the temperature rising sharply.

Happy’s fat body had soaked through his clothes.

Looking around, the area was nothing but desert and rugged mountains; finding a safe landing spot for the plane was nearly impossible.

Flying further would alert the terrorists who had kidnapped Tony Stark—they’d just blow the plane out of the sky.

“Get ready. We’re parachuting out.”

“What?”

“Dammit, if we fly any further, we’ll land right in their lap!”

Happy frantically pulled out a map, studied it, then pressed the intercom button to contact the pilot in the cockpit, preparing to follow Chu Yang’s orders.

But for some reason, the pilot didn’t respond—he kept flying straight ahead.

Happy pressed the button again and again. “Damn it, it had to break now!”

“Break? It’s been sabotaged!” Chu Yang whistled. “They’re clearly trying to deliver us straight into their trap. Itachi’ve been played, idiot.”

“Sabotaged?” Happy stared, eyes wide with pure stupidity.

Chu Yang warned: “It’s not the military—it’s someone high up in Stark Industries who wants Tony Stark dead in Afghanistan!”

“Last night, that woman Pepper notified not only the military but also a senior executive in the company. The leak happened, and now we’re paying the price. They plan to send us to join Tony Stark—and make it look like an accident.”

Happy slammed his fist hard against the seat. Even he understood the implication—the man had almost named the traitor outright.

“What do we do now? The cockpit’s armored. We can’t break in from outside.”

Happy paced anxiously inside the cabin.

Chu Yang walked to the cockpit door, punched it a few times, and the specially reinforced door twisted out of shape.

Happy froze in place, then slowly raised his thumb.

The pilot inside turned pale, fumbling for his gun—but Chu Yang smashed his fist into the pilot’s temple, exploding helmet and eyeball together.

The co-pilot instantly wet himself, trembling as he raised both hands in surrender.

Chu Yang barked: “Hold the controls! Fuck!”

The co-pilot grabbed the controls tightly.

“Where’s the parachute?”

“Under our seats.”

“Only two?”

“Yes. Only two.”

“Let me guess—Itachi rigged this plane to look like an accident, right?”

“Yes...”

Chu Yang picked up the two remaining parachute packs, then gave the co-pilot a look that said: good luck.

The co-pilot clutched the controls, tears welling in his eyes.

From this moment on, the plane was fused with his life.

Chu Yang tossed one pack to Happy, waited until he was suited up, then opened the cabin door and kicked Happy out, jumping after him.

“AAAAAAAH!!!”

“Operation Save Soldier Tony begins!”

Where desert, steppe, and mountains met, caves formed—interconnected deep within, like a rabbit’s three burrows.

Such terrain was favored by terrorists: a natural military base, shielded from aerial reconnaissance.

America’s most famous playboy—Tony Stark—was now held in one such cave.

No tailored suit, no beautiful women or wine—only a greasy tank top. The billionaire looked utterly broken.

A hole gaped in Tony’s chest, filled with a crude electromagnetic device.

After being blown up by his own missile, fragments of shrapnel had lodged in his body.

The device held them in place, preventing them from drifting toward his heart.

The man who built the device and performed Tony’s surgery was named Yisen—he was key to Tony Stark becoming Iron Man.

The terrorists forced Tony to build weapons for them.

To resist and escape, Tony asked Yisen to extract palladium from the weapons and build a small reactor to replace the crude electromagnetic device in his chest.

Through their efforts, the reactor was successfully built and now functioned normally in place of the device.

Tony pulled out a stack of blueprints from a corner and slowly unrolled them before Yisen’s curious gaze.

“Great art,” Yisen murmured, gazing at the Iron Man armor on the plans, then asked hesitantly: “But... can it even move?”

Tony looked up, proud. “Are Itachi doubting my abilities? Mr. Yisen, the man standing before Itachi is the CEO of Stark Industries—the world’s greatest weapons designer!”

Yisen smiled, said nothing, only traced his finger along the blueprint.

One week later...

Coinciding with the day Chu Yang and Happy’s plane arrived nearby.

