Master of the Marvel Universe

"Mm, I didn't bring that Hydra agent back for interrogation. Even within S.H.I.E.L.D., they don't know we've uncovered the tip of the iceberg. At most, they're suspicious... We need time. We need to investigate in secret." Fury lightly tapped the table. "The two from Chaldea can't be Hydra agents. There was no need for them to expose themselves, and besides, we need to move our plan forward."

For four whole days, Shen He stayed holed up in Tony's villa, running dungeons and enjoying the extravagant lifestyle of the rich.

Ever since reaching Level 7, leveling up had become increasingly difficult. Spending an hour every day farming the tenth-floor area of the Dungeon was nowhere near enough for him to level up. Even Saiki Kusuo, despite being fed upgrade fodder by Shen He every day, had only reached Level 4.

The main reason was that using Enhancement Stones consumed mana. Shen He only naturally recovered sixty mana points a day, leaving him with piles of upgrade fodder but no mana to feed them.

As for Summoning Stones, he got one a day. Shen He saved them all up, intending to do a ten-pull for the guaranteed reward.

That lazy life continued until Tony's beautiful secretary, Pepper, stormed into the villa in a fury.

The Plot Goes Off the Rails

Behind every successful man stood an outstanding woman.

For playboy Tony, that woman was undoubtedly his shrewd, capable, sexy, and charming assistant, "Pepper," Pepper Potts.

So if there was anyone Tony might be afraid of angering, Pepper counted as one.

"Are you kidding me?"

Pepper dragged a case into the laboratory on a trolley, her furious voice audible from far away. "What were you thinking? Abandoning the company, abandoning your work, locking yourself in the lab for four whole days without stepping outside—do you have any idea how chaotic things have gotten out there? Reporters are crowding the company entrance every day!"

"Okay, okay, calm down first." Tony instinctively raised his hands. "JARVIS, search for recent news about Stark Industries."

"Yes, sir."

On the projected control interfaces installed around the laboratory, footage of the battle in the street that day appeared first.

Most of the coverage focused on Mirage, with all kinds of reports constantly appearing.

"Sir, most news over the past few days has concerned your guest. Every reporter is speculating about the true identity of the large mech's pilot and her relationship with you, because drones recorded the mech landing at your residence." JARVIS gathered and filtered all the information, selecting the most representative reports.

"So that mech is actually... Oh, my God, is that the mech?"

Only then did Pepper notice Mirage, displayed prominently in the laboratory.

"That's right. Yes, I've been studying it these past few days." Tony closed the news reports. He did not care about them at all.

"So where's the pilot? Did you keep her here?" Pepper instinctively felt it could not be that simple. "Could it really be like the media said? Is the pilot actually some gorgeous blonde beauty with blue eyes? Is that why she's been able to stay in Tony Stark's villa for so long?"

"Oh, if you mean He, he's right behind you."

"Ah—"

Pepper spun around in alarm.

Sure enough, a man in pajamas, holding a wineglass, stood in the laboratory doorway.

"Hello, Ms. Potts. I'm Shen He." Shen He walked in and greeted her. "For the time being, I'm a guest here."

"That's right. It's that simple." Tony operated the virtual projection with his fingers, structural data on Mirage floating all around him. "Pepper, don't mind what the media says. They always love making up sensational news. Look, I'm busy. Really, very busy."

"So you stayed here just to study this mech?"

Pepper seemed to deflate at once. She knew how much Tony loved mechs. Once he threw himself into research, it was normal for him not to show his face for days at a time.