Inverted-A Squad

That's right, Luca had his eyes on the portion of Orange Industries shares currently held by Kingpin.

After all, since it was "his own property," if he didn't secure it now, once Tony Stark sent Kingpin to prison, those shares would, in all likelihood, be returned to the families of the two deceased shareholders.

However, the methods Luca would need to employ to obtain them were destined to be less than honorable, and under such circumstances, it didn't seem appropriate to let Tony Stark get involved.

But if I have to deal with Kingpin on my own, the difficulty level seems a bit beyond my reach.

Don't let the fact that Kingpin was currently just a crime lord holed up in Hell's Kitchen fool you; in reality, the power he wielded was far beyond what an ordinary gang could compare to.

Not to mention his countless underlings, Kingpin's own terrifying strength, which surpassed that of an ordinary human, was likely something Luca couldn't handle as he was now.

Do I really have to ask Tony Stark for help?

If I do that, not only will the shares be gone, but he'll definitely cause a mountain of trouble for me after the jail time!

Just as Luca was secretly struggling with this dilemma.

Shamira, standing to the side, suddenly picked up her phone. After reading the message on the screen, she immediately reported to Luca.

"Young Master Luca, Dun Shan has sent word that their squad has arrived in New York."

Luca felt a surge of joy upon hearing this and immediately asked.

"When can they get here?"

"I've sent them our location; they should arrive in thirty minutes," Shamira replied promptly.

"Alright, then I'll wait for them here. Also, finish off the others in this warehouse."

Shamira didn't hesitate; she turned and walked out the door.

Following a series of faint, suppressed gunshots, the entire warehouse returned to silence.

Twenty-five minutes later.

An ordinary-looking mobile news van from a television station pulled steadily into the warehouse pier.

When the vehicle came to a stop, the driver in the front seat quickly opened the door and stepped out.

However, when he opened the rear door of the van, it wasn't a reporter carrying a camera who stepped out, but four fully armed, elite special forces soldiers.

At the same time, Shamira and Luca, accompanied by Baymax, walked out of the warehouse.

"Young Master, let me introduce them to you."

As she spoke, Shamira gestured toward the sturdy man with a buzz cut and a resolute gaze who stood at the front.

"This is Marko Rakic, captain of the Inverted-A Squad, nicknamed Dun Shan. He is the most well-rounded special operations soldier I have ever met. Since he began his service in Sokovia, he has experienced no fewer than a hundred battles, both large and small."

"Young Master Luca!" The man nicknamed Dun Shan bowed respectfully to Luca, his expression devoid of any fluctuation.

"This is Green Bull, the squad's point man..."

The burly man with dyed green hair patted the rifle in his hand and grinned at Luca, revealing a mouthful of uneven, yellow teeth.

"This is Longbow, the squad's sniper..."

The silent man with a sniper rifle on his back and a distinct scar below his left eye gave Luca a slight nod.

"This is Thresh, the squad's heavy gunner..."

The bald, middle-aged man with a broken medal hanging around his neck instinctively raised his hand to shake Luca's, but stopped halfway, retracted it in embarrassment, and finally just gave a stiff nod.

"And finally, this is Wrench, the squad's technical support. He is an expert in information warfare. He's also a master at modifying electronic equipment, weapon maintenance, and setting up communications."

The last of the five, the only blonde youth who hadn't been fully armed because he was driving, didn't greet Luca like the others after hearing Shamira's introduction. Instead, he looked at Baymax behind Luca with an excited expression and asked impatiently.

"Young Master Luca, is this the company's latest product? A combat robot? Is it controlled by an intelligent program or manual control? Standing so steadily, is this a brand-new attitude balance system? What is the power source?"

A rapid-fire string of questions flew from his mouth, instantly making the atmosphere—which had been slightly awkward due to the first meeting—even more awkward.

Dun Shan, the leader, couldn't keep his composure anymore. He scolded Wrench, who was about to lean in and touch Baymax, in a stern tone.

"Wrench! Get back! Do not be rude in front of Young Master Luca!"

At this reprimand, Wrench, who had been quite restless, immediately froze, his entire body seemingly locked in place.

However, his posture—neither moving forward nor backward, just keeping his arm extended—looked even more bizarre than before.

Yet, this scene actually made Luca, who had been silent all along, breathe a secret sigh of relief.

Although Shamira had assured him that this squad could be absolutely trusted, they had never met before, and given his current age, Luca had been feeling a bit of apprehension.

In particular, the squad leader, Dun Shan, had remained expressionless since they met, maintaining a strictly professional attitude that made it hard for Luca to gauge his thoughts.

Instead, after this commotion caused by the young technician, Wrench, and Dun Shan's subsequent intervention, Luca realized that, at the very least, the squad leader didn't have any obvious dissatisfaction with him yet. As for his true attitude, that would only be clear after further contact and understanding.

With that in mind, Luca simply flashed a friendly smile and waved his hand generously.

"It's fine, go ahead and take a look. This is an intelligent robot I built myself; you can call him Baymax."

Since they were his subordinates and Baymax's full construction schematics were in his head, Luca didn't even blink while bluffing.

Hearing Luca's words, Baymax also cooperated by raising his right hand to wave a greeting.

"Hello, I am Agent Baymax, your personal healthcare companion." (▇━▇)

"???"

Wrench, who had been leaning in toward Baymax with some excitement, was suddenly filled with question marks upon hearing this.

"Agent? Healthcare? Young Master Luca, did you write this program wrong..."

"Wrench!!"

Dun Shan's sharp shout cut off the rest of Wrench's words, and he then turned to look at Luca, bowing respectfully once more.

"My apologies, Young Master Luca. Wrench is... his personality is a bit too flighty. It was truly rude of him."

Dun Shan had originally intended to say "Wrench is still young," but after looking at Luca's youthful yet composed demeanor, and then looking back at Wrench, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to say it.

Luca merely waved his hand again upon hearing this.

"It's nothing. Wrench can get to know Baymax properly when there's time later. But for now, I believe Shamira has already spoken to you about the upcoming mission, hasn't she?"

The moment the word "mission" was mentioned, the previously relaxed atmosphere shifted instantly.

"We have understood the general outline of the mission. Please provide further instructions, Young Master!" Dun Shan, acting as the leader, planted his feet firmly and regained his previous resolute expression.

Even Wrench, who had been all smiles just a moment ago, immediately stood at attention, looking at Luca with a serious expression as he awaited his orders.

Watching this scene before him, Luca also revealed a satisfied smile.

"It seems this really is a fine little squad~"