The terrorists discovered Tony and Yisen’s work on the Iron Man armor. To protect Tony during the final stage, Yisen grabbed a weapon and went out alone to face the enemy.

“Hey! Yisen! Come back!”

No matter how Tony called, he received no reply.

“Damn!”

Meanwhile, Chu Yang used Kenbunshoku to locate the terrorists’ base.

He directed Happy to land nearby.

“We’re lucky.”

“No—Itachi should thank those two pilots for delivering us right here.”

“Yes. Hope they’re all right!”

No sooner had Happy finished speaking than the plane that carried them crashed onto a hill beside the base, exploding with force equal to a missile strike.

Terrorists poured out in droves, filling the open ground.

Seeing so many enemies, Happy’s throat went dry. He cleared his throat. “So many... maybe we should wait for the military? Pepper’s right—professional jobs need professionals.”

Chu Yang gave him a scornful look. “Now’s the perfect time to attack. Once they retreat into the caves, we’ll never get in.”

“Why force it?” Happy gestured. “Ever seen a spy movie? We could sneak in.”

Chu Yang shot back without mercy: “No. Your body’s too conspicuous. No spy’s this fat.”

Happy: “...”

Bro, are Itachi really going to hurt me like this—right now?

Happy felt awful. He’d already prepared to take a bullet for Chu Yang.

“Tatata-tatata!”

Sudden gunfire erupted from the cave.

Happy’s face changed—he charged out, so fast even Chu Yang couldn’t stop him. His loyalty to Tony Stark was undeniable.

Letting Happy charge out alone meant he’d be riddled with bullets.

So Chu Yang silently unleashed a Wood Release: a vine burst from the ground, tripping Happy.

His round body rolled, bumbling and tumbling, until it landed beneath cover.

Happy looked up—weapons and ammo lay piled all around him.

At this moment, the terrorists outside had not yet discovered them.

Chu Yang made a throwing gesture toward Happy.

Happy understood, turned, and picked up a grenade from the pile of ammunition.

He hurled it toward the densest group of people.

BOOM! The grenade exploded in the crowded throng!

The terrorists still focused on the plane crash were instantly killed or wounded in large numbers.

Happy didn’t care about anything else—he just kept blindly tossing grenades.

The blasts sent everyone around scrambling, heads down; those too slow to flee were torn apart on the spot.

“That’s why Itachi shouldn’t go gawking at trouble!”

Chu Yang pulled out several playing cards from his waist, wrapped them in Armament Color, and threw them—each one striking enemies preparing to spray fire toward Happy.

The cards sliced like razor blades, cleanly severing their heads; half their brains slid off slowly, wobbling like fresh tofu.

Luckily, Happy was too busy tossing grenades to see this gruesome scene—if he had, he’d have thrown up for sure.

Since the cards flew silently and Chu Yang moved at superhuman speed, the terrorists couldn’t detect his position—they could only watch helplessly as their comrades fell.

The terrorist leader, hearing the commotion outside, assumed it was an army assault and immediately ordered the men who had just entered the cave to go out and reinforce.

Now only a few terrorists remained inside the cave; Ethan was temporarily holding them in stalemate.

“Someone’s coming outside? Is it the army? Or other terrorist factions?”

Listening to the explosions outside, Ethan was utterly baffled.

Happy, crouched behind cover, was too terrified by the intense gunfire to lift his head.

Much later, when the gunfire grew weaker, he finally remembered Chu Yang.

“Why hasn’t he made a sound for so long? Has he been killed?”

Happy gritted his teeth hard.

Risking being shot in the head, he left his cover.

“I’m not afraid! I’m not afraid!”

Happy kept hypnotizing himself, then frantically fired at everything around him.

One bullet grazed Chu Yang’s hair as it flew past.

“The hell?”

Chu Yang was so angry he nearly threw his cards away.

After Happy charged forward a distance…

He suddenly realized the gunfire around him had stopped—the only gunfire now came from his own weapon! “Where are the terrorists?”

Happy spun around, sword drawn, staring blankly in all directions.

“At your feet.”

Hearing Chu Yang’s warning, Happy instinctively looked down—his face turned instantly from pale to green.

