The Result of the Negotiation

Coulson felt a surge of anger at Tony Stark's irritating tone, but his professionalism as an agent allowed him to suppress it.

He wasn't here to argue with Tony Stark, but to exchange information.

"Mr. Tony Stark, I've already given you some information."

"Now it's my turn to ask, right?"

So, after suppressing his anger, Coulson asked politely.

"You can ask."

Tony Stark saw Coulson clench his fists, clearly angry, but he was also surprised that Coulson managed to calm down in just a few seconds.

However, Tony Stark was a man of his word, so he let Coulson ask his questions.

"Mr. Tony Stark, how did you manage to..."

Coulson began his inquiry.

Tony Stark told him everything he could, except for the fact that he had created the Arc Reactor.

He recounted how he escaped and survived by building the Iron Man suit, as well as the subsequent modifications.

This was because his modified Mark 2 had already been revealed to the world.

After listening, Coulson was completely convinced that the armored person rumored to be Iron Man in the outside world was indeed Tony Stark.

He was also tactful enough not to suggest that Tony Stark hand over the technology to the government.

"I see, as expected of Mr. Tony Stark. Your mind is a great treasure."

Coulson praised Tony Stark wholeheartedly.

"Isn't it already universally acknowledged that I'm a genius?"

Tony Stark readily accepted the compliment without any pretense of modesty.

"Then, may I ask what exactly you intend to do with the suit you created, Mr. Tony Stark?"

"You saved some people in Gulmira, Afghanistan. Are you trying to clean up the mess left by Stark Industries' weapons?"

"Or do you believe you have the ability and want to help them?"

However, seeing Tony Stark's smug response, Coulson had no intention of lecturing or arguing. Instead, he sought to confirm Tony Stark's intentions.

Superheroes must be kind-hearted. Tony Stark had been a carefree playboy in the past.

Coulson had to put a question mark on whether such a person was truly benevolent and possessed the great love to contribute to Earth.

"A bit of both, I suppose."

Tony Stark paused when he heard Coulson's question, thinking of Yinsen, and then replied.

Yinsen had sacrificed his life to save him, and Gulmira was Yinsen's hometown. He couldn't bring Yinsen back to life, but he wanted to at least protect Gulmira's peace.

"Will you help others in danger in the future?"

Coulson's eyes lit up when he heard that it was both, and he asked again.

"I'm not sure. Gulmira is the hometown of a friend of mine, which is why I want to protect it."

"As for anything else, I'll have to wait until I encounter it to find out."

Tony Stark spread his hands in response.

"Mr. Tony Stark, in fact, due to the existence of aliens..."

"Earth's current situation is not optimistic."

Coulson hesitated upon hearing this uncertain statement and decided to reveal more information.

"I already know that. Isn't that Grim Reaper you mentioned from the Void or something?"

"And when he spoke to me, he also mentioned the universe."

"He said my technology is only considered powerful and advanced relative to humans, but still too weak compared to the universe."

Tony Stark waved his hand, his eyes showing some dissatisfaction.

Ever since he took over Stark Industries, he had invented advanced technology for humanity time and time again.

He had always been proud of it, but then that Grim Reaper said his technology was still trash. How could he accept that?

"Mr. Tony Stark, don't you want to know why our agency is meeting with Mr. Grim Reaper?"

"Before I explain that, there's something I need to tell you. Decades ago, aliens had already visited Earth."

"At that time, Earth had a superhero with superpowers who helped humanity successfully fend off an alien invasion."

"The time of the aliens' existence is unknown, but it's certain that their technology is more advanced and developed."

"They possess technologies such as space jumps and cosmic battleships, which are currently difficult for us humans on Earth to achieve."

"It was also from that time that my superior, Nick Fury, wanted to establish the Avengers Initiative to guard against the threat posed by future alien arrivals."

Coulson sensed Tony Stark's defiance and therefore wanted to win him over by explaining.

"You're not looking for superpowered individuals, but instead you've come to me. It seems your progress hasn't been smooth."

After hearing Coulson's lengthy explanation, Tony Stark immediately grasped the meaning behind his words.

"Yes, Earth has indeed had superpowered individuals in the past, proving that there are others with abilities among humans."

"But humanity is a race that is both exclusive and fearful of being seen as different by others. Those with superpowers almost always hide themselves, making them very difficult to discover and find."

"You've also seen some of the rumors and records circulating about the Grim Reaper on the black web."

"Some of the missions he completed surpassed the scope of human capabilities."

"After investigation and discussion, we unanimously agreed that Mr. Grim Reaper is very likely a powerful individual with superpowers."

"Even if he isn't a superpowered individual, his strength far exceeds that of ordinary people."

"Therefore, we arranged to meet him a few months ago."

"We didn't know how long he had been there, nor how he arrived, until he appeared."

