Constantine: Step Aside, I'm About to Flex!

Tony Stark's private laboratory.

Wiping away sweat nervously, Happy and Pepper watched the government personnel bustle about.

As the group failed to get any results for a long time, the two of them could not help but grow worried.

Off to the side, Black Widow Natasha had changed back into her combat gear. She stared grimly at the footage JARVIS had pulled up.

In the footage, Tony opened a video file and watched it over and over.

He seemed to be analyzing something as he watched.

The first ten minutes were completely normal, but when the timestamp reached 11:07, it was as though a frame had suddenly been removed from the surveillance footage. Mr. Stark abruptly vanished from the screen, his whereabouts unknown.

No one knew what had happened, much less how he had disappeared.

No matter how the others racked their brains and studied the footage repeatedly, they could not find any clue as to what had caused his disappearance.

"A supernatural incident?!"

[Emotion Points from Natasha Manronov +333]

The only reassuring thing was that the computer screen left at the scene did not display the images of those hanged people from before.

"Happy, can we find Tony? Will something happen to him?"

Covering her mouth nervously, her eyes red, Pepper was so frightened she was nearly crying.

"Tony will be fine. He's always had good luck. This time, he'll definitely make it through safely!"

Patting Pepper on the shoulder, Happy Hogan spoke firmly. He believed a genius like Tony would not die so easily.

"So there must be a way!"

[Emotion Points from Pepper Potts +303]

[Emotion Points from Happy Hogan +300]

Hearing their conversation, Natasha tilted her head, feeling that she ought to say something.

She turned around, just about to offer them a few words of comfort, when she saw Coulson hurrying in with a disheveled-looking man.

"This is?"

She gestured with her eyes.

"John Constantine. He claims to be a master of magic, nicknamed the Hellblazer."

Coulson did not quite know how to phrase it, so he could only repeat what the man had told him.

Seeing Natasha's disbelief, Coulson gave a wry smile.

"He says he can help us find the missing Tony."

Him?

It was not that Natasha did not trust Coulson.

It was just that this guy called Constantine looked more like a charlatan or con man than any kind of supernatural detective!

"Coulson, are you sure he can do it?"

Please forgive her inelegant wording, but deep down, that was exactly what Natasha thought.

"Heh."

With a soft chuckle, John Constantine calmly flicked the ash from his cigarette.

He exhaled a cloud of smoke and lazily pointed at the busy agents.

"If you keep searching like this, you still won't find Tony Stark even if you had a hundred years!"

"Oh? So you mean you can find him?"

No matter what she thought inside, her agent instincts made Natasha instinctively probe him.

"Of course."

Constantine rummaged through the pocket of his trench coat and, under everyone's astonished gazes, pulled out a compass.

No one knew what he did, but the compass needle began spinning rapidly before finally pointing firmly in a certain direction.

"What is that?"

At this point, Pepper and Happy also gathered around.

Like Coulson and Natasha, they were completely baffled and could not make sense of what he was doing.

"Found him."

Looking at the compass, Constantine wore a confident expression.

[Emotion Points from Pepper Potts +288]

[Emotion Points from Happy Hogan +299]

[Emotion Points from Phil Coulson +307]

[Emotion Points from Natasha Manronov +311]

Huh? He found him just like that? How?

With that thing? That made no sense!?

Everyone looked at each other. If Pepper had not seemed so distressed, Happy would have sworn to the heavens that he would use his little fists to hurl this charlatan right out of here.

"Who the hell are you trying to fool? This is an insult to my intelligence!"

"Um, Mr. Constantine..."

With his eye twitching, Coulson had begun to doubt his own judgment.

Maybe bringing Constantine here had been a mistake!

Knowing they did not believe him, Constantine turned toward the door, following the compass needle's direction.

"Believe it or not, it may not be scientific, but it is magic."

Though doubtful, they had no other way to find Tony, so they could only helplessly follow behind him.

Following Constantine through several twists and turns, they eventually arrived at an underground storage room.

Happy shot Constantine a glare, then took out his employee badge and swiped it to open the door.

As the door opened and the lights came on, everyone filed inside.

The room was plain to see. Apart from some cardboard boxes and miscellaneous clutter stacked in the corner, there were only several lonely rows of computers on the desks.

Tony was not here!

"Ha! I knew it! You're a fraud!"

Happy rolled up his sleeves, fury rising in his chest as he prepared to throw a punch.

Pepper, Natasha, and Coulson all showed disappointed expressions as well.

Only Constantine calmly walked over to a computer desk in the far-right row, extended a finger, and lightly tapped a certain key on the keyboard.

Tap.

"..."

Happy froze. He watched as the computer screen lit up again, revealing Tony on the display, anxiously shouting something outward.

[Emotion Value from Pepper Potts +399]

[Emotion Value from Happy Hogan +371]

[Emotion Value from Phil Coulson +357]

[Emotion Value from Natasha Romanoff +366]

"Stark—"

The moment Pepper saw Tony, she hurried over.

"Tony, can you see me? Can you hear me?"

She carefully patted the computer screen with both hands, but no matter how she called out, her voice could not reach him.

Unbelievable. They had actually... found Tony Stark!

The joy on Coulson's face had not yet faded when, in the next moment, a rope descended and looped around Tony Stark's neck.

Tony struggled fiercely, desperately pulling at the rope with both hands. His face turned red as his legs kicked wildly.

But it was useless!

As the rope continued to pull upward, Tony's body was unwillingly hoisted into the air. His feet left the ground, his eyes rolling back—he was about to be hanged to death right before their eyes.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Pepper and Happy shouted as they pounded desperately on the computer, despair filling their eyes.

"Move!"

The playful smile vanished from Constantine's face. With a flick of his coat, he strode forward.

Muttering an incomprehensible incantation, he raised his left hand, and the ember from his cigarette streaked through the air, sketching out a magic circle.

After pushing Pepper and Happy aside, the instant his hand pressed against the computer screen—

Buzz!

He vanished before everyone's eyes.

A sharp glint flashed through Natasha's eyes as she quickly reached out.

But nothing happened to her arm. It was blocked by the cold computer screen.

Coulson's gaze shifted, locking firmly onto the monitor.

There, beside Tony, Constantine's figure was slowly appearing.

[Emotion Value from Phil Coulson +378]

[Emotion Value from Natasha Romanoff +407]

[Emotion Value from Happy Hogan +399]

[Emotion Value from Pepper Potts +425]

[Emotion Value from Tony Stark +511]