“Puke!”

While Happy was clearing his stomach, Chu Yang walked into the deeper part of the cave.

Inside, it was utterly silent, pitch black.

Chu Yang stopped.

Something seemed to be writhing in the darkness.

Click~~~ The sound of a trigger being pulled followed.

Chu Yang moved faster.

The cards in his hand sliced through the darkness, shooting deep into the shadows.

“Ahh!”

The terrorist leader, hidden in darkness, clutched a severed, bone-white arm and hissed in pain.

Pain and terror twisted his face into a monstrous mask.

He couldn’t fathom how Chu Yang had found him.

Forcing down the agony from his severed arm, he raised his RPG high and fired at Chu Yang’s position.

Too bad—Chu Yang had already predicted his move and vanished the instant the rocket launched.

“Fuck!”

The leader’s face turned as if he’d seen a ghost.

He was about to fire again when the door behind him exploded open.

A gleaming suit of armor, cold and metallic, appeared before his eyes.

The leader froze.

Boom! The armor raised its mechanical arm and fired a cannon blast, sending the leader flying.

“Ethan?!”

Tony, piloting the armor, scanned around and finally spotted Ethan lying on the ground—next to him stood another man. Tony immediately launched an attack.

To avoid accidentally hitting Ethan, he chose to use his flamethrower to drive back the man beside Ethan.

A torrent of searing flame shot straight from the nozzle.

The moment Chu Yang saw Iron Man appear, he assumed the battle was over, so he came over to check on the injured Ethan.

But he never expected Tony would mistake him for an enemy! In the instant the searing flame erupted…

Chu Yang flung a card, slicing clean through the alloy gun barrel!

Tony: “???”

I must be hallucinating! Tony thought his brain had betrayed him—he’d just seen a playing card cut through Iron Man’s weapon.

He’d even seen the card’s face! Ace of Spades!

“Hey, boss, I’m an employee of Stark Industries—we’re on the same side!”

“Itachi’ve got quite a sense of humor. Your English is pretty good.”

“I’m serious. Today’s my first official day on the job.”

“Shut up, Itachi damn terrorist!”

Tony, utterly unconvinced, prepared to attack. The massive armor turned toward Chu Yang, its shoulder machine guns and cannons rotating in unison.

“Tsk. Rich people are all so impatient.”

Under Chu Yang’s control, each card struck an exposed weld point on the armor, sparking blinding flashes.

After a dozen rapid flashes, Tony suddenly felt his body grow light.

Ding-ding-ding~~~ The armor instantly collapsed into scrap metal, clattering off him one piece at a time.

Suddenly, Tony stood naked before Chu Yang.

He awkwardly raised his hands and waved them, “Hello!”

Chu Yang clicked his tongue.

This was over. Tony’s face turned ashen; his mind already pictured the scene of terrorists executing him.

“Cough-cough-cough, I swear I’ll never play cards again in my life!”

Happy, still nauseous, staggered into the cave from outside, legs unsteady. He hadn’t known how those men had died until he saw a heart-nine playing card stuck in someone’s skull.

“Happy?!”

Tony, seeing his bodyguard and friend, watched his pale face flush with relief as he shouted his name in delight.

“Tony!”

Happy was equally thrilled.

Just as the two were about to embrace tightly, Tony suddenly stopped, turned, and stared at Chu Yang in shock:

“Fuck! Itachi’re really my employee?!!”

…

In the evening, the military, through intense artillery fire, pinpointed their location.

Colonel Rhodes personally led a rescue team to save Tony Stark.

When he arrived at the site, he saw the ruined base and his heart sank.

Such a fierce battle—if he found Tony at all, he’d probably be nothing but ashes…

Thinking this, Colonel Rhodes felt a deep sorrow; a seven-foot-tall man, his eyes turned red.

Beep-beep-beep~~~ His phone rang.

Forgetting his grief, Colonel Rhodes answered the call.

“What?”

“He’s already back!”

“Throwing a party in the hospital?!!!”

“Fuck! Tony!”

…

Hospital.

