The Third Calamity Mission / Now That's What I Call Professional

Knowing he was in the wrong, he could only awkwardly agree with Alice, considering it the price for his momentary slip of the tongue.

Similarly, Alice maintained relative restraint, nodding slightly to Kevin before turning and leaving.

"I am very grateful to you all for risking your lives to save my old friend Dr. Ethan, thus relieving me of my inner torment. You will all be friends of the Stark family forever..."

To ease the awkwardness, Tony took the initiative to extend a gesture of goodwill by rising to shake hands with Countess Lara, who was seated at the head of the table, but made no mention of any tangible reward.

Clearly, this engineering student was not as careless as he seemed; the shrewdness of a businessman was ingrained in his mind, and he still harbored doubts about Lara and the others' motives.

The Countess smiled demurely, picked up her wine glass, and swirled it gently.

"I've heard that Stark Industries has recently suffered a series of setbacks, its stock price has plummeted, and it urgently needs an injection of funds..."

"As friends, the Crawford family is willing to serve."

Tony Stark shook his head slightly and put down the hot towel that was on his head.

"The price will fall first, and then there will be more room for a rise. There's no need to bother my friend with these expected minor issues."

Help? I suspect you're looking to acquire a stake in Stark Industries?

Ever since Obadiah Stanislav, one of the original founders of Stark Industries, secretly sidelined him and caused Afghan terrorists to attack his convoy, Tony has been very concerned about equity and control of the company.

He didn't want either the US government or other business families to get involved.

"Okay, then we hope to order a batch of custom parts and establish a long-term cooperative relationship with Stark Industries ..."

Lara didn't dwell on the previous suggestion and instead placed an order with Tony.

Tony Stark paused for a moment, then carefully reviewed the order details, his expression becoming somewhat serious.

The Crawford family has big ambitions; they seem to be interested in developing armor miniaturization technology, and therefore have very high requirements for the quality of these parts.

However, these conditions are not excessive, rarely involve core secrets, and the price is relatively fair.

"No problem. Just discuss the specific details of the collaboration with my secretary."

Tony Stark knew perfectly well that Lara's expressed interest in acquiring a stake in Stark Industries was merely a ploy to advance her own agenda.

However, due to his pride and the company's current need for orders, he readily agreed to the collaboration.

How could these amateurs, who only dabble in the field of mechanics, possibly replicate his prized armor? Doing him a favor wouldn't be out of the question.

"Tomorrow, I have to go to New York for an emergency meeting, so farewell..."

After briefly outlining the details of the collaboration, Tony Stark prepared to leave. Without the protection of his armor, he felt utterly insecure.

Moreover, the members of this mysterious organization are incredibly powerful; even his strongest armor might not be able to withstand one of them for ten minutes.

The feeling of powerlessness over things being beyond his control made Tony somewhat annoyed, and he was eager to leave the Crawford family castle.

However, it was essential to take his old friend Dr. Ethan with him before leaving, as this was the basis for their cooperation.

However, Dr. Ethan pressed down his outstretched fingers and shook his head slightly.

"Tony, thank you for your kindness, but I plan to stay in County of Surrey to recuperate..."

Yet another uncontrollable factor has emerged... Tony Stark frowned deeply.

Chapter 215, Section 228: The Third Calamity Mission

"I'll trade you the blueprints for the MK Armor!"

Tony pressed his right hand to his temple, stood up and paced back and forth, finally fixing his sharp gaze on the two people opposite him.

Wow, that's a pretty high offer. It seems Dr. Ethan holds a high position in his heart.

It makes sense, considering that this playboy was depressed for a long time after losing his parents, and Dr. Ethan filled some of the void in Tony's heart during the perilous situation.

However, this guy... is quite dishonest... There are many models of MK Armor; if it's a piece of junk like the MK1 that's thrown at you, it won't be of much use.

"I think you may have misunderstood. Dr. Ethan chose to stay in County of Surrey and is planning to start a family..."

Kevin stepped forward and stated the facts to Tony, and Dr. Ethan nodded in agreement.

In order to clear their names, the commander even offered to provide a room for the two of them to have a private conversation.

Several tens of minutes later, Tony Stark shook hands with Dr. Ethan at the door, his gaze softening considerably as he looked at Kevin and the others.

"It's good that he stays here. I have a ton of troublesome things to deal with, and I'm busy reorganizing Stark Industries all day long..."

"Then I'll leave my old buddy in your care..."

"Also, it was a pleasure working with you..."

This time, Tony took the initiative to shake hands with Kevin. Although they weren't particularly close, there was clearly no longer any defensiveness or hostility between them.

They both tacitly agreed that Dr. Ethan was acting as an intermediary for their friendly cooperation.

It is believed that as long as Ethan lives safely, Stark Industries and the Crawford family will maintain a relatively long honeymoon period.

After a brief chat, Tony Stark glanced at his watch and reluctantly stood up.

However, just as the man stepped out the door, he turned back, slapped his forehead, and seemed to have thought of something.

"It seems the Crawford family is reorganizing Umbrella Pharmaceuticals? And they're even considering venturing into the field of artificial intelligence?"

"I don't know much about Umbrella, but their research and development of artificial intelligence might be of great interest to you..."

Tony Stark smiled slightly, beckoned his personal secretary, Pepper Potts, who nodded in understanding, took an invitation from her briefcase, and handed it to her boss.

"In 10 days, an expo for artificial intelligence products will be held in Los Angeles, hosted by Cyberdyne Systems..."

"Because of its semi-official nature, it is only open to internal staff..."

Lara nodded slightly without changing her expression and reached out to take the invitation from Tony's fingers.

However, the shrewd Iron Man turned his attention to Kevin behind Lara.

