Tony Stark (Part 2)

Flushing, Stark Industries Expo.

"It really is lively." At six in the evening, Shen Fei rode his motorcycle straight here. He chose this time because Stark was supposedly going to appear around seven to give a speech—information Shen Fei had picked up online. Because of this news, today's expo was especially crowded, with far more beautiful women than usual.

Just getting a rumor started with Stark was enough to make someone famous.

"Looks like I was thinking too simply before." Arriving at the scene, Shen Fei realized his earlier plan had a major flaw: Stark wasn't easy to meet, and neither was Pepper.

In the movies, those two never seemed to have many bodyguards around. Stark only ever had Happy by his side year-round. But this was reality. As a top-tier billionaire, how could Stark have just one bodyguard?

That was a level ordinary people couldn't even touch. Most people couldn't even know his whereabouts.

"I need an invitation." The venue where Stark was speaking was inside the expo hall, surrounded by bodyguards in professional suits, with several police officers maintaining order. Shen Fei found himself a bit troubled.

By normal means, he couldn't get in at all.

Using unconventional methods, Shen Fei could sneak in, but that might expose him. Given Tony Stark's status, the scene probably wasn't just guarded by these bodyguards and police—there might even be S.H.I.E.L.D. agents around.

"Movies are misleading."

"This guy puts on more airs than the Ancient One."

He tried contacting Pepper and Stark through normal channels, but all he got was a polite refusal from the front desk receptionist. Too many people wanted to see Pepper and Stark every day. Without some kind of connection, it was impossible to meet them, and those with connections didn't need to go through the front desk.

"It's you. Long time no see." Just as Shen Fei was hesitating, staring at the venue entrance, a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice sounded behind him.

Shen Fei turned around, and his eyes lit up. Behind him stood Ada Wong in a red cheongsam, the same woman he'd met in Raccoon City.

"It's you." Shen Fei's voice carried a hint of surprise.

"Looks like you still remember me." Ada smiled.

"Someone as beautiful as you—how could I forget after meeting you?" After a brief pause, Shen Fei smiled and replied.

"Thanks for the compliment. I saw you staring over there. Need some help?" Ada gestured with her eyes toward the venue entrance and asked.

"I have something I need to see Stark or his secretary, Ms. Pepper, about, but I don't have an invitation." Shen Fei told the truth.

"They're not that easy to meet. Can I ask what you need to see them for?" Ada gave Shen Fei a thoughtful look and inquired.

"Nothing major. I've developed a health supplement that's very effective for women, and I wanted to find some investment." Shen Fei pulled a delicate bottle containing red liquid from his bag and handed it to Ada.

"Since we met by chance, this one's for you. Here's the instruction manual." Then he took out a sheet of paper covered in writing.

"You're not going to tell me everything written here is true, are you?" Ada quickly scanned the manual and smiled.

"This is a lab product. What's written is true. If you don't believe me, you can have an agency test it to prove I'm not lying."

"I see. Then I'll take it." Ada said, putting the items into her small red bag.

"Since I accepted your gift, let me do you a favor. Come on, I'll take you in." Ada pulled out an elegant invitation and walked toward the entrance.

Shen Fei immediately followed.

With Ada leading the way, invitation in hand, the bodyguards didn't stop Shen Fei at all. It seemed the invitation allowed bringing someone in.

"By the way, we've talked this long and I still don't know your name. I'm—" After entering the venue, Shen Fei started to introduce himself.

"Ada. Ada Wong. Just call me Ada." Ada smiled.

"Ada, could I get your contact number?" Asking for Ada's number wasn't just Shen Fei being infatuated—though that was part of it, since Ada was top-tier in both figure and looks. But Shen Fei had another goal: the G-Virus.

In Raccoon City, Shen Fei hadn't dared to collect that virus. Later, it seemed to have been abandoned for various reasons. But for Shen Fei, the G-Virus was very useful—stopping bodily aging and instant regeneration were incredibly valuable.

Umbrella Corporation abandoned the G-Virus for a simple reason: its mutation was extremely hard to control, and it lacked the T-Virus's infectivity, making it very difficult to find compatible hosts. Sherry Birkin was a complete accident.

But if others couldn't control the G-Virus, for someone with the Op-Op Fruit's abilities like him, it was no problem at all.

