Dr. Strange

Foggy let out a sigh of relief when he saw Luo Xia return safe and sound, then hurried to introduce them. "Luo Xia, this is Matt Murdock, my partner and good friend. Our law firm is called Nelson & Murdock Law Firm."

Luo Xia understood at once. Foggy and Matt Murdock must have been the kind of close friends who'd known each other for years.

But that didn't matter much to Luo Xia. He held out a hand to Matt Murdock. "Nice to meet you. I'm Luo Xia. I just got back from Afghanistan, and I work at Stark Industries."

Matt Murdock looked a little tense, though he hid it well. He shook Luo Xia's hand firmly. "Nice to meet you too. I can't see, but I'm sure you're a good person."

"I'd say you must be someone with a strong sense of justice." Luo Xia smiled, then felt Matt's grip tighten slightly.

Luo Xia noticed Matt give him the faintest shake of his head, as if hoping he wouldn't reveal that Matt was the masked vigilante.

Luo Xia had no intention of exposing him, so he kept quiet.

Foggy was an excellent lawyer and keenly sensed that something was off between the two of them. Curiously, he asked, "You two... have met before?"

Luo Xia saw Matt grow even more tense, so he explained for him. "I ran into Matt when I went to buy baking soda just now. He gave me directions, but maybe he didn't recognize me."

Matt quickly picked up the thread. "That's right. I only recognized your voice just now. You know I can't see, Foggy. It's hard for me to recognize people."

Foggy didn't seem to doubt either of them. He said happily, "That's even better. I was worried you wouldn't feel comfortable having dinner with someone you'd just met."

Just then, Mrs. Cardenas came out of the kitchen carrying a large pot. "You boys, dinner's ready."

Luo Xia didn't eat much that night; he wasn't quite used to the taste of Brazilian food. Still, he had a good time chatting with Foggy and Matt. They were both talkative young men with good manners, and they knew how to be friendly without coming on so strong that they became annoying.

That was probably a professional trait lawyers had. Either way, Luo Xia was glad to have met them.

After dinner, Luo Xia said goodbye to Foggy and Matt, then returned to his apartment. But as soon as he went inside, he saw Matt waiting for him.

Luo Xia glanced at the open window and decided he'd find someone tomorrow to install metal security bars.

"You could've just told me you wanted to come in and see my new place. I could've offered you a drink." Luo Xia spoke to Matt.

"I really appreciate you not revealing who I am earlier," Matt said.

"It was no trouble. But I think friends shouldn't keep too many secrets from each other, especially secrets that could mean the difference between life and death." Luo Xia didn't seem bothered.

"Still, I have a few questions for you," Matt said seriously.

"Go ahead, but I can't promise I'll be able to answer." Luo Xia casually took off his coat, then removed the black watch from his wrist and set it on the table.

"What exactly are you?"

Matt's question didn't surprise Luo Xia, but it wasn't an easy one to answer.

After thinking it over for a while, Luo Xia replied, "Everything I said at dinner was true. First, I'm Chinese American, I just got back from Afghanistan, and now I work at Stark Industries. Second, meeting Foggy really was just a coincidence, so you don't have to worry that I'm up to something. I just don't know if you believe me."

Luo Xia had expected it would be hard to convince Matt, but Matt simply replied, "I believe you. You're not lying."

"Oh, you can tell whether people are lying? A superpower?" Luo Xia asked curiously.

"No, I can tell from their heartbeat. Blind people tend to have sharper hearing," Matt explained.

"I don't think that can be explained by sharp hearing alone." Luo Xia knew Matt was holding something back, but didn't press him.

"Is this thing of yours also made by Stark Industries?" Matt asked, taking out the metal bracelet Luo Xia had given him earlier.

"It's a prototype. If you have any problems, come to me. I'll provide after-sales service." Luo Xia smiled.

"Thanks. This thing's been a big help. I owe you one. If you ever run into trouble, you can come to me." Matt thanked him sincerely.

"Do I get a discount on legal fees?" Luo Xia joked.

"Of course. I'll do it for free." Matt was quite generous.

"All right. I hope I never have to take you up on that."

As they talked, they heard sirens outside the window. Matt tilted his head to listen, and his expression turned grave.

"Sorry, but I have to go." With that, Matt climbed back out the window.

Luo Xia knew Matt was off to fight for justice, so he didn't try to stop him. He turned to the watch on the table. "Violet, did you record his information?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the black watch underwent a complex mechanical transformation and became a ten-centimeter-tall mechanical girl clad in dark purple armor.

Though she was only about ten centimeters tall, even her features were clearly defined, right down to her eyelashes. Her level of detail was astonishing.

The girl knelt on one knee before Luo Xia and said respectfully, "I've recorded his voiceprint. Next time he wears a mask, I'll be able to recognize him right away."

"Good work. What about the other things I asked you to do? Any results?" Luo Xia asked.

"I've been monitoring the changes in Stark Industries' accounts. This afternoon, right after the press conference, someone secretly transferred out a billion dollars. The money was split into more than a hundred smaller sums, making it hard to attract attention, but it all ended up in several of Obadiah Stane's secret accounts," Violet reported.

"He's already making a move? Obadiah Stane has even less patience than I thought. What about the other thing? Any leads?" Luo Xia asked.

"According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database, I've selected the ten best surgeons in the world. Only they might be able to remove the shrapnel from Tony Stark. One of them happens to be in New York. I recommend that Commander speak with him first."

Violet's eyes flickered, and a fantastical 3D projection appeared in front of her.

"On the road, a tiger and bear came to Gungzhou. Five hundred years ago, a wild storm... soaring through the skies again, Sun Wukong..." Music started up as a gray-haired virtual anime girl sang a high-energy song.

Before Luo Xia could ask anything, Violet quickly cut the signal and said sheepishly, "Sorry, Commander. That was the wrong one. This is the right one."

The image shifted. This time, something emerged from Violet's eyes. It was a doctor with a long, flat face, and his name was displayed beside him: Dr. Stephen Strange.

Luo Xia didn't even feel like looking at Dr. Strange's profile.

That girl just now... was that Luo Yi? Violet really was a hardcore anime fan!