A Brief Respite

Would weapons of science deal magical damage?

Jiang Rui could now tell you very clearly.

Yes.

And quite a lot of it.

The shockwaves and explosive heat generated by missiles, or the shrapnel damage caused by explosions, ultimately fell under mechanics and thermodynamics.

So Jiang Rui was a little puzzled about how he had lost over sixty percent of his health.

Energy fission produced by chemical reactions counted as magical damage?!

Did that mean his dream of standing inside Big Ivan and enjoying the scenery had gone down the drain? What kind of overpowered protagonist couldn't be immune to Big Ivan?

But overall, the outcome had been pretty good.

Aside from the superhumans killed by the missiles not dropping anything, Jiang Rui had also secretly finished off a few who had not quite died before Ross's special assault team arrived.

He got several loot cards.

Uh, he had not dared to finish off the conscious ones. Jiang Rui was afraid they might be hiding some trump card and launch a desperate counterattack that would kill him.

In short, being cautious was all that mattered.

One had to know how to be content.

He thought happily.

Finally, while the special task force cleared the battlefield and S.H.I.E.L.D. stepped in midway to fight over several still-living "prisoners," Jiang Rui boarded Colonel Ross's armored vehicle.

In the distance, at the edge of the missile bombardment zone.

Ghost Blade and the others looked at the blackened scorched earth before them, smelling the pungent odor left by vaporized sand. It looked like some post-apocalyptic wasteland.

His teeth ached a little. His mouth twitched as he asked, "Which madman did this?"

The people around him shook their heads, looking as though they had no idea.

Blue hair, golden eyes...

A figure in white, seemingly untouched by the mortal world, appeared in Ghost Blade's mind, along with a white-haired old man in crimson clerical robes...

At last, the image in his mind froze on their eyes—pairs and pairs of golden pupils...

Hiss. Better not think about it. Better not think about it.

When Jiang Rui saw Stark again, the man was holed up in his laboratory, frantically designing a new Iron Man suit on a virtual display.

If Mark I being ruined by the Short Blade man's single slash had dealt him a heavy blow, and the subsequent superhuman battle had left him shocked and yearning for more...

Then the later missile bombardment had completely restored his confidence in the path of technology.

Likewise, being taken hostage and leaving a little girl behind to cover his retreat—at least, that was what he believed—was something Stark, who had always prided himself on being a genius, considered the greatest humiliation of his life.

Behind him...

Jiang Rui skipped over to take the coffee from Pepper, then suddenly spoke up.

"You really should get some rest, Stark. Haven't you had a proper night's sleep since you came back?!"

"Why are you here?!" Tony Stark asked in surprise as he took the coffee. Looking at the calculations on the virtual blueprint, he rubbed his head in frustration.

"I said I came to see you, and Sister Pepper brought me up."

"I thought she might be able to talk some sense into you." Pepper shrugged and took over. After Tony came back, he had asked around about Rimuru nonstop, then shut himself inside the laboratory and never came out.

She was a little worried. Rimuru happened to come by, so she had asked her to help persuade him.

As for Rimuru, that mysterious girl, Pepper felt she could be trusted. After all, she had saved Tony, and she was adorable!

Such was this face-conscious society.

"There's still a lot to handle at the company, so I'm heading over. Happy will come by later. I called him for you, no need to thank me."

"Oh, I have no idea what Happy could possibly do at a time like this, but thanks, Pepper."

After seeing Little Pepper off, Tony Stark turned back to look at Rimuru, who sat on the lab table swinging her legs and curiously fiddling with all kinds of advanced tech alongside Jarvis.

"Ahem." He put on a serious expression. "Kid, since when did you form a strategic alliance with Pepper?"

"Because she supports me joining the board, Mr. Stark." Rimuru nodded. "I thought you'd ask about the shares."

"I did want to ask." Tony shrugged. "But honestly, I'm not interested in things that are just numbers."

That nouveau riche attitude made Jiang Rui want nothing more than to kick him twice!

"But I discovered something." He crouched halfway down so their eyes were level. "While I don't care who holds the shares, and it doesn't matter if the stock hits the floor, the person acquiring them isn't you, Rimuru Tempest."

"My father, Brent Rand." Jiang Rui explained clearly and just as seriously. "He has already returned to Kunlun. He trusts me very much, but obviously..."

"I'm not good at financial manipulation."

Jiang Rui wore a bitter expression as he continued, "So he asked one of his friends for help."

"Fine." Tony said indifferently. "Supporting a kid is still much better than supporting a mob boss joining the board."

In his eyes, Kingpin was nothing much, just a minor client from before.

But he did not want Rimuru getting involved with that man—not only because they were friends, but also because he considered Rimuru a genius on his own level.

Whether in strength or intellect.

Style determined one's standing. Kingpin was not worthy of her. That was all.

"Mhm." Rimuru beamed.

"Tsk." Tony straightened up and shook his head. "This is the first time I've seen you smile so happily."

She was such an easy kid to please. Only at times like this did she look like a child.

Uh, and when she sulked and shot lightning.

Chuckling, Tony patted her head. "So, kid, you didn't come here just to explain this to me, did you?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. agents." Jiang Rui puffed out his cheeks, swaying from side to side in distress. "They're so annoying. I came here to hide for a while."

"Uh." Tony froze for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "No problem. I think I know why Pepper asked Happy to come over. Trust me, Happy is very good at getting rid of them."

"Jarvis, put me through to Happy Hogan!"

With that, he walked out...

A moment later, the future Iron Man asked Rimuru with barely restrained amusement.

"I heard you claimed to be Happy Hogan's illegitimate daughter?"

???

What the hell was going on?

Jiang Rui's first thought was that damned Happy had tattled on him. He immediately glared fiercely at Tony, warning him not to talk nonsense.

"But it's fine." Tony could not help laughing. "The misunderstanding has been cleared up."

He paused, staring at her expression. "Soon, the whole world will know that you are Happy's adopted daughter—my, Tony Stark's, niece—"

The next moment, he could not say another word, because a certain humiliated Slime had already pounced on him and knocked him to the floor, golden lightning flashing all over her body...

Not long afterward, Happy, who had come to report back, received the same treatment.

Jiang Rui did not stay long. After advising Tony to get some rest, he extorted a spare "small house" from Tony Stark.

But when Tony asked whether he needed a nanny to take care of him...

Jiang Rui genuinely felt that if he had such an irritating mouth, he absolutely would not have lived this long!

After Happy drove him back to the villa, Jiang Rui threw himself onto the bed and took a deep breath.

Ah, the long-lost bed.

The long-lost sofa.

The long-lost chips, cola, and giant TV!

I missed you all so much!

After rubbing his cheeks, he went to wash his face.

He would rest properly for two days.

Then take out Obadiah Stane!

Thirty thousand words already, hhh. It took a seven-thousand-word rejection notice and thirty thousand words before I finally mailed out the contract. What a joke, orz.

I'm very happy. I only started writing because I had nothing to read, and because I was too thin-skinned to advertise my work elsewhere. At thirty thousand words, I officially received recommendation votes. Hehe, I guess it's a milestone.

I reread everything from the beginning and felt that my writing was not solid enough. A lot of the descriptions were too brief compared to what I had envisioned. But I'll improve gradually in the future.

Also, some friends felt that the Sequence-style job classification was a little too trend-chasing and not as rigorous as Master Cuttlefish's. It's actually a tribute, a tribute, because I really love Lord of the Mysteries, hhh.

But I haven't dared to read it recently. Master Cuttlefish's writing still hits me pretty hard, hhh.