"Oh, nice to meet you... if I'm not mistaken, you're Colonel James Rhodes?"
At the Malibu Beach House, before Oaks even entered, he saw a serious-looking Black man in military uniform heading for the door.
Aside from Pepper, only Colonel Rhodes could come and go from Tony's villa as if it were his own home. Even Oaks did not receive that treatment.
"Hm?"
Lost in thought, Rhodey suddenly froze. He stopped and turned to see a red-haired young man standing behind him.
He instinctively assumed a defensive stance—despite being deep in thought just now, he was one hundred percent certain that no one had been around him!
"Dr. Oaks Lin?"
But once he got a clear look at the red-haired young man, Rhodey recognized him.
He had helped Tony investigate Oaks' background. There were not many people Tony called friends.
Besides, through his channels, Oaks' identity as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Environmental Consultant was no secret.
"Sorry, I'm a little allergic... I've heard a lot about you, Dr. Lin."
Though he found it strange that Oaks had appeared out of nowhere, only one day had passed since Tony's incident, and the man had already rushed over from New York. That alone said a great deal.
Rhodey relaxed and stepped forward with a smile to shake Oaks' hand.
"Tony talks about you all the time."
"Just call me Oaks. Though unfortunately, I've only heard about you, Colonel, through Tony's complaints."
Oaks' sense of humor clearly suited Rhodey's tastes. The latter exaggeratedly curled his lip.
"Being that guy's friend isn't easy, is it?"
"It really isn't. This is even my first time coming to his house."
Oaks grinned.
"If you hadn't shown up today, I wouldn't have been able to get through the door. I was already planning to climb in through a window."