“So, the guy who cut through Iron Man’s armor with playing cards is only sixteen, about to enter high school, and Itachi just met him on the street?”

“And Itachi’ve known him for less than twenty-four hours?!!!”

Tony, lying in bed, stared at Happy in stunned silence until he grew embarrassed and shyly turned away.

“Can Itachi be certain that the information Itachi found is true? That kid looks like he sneaked out of some secret base...”

Tony still couldn’t believe it—every time he thought of his meticulously crafted armor crumbling like tofu in front of that kid, his pride felt like a thousand ants crawling over it.

“I’m certain!” Happy said seriously.

“Pepper mobilized every resource the company had to investigate him.”

“Chu Yang grew up in a small rural town. His parents and family were multi-generational Chinese immigrants who died when he was very young. He was raised by neighbors and local welfare agencies.”

“He got into a public high school in Brooklyn, but for some reason, he didn’t enroll. Instead, he wandered the streets, where he met me.”

Hearing “Brooklyn,” Tony automatically frowned and sneered, “If it were me, I wouldn’t set foot in that dump. Brooklyn? That place only produces thugs and junkies!”

“Watch your language, Mr. Stark,” Pepper said sharply as she entered the room, having overheard his remarks. “Saying things like that will be seen as discrimination by the public—it’s terrible for Stark Industries’ image!”

“I apologize!” Tony raised his hands. “I was just being objective, but Itachi’re right, Miss Potts.”

Pepper was long used to Tony’s brazenness. She sighed. “I’ve found all the files Itachi asked for. Now let’s talk about what to do with the boy.”

“Good God! He’s only sixteen! He was forced to go to Afghanistan to save people!”

“Happy, do Itachi realize how many laws we’ve broken just because he’s a minor?”

“Itachi said Itachi met a tough guy on the street, but Itachi didn’t say he was a minor!”

By the end, Pepper was practically screaming.

Her loud voice made Happy feel like he was standing at the center of a storm.

“Hey, Itachi know I’ve always had trouble telling Asian faces apart,” Happy wiped sweat from his forehead and complained. “Normally, a minor couldn’t take down that many Black guys.”

Tony nodded in agreement. “Normally, a minor couldn’t have destroyed my armor with playing cards.”

“Maybe he has some special skill? Don’t forget—he’s Chinese!” Pepper snapped, tired of listening to these two fools. “What are we going to do about him?!”

Tony and Happy exchanged a glance and answered in unison.

“Of course we keep him!!!”

“I’ll say it again—he’s a minor. We can’t hire him. That’s illegal!”

Pepper roared in frustration.

She felt Tony and Happy hadn’t listened to a word she’d just said. “Oh, come on, calm down, Miss Potts!”

Tony flinched at the shout and quickly explained, “I know he’s a minor. I know he has no living relatives. According to regulations, the Stark Foundation can sponsor his education. Do Itachi understand what I mean?”

Now Pepper understood: Stark Industries would gain legal guardianship over Chu Yang.

Tony smiled. “Enroll him in a good school. In return, I need him to help me run some small tests.”

Pepper suddenly realized something. “Itachi mean test the strength of those iron toys?”

“Hey! Don’t insult my masterpiece!” Tony snapped. “That one was just a prototype—that’s why it was so fragile!”

“A prototype destroyed by playing cards? Isn’t that just a toy?” Pepper sneered, then turned and walked out without looking back.

She wasn’t worried about Tony’s health—after all, a man who threw parties in a hospital couldn’t be that sick. Happy stood quietly to the side, doing his best to look like an unobtrusive third wheel during their bickering.

As Tony’s friend and bodyguard, Happy understood the unspoken tension between him and Pepper.

“She doesn’t understand anything!” Tony’s face flushed red as he protested. “I’m sure those playing cards were rigged. Damn it—I should’ve grabbed some when he left!”

Happy offered helpfully, “Gustav’s got plenty. If Itachi need, I can bring Itachi a few crates.”

Tony: “...”

With Stark Industries’ help, Chu Yang’s school changed from a Brooklyn neighborhood school to the best high school in New York City.

