RNM! Refund!

Peggy took a moment to adjust to the sudden power and the wings on her back.

Then, as if she had remembered something, her expression turned anxious as she asked:

"The deal is only half complete. What about Steve? When will you bring him back to life?"

The corners of Lu Xi's mouth lifted slightly as his terrifying telekinesis spread directly northward.

In an instant, he locked onto the exact coordinates of that "old popsicle" who had been frozen beneath the Arctic ice for over seventy years.

He casually took a sheet of paper, quickly wrote down the coordinates, and handed it to Peggy.

"He's here. He's still alive. Just dig him out yourselves."

Peggy's eyes widened, her face filled with a complicated mixture of shock and joy as she asked in disbelief:

"This... Steve isn't dead?"

For all these years, she had believed that Steve had heroically sacrificed himself back then.

She had thought the demon before her intended to reunite them through resurrection.

Lu Xi shrugged and smiled.

"I never said he was dead. Go fish him out already. He's still fresh."

Peggy accepted the note with trembling hands. Though it seemed like nothing more than a light scrap of paper, it now felt as heavy as a mountain.

Her heart was filled with countless emotions at the thought of seeing Steve again. She had no mind left for anything else.

Seeing this, Lu Xi smiled.

"Then, thank you for your patronage. It's been a pleasure working with you."

As he spoke, six dazzling wings spread behind his back, and powerful currents of air instantly surged through the hospital room.

Lu Xi turned to Maria, his gaze carrying a meaningful hint as he said:

"If you run into this sort of situation again, you can come to me as well. You know what I need."

With that, he shot into the sky like lightning and vanished from their sight in the blink of an eye.

The moment Lu Xi landed back home, Daisy pounced on him like a cheerful little bird.

She exclaimed excitedly, "Lord Lucifer, you're finally back!"

Hearing that Lu Xi had returned, Wanda and Pietro hurried over from the villa's annex as well.

With concern on her face, Wanda was the first to ask:

"My lord, did everything go smoothly?"

A relaxed smile appeared on Lu Xi's face as he nodded.

"Yeah. It went pretty smoothly."

Wanda bit her lip slightly, hesitation and conflict flickering in her eyes.

Then, as though she had finally made up her mind, she gathered her courage and said:

"Um... if you want to trade for souls, I'm willing to make a trade too, as long as it can improve my abilities."

Wanda's eyes revealed her thirst for power and her urgent desire to become stronger.

Lu Xi frowned slightly as he looked at Wanda and spoke softly.

"You're still thinking about getting revenge on Stark, aren't you? Be patient a little longer. The truth will come to light soon."

A trace of disappointment flashed through Wanda's eyes at Lu Xi's words.

She lowered her head and sighed softly without saying anything more.

Seeing Wanda's dejected expression, a flash of insight suddenly struck Lu Xi, as if he had discovered a blind spot.

He stared at Wanda, his gaze becoming focused and profound. Then he released his senses and carefully examined her soul.

To Lu Xi's perception, Wanda's soul was unique and full of power, yet it did not trigger any strong reaction from his authority.

Logically speaking, Scarlet Witch had played an important role in multiple films.

She even later had her own television series. Within the Marvel Universe's storyline, she was at least a protagonist-level character.

Yet her soul was not displaying the value it should have possessed.

It seemed that... even if he signed a soul contract with her now, it would be ineffective.

Lu Xi secretly guessed that perhaps Wanda's abilities had not truly awakened yet.

Perhaps only once her abilities fully awakened would she become an indispensable part of the convergence of the worldline.

Only then would her soul reveal its true value and trigger a reaction from his authority.

Thinking of this, Lu Xi shook his head slightly, unable to help marveling at how strange and complicated it all was.

Noticing that Lu Xi's gaze had remained fixed on her, Wanda raised her head in confusion and asked:

"My lord, what is it?"

Lu Xi withdrew his senses and smiled.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about something. Don't worry. Your opportunity will come eventually, so don't be too impatient."

Wanda nodded as if she understood, though she still felt somewhat disappointed. Even so, Lu Xi's words gave her a bit of comfort.

Late that night, Daisy fell into a deep sleep nearby.

Lu Xi walked alone into the courtyard, gazing at the bright moon in the night sky as he quietly sensed the changes within himself.

He could clearly feel that after obtaining the soul contracts of two people in succession, the Divine Power within him had increased by at least a tenth!

And such a significant increase had come only from souls he considered relatively "supporting characters."

Lu Xi could not help speculating inwardly: if he collected the soul of a major protagonist like Tony Stark...

Then... how much stronger would his Divine Power become?

The next day, at Tony Stark's villa.

Sunlight streamed through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows and fell across a workbench covered in all kinds of high-tech equipment.

Tony was intently refining the blueprints for Mark II, his eyes filled with fanatical passion and dedication toward technology.

He had already outlined Mark II's perfect form in his mind and could barely wait to begin building it.

Just then, the television suddenly began showing news footage of his return.

Seeing it, Tony seemed to remember something important. He stopped working, frowned, and thought for a moment.

Then he set down the blueprints, rose to his feet, and prepared to head out.

Not long afterward, Tony Stark appeared at a grand press conference.

He wore a perfectly tailored suit and carried that signature confident smile.

Standing before the microphone, he cleared his throat and announced loudly:

"Today, I officially announce that Stark Industries will shut down its weapons development division."

The moment he said this, an uproar broke out at the press conference. Reporters below began whispering among themselves, while camera flashes flickered nonstop.

Online, things exploded instantly as well, with wails and curses flooding in from every direction.

"Yesterday, when I saw the news that he was back, I was sure the stock price would rebound, so I went all in on the spot. Now it's all over! Stark, are you trying to drive us into a corner?!"

"Tony Stark, fuck you! Refund us! How can you shut down the weapons development division without a word? Who's going to protect our interests?"

"Why did you even come back? You should've just died in the Middle East! What future does Stark Industries have without its weapons development division?"

Yet after returning to his villa, Tony turned a deaf ear to it all and did not even glance at the overwhelming negative comments online.

He walked straight to the workbench, picked up the Mark II blueprints again, and excitement gleamed in his eyes.

To him, nothing was more important at that moment than completing this great invention.