Commission

Meng Zu had no objection to Happy investigating him. When he took jobs at the Continental Hotel, didn't he investigate the targets too?

In the United States, respecting personal privacy was supposedly important, but it was really just a joke. As long as there were Franklins involved, personal privacy was laid bare in public. Anything you couldn't uncover simply meant the other party had more influence and more money than you did.

Since Happy had been Tony's driver and bodyguard for years, he naturally had his own connections and influence. Looking into everything Meng Zu had on the surface was no difficulty at all.

Pepper said, "Mr. Meng Zu, if you can find Tony, we'll pay you five million dollars as a reward."

"Finding Stark among terrorists won't be easy. This job carries considerable risk. If I accept your commission, I'll need a hundred thousand dollars in advance as a deposit. Of course, if the mission succeeds, that money will be counted toward the five million reward. If the mission fails, I won't return the deposit. What do you think, Ms. Pepper?" Meng Zu stated his terms.

"Fine!" Pepper agreed without a second thought. One hundred thousand dollars was nothing to her. As long as there was even the slightest chance of finding Tony, she would have agreed even if Meng Zu had demanded one million as a deposit. Naturally, the money would come from Tony Stark's account. As the assistant in charge of Tony's life and work, Pepper had that authority.

Rich people really are different. Meng Zu silently gave Pepper a thumbs-up.

Meng Zu thought for a moment, then said, "Ms. Pepper, the reward for finding Mr. Stark, who was kidnapped by terrorists, is five million dollars. If I can bring Mr. Stark back safely, how much can you pay?"

Pepper did not answer immediately. She began to think. Finding Tony after he had been kidnapped by terrorists and bringing Tony back from the terrorists were entirely different in terms of danger.

Pepper had originally planned to hand the rescue over to the U.S. military if Meng Zu really found Tony's whereabouts. But that would take time. If the terrorists noticed something was wrong, Tony's life might be in danger. Who could guess what kind of insane things those terrorists might do?

Hearing Meng Zu say this, Pepper wanted Tony rescued as soon as possible. She looked at Meng Zu with a serious expression and said, "Mr. Meng Zu, you should understand how difficult it would be to rescue Tony from the terrorists. Doing so might anger them and put Tony in even greater danger."

"Ms. Pepper, I understand what you mean. I'll judge according to the situation. Of course, if I attempt to rescue Mr. Stark, I will put his safety first. If the risk is too great, I guarantee that I absolutely won't take the risk of trying to save Mr. Stark," Meng Zu assured Pepper.

Seeing Meng Zu make that promise, Pepper said, "If you can truly bring Tony back safely, we'll pay you ten million dollars."

"Then I'll take this commission. Xiao Hai, print out the contract." When Meng Zu saw the new employment mission generated by the system, he was overjoyed.

Employment Mission: Mission One: Find Tony Stark, who was kidnapped by terrorists, and report his whereabouts to Pepper Potts. Employment Points: 500.

Mission Two: Safely bring Tony Stark, who was kidnapped by terrorists, back to New York. Employment Points: 1,000.

(Choose one of the two missions. They cannot overlap.)

When Pepper had said she would pay him five million dollars for finding Tony, the system had generated Mission One. The unprecedented 500 Employment Points had startled Meng Zu. Why was that? Could it be because Tony Stark would become Iron Man in the future, which was why the mission was worth 500 points?

That gave Meng Zu an idea. Perhaps employment missions involving Marvel superheroes were worth far more Employment Points. To test it, he had proposed the commission to rescue Tony Stark to Pepper.

When the new mission appeared, Meng Zu confirmed that once an employment mission involved a Marvel superhero, the greater the mission difficulty, the higher the Employment Points.

Damn it, I missed out big time. Just as Meng Zu was rejoicing, he suddenly remembered Peter Parker, whom he had met yesterday. If he had followed Peter last night and waited for him to ask for help saving Ben Parker, the Employment Points would definitely have been substantial.

After the contract was printed, Pepper signed it directly. Somewhat anxiously, she asked, "Mr. Meng Zu, can you be there in an hour at the earliest?"

Meng Zu naturally understood how Pepper felt. He nodded and said, "Yes!"

"Then in one hour, Mr. Meng Zu, come to Stark Tower. We'll be waiting for you there!"

"Alright. See you in an hour, Ms. Pepper."

After Pepper and Happy left, Yang Hai said excitedly, "As expected of rich people, Brother Zu. Just finding Tony Stark's whereabouts earns five million dollars. If you can bring Tony Stark back, it becomes ten million dollars."

Smack!

"Shut up!" Uncle Yang slapped Yang Hai on the back of the head and glared fiercely at him. Then he looked at Meng Zu with a solemn expression. "Azu, you really shouldn't have accepted this commission. Terrorists are all lunatics. Even when the U.S. military deals with people like that, they prepare in advance before making a move."

"Since Tony Stark was kidnapped by terrorists while under military protection, the military must have searched for him too. Yet they still haven't found him, which means Tony Stark was taken to the terrorists' main base."

"You've been a mercenary for several years now. You've always decided your own commissions, and Uncle Yang won't interfere with your decisions. I know you're highly capable. Neither your father nor I can compare to you. But going there alone this time makes it easy for you to be discovered, and then you'll be in danger. Uncle Yang suggests that once you get there, just go through the motions."

Meng Zu could hear Uncle Yang trying to dissuade him from searching for Tony Stark, but he did not mind. He understood that Uncle Yang was worried about his safety. Smiling, he said, "Uncle Yang, don't worry. I'll definitely put my own safety first. You've seen it these past few years—I've returned safely every time. If it truly doesn't work out, I'll just give up on this commission."

"Mm. As long as you know what you're doing."

"Then I'll get going first. I still need to prepare some things at home."

After watching Meng Zu leave, Yang Hai asked, "Dad, since this commission is so dangerous, why don't you go with Brother Zu? You could help him too."

Uncle Yang looked at Yang Hai irritably. "What do you know? I'm old, and my skills have declined long ago. If Azu goes alone, even if he runs into danger, he can basically escape safely. If I went with him, I'd only become dead weight and put Azu in danger instead. Azu understands that too, which is why he's going alone."