A Conversation with Tony, Part Two

"Do you really think I'm crazy? Or that I came all this way just to tell a bad joke and fool you?"

"You should know, Tony, that I wouldn't have come today without evidence!"

Ryan spoke calmly, and Tony stopped walking for the third time that day.

He turned around, his expression grave.

"I want to see the evidence!"

If what Ryan said was true... Thinking of his parents, Tony clenched his fists, a vicious glint flashing through his eyes.

"I can do that, but it's not in my hands right now." Seeing Tony's expression change, Ryan quickly continued, "But I know where the evidence is. You know, an organization like Hydra, which has remained hidden for so many years without being exposed—any action against them could easily alert the..."

"Don't tell me any of that. I want evidence!"

Tony abruptly cut him off, glaring at Ryan.

Anyone could make empty claims. Until there was solid evidence proving all this was true, he would not believe a single word.

"Shit! I knew you bastard would react like this. Sebas!"

After cursing, Ryan called out behind him. Sebas, having received the order, calmly raised a hand. Lines of magical runes appeared one after another, forming a Portal.

"Th... what is this?"

Tony blinked hard, trying to see whether he was hallucinating.

"Just a little magic. I told you before—Sebas is an extremely capable butler!"

Ryan shrugged, rose from the sofa, and gestured. "Coming? The evidence you want is inside, though I don't recommend that you look at it yet."

Tony's expression darkened. Without saying a word, he headed toward the Portal.

With the appearance of this magical gate that had somewhat shattered his worldview, he believed about thirty percent of what Ryan had said. Still, he needed to see the evidence Ryan had mentioned.

Seeing Tony enter the Portal without so much as a greeting, Ryan did not mind. He and Sebas followed close behind, and in an instant, they arrived before a military camp.

"Where is this?"

Having truly arrived somewhere else in an instant, Tony wondered how it worked as he asked the question.

"Camp Lehigh, Wheaton, New Jersey. The place where Captain America was first trained. It's now territory belonging to the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division—and Hydra's territory as well."

Ryan put on his sunglasses and glanced at the locked gate.

Tony's expression did not change. He still did not know what kind of organization S.H.I.E.L.D. was. After looking at Ryan and Sebas, he asked, "The evidence is inside?"

"It should be. But if you want to go in, you'd better block all signals in the area first. Otherwise, I can't guarantee you won't get blown into the sky by a missile halfway through looking at it!"

"Oh, right!"

"All information related to Hydra is stored in specialized data similar to an artificial intelligence. If you aren't confident you can handle it, you'd better not go down there."

Ryan advised him as though he were being helpful.

"Those are minor problems. But how did you know all this? Through your so-called magic?"

Tony's face carried both a genius's arrogance and a hint of probing.

"To survive in this dangerous world, everyone needs a few trump cards."

Ryan shrugged in response.

"All right, let's not talk about that for now. I need to go back and get some tools."

Tony rubbed his face, deciding to deal with this organization that had suddenly emerged from the background first. Once he uncovered the truth, he could investigate Ryan's secrets.

"Sebas."

Ryan called out again. Sebas gave a respectful bow, then created another Portal.

"The destination is still set to your living room. Now you can get started," Ryan said to Tony, who had pulled out a pen-like device and was secretly scanning the Portal.

"Cough, the living room? That's quite an idea!"

After awkwardly saying that, Tony stepped into the Portal. Seeing the space change in an instant, he looked down at the dirt clinging to his shoes and confirmed that he was not dreaming. He had truly crossed half the United States in an instant.

"JARVIS, analyze this Portal."

Seeing that Ryan and the butler named Sebas had not followed him over, Tony hurriedly gave the order.

As a genius, it was difficult for something so unscientific not to stir his desire to research it. Besides, he could not tolerate his home becoming like a public place, where people could come and go whenever they pleased. Even if he could not replicate it, he at least needed to develop a device that could interfere with the Portal.

"Yes, sir. Beginning scan."

The scanning devices hidden throughout the house instantly emitted detection waves, conducting a detailed scan of the Portal standing in the living room.

"Put the scan data on my private server. I'll try to buy you some time."

Tony, who was clattering down toward the basement, gave another order. Though he was deeply interested in the scan results, he did not have time to study them now.

Outside the gates of Camp Lehigh, Ryan watched Tony make trip after trip, carrying only a few items each time. He took out a sun umbrella and a reclining chair from his private space, then lay back and watched quietly.

Being able to see Tony this busy was a rare opportunity. For that reason, Ryan even recorded it on his phone.

Time passed second by second. As even the sunlight became less glaring, Ryan rubbed his brow and spoke helplessly to Tony as he emerged from the Portal.

"Tony! It's been two hours already. Is JARVIS still not done scanning?"

"How about this? You finish up here first, and afterward, I'll have Sebas set up a pair of Portals in your house. The kind that can last for a day!"

He did not mind Tony researching it, because he was also curious what Tony might eventually develop.

But his time was limited. He had mercilessly chewed out the group's shareholders, and it was foreseeable that a storm of retaliation would soon come.

Though he did not particularly care, he would rather spend that time keeping Annie company or taking a trip around Nazarick than standing here eating sand.

"Cough, there really is quite a lot of equipment..." Seeing the disdain in Ryan's eyes, Tony's cheek twitched. He did not continue, instead readily admitting it. "All right. After this, set up a pair of Portals in my lab that I can use to travel back and forth freely."

"They're Portals!" Ryan corrected.

"Okay, Portals. Since you made them, you have naming—"

"God, since when did you become so long-winded, Tony? Just tell me how much more stuff you need. I'll have Sebas bring it all over at once. And there's evidence in there that your parents were murdered. Are you sure you want to waste time here?"

Ryan impatiently interrupted Tony.

Tony fell silent. After a long while, he said, "No. I don't need anything else."

He raised his head. "Let's begin!"