As Pepper had predicted, May Parker ultimately chose the first option.
Out of remorse, Happy voluntarily increased the compensation amount from one million US dollars to three million US dollars.
Now, not only were the two female colleagues envious, but even the two male colleagues couldn't help but look at May Parker with envy and Envy.
Pepper immediately gave May Parker a month-long vacation so she could adjust her mood.
He also expressed his welcome for May Parker to continue working for Stark Industries after the holiday.
With this promise in hand, May Parker finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Neither Pepper's previous promise of one million dollars in emotional distress nor Happy's subsequent three million dollars could compare to this final promise!
For her and Peter, working for Stark Industries was not only a stable source of income for the aunt and niece, but also a powerful, invisible safety net!
It was because of this job that all the prying eyes that used to surround them, the widowed aunt and nephew, disappeared!
May Parker bowed deeply to Pepper with gratitude. "Thank you for your help, Ms. Pepper!"
Pepper reached out to help her up, saying, "Ms. Parker, take this time to adjust your mood. When you return, I'll give you a new and important task."
She then gestured to her female assistant to lead May Parker and the others out of the conference room.
Soon, only Pepper and Happy remained in the conference room.
Pepper pulled over the laptop left behind by his female assistant and rewound the surveillance video to the beginning of the timeline.
She clicked play, and the video quickly played to the frame where the red phantom appeared.
Pepper quickly pressed pause.
She frowned at the blurry red figure, and without looking up, called out, " Happy, come here for a second!"
Happy's body trembled violently, and he stood up and walked heavily to Pepper's side.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Pepper, I... I've disgraced Tony and the Stark Industries!"
Pepper glanced up at him, then shook her head with a wry smile.
"Alright, Happy, it's all over now."
"Right now, you should be focusing on this!"
As she spoke, she turned the laptop towards Happy and pointed to the blurry red shadow in the paused screen.
" Red-tailed Parrot?!" Happy immediately remembered the strange Red-tailed Parrot that had suddenly appeared and disappeared, and his spirits lifted.
"Yes! We must find this Red-tailed Parrot! I wouldn't have made this mistake if it weren't for it!"
" Happy!" Pepper's expression suddenly turned very serious.
"I suspect this Red-tailed Parrot is a Transcendent Creature! Although our Stark Industries security department is composed of elites, we might be outmatched when facing supernatural power!"
"This..." Happy followed Tony. Although he had never directly contacted anyone from the Red Order, he vaguely knew that Tony seemed to know some people who possessed supernatural powers.
" Ms. Pepper, we have to tell Tony about this!"
Pepper nodded, then said meaningfully, "Perfect timing. Tony also said before that it's time for you to experience another world..."
"Another, another world?" Happy's heart suddenly raced, a hint of anticipation rising within him.
A moment later, led by Pepper, Happy arrived at the thirteenth basement level of the New Stark Industries for the first time.
When the lab doors opened and he saw Tony Crimson Fire in one hand and Scarlet Graver in the other, carving bizarre patterns on a super cool, silver-white suit of armor, he was nearly speechless with astonishment.
"Tony... Tony?!"
Upon hearing his voice, Tony stopped working and turned to look at him.
Happy?
"Hmm, Pepper, have you made up your mind?"
"There's nothing I can do..." Pepper shrugged and walked in carrying the laptop.
" Happy just experienced a supernatural event and almost got jailed for public indecent assault..."
"Oh?!" Tony raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Pepper walked over to the sofa and placed her laptop on the coffee table.
"Take a look at this, Tony."
"What?" Tony dispelled the Crimson Fire and Scarlet Graver in his hand and strode over.
He waved to Happy and said, " Happy, don't just stand there, come in and sit down."
Happy snapped out of his daze and nodded blankly, "Oh! Okay, okay!"
He walked mechanically to the sofa and sat down in the seat furthest to the side.
Pepper opened the surveillance video, zoomed in on the location where the red phantom appeared, and pointed at the red phantom on the screen, saying, " Happy encountered a Red-tailed Parrot that appeared out of nowhere while patrolling the corporate headquarters. I suspect it's a Transcendent Creature!"
