"You? Applying to be a bodyguard?"
Tony looked at Du Mu in disbelief.
Du Mu nodded. "Yeah. You happen to be short a bodyguard, and I happen to be short an employer."
What a coincidence.
Tony rolled his eyes. He didn't feel like beating around the bush, so he got straight to the point. "You're the one who beat up Happy, aren't you?"
Du Mu's eyes widened at once. "You can't just go around making accusations. I've never even met your bodyguard."
"...I never said Happy was my bodyguard."
Tony felt his temples throbbing. He demanded irritably, "Why would an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent come work as my bodyguard?"
Du Mu shrugged. "Can't be helped. The pay for agents is too low, so I have to pick up side jobs to earn some extra cash. Some agents even moonlight as web novelists. One of them stopped updating, and a reader tracked down his address and went straight to his place to break his legs. He's still lying in bed now. That reader, though, got recruited by our agency. You don't find talent like that every day."
Tony: "..."
What kind of nonsense was this?
"I don't need a new bodyguard. Besides, Happy isn't my only bodyguard." Tony flatly refused.
Jarvis interjected at just the right moment. "Sir, a correction: your other twelve bodyguards were also attacked and hospitalized this afternoon. The attacker's description matches in every case: a black-haired, black-eyed man wearing a pink T-shirt and beach shorts."
"???"
Tony stared at Du Mu, who looked completely innocent. What kind of person did something like that!?
"An artificial intelligence?"
Du Mu was surprised by Jarvis's existence.
Artificial intelligence was already widespread in his era. Some people had even fallen in love with AIs. But he remembered that the timeline in this game was around 2008, when artificial intelligence was quite rare.
"Yes, sir. I am Mr. Stark's AI butler, Jarvis," Jarvis replied.
"Can you switch to a sultry older-sister voice?" Du Mu asked curiously.
"...I can't. Mr. Stark hasn't set up any other voices for me."
"How boring."
Du Mu pursed his lips, seriously suspecting that Tony had some kind of peculiar fetish.
What normal man would set his AI butler's voice to that rich, magnetic British gentleman's voice?
Tony took a deep breath. "I don't need a bodyguard. I can manage on my own!"
"Are you sure?"
Du Mu raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Don't say I didn't warn you. The investors out there would love to chop you into eight pieces right now. They're even more vicious than those terrorists. They might even hack off your little brother and make soup out of him."
Tony's expression froze instantly.
He fell silent for two seconds, then ground out the words through clenched teeth. "Congratulations. You're hired!"
"Sure thing, boss." Du Mu grinned.
Los Angeles. The Walt Disney Concert Hall blazed with lights, a red carpet spread out in front.
Countless reporters stood with their cameras and microphones, clamoring to interview the socialites and celebrities walking the red carpet. Flashbulbs popped one after another.
Just then, the deep, imposing roar of an engine drew closer, instantly drowning out the commotion!
A silver-gray luxury sports car sped toward the entrance to the red carpet at an astonishing speed.
Just as everyone thought it was about to lose control and crash into the barricades, the car whipped into a crisp, almost brazen drift. Its tires screeched against the pavement, and it came to a steady stop at the start of the red carpet.
A sharp-eyed reporter immediately recognized the car's model—and its owner.
"It's Tony Stark!"
"Oh my God! Tony Stark actually came!"
"Quick! Point the cameras over there! Get a shot of those two damn fake boobs! Photograph Tony Stark!"
"..."
The reporters erupted in astonished cries.
Every camera and flashbulb swung toward the sports car like sharks scenting blood.
After all, Tony Stark was the biggest draw in the world right now. His notoriety and popularity dwarfed those of any celebrity or politician.
His arrival instantly made him the center of attention.
Before long, Tony got out of the car and straightened his suit.
His face looked a little pale, though, and his steps seemed unsteady.
Du Mu got out of the driver's seat and shut the door. Looking at Tony, he shook his head. "You're kinda weak. You can't even handle a little speed."
Who the hell drove over two hundred kilometers per hour in the middle of the city!?
Tony fought down the churning in his stomach and the dizziness, roaring furiously in his mind.
He swore he would never ride in a car driven by Du Mu again!
Tony struggled to keep his composure, pretending he hadn't heard Du Mu. With unsteady steps, he headed toward the concert hall entrance.
At the entrance, he ran into a burly, bald man.
This was Stark Industries' second-largest shareholder, his father's old friend: Obadiah Stane.
"The host hasn't even arrived. What's a guest doing here?"
"Look who it is! Isn't this our hottest topic?"
When Stane saw Tony, he wore a seemingly amiable smile, though his eyes flickered with uncertainty.
Then Stane's gaze fell on Du Mu, standing beside Tony.
Du Mu had known he'd be attending a party, so he'd changed into a well-tailored pure white suit beforehand.
[Equipment: Charm Suit (An extremely handsome suit that greatly boosts your charm when worn)]
With the suit's help, Du Mu—whose looks already rivaled those of the readers—stood out even more. His radiance briefly outshone everyone around him, almost eclipsing Tony at his side.
Why only almost?
Well, Tony had the powerful aura of a billionaire. No amount of charm could overpower that.
Stane sized up Du Mu, whose presence outshone even the other socialites, and privately guessed that he was no ordinary man.
Wanting to make his acquaintance, he asked Tony, "And who is this gentleman?"
"My new bodyguard."
"?"
Stane looked completely bewildered.
Was the bodyguard business really this competitive now?
Tony clearly had no interest in explaining. After exchanging a few perfunctory words with Stane, he led Du Mu into the concert hall.
As soon as they entered, Tony spotted his assistant, Potts, chatting with someone while holding a glass of wine.
"Make yourself at home."
Tony tossed Du Mu those words, then walked straight over to Potts and started an office romance right in front of everyone.
"As expected of Mr. Tony, the playboy. His flirting skills are absolutely maxed out."
Watching the two of them practically meld together, Du Mu shook his head. He couldn't learn from that.
Before the game began, he'd been a single dog. He wasn't bad-looking, either, but he'd never been able to find a partner. To this day, he couldn't figure out why.
Just then, a blonde beauty in a gorgeous evening gown noticed Du Mu and walked over with a charming smile.
"Hey, did you come alone?"
"Obviously. A half-man would scare you to death."
"..."