Something Wasn't Right

A tall white security guard stepped in front of Luo Xia, apparently unwilling to let him enter.

"I'm a representative of Stark Industries. I have an appointment with Mr. Norman Osborn. You can check with the front desk," Luo Xia explained.

But the guard sneered. "Stark Industries would hire a yellow monkey like you? Osborn Tower isn't your filthy Chinatown. People who aren't properly dressed aren't allowed in."

Not properly dressed?

Only then did Luo Xia notice the problem.

After returning from Afghanistan, Pepper had prepared a suit for him to wear to work, but the rest of the clothes at home were casual wear he had bought online. His only suit had just been washed, so he was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. He did stand out a little.

But the guard clearly wasn't stopping Luo Xia because of that. Though he was talking to Luo Xia, his eyes kept darting toward somewhere else, and he looked rather nervous.

Luo Xia had no idea what he was up to, but today he had an appointment with Norman Osborn and was the one asking a favor, so he patiently repeated himself. "You can check with the front desk before making a judgment. It's just behind you."

"Enough. Get the hell out," the guard barked roughly.

Luo Xia was about to explain things to the guard again in a "physical" way when he saw a Mercedes-Benz pull up in front of Osborn Tower.

He also noticed that the moment the car appeared, the guard's attention shifted entirely to it, and his nervous expression became even more obvious.

Aside from his racism, it seemed the guard had driven Luo Xia away because he was afraid Luo Xia might cause trouble. Having been an experienced special forces soldier in his previous life and taken part in all kinds of covert operations, Luo Xia could tell from experience that something important was about to happen.

So Luo Xia quietly moved aside and watched.

A tall Black man got out of the Mercedes. From the earpiece and the way he kept scanning the area, Luo Xia could tell he was a bodyguard—the experienced kind who could take a bullet for an important person.

After confirming the area was clear, the bodyguard opened the rear door and helped a woman and a child out.

Everything seemed perfectly normal so far, but Violet suddenly said to Luo Xia, "Commander, I think we've seen that child before."

Seen him before?

Luo Xia wasn't face-blind, but he couldn't remember where he'd met the boy, who looked no older than five.

"Theresa, do you think Daddy will like my present?" The boy got out of the car holding a green monster mask that looked as if he'd made it himself.

"Mr. Osborn will definitely like it," the woman who looked like a nanny replied with a smile.

"But Daddy's going away again for a month," the boy said glumly.

"That's all right, Harry. When Mr. Osborn comes back, we'll go to Central Park together," the nanny, Theresa, said.

Hearing this conversation, Luo Xia finally realized who the child was. Wasn't he the boy he'd met at the World of Warcraft offline event? And from what he'd said, he was Norman Osborn's son.

So this was Harry Osborn, only five years old. Luo Xia couldn't help thinking of another superhero, Peter Parker. A five-year-old Spider-Man—he didn't know what expression he was supposed to make.

Just as his thoughts started to wander, Luo Xia suddenly heard a gunshot. It was faint, probably from a pistol with a silencer.

Then he saw a burst of blood erupt from the temple of the bodyguard beside Harry.

The sudden turn of events immediately terrified everyone. Theresa clutched Harry to her and screamed. Luo Xia quickly spotted the gunman hiding behind a flower bed and was about to rescue them, but someone moved faster.

The guard who'd just been giving Luo Xia a nasty look made a remarkably swift dive, positioning himself in front of Theresa and Harry to shield them with his tall frame. He shouted, "Get in the car! It's bulletproof!"

In her panic, Theresa was completely flustered. Hearing him, she instinctively did as he said.

Theresa carried Harry into the car while the guard was hit several times by the gunman behind the flower bed. He seemed to be wearing a bulletproof vest, though, since no blood came out.

That brief delay was enough for the Mercedes to get more than ten meters away. It was about to leave Osborn Tower.

Seeing that his target had escaped, the gunman stopped shooting and ran toward a crowded area.

Pedestrians scattered, and chaos erupted.

By the time the other Osborn security guards arrived, alerted by the commotion, the gunman had already vanished.

It had been a sudden attack. One bodyguard had been shot in the head and killed on the spot, and another security guard was injured. The gunman had escaped, but Harry seemed unharmed.

Judging by the outcome, it seemed to have been an unsuccessful attack. But after thinking it over, Luo Xia ordered, "Violet, keep a close watch on that Mercedes and everyone inside. Luo Fei, follow it from a distance based on Violet's directions. Stay out of sight as much as possible and don't let them spot you."

The two subordinates answered in unison, "Yes, Commander."

The unmanned off-road vehicle's engine roared as Luo Fei followed the sedan from three hundred meters away. With Violet's help, there was no risk of losing it.

In the Marvel Universe, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance capabilities were far beyond what Luo Xia had known in his previous life in the United States. They could practically locate anyone at any time.

Violet could access some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources, so using the traffic cameras to track the car was no problem. It looked like a terrorist attack that was already over, but Luo Xia felt there was much more to it.

And following the car soon revealed something wrong.

If the Mercedes had left Osborn Tower to get to safety, perhaps because the driver feared other gunmen might be lying in wait, then by now he should have received word that the shooter had fled. He should either have gone to the nearest police station to report it, waited where he was for help, or even driven back to Osborn Tower.

However, according to Violet, the Mercedes was heading in a direction that took it farther away from Osborn Tower. After simulating its route, Luo Xia realized it seemed to be heading toward New York's largest slum, Hell's Kitchen.

At the same time, Norman Osborn, president of Osborn Industries, received a call from the kidnappers while on his way to the office.