"In a sense, we were right to seek him out. Mr. Grim Reaper is indeed a powerful individual whose strength is immeasurable."

"But unfortunately, he isn't from Earth; he's an alien."

Coulson's face was filled with emotion and disappointment as he spoke of these events.

He had followed Director Fury for nearly twenty years. Fury had risen to become Director, and his own agent rank had continuously improved during those two decades. He was currently an agent with high status and authority within the organization.

While carrying out missions, he also investigated various strange incidents. After decades, they had finally found a superpowered individual.

Coulson was naturally overjoyed, but what happened afterward could only be described as a descent from extreme happiness to extreme disappointment.

Furthermore, they had also learned that the lifespan of the legendary God King Odin might be nearing its end.

Earth might soon lose its protection. If they didn't find some powerful heroes to form the Avengers Initiative and develop countermeasures, Humanity would likely face the fate of being slaughtered or even enslaved by aliens.

However, Director Fury had instructed them not to spread the news about Odin's potential imminent death.

Because if what Mr. Grim Reaper said was true, and God King Odin and the Asa Gods had been protecting Earth all along, Then when the Asa Gods actually arrived on Earth, and they were speaking of God King Odin's dwindling lifespan, Even if the Asa Gods had originally intended to protect humanity, they would end up creating animosity.

Tony Stark could see that what Coulson was saying was the truth, as the emotion and disappointment on Coulson's face were genuine.

"So, you came to me because you thought I suddenly developed superpowers, which allowed me to escape from Afghanistan?"

Tony Stark put himself in Coulson's shoes and, after considering what was said, immediately understood.

"That's right. However, we never expected Mr. Tony Stark to use his brilliant mind to create an Iron Man suit that rivals the latest model fighter jets."

"Although you are not a superpowered individual, in my eyes, you are equivalent to one."

Coulson didn't hide anything upon hearing this, directly expressing his thoughts and admiration.

"According to your agency's operational guidelines, you specifically investigate individuals who might possess superpowers."

"So, your previous contact with Harvey Anberaka, does that mean…?"

Tony Stark accepted the admiration and praise without any embarrassment, then, thinking of something, asked.

"That's correct. We previously suspected that Mr. Harvey Anberaka might be a superpowered individual."

"Because he seemed to be blessed by the goddess of luck. So, even if his superpower wasn't combat-related, it might still be useful."

Coulson nodded upon hearing this, answering almost every question because these weren't highly classified pieces of information.

"And the result?"

Tony Stark, hearing that Coulson and people from that Homeland Security department, like himself, had initially just thought Harvey Anberaka was purely lucky, had a glint in his eyes.

"Based on our two interactions, we concluded that Harvey Anberaka does not possess superpowers."

Coulson shook his head slightly, stating with some regret.

"He doesn't…?"

This answer reminded Tony Stark of a conversation he had with Harvey Anberaka on the balcony outside the ballroom previously.

At that time, when Harvey Anberaka spoke of Obadiah Stane, he had inadvertently revealed a sense of calm and indifference.

It was as if Obadiah Stane was truly insignificant in Harvey Anberaka's eyes, like mere trash.

It seemed Harvey Anberaka had some kind of backing.

However, regardless of whether Harvey Anberaka possessed superpowers or not, the result was clear: Tony Stark and Harvey Anberaka clearly had no intention of joining the Avengers Initiative.

"I understand what you mean. Earth is in a state of crisis, and your agency wants to establish the Avengers Initiative to jointly resist potential alien invasions in the future."

"However, Stark Industries is currently undergoing a transformation, and I have a mountain of things to do."

"Therefore, I need to reconsider joining the Avengers Initiative."

"But if any major disasters or potential threats occur on Earth, you can contact me. Perhaps I will lend you a hand."

Tony Stark said this, looking at Coulson.

The appearance of the Grim Reaper forced Tony Stark to believe that aliens existed in the universe, and that these aliens had already quietly arrived on Earth.

Because of this, he needed to find a way to get Stark Industries successfully transformed and back on track as quickly as possible so he could dedicate himself entirely to the research of his Iron Man armor.

Unfortunately, he didn't know the full extent of the Grim Reaper's abilities and strength, so he couldn't create an armor specifically designed to counter him.

However, since the Grim Reaper was on Earth, there would surely come a day when someone would find out. He just hoped that day wouldn't be too late.

"Alright, thank you very much, Mr. Tony Stark."

Upon hearing Tony Stark's response, Coulson stood up with a smile on his face.

After expressing his gratitude, Coulson also took his leave.

Coulson was in a very good mood. Although Tony Stark hadn't joined directly, he had still secured a promise.

When a major disaster truly occurred in the future, there would be an opportunity for them to join forces. This proved that his visit had yielded positive results.

With a good start like this, the time for them to officially recruit Tony Stark into the Avengers Initiative wouldn't be long.

The third update is here, this is the first update.