"Thanks for the invitation. See you in ten days..."

Kevin didn't take it seriously, stepped forward to accept the invitation, and nodded slightly to Tony, who had a meaningful expression on his face.

Lara frowned slightly as she watched Tony walk toward the door.

"He investigated our business activities before he left, and he even knew everything about Umbrella's reorganization plan."

"So, after showing goodwill, this is now considered a threat?"

Kevin twirled the invitation in his fingers, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Alice's blow and Dr. Ethan's decision have left him with no initiative..."

"But how could this Iron Man, so arrogant and unruly, possibly admit defeat so easily?"

"It seems he's trying to use the Cyberdyne Systems Expo as an opportunity to get back at them."

Lara snatched the invitation, glanced at its contents casually, and then frowned and asked a question.

"Are you going to refuse? Or I'll burn it for you?"

Kevin took back the invitation, rubbing his temples with one hand, and expressed his disapproval.

"Interaction is always good; it will take a lot of patience to tame this unruly fellow."

"Furthermore, I have some thoughts on the intelligent revolution that I need to discuss with him."

He absolutely has to go to this expo!

Besides the two reasons mentioned above, the dull sound of mechanical gears grinding together was now echoing in his mind.

"The cause of the natural disaster has been discovered. The World Will is united. The predicted conditions have been met."

"The third phase of the Calamity Mission begins— Judgment Day is coming!"

"As an ancient species, you new creations will surely ascend to the altar and challenge the Father's authority. Global nuclear war is imminent. Prove your superiority, humanity!"

"Mission Objective: 1. Ensure Sarah Connor's successful conception and evade pursuit by the T-series combat robots..."

2. Locate the core base and shut down Skynet...

3. Find out the truth and prevent Judgment Day from coming...

"Task timeframe: 3 months..."

"Task Reward:???"

Sure enough, the Cyberdyne Systems Expo in Los Angeles ten days later turned out to be a mess.

The birth of Hatsune Miku and the pranks she played were just the beginning; the real show was the "Judgment Day" that followed.

Compared to tangible and controllable viral parasites, nuclear bombs, a weapon of mass destruction in the history of Human Civilization, are completely invisible and intangible to ordinary people.

Kevin didn't know how many of those super-organizations would be left if Skynet took over America's defense network as it did in the original story and launched nuclear missiles around the world.

But few of the men he has under his command will survive. After all, even Alice, with her strongest constitution, couldn't withstand this indiscriminate attack of whitewashing.

Moreover, even if he makes it to the expo, how is he supposed to handle this kind of intelligent network that integrates with the defense system?

In addition, Kevin harbors deep doubts about Tony's attitude towards Iron Man.

This guy is a proponent of intelligent networks; it's not impossible that he might create an Ultron ahead of Judgment Day.

Does this mean he'll have to contact Nick Fury Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.., and drag Tony along to yell "Avengers Assemble!"?

Then, form a group to raid Ultron's dungeon? That thing is made of Vibranium, and has countless minions.

This damn world... it's insane!

Kevin uttered that hidden curse again, feeling a throbbing pain in his head once more.

Forget it, I'll get stabbed whether I stick my neck out or not. I might as well go and see what Skynet is all about.

If all else fails, just wipe out Cyberdyne Systems beforehand and delete all the original programs of "Skynet".

The commander took a deep breath, watched the red Audi car disappear into the distance, and then turned to Lara to give her instructions for the next steps.

Seven days later, on a flight from London to Los Angeles, a handsome mixed-race man with a tourist visa boarded the plane alone, carrying his suitcase.

After the plane took off smoothly, Kevin looked around, glancing at the nearby passengers out of the corner of his eye from time to time, and only after confirming that there was nothing unusual did he slowly breathe a sigh of relief.

There's no way around it; after spending so much time with those scoundrels, I'm always on edge when I fly, fearing things like terrorist hijackings or supernatural phenomena.

"A glass of orange juice, with ice, please..."

With eleven or twelve hours to go before the flight, Kevin, having nothing else to do, casually made a request to the flight attendant.

A moment later, his drink was brought over, the air filled with the aroma of fruit, which seemed to be mixed with the scent of perfume.

"Please enjoy your meal. If you require any other services, please feel free to call me..."

A flight attendant in a fitted black business suit leaned down and gently blew into Kevin's ear.

I don't know if it's because the clothes don't fit properly, but the buttons on this female flight attendant's shirt were almost about to pop open, and her smooth, sculpted breasts were so wobbly they made me dizzy.

Kevin could even see the purple lace-trimmed bra through the gaps in the buttons of the stretched white shirt.

"Phew, no need..."

Kevin, not wanting to cause any trouble, refused the flight attendant's offer without even looking up. Judging from her demeanor, if he asked, they could sleep together as soon as they got off the plane.

"No, you need..."

The sudden change in her voice, becoming more alluring and provocative, made Kevin seem to realize something. He abruptly looked up, his expression immediately showing surprise.

Because the name tag of the smiling flight attendant in front of them clearly read "Ada Wong".

P. S.: As expected, human laziness is limitless. I went out to play today, so the update was delayed again...

I will repent tomorrow.

Chapter 216, Section 229: This is what you call professional.

Los Angeles, the City of Angels, is located in southwestern California and is the second largest city in the United States.

Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Universal Studios, the San Fernando Valley, and other attractions are all located here, drawing large numbers of tourists every year during peak season, causing airports and hotels to be fully booked.

At this moment, in front of a storage room in the airport, a mixed-race young man in a white hoodie leaned against the door, flipping through a city map, his eyes occasionally glancing around.

Just as a soft knock sounded behind him, the mixed-race youth nonchalantly put away his city map book, turned around, and walked out of the waiting area.