Honey Trap

Over an hour later.

After Gwen had initially adapted to her greatly enhanced physical attributes, Roy used the Flying Thunder God to send her home.

Although she had already graduated from high school, Gwen still had to abide by the family rule against staying out overnight before college began.

After sending Gwen home, Roy used the Flying Thunder God again and returned to the villa on the Upper East Side.

The next afternoon.

While having lunch in the dining room, he received a call from Natasha.

The moment the call connected, Natasha's seductive voice came through from the other end.

"Tony Stark came to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in his armor and demanded that we hand over his father's belongings. He also said you were the one who sent him."

"That's right, I sent him. Is there a problem?"

Roy asked in return.

"No problem. I just want to know how you knew Howard left some things with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Natasha continued.

"Naturally, I have my own intelligence channels."

"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now. I'm eating."

Roy said slowly.

"All right, then I won't disturb your meal."

With that, Natasha hung up.

Roy set his phone aside and continued enjoying the lunch before him.

Meanwhile.

Washington, D.C.

S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, the director's office in the Triskelion.

Tony, wearing the Mark 4, sat on the sofa in the reception area. He opened his helmet's faceplate and brought the wineglass to his nose for a sniff.

Then, with a look of disgust, he set the glass back on the table without any intention of drinking it.

This wine was awful!

Nick Fury and Natasha sat on the sofa opposite him.

After ending her call with Roy, Natasha, clad in a tight black combat suit that perfectly showed off her graceful curves, turned to Nick Fury and nodded.

After confirming that Tony had been telling the truth, Nick Fury rose and walked to his desk. He picked up the phone, dialed an internal number, and said, "Send the case from storage compartment HS-001 to the director's office."

After hanging up, Nick Fury returned to the reception area and sat down. He said to Tony, "Your father's belongings will be brought up shortly."

Tony nodded and studied Natasha, who sat beside Nick Fury, with great interest.

Though he knew little about Natasha, he could tell one thing: she was a highly charming female spy.

Moreover, judging from Natasha's call with Roy just now, she had dealt with Roy quite often.

After looking Natasha over for a moment, he suddenly said, "Roy told me before that S.H.I.E.L.D. once tried to arrest him. The operation failed, and you ended up paying him a considerable amount in compensation."

"I'm curious. What kind of losses did he cause you to make you so afraid of him?"

At his words, Nick Fury's expression immediately turned extremely unpleasant.

He had personally commanded the operation to capture Roy.

He had assumed Roy was merely a superhuman who had awakened his abilities not long ago and would not be difficult to capture.

The facts proved that he had severely underestimated Roy's strength.

The operation had been a complete disaster, causing heavy casualties and severe financial losses.

After the operation failed, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been forced by Roy's threats to sign a ceasefire agreement and admit defeat.

"We aren't afraid of him. We simply respect him."

Seeing that Nick Fury had no intention of answering Tony, Natasha said slowly.

"Afraid is afraid. There's no need to dress it up as respect."

"You're beautiful, and you're a spy. You must have used a honey trap on him before, right?"

Tony raised an eyebrow at Natasha and said with a smile.

Ever since the kidnapping incident, he had settled down and stopped chasing women everywhere like he used to.

Even so, he could not help teasing Natasha now.

Natasha did not answer and turned her head away.

Though Natasha gave no direct reply, her current reaction was practically an admission.

Roy really did have incredible luck with women!

Why hadn't any beautiful female spies tried to seduce me before?

Tony sighed inwardly without showing it on his face.

Not long after, two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in black suits carried a silver-white case the size of a suitcase into the director's office.

At Nick Fury's signal, they placed the case on the table.

Tony's gaze immediately fell on the case.

A line of words was printed on it.

All Property of Howard Stark!

After the agents who had delivered the case left, Nick Fury said to Tony, "The reactor in your chest was created from unfinished technology."

Tony immediately refuted Nick Fury without hesitation.

"It's a finished product. I completed the miniaturization."

Nick Fury refuted Tony as well and continued, "No. Your father said the Arc Reactor was a stepping stone toward greater technology."

"Back then, he was preparing to launch an energy race. In his words, once it succeeded, every country and every competitor would be left far behind."

"He had found a lead on a form of super-energy. Compared to it, a nuclear reactor was like a 3A battery."

"He also said that only you had enough intelligence and resources to complete this plan in his place."

A complicated expression flashed across Tony's face.

After a few seconds, he said slowly, "He really said that?"

"What do you think?"

Nick Fury asked.

Tony shook his head and said with emotion, "I don't know whether you're telling the truth, but he didn't like me very much."

"In his eyes, I was a promiscuous, willful playboy who did whatever he pleased."

Nick Fury stared at Tony and continued, "What kind of man do you think he was?"

Tony sighed and replied, "He was smart, cold, and calculating."

"He never said he loved me. He never even said he liked me."

"Everything I did was just fooling around to him."

"Even though I built a brand-new V8 engine at six, developed my first computer software as soon as I started elementary school, and created an artificial intelligence robot after graduating college, he never praised me."

"So it's hard for me to believe that he said I could complete his super-energy plan in his place and change the future."

"That's not the man I remember."

"In my memories, the happiest day of his life was the day he sent me to boarding school."

Nick Fury picked up his wineglass and took a sip before saying slowly, "Even though you're his son, you don't understand him at all."

"You mean you understand him better than I do?"

Tony said disdainfully.

"Of course I understand him better than you do, because he was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s co-founders. Without him, there would be no S.H.I.E.L.D. as it exists today."

"Agent Romanoff, give him the lithium dioxide injection."

Nick Fury instructed Natasha.

Natasha immediately took out a small box and placed it on the table.

"What does this injection do?"

Tony asked with a frown.

"It can slow the symptoms of your palladium poisoning."

"Don't underestimate your father. Palladium was the key to miniaturizing the Arc Reactor. He had thought of it long ago; he simply never manufactured the finished product."

"I still have a meeting to attend. You can take these things back to your mansion."

Nick Fury pointed at the large case containing Howard's belongings and the small box containing the lithium dioxide injection as he spoke unhurriedly.