"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Ethan, trapped by five people and unable to go home, heard the knocking and let out a huge sigh of relief. He forced a smile, stood up from the "Arctic Geography Study Group," which was in the middle of a lively discussion, and hurried to open the door.
He had no idea where his boss had found such a group of lunatics. At first, he'd been able to lead the whole group through their studies, but before long, these five—who could read ten lines at a glance, never forget what they'd seen, and draw inferences from one example—had advanced beyond his ability to keep up. That was one thing; after all, knowledge had no hierarchy, and the knowledgeable could be one's teacher. Though he couldn't keep up with everyone else's pace, he could still pick up plenty of useful information just by sitting there...
But as he sat there, the group's conversations suddenly took a strange turn. "Looking at the geological structure, I could punch through ten meters of ice. What about you?" "Based on the ocean current analysis, would it be faster to swim from America to the Arctic or take a boat?" "Global air currents will be stable next month. I think flying there will definitely be faster than taking a plane..." The worst part was that, at the end of these discussions, they'd always ask him with complete seriousness:
"What do you think, Teacher Ethan?"
!!!
I'll sit here and watch!
How could a mere mortal like me possibly take part in a conversation like this!?
Ethan walked toward the shop door with a grin, while cursing nonstop in his heart. He'd already made up his mind: next time Yuri assigned him some teaching task, he wouldn't take it!
Absolutely not!
Ethan peered through the peephole in the already-locked door. The quiet street outside was completely empty. He frowned. Was some night owl or junkie just bored and knocking for fun? He was about to go back and tell the five people he was heading home when two narrow, luminous white eyes and an angular red-and-gold metal head filled his entire view through the peephole.
"Holy shit!"
Ethan stumbled backward in fright, nearly tripping over a table leg and falling. Cheetah appeared behind him like a ghost and gently caught him. At the same time, the other four, who'd been discussing things just moments earlier, came to the door. Kate sniffed lightly, her face instantly filling with disdain and contempt. She waved her hand dismissively. "Open the door. Someone's here to give the boss money."
Ethan had finally calmed down by then. His earlier lapse in composure had only been because Tony's appearance was so sudden. Once he'd calmed down, who would be scared of someone hiding inside a metal can?
He thanked Cheetah, who was still supporting his back, then fished the keys out from behind the counter and unlocked the door. Seeing this, the five of them leisurely returned to their seats and resumed their discussion. Ethan watched them leave so decisively, hesitated, then called out to the person outside, "You can come in now," before hurrying after those five monsters who made him feel so inferior.
All right, he was still a little timid.
The security door was abruptly shoved open, and a red-and-gold figure darted into the shop like a burglar before closing it behind him. Tony let out a small sigh of relief inside his armor. As he turned around, he complained, "Why are you so slow today, Yuri? Were you so worn out that you had to hold onto the wall while coming down the stairs?"
The not-particularly-loud discussion on the shop's first floor came to an abrupt halt. The five loyal Mutants stood up as one and glared at the red-and-gold armor frozen in place. Vanax released a powerful aura as she approached Tony, then asked indignantly, "Are you questioning the boss's strength, you foolish mortal?"
The artificial intelligence built into the armor, Jarvis, promptly warned him, "Mr. Stark, according to an initial scan, aside from Mr. Ethan, the other five people present have no traceable online history, just like Ms. Kate, whom you recently marked for special attention. I estimate an eighty percent chance that they possess abilities comparable to Ms. Kate's. I recommend immediate retreat!"
"Why aren't you answering me?"
Vanax accelerated and flashed in front of Tony. Her five slender fingers curled like claws as she reached for the armor's head. Before the armor could initiate its automatic defense, she was already several steps ahead, her hand clamped onto Tony's faceplate. The tips of her fingers instantly became sharp claws, easily leaving five shallow dents in the alloy that bullets couldn't pierce.
Only then did the armor's arms seize Vanax's. In the midst of the immense danger, Tony finally came to his senses. Jarvis kept reporting the damage to the faceplate, which in just a few seconds had gone from "surface dented" to "connecting gears seventy percent damaged"!
Tony felt like he wasn't holding an arm but a steel bar harder than Captain America's shield. Even with the hydraulic systems and thrusters in the hands and arms operating beyond their limits, he couldn't move her in the slightest.
"Ethan!"
"Save me!"
Ethan, who was standing behind Shack and the others, heard the familiar voice and asked in disbelief, "Tony?"
Several sparking wires dangled from the joint between the faceplate and helmet. Before Tony could answer, Vanax gave a low shout and suddenly twisted her wrist, ripping off the entire faceplate. Then, with her other hand, which had been free, she grabbed the armor's arm, still straining against her, and wrenched it around, tearing off the thruster as it continued spewing flames.
"Clang!"
Vanax kicked Tony away. The heavy Iron Man Armor slammed into the security door with a tremendous crash. Mysterious golden patterns appeared across it, instantly dispersing the force of the impact before it could travel through the door.
"Wait! Wait!"
Seeing that Vanax still wanted to continue, Ethan hurriedly squeezed out from behind the other four. "Vanax, Tony and Yuri are very close friends. And didn't you hear what Kate said? He came to bring money this time... Maybe we should wait for Yuri to come down."
Vanax glanced at Tony, who was struggling to his feet, then turned to seek confirmation from Kate, the spirit cat, who stood with her arms folded, watching from the sidelines. Only after Kate nodded did Vanax purse her lips and mutter, sounding rather disappointed, "I thought I'd get to fight."
"Where's Yuri?"
Tony covered his stomach with one hand and braced himself against the wall with the other as he struggled to stand. He made his way over to the counter and leaned against it. His gaze darted past the five, who had returned to their seats and resumed their discussion, before settling on Ethan, who was hurrying toward him. Tony took a deep breath. His muscles tugged at his nerves, causing pain and making his handsome face twitch slightly. "I want to discuss compensation for an employee assaulting someone."
"I don't think that's necessary."
A golden-yellow Life Energy shot out of the stairwell and struck Tony, who was clutching his stomach in pain. The five, who had barely resumed their discussion and hadn't even warmed their seats, all stood up again. They looked toward the handsome man walking slowly down to the first floor. His aura was even more powerful than it had been not long ago. A feverish gleam flashed across Vanax's face—the same one that had just torn off the faceplate. She lowered her head, and together with the other four, respectfully addressed him, "Boss!"
Yuri nodded at them, tossing a ping-pong-ball-sized metal sphere up and down in one hand. He gave Tony a faint smile. "Because you weren't hurt in the first place."
Before you continue