But Chu Yang still had no intention of attending.

Kind-hearted Miss Potts went to the small hotel where Chu Yang stayed, sat on a $50 garbage sofa, and talked with him.

She’d never seen him slaughter terrorists in their base. To her, Chu Yang was just a sixteen-year-old boy tricked into going to war by Happy.

Even if he was skilled, he was still a child who needed schooling and education.

“Miss Potts, the main reason I won’t go to school isn’t just that the school is terrible—it’s that I can’t learn what I need from a regular high school right now.”

Chu Yang explained politely, calm and composed—nothing like a typical rebellious teenager planning to drop out.

Pepper stared at him in surprise. “Chu Yang, are Itachi saying Itachi’ve already taught yourself all the high school material?”

Chu Yang nodded. “Yes, Miss Potts.”

With his ability to create countless clones, high school curriculum was no challenge at all for Chu Yang.

Pepper urged, “Even so, for your future, I still recommend Itachi pursue systematic education and then enter an excellent university.”

“Working at Stark Industries, sitting in an office, is far safer than being Happy’s bodyguard.”

Chu Yang shrugged. “Itachi might not believe it, but if I wanted to, I could get into any university.”

Pepper grew annoyed. In Chu Yang, she saw the same stubbornness she’d seen in Tony.

That wasn’t a good thing—not for a boy his age.

“Okay. If Itachi pass my test, I won’t say another word about your schooling. Deal?”

“Alright, Miss Potts.”

Then Pepper tested Chu Yang on high school material—and then...

She began asking questions beyond the curriculum.

Half an hour later.

Pepper fell silent.

She began to realize the seriousness of the situation.

………………

The next day.

Pepper came to the hospital again, despite her busy schedule.

“Itachi’ve been coming by more often lately. I’m pleased,” Tony beamed, winking at Happy, who was watching the scene.

Happy’s lips curled slightly.

Pepper didn’t notice the unspoken understanding between the two men. She walked straight to Tony, placed a report on his bed, and said sternly, “I think Itachi need to re-evaluate that boy.”

“Which one?” Tony blinked, then, under Pepper’s burning gaze, realized. “The playing card kid?”

Happy cleared his throat. “Chu Yang.”

“Oh, right.” Tony awkwardly picked up the report, glanced at it, and his expression turned as serious as Pepper’s.

“Tell me—what are the odds of randomly meeting someone on the street whose IQ is close to mine?”

“Hah! What nonsense! The odds are like winning the lottery—about 0.000001%.”

As soon as Happy finished speaking, Tony and Pepper both stared at him.

A few seconds later, Happy suddenly shuddered.

“Congratulations—Itachi won the lottery...”

……

Stark Industries.

“Who can tell me why that idiot bodyguard destroyed the terrorist base and brought Tony back from Afghanistan?”

“I spent millions—did I just get a crashed plane and two charred corpses?”

Obadiah Stane was screaming into his phone. His carefully planned kidnapping had been ruined by a two-hundred-pound idiot fatso.

The other end fell silent, then cautiously replied, “Besides Happy Hogan, there was another person on the plane that day.”

Obadiah Stane sneered. “Ha! A sixteen-year-old Chinese boy? Itachi’re telling me he did all this?”

“That’s not funny. I’d rather believe Happy mutated into Captain America.”

The person on the line had no more excuses, only kept apologizing.

Obadiah Stane, face twisted with rage, hung up.

But soon, he calmed down and practiced smiling.

Tony Stark was being discharged tomorrow, and a press conference was scheduled. Obadiah couldn’t show even a hint of resentment.

“But why did Happy bring a sixteen-year-old boy to save Tony?”

“Everything we dug up on the kid shows he’s just an ordinary Chinese—actually, an orphan.”

“What secret is he hiding?”

Meanwhile, in another high-rise building, a masked black egg was asking the same question.

But his intelligence seemed richer than Obadiah’s.

“He caused chaos in Gustav’s bar with playing cards, walked away unharmed, then went to Afghanistan to save people. Tony Stark’s new friend... he doesn’t look like an ordinary person at all...”

(End of Chapter)