"Because it appears suddenly in an instant and disappears in an instant, even the group's high-definition surveillance cameras cannot completely capture its form!"
" Transcendent Creature ..." Tony pulled over his laptop and examined the red phantom closely.
He clicked play, watching the fleeting red shadow in the video. When he saw Happy's cup of hot coffee pass through the afterimage and land on May Parker's chest, his pupils contracted slightly.
"It is indeed an Transcendent Creature!"
"And..."
A slight smile played on his lips, revealing a hint of excitement.
"It's clearly targeting Stark Industries!"
Pepper was startled. She quickly said, " Tony, you mean Stark Industries is being targeted by supernatural forces?!"
"Yes!" Tony said with certainty, "If nothing unexpected happens, it should be related to the Exploration Team that departs next week."
"We must report this to the Order, Tony!" Pepper said decisively.
"No!" Tony refused, confidently stating, "I can handle this myself!"
" Tony! The Exploration Team isn't just Stark Industries ' business!" Pepper advised. "If anything goes wrong, how will you explain it to High Priestess Strucker, and how will you answer to Richard?!"
Tony:...
He hesitated.
Seeing this, Pepper pressed on, " Tony, you should know that the Order only has this one ship, the ' Glory '..."
"Okay! You're right, Pepper!" Tony raised his hand in agreement.
He said unwillingly, "If I had enough materials, I could build a second, a third Glory!"
"Of course!" Pepper smiled reassuringly. "I believe you absolutely can!"
"Sigh~" Tony looked up at the red blur in the video and said, " Jarvis!"
"I am here, sir."
"Send this surveillance video to the Order headquarters, making sure the High Priestess himself sees it."
"Yes, sir."
A moment later, Jarvis's voice rang out.
"Sir, High Priestess Strucker has replied."
Tony sat up straight and asked, "What did the High Priestess say?"
" Strucker High Priestess Strucker considers this a serious provocation against the Red Order and the Lord of Crimson! He will send an elite Arbiter force to the new corporate headquarters to ensure the absolute safety of the headquarters and the ' Glory ' Starship!"
Tony nodded. "OK, I'll have someone prepare to welcome you."
Then, he turned to Happy and said, " Happy, I was originally planning to let you gradually get in touch with the Order, but it seems that I have no choice but to force you!"
Happy looked completely bewildered and said, "Huh???"
Time quickly came to the day when the Exploration Team would set off.
New York, the headquarters building of the New Stark Industries.
To the average person, it was a beautiful, sunny day.
The employees at Stark Industries headquarters went to work as usual.
But if any extraordinary person were to pass by here, they would be able to discover something amiss with just a slight glance up.
At this moment, the Stark Headquarters building was already enveloped by a large barrier.
On the spacious rooftop of the headquarters building, a solemn and imposing team stood silently, seemingly out of nowhere.
The group consisted of over a hundred people, who were evenly divided into twelve rows, with ten people standing in each row.
At the front of the line stood several high-ranking members of the Red Order.
Leading the group was High Priestess Strucker, who controlled the entire Order, and Tony Stark, who was second only to him in rank.
Then came Adele, Thomas, Figo, and others, who were half a step behind them.
In addition to them, Kamar-Taj and the Scarlet Combat Nun Guard each sent two teams.
The delegation from Kamar-Taj was led by Kaecilius, followed by three Sorcerer Apprentice led by Lena and several full-fledged Sorcerer.
The Scarlet Combat Nun Guard was led by Hawkeye, with Zoe's entire squad standing behind him.
High Priestess Strucker glanced at his watch, then turned and nodded to Tony.
He quietly unleashed his ' Sonorus ' on himself, and a barely perceptible red light flashed across his throat.
"Warriors of the Exploration Team..."
A loud voice instantly resounded throughout the entire rooftop.
The more than one hundred people on the Exploration Team immediately straightened up.
"You are a lucky bunch!"
"Countless people within the Red Order are madly eager to take your place!"
"Because this exploration mission is a great undertaking destined to be recorded in the annals of Earth's history!"
"I hope you will always remember your place!"
