Half a Person Would Scare You to Death

"You? Applying to be a bodyguard?"

Tony looked at Du Mu with an expression of utter absurdity.

Du Mu nodded. "That's right. Since you happen to be short a bodyguard, and I happen to be short an employer, it's a perfect match."

That was certainly a coincidence.

Tony rolled his eyes, too lazy to beat around the bush, and cut straight to the point. "You're the one who beat up Happy, aren't you?"

Du Mu's eyes widened immediately. "You can't just go around saying things like that. I haven't even met your bodyguard."

"...I never said Happy was my bodyguard."

Tony felt his temple throbbing. He asked irritably, "You're an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D., why on earth would you come here to be my bodyguard?"

Du Mu shrugged. "Can't be helped. An agent's salary is too low, so I have to take on side jobs to make some extra cash. Some agents even moonlight writing web novels, but one of them stopped updating, got tracked down by a reader, and had his legs broken. He's still bedridden, though the bureau ended up recruiting that reader. After all, talent like that is hard to come by."

Tony: "..."

What kind of nonsense was this?

"I don't need a new bodyguard, and besides, Happy isn't my only one," Tony refused decisively.

Jarvis chimed in at the perfect moment. "Sir, a correction: your other twelve bodyguards were also attacked and hospitalized this afternoon. The attacker's profile is consistent: a man with black hair and black eyes, wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt and beach shorts."

"???"

Tony glared at the innocent-looking Du Mu. Is this even something a human would do!?

"Artificial intelligence?"

Du Mu was surprised by the existence of Jarvis.

Although AI was commonplace in his own era—to the point where some people even fell in love with them—he remembered the timeline of this game was set in 2008. AI was a remarkably rare commodity in this age.

"Yes, sir. I am Mr. Stark's AI butler, Jarvis," Jarvis replied.

"Can you change to a mature woman's voice?" Du Mu asked curiously.

"...I cannot. Mr. Stark has not configured any other voices for me."

"Boring."

Du Mu curled his lip, deeply suspicious that Tony had some sort of peculiar fetish.

What kind of normal man would set his AI butler to have such a magnetic, middle-aged British man's voice?

Tony took a deep breath. "I don't need a bodyguard! I can handle myself!"

"Are you sure?"

Du Mu raised an eyebrow and said cheerfully, "Don't say I didn't warn you. The shareholders out there right now would love to chop you into eight pieces. They're far more vicious than those terrorists; they might even chop off your little brother to boil into soup."

Tony's expression froze instantly.

He was silent for two seconds, then gritted his teeth and squeezed out the words: "Congratulations, you're hired!"

"Very well, boss." Du Mu grinned.

Outside the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the lights were brilliant and the red carpet was laid out.

Countless media reporters held their cameras and microphones, scrambling to interview the socialites walking the red carpet as flashbulbs popped incessantly.

Just then, a low, oppressive roar of an engine approached from afar, instantly drowning out the noise of the scene!

A silver-gray luxury sports car sped from the distance, charging toward the red carpet entrance at an astonishing speed.

Just as everyone thought it would lose control and crash into the barricades, the car pulled off a drift so clean it was almost arrogant. The tires shrieked against the pavement, and it came to a steady halt at the start of the red carpet.

Sharp-eyed reporters immediately recognized the car model and its owner.

"It's Tony Stark!"

"My God! Tony Stark actually came!"

"Quick! Get the cameras over there! Forget those damn fake balls! Film Tony Stark!"

"..."

The exclamations instantly ignited the press area.

Every lens and flash turned toward the sports car like sharks smelling blood.

Tony Stark was, without a doubt, the undisputed king of traffic; his topicality and level of attention far exceeded any celebrity or political official.

His appearance immediately became the focus of everyone present.

Soon, Tony stepped out of the car and straightened his suit.

However, his face looked a bit pale, and his steps seemed slightly unsteady.

Du Mu stepped out from the driver's seat, closed the door, and shook his head at Tony's state. "You're a bit weak, aren't you? You couldn't even handle that little bit of speed."

Who the hell drives at over two hundred miles per hour in the city!?

Tony fought back the churning in his stomach and the wave of dizziness, roaring frantically in his heart.

He swore that he would never ride in a car driven by Du Mu again in this lifetime!

Tony struggled to maintain his composure, pretending he hadn't heard Du Mu's words as he walked toward the entrance of the concert hall with a slightly unsteady gait.

At the entrance, he encountered a burly, bald man.

This person was the second-largest shareholder of Stark Industries and an old friend of his father, Obadiah Stane.

"The host hasn't even arrived yet, so what is a guest doing here?"

"Look who it is. Isn't this our hottest topic of conversation?"

Seeing Tony's arrival, Obadiah Stane wore a seemingly kind smile, though his eyes flickered with uncertainty.

At this moment, Obadiah Stane's gaze fell upon Du Mu, who was standing beside Tony.

Before this, knowing he would be attending a banquet, Du Mu had changed into a well-tailored, pure white suit in advance.

[Equipment: Charm Suit (A very handsome suit that greatly increases your charm when worn)]

With the enhancement of this suit, Du Mu, whose appearance was already no less than that of the readers, looked exceptionally dazzling. His radiance even caused those around him to pale in comparison for a moment, almost overshadowing Tony beside him.

As for why it was only "almost"?

There was no helping it; Tony possessed the powerful aura of a billionaire, which no amount of charm could suppress.

Obadiah Stane sized up Du Mu, whose outstanding temperament made him shine brighter than the surrounding celebrities, and secretly speculated that the other party's identity was definitely not simple.

With the intention of getting to know him, he asked Tony, "Who is this gentleman?"

"My new bodyguard."

"?"

Obadiah Stane was completely bewildered.

Is the bodyguard industry really this competitive now?

Tony was clearly not interested in explaining further. After perfunctorily exchanging a few words with Obadiah Stane, he took Du Mu and walked into the concert hall.

Upon entering the concert hall, Tony spotted his female assistant, Potts, at a glance, who was holding a wine glass and conversing with someone.

"Do as you please."

Tony tossed this sentence to Du Mu and walked straight toward Potts, engaging in an office romance right in front of everyone.

As expected of Tony, known as a playboy; these flirting skills are definitely maxed out.

Du Mu watched the two, who were practically fused together, and shook his head, admitting he couldn't learn such things.

He had been a single dog before the game started. Despite not looking bad, he just couldn't find a partner, and to this day, he still couldn't figure out the reason why.

Just then, a beautiful blonde woman in a gorgeous gown noticed Du Mu and walked over with a charming smile on her face.

"Hey, did you come here alone?"

"Obviously. Half a person might scare you to death."

"..."