An Overgrown Man-Child Calls

Old Earl saw Skye coming down from the second floor in yesterday's clothes and smiled teasingly.

Despite having mentally prepared herself and feeling completely justified, when it came to the real thing... well, Skye's face turned bright red.

Mike had originally wanted to come down with her, but Skye refused. The meaning behind her words was clear: this lady could handle it.

And then... this was it?

But Chloe saw things differently from adults. At a glance, she spotted Babi following behind Skye.

Although Babi had not been afraid of Mike from the start and was affectionate toward Skye, he was actually a little shy around strangers. He hid behind Skye's legs, poking out his head. The flame at the tip of his tail showed that he was a little scared, but also very curious.

"Kani! Kani!"

From now on, he had to protect Skye. Babi felt that he could not show weakness, so he bared his little fangs and "roared" at Chloe with all the ferocity his tiny body could muster.

Upstairs.

Mike carefully examined the list Fat Jerry had sent over. There were actually more than twenty gunmen who met the requirements. Most had backgrounds as special forces soldiers, agents, or competitive shooters, but without exception, all of them were wanted criminals.

"Attaching psychic power to bullets, changing their trajectory after they leave the barrel, and abilities called Lock-On, Arc Trajectory Technique, Gun-Kata... what a gathering of talent."

"Heh-heh~ The United States government really has a gift for driving talented people to the other side."

No wonder the world police's international standing had been declining by the day. They could only keep stirring up trouble to maintain their presence.

Mike suddenly remembered a joke about ordinary people in several countries suddenly awakening superpowers.

China: Mm, keep a low profile first, make a fortune quietly, then find a chance to show off before everyone.

Japan: Ah, I'm different from everyone else. I'm a monster. Pain shall know pain. Let the world know pain. I'm going to destroy this rotten country.

Cosmic Han: Hmph, the world belongs to the Great Snoring Republic of Han. Mm, I'll find a girl group idol to relax with before considering conquering the universe.

United States: The people need me. The world cannot exist without me. The universe must be saved by me. But what about my personal life? What about my family? What about Love? This is so painful!

"Heh-heh, the more you think about it, the more profound it becomes."

Downstairs.

Skye was working on her laptop, while Babi lay across her thighs, blinking away. Chloe held a fruit candy, her expression conflicted. She wanted to give it to Babi, but did not dare approach him.

Mike patted Chloe's head and beckoned to Babi.

Babi climbed up from Skye's legs reluctantly, looking back every few steps, but Skye remained focused on the screen.

Mike unwrapped the fruit candy. Babi sniffed it with his short snout, his expression clearly saying that he wanted some.

"Ah~ Open up!"

"Ha~" Babi obediently opened his mouth.

The taste of the candy made Babi squint happily, his tail swishing back and forth. He was just short of speaking human words: Delicious~

Mike took Chloe's little hand. "It's okay, don't be scared. Pet him."

Charmander's skin was smooth, soft, and resilient. It felt even better than satin. No wonder Skye liked holding Babi.

Chloe immediately beamed.

"All right." Mike patted Babi's head, placed Babi's little paw together with Chloe's small hand, and said, "You're friends from now on. No arguing, and definitely no fighting. Understand?"

Babi raised his head. "Kaha!"

Chloe nodded like a pecking chick. "Mm! Mm!"

Come to think of it, with Chloe's personality, how could she possibly argue with anyone, much less fight?

"With a personality like that, she'll probably suffer once she enters society." Mike began worrying about Chloe's future. "Whoever dares bully Chloe can wait for my Iron Fist."

He looked up and saw Skye smiling at him.

Mike touched his face. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"No. You really like children?"

Skye smiled sweetly.

"Depends on the situation. If they're brats, then a righteous whipping is still necessary."

Tony Stark's greasy face appeared in Mike's mind, making him shudder. Stark really was an overgrown man-child. Mike wondered whether being kidnapped had corrected him at all.

Old Earl's expression was complicated, and there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

Afraid of the adorably cute Charmander?

Only then did Mike remember that in Western legends, movies, and novels, dragons were mostly portrayed as hideous, brutal, and evil—Nidhogg, the Black Dragon of Despair; Fafnir, the giant dragon; Leviathan, the Dragon of Chaos; Ladon, the hundred-headed dragon; Tiamat, Mother of Evil Dragons; Hydra, the Nine-Headed Dragon; and so on. They were all symbols of chaos and enemies of the gods.

As for Drogon from Game of Thrones, he was actually a lesser type of wyvern in the setting.

So Old Earl's reaction was fairly normal.

Mike asked Skye, "How did you explain it to the two of them?"

"How else could I explain it? I told them the truth. Superpowered crime is becoming more common now, and it's in the news every day. It's practically routine. Old Earl wasn't scared, and as for Chloe... she's still at the age where she firmly believes in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Fairy Godmother, so she found it easier to accept." Skye then turned to work. "We need to hire another person."

Previously, Mike had suggested that Skye hire more people of Chinese descent. She had taken his advice, but she also felt that other disadvantaged ethnic groups deserved opportunities. Yet those people slacked off at work, left the moment it was time to clock out, and did not care whether the work was finished. Mention overtime, and they would slam their hands on the table. Skye could not understand it. The salary was quite high and the overtime pay was generous. She was clearly helping them, yet in the end, she only brought trouble upon herself.

Skye had fired two people before, but unexpectedly, those two wanted to sue the company. When their lawyer saw the White & Case sign, he immediately said he would not take the case.

When the soft approach did not work, they tried the hard one. The two brought several thugs to cause trouble, and Mike sent them on a one-month hospital stay.

"Mm." Mike casually said, "You decide. I trust you."

But Skye was no longer falling for that. She curled her lips and said, "You're just too lazy to deal with it, so you dump everything on me."

"Heh-heh."

Mike gave an awkward laugh. Skye had changed. Back then, a single "I trust you" would have moved her for half the day.

People's hearts change so easily, yet they say it was the hearts of old that changed easily, Mike moaned inwardly for no reason.

He had originally thought it would be another leisurely, pleasant day.

That afternoon.

Mike received a call from Tony Stark.

"Where are you? Are you free?" Stark's speech was a little muffled, as if he had something in his mouth.

Mike was startled, thinking, Having something in his mouth should be normal, right? One kidnapping couldn't have changed both Stark's outlook on life and his sexual orientation, could it? Then again... what the hell does that have to do with me?

With that thought, he replied, "Depends. If it's something good, I'm free. If it's trouble, goodbye. No time! Busy!"

"Does giving you money count as something good?"

"I'm here. Thanks for the invitation. Please speak, boss!"

Mike told Skye about it, then drove to Stark Tower. A helicopter was waiting on the roof to take Mike to Stark's cliffside mansion in Malibu, California.