Stark Tower

Pepper panicked as she dodged around the spacious office, but her delicate high heels clearly made such movements difficult, and the locked main door made it impossible for her to escape directly.

The busy tone from her phone felt unbearably long. She saw that she had called Finney, but the emergency left her no time to hang up and dial again. Right now, she only wanted to get the message out as quickly as possible.

Obadiah held a paralyzer Tony had once invented as he approached Pepper. It was highly effective, but it only worked at close range.

He had originally planned to talk his way closer before launching a sneak attack, but Pepper had called someone directly, disrupting his rhythm.

Kamar-Taj, early morning.

Having finished his training, Finney enjoyed the tranquility. The fresh air cleared his mind. There was none of New York's clamor here; nature and peace were the atmosphere of Kamar-Taj.

"Hey, Master Finney, get me two fried chicken rolls, quick."

But someone soon shattered that atmosphere. A female mage came to Finney's side, urging him on with an impatient expression.

"Master Tina, you always make me feel like I'm some street vendor."

Finney looked helplessly at the female mage beside him.

"Then you can come to Hong Kong and sell fried chicken rolls. By the way, you can experience Chinese food too." Tina Xiu did not mind and instead offered a suggestion.

"Next time for sure, next time for sure."

The art of procrastination had never failed. Finney grinned as he declined.

After that, several more people came asking for food, and Finney welcomed them all. With his abilities, supplying the entirety of Kathmandu would not have been a problem.

After feeding the mages and finishing Kamar-Taj's morning study session and New York's evening study session, Finney was about to open a portal home when his phone suddenly rang.

Looking at the unfamiliar number on the screen, Finney found it strange. If it were Tony, it should have displayed as unknown.

Finney answered curiously, and a panicked female voice came from the other side.

"Help! It's Obadiah... Smack..."

The voice abruptly cut off, as though the phone had suddenly fallen to the floor.

Finney's facial expression changed at once. Though the other party had not even finished a sentence, the information revealed was enough. It definitely involved Tony, and her identity was obvious.

Tony's assistant, Pepper Potts. Finney instantly guessed who had called. Though he did not know why Pepper had called him for help, he knew one thing: the future had changed.

"Hello? Where are you?"

Finney asked urgently. From what she had said, Pepper was clearly in danger. She was the most important woman in Tony's life. Without her, Finney did not think Tony could still become the Iron Man he remembered.

There was no response from the other side of the call, and a few seconds later, it disconnected.

"Damn!"

Finney could not help but curse, his brows knitting tightly. A single phone call was obviously not enough to let him find her location. He was not Ultron; he could not track an IP or anything like that.

"Portal!"

Finney quickly thought of a solution. No matter the reason, this definitely had something to do with Tony. Fortunately, he knew Tony's home address.

Without thinking much, he opened a portal.

However, just as he stepped through the portal, the floor beneath his feet suddenly sank. Mechanical shackles emerged from within and snapped toward his ankles. At the same time, he heard a sound above him. Looking up, he saw a large net rapidly falling.

Finney instantly realized he had been ambushed.

Without hesitation, Finney used Soaring Skill to rise swiftly into the air, evading the shackles around his feet while summoning Possessed by Evil Spirit.

Finney did not equip it as armor. He formed a Ring of Kaggador in one hand and held a longsword in the other, slicing the net apart first. Just as he was about to equip the armor, he noticed Tony nearby, who had also been startled.

"What is this supposed to be?"

Finney asked with a frown.

"Just some little gifts prepared for uninvited guests." Tony shrugged indifferently, silently noting down the abilities Finney had displayed this time.

"You really have too much free time." Finney endured his anger and sneered before saying with a deep voice, "A woman just called me. Something seems to have happened to her. She should be your assistant."

"Pepper!"

Tony's facial expression changed instantly. He immediately shouted, "Jarvis, call Pepper!"

A few seconds later, Jarvis's voice came through.

"Sir, Miss Potts's phone is switched off and cannot be reached!"

"How could this happen?!"

Tony paced back and forth in panic, anxious beyond measure. When he saw Finney beside him, he could not help asking angrily, "Why didn't you go save her?"

"Do you think I'm God?"

Finney was not in a good mood either. Anyone who came in a frantic rush to figure out how to save someone, only to be greeted by an attack, would not be pleased. Still, he knew what mattered more. This was not the time to bicker, so he immediately asked:

"Do you know where she is right now? As long as she's within New York, I can basically open a portal there."

Finney asked in a deep voice. He was familiar with New York, so opening portals there was relatively easy. Other places, aside from Kamar-Taj and the remaining two Sanctums, were much more difficult.

"Stark Tower!"

Having calmed down, Tony immediately said, "I asked her to look for something in my office. She must be there!"

"Then congratulations, she probably found it. She mentioned Obadiah on the phone. He should be the culprit. By the way, Obadiah was also the one who had you kidnapped."

Feeney said this because, by now, Iron Monger clearly no longer mattered. Saving Pepper was what mattered most. He was worried Tony still trusted Obadiah, so he told him the truth outright.

Tony clenched his fist but said nothing. He had sent Pepper to the office, so Obadiah had always been the prime suspect.

"Portal!"

It was rather difficult to find an unoccupied place Near Stark Tower. It took Feeney most of the day before he opened a portal. Looking at the anxious Tony beside him, he said, "I'll go look first. What are you planning to do?"

"I'm going with you!"

Pepper could be said to be the most important person in Tony's life now, so he decided to go with him. If they ran into Obadiah, he could give that rotten old man a proper lesson too.

Feeney did not refuse. He was completely unfamiliar with Stark Tower, so having Tony lead the way would be more convenient.

After passing through the portal, the two appeared in an alley. Feeney considered it for a moment, then decided to equip Possessed by Evil Spirit and activate its invisibility ability.

Being with Tony was far too conspicuous. Tony was currently in a sensitive situation, and staying with him would likely draw the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as Hydra.

Although he had an organization behind him now, if anyone really came looking for trouble, he could call Ancient One out and guarantee she would beat the shit out of their souls. Still, it was better to avoid trouble when possible. More importantly, getting Ancient One to act was no easy matter.

"I'm right beside you. Don't worry."

After turning invisible, Feeney said this to Tony.

Tony, worried about Pepper's safety, did not say much. He immediately headed for the company. His face was the best pass for getting in and out; no security guard failed to recognize him, much less dared to stop him.

Following Tony, Feeney entered the tower without obstruction. He even took the opportunity to look around. He had to admit, it really felt like a High-tech company.

Tony was in no mood to admire the place like Feeney. Once inside, he headed straight for the office. Finding it empty, he frowned deeply, then said to Feeney:

"Let's split up and search. I'll ask around and see whether Obadiah has left the company!"

Go! Go!