We Find Food Through Our Own Abilities!

That playboy who had slept his way through the entertainment and fashion circles had gone missing?

Natasha raised an eyebrow.

She had been recovering from her injuries these past two days and genuinely hadn't known about it.

That guy was too important, his identity too special. S.H.I.E.L.D. was going to be busy!

"On the way here, I heard that he was probably captured by terrorists. Either they wanted ransom, or they wanted Mr. Stark to build Jericho Missiles for them... He went to the Middle East to sell Jericho Missiles. I've read the relevant files—the destructive power of the Jericho Missile is terrifying."

Coulson frowned. "The Middle East isn't within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sphere of influence. We don't have many agents over there, so finding Mr. Stark after he was taken by terrorists will be difficult. The Department of Defense is even more anxious about this than we are. Stark Industries is the military's biggest supplier."

"We're more professional than the Department of Defense when it comes to finding people. We'll do our best."

Egghead rubbed his temples, a headache coming on. "Howard Stark was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founders. We can't ignore his son. Besides, you know that Howard sponsored S.H.I.E.L.D. throughout his life—billions of dollars every year. S.H.I.E.L.D. also owns shares in Stark Industries."

With so many agents, so much high-tech equipment, and Quinjets that expensive, where did S.H.I.E.L.D.'s money come from?

Government appropriations alone?

They were nowhere near enough!

In reality, S.H.I.E.L.D. had many unknown businesses, dedicated investment divisions, and countless spoils from missions. It also maintained overt and covert partnerships with many financial conglomerates and companies.

But its biggest backer was still Stark Industries.

After all, Stark Industries' founder was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founders.

Stark Industries had become so successful largely because of the two generations of Starks, of course, but it was impossible to say S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't helped.

Coulson glanced up at Egghead. Director, how could you say that without blushing?

That ability was seriously enviable!

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s shares were basically your shares, Director. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s money was your money.

Where had all that money gone? How many mistresses were you keeping outside...

Pah, pah. How many secret agents were you supporting outside, and how many secret bases had you built? Director, you knew perfectly well.

Besides, because of the relationship between Stark Industries and S.H.I.E.L.D., many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had bought Stark Industries stock, himself included.

Tony Stark's disappearance had caused Stark Industries' stock to fall by over twenty percent, resulting in terrible losses.

Director, for those stocks to rise again, and for Lola's full-body paint job, I had to find Tony...

Come to think of it, if they found Tony, his year-end bonus should be safe, right?

The thought filled Coulson with motivation.

"This is very important, Coulson."

Egghead emphasized it again. "Ms. Peggy Carter called me five hours ago... She is a friend of Mr. Howard Stark, and she cares deeply about this matter. She told me I had to find him."

Melinda suddenly looked up.

Peggy Carter had raised her with her own hands.

Everything she had now had been given to her by Ms. Carter.

Ms. Carter's business was her business.

That playboy absolutely could not come to harm!

Something had happened to the future Iron Man?

Old Wang counted on his fingers. It seemed to be about this time.

The plot of "Iron Man 1" had officially begun, and Marvel World was opening the curtain on its most exciting era.

Over the next ten years, aliens, Inhumans, Mutants, demons, mages, gods, and every sort of monster would take the stage. Super Heroes and Super Villains would make everyone in the world understand:

The world they had always believed was safe was actually fucking more dangerous than anything in science-fiction movies!

The reason things had remained peaceful was largely thanks to the tremendous efforts of Kamar-Taj, led by the Sorcerer Supreme, and the mages of the Three Sanctums.

Next was Odin, the Norse God-King, who had grown older and become fonder of peace and stability.

Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. had also played no small role. That could not be denied.

But before long, the Sorcerer Supreme would leave in the form of "physical death." According to the setting, she would become a Holy Spirit and follow the Eternal God through the multiverse. It sounded incredibly impressive, though who knew whether it was true.

Odin would die.

Under Hydra's sabotage and the efforts of Egghead, Coulson, and the others, S.H.I.E.L.D. would slowly decline from a super organization directly controlled by the United Nations into a scattered remnant of only a few stragglers.

But the Avengers Initiative would rise.

Those Avengers who crushed conspiracy after conspiracy and took down villain after villain would be killed by half when Purple Sweet Potato Head casually snapped his fingers, before staging an unprecedented reversal.

Some would make their entrance, some would take their final bow. Some would have wives, children, and warm beds, while others would have grass three feet high growing over their graves.

And all of it would begin changing now.

Because...

"This world has me!"

Old Wang sighed and raised his head at a forty-five-degree angle to watch the fading sunset.

His shoulders had never felt as heavy as they did today.

He bore the mission of saving the world.

His heart immediately broadened;

His realm immediately rose;

His outlook on life and the world immediately refreshed.

Skye, seated in the back and busy earning money to support Old Wang, suddenly felt something strange.

When she looked up, she was immediately drawn in by Old Wang's pose.

The sunset shone through the window and fell across him, as though draping him in a layer of golden gauze. It made Old Wang seem hazy and mysterious, noble and distant.

As if he had come from the heavens.

Then suddenly,

an unexpected sound

pulled Skye from her daze back into reality,

and dragged Old Wang down from the heavens to the mortal world.

"Gurgle!"

Old Wang rubbed his stomach. I'm not Damengde, so why the hell are you making gurgling sounds?

Pandarens were not pandas. They never acted cute.

We found food through our own abilities!

Far away in the Middle East, Afghanistan.

In some remote wilderness, inside a poorly ventilated cave.

Tony Stark woke from unconsciousness.

At first, his vision was blurry, his mind sluggish, and his brain barely functioning.

But it quickly became clear and alert.

Images surfaced in his mind.

Exploding missiles;

Bullets flying through the air;

American soldiers dying one after another beside him;

So what exactly had happened?

A terrorist attack?

Had he been kidnapped?

There was a tube shoved into his nose. It was uncomfortable, and his chest ached faintly.

Tony forcefully pulled out the tube and tried to sit up, but he couldn't.

Then he heard something.

Turning his head, he saw an elderly man, at least in his sixties, shaving in front of a mirror.

He tried to roll over onto his side and get up that way.

He still couldn't move, as though something were holding him back.

"If I were you, I wouldn't move, Mr. Stark." The man didn't turn around.

Tony looked down.

He lifted his clothes.

A strange round object was embedded in his chest.

Two wires ran from it to a battery beside him.

"What did you do to me?" Tony's voice was weak and powerless.

Always forceful and commanding, he was now like a fragile girl stripped naked, able only to let others do as they pleased.

The old man set down his razor, stood, turned around, and smiled.

"I saved your life."