Who would he get the G-Virus from? Ada, of course.

"If we meet again by chance." Ada said, slipping into the crowd and vanishing from Shen Fei's sight.

"Her target this time isn't Stark, is it? I hope she's not that reckless." Watching where Ada disappeared, Shen Fei thought to himself.

He wasn't too worried about Ada. Anyone who survived in the spy business couldn't be simple. Judging by her movements, she'd likely been injected with a weakened version of the serum or some enhancement agent.

The real serum had only been injected into Captain America and the Red Skull, but the weakened version had been given to far more than two people.

Fury, Black Widow, and Hawkeye might all have been injected.

With so many biotech companies in this world, creating a powerful serum was hard, but a weakened enhancement agent was no problem. Oscorp, for instance, had been researching such things. Despite high failure rates, they still created the Green Goblin.

As for Umbrella Corporation, they had even more of these things. The Tyrant was one of their creations.

With Umbrella involved, the number of enhanced humans in this world was considerable.

Stark was supposed to appear at seven, but he didn't show until seven-thirty. The so-called speech, Shen Fei realized, was actually a new product launch for Stark Group.

Stark Group was indeed a military industrial giant, but its business wasn't limited to that. It had numerous subsidiaries, mostly selling Stark's inventions and creations.

Stark's fame wasn't just because he was a rich second-generation heir; he was also a genius scientist.

After all, New York had plenty of rich second-generation heirs, some no less prestigious than Stark, like the Simmons Family, one of the families that had always ruled America from behind the scenes.

Stark only briefly introduced the new product, leaving the rest to Pepper. Stark always focused on inventing, while Pepper handled everything else, including dealing with the women connected to Stark.

"Hello, miss." True to form, Stark quickly found Ada among the many beautiful women. Who could blame him? Ada's face and figure stood out even in a crowd full of beauties.

"Hello, Mr. Stark." Ada smiled and shook hands with Stark.

"La Signora, perhaps we should find somewhere else to talk." Stark's words carried a hint of suggestion.

"Sorry, but I have matters to attend to today." Ada refused him immediately.

"Hello, Mr. Stark." Shen Fei, who had been watching Stark the whole time, naturally saw Ada as well and immediately stepped forward to block the space between them.

"Kid, I don't have time to give autographs right now." Stark said as he tried to push past Shen Fei. Having finally run into a beautiful woman, Stark wasn't about to give up so easily.

Ada's refusal, in Stark's eyes, was merely a pretense.

"This is my younger brother, Mr. Stark. Why not hear what he has to say?" After leaving that remark, Ada nodded at Shen Fei, turned, and walked away.

"Younger brother, huh." Watching Ada's retreating figure, Shen Fei couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.

"So you're the brother. What's up? Oh, by the way, what's your sister's name?" There was no denying that Stark was being a bit pathetic in this moment—a far cry from the Iron Man he would later become.

"I've developed a health supplement for women." Shen Fei stated his purpose directly, pulling out a sample and an instruction manual.

He didn't bother clarifying what Ada had said. Since she had created this opportunity for him, he certainly wasn't going to waste it.

"I never take things from other people's hands." Stark didn't accept the items from Shen Fei. Instead, he gestured for Happy to take the manual, place it in front of him, and give it a quick scan.

"Kid, reaching for the stars isn't the way to go." Stark was well-versed in biochemistry himself—otherwise, he wouldn't have had opinions on the Extremis Virus. What Shen Fei had written in the manual, in Stark's view, was simply unscientific.

"Mr. Stark, you can have it tested, and then you'll know if what I'm saying is true. Here's my number. If you're interested, feel free to reach out. If not, I'll have to find someone else." Shen Fei handed the sample to Happy.

After Stark nodded, Happy immediately accepted the sample.

Shen Fei didn't waste any more words. There was nothing left to say between him and the current Stark. Once Happy had taken the sample, Shen Fei took his leave.

"Lucky I ran into Ada, or this wouldn't have gone so smoothly." Stark was the kind of man who, as the villain of Iron Man 3, had been created by himself—making someone stand on a rooftop in the freezing cold all night. A rooftop, of all places. No wonder that person hated Stark.

If Ada hadn't shown up, Shen Fei would have needed to display some extraordinary power just to get a word in with Stark.