"From this moment on, you represent not only yourselves, but the Earth! And hundreds of millions of your fellow human beings on Earth!"
Simmons, standing at the forefront of the Exploration Team, puffed out his chest and roared, "High Priestess and Order, rest assured, our expedition will showcase the exceptional prowess of Earth Human in the universe, and will never bring shame to Earth, to the Order, or to the great Lord of Crimson!"
After saying that, he turned around abruptly and roared at the entire Exploration Team, "Brothers, tell the High Priestess and the members of the Order what our identities are now?!"
The entire Exploration Team suddenly puffed out their chests and roared with all their might, "Pioneer! Pioneer! Pioneer!!!"
Simmons roared and asked again, "What is the purpose of our trip?!"
"Prosper! Prosper! Prosper!!!"
Simmons concluded with a third question, "What would you do if you were provoked?!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!!!"
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Simmons' eyes.
He turned around again with a 'whoosh' and pounded his chest heavily in front of High Priestess Strucker, Tony Stark, and the others.
Strucker:...
Tony Stark:...
Adele, Thomas, and the others behind them had flushed faces, wishing they could take their place.
A smile slowly appeared on High Priestess Strucker's face.
"Your question and answer session has surprised me somewhat..."
"But..."
He suddenly raised his hand and clapped.
"I am very satisfied!"
Tony smiled and clapped along.
Then came Adele, Thomas...
Then Kamar-Taj, the Scarlet Combat Nun Guard...
The applause stopped after a moment.
Strucker nodded to Tony and took a half-step back.
Tony wore a nonchalant smile, and his once fairly straight back instantly slumped.
"Alright, everyone~"
"The serious time is over, let's all relax now."
As he spoke, he roughly tugged at the tie around his neck, feigning displeasure, and said, "I absolutely hate wearing this damn thing. It always makes me feel like a donkey with a bridle on me..."
A soft laugh came from the Exploration Team's ranks.
Tony shrugged, a helpless expression on his face.
"But there's no way around it; in many situations, you just have to wear it..."
"So, I'm suddenly a little envious of you guys... buddies!"
The Exploration Team was taken aback by what they heard.
Tony, one hand on his hip, wore an expression of Envy: "I personally oversaw the modification of the ' Glory ' Starship, but in the end, I didn't become its Captain..."
At this point, he gave Simmons a disapproving look.
"That bastard Simmons beat him to the punch at the Captain's position!"
Simmons grinned, revealing his bright white teeth.
Tony covered his eyes in disgust and quickly waved his hands, "Fuck! Don't look! If I keep looking, I'll beat this bastard to a pulp!"
The Exploration Team burst into laughter.
Taking advantage of the moment, Tony waved his hand and shouted, "Our pleasant chat is over, it's time for our main character to make his grand entrance!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the clouds in the sky began to churn.
A colossal object pierced through the clouds and descended from the sky!
It fell at an extremely high speed, then came to a silent stop at the edge of the rooftop of the Stark Headquarters building.
Tony's voice boomed. "' Glory ' Starship! The first Spaceship owned by Earth Human!"
"At the same time, he is also the most important member of this space exploration mission!"
"Guys, I hope you'll take good care of it and cherish it during the long journey ahead!"
"I hope it will return the way it was when it set off!"
Similarly, I hope you will return the way you left!
"Now, it's your turn to go on stage."
Simmons silently pounded his chest at Tony, Strucker, and the others, then turned and gave the order.
"Boarding, let's set sail!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The Exploration Team responded enthusiastically and then began boarding the ship in an orderly fashion.
The Scarlet Combat Nun Guard, Hawkeye turned to Zoe Quinn and said, "Captain Zoe, have a safe journey."
"Thank you, Instructor Barton."
After Zoe Quinn finished speaking, she waved her hand and led her people onto the Exploration Team.
On the other side, Lena jumped out before Kaecilius could even speak.
"It's finally our turn! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Let's catch up!"
After saying that, she jogged to the back of the Exploration Team.
Lena patted the shoulder of the Exploration Team member in front of her and greeted them warmly, "Hi, hello, my name is Lena, what's your name?"
The man turned around, revealing a weathered, dark face covered by an eye patch...