Egghead Blocked Outside The Door

"I am Iron Man... You thought you were the only superhero?"

In the evening, Tony Stark returned to his seaside villa, only to be stopped outside the door by a one-eyed bald man so dark he barely reflected light.

"Mr. Stark, there are actually many people like you, you just don't know it."

"Who are you? A superhero fanatic?"

Stark raised an eyebrow, mockingly.

He'd seen plenty of these random guys picking fights, but usually security handled them, and very few managed to break through the defenses to reach him.

As for what this dark figure said about people like him.

Stark thought about that mouse plush that had pinned down his Mark II and his mood soured instantly.

"Was my security lax, or did you use some special method?"

The one-eyed bald man before him wore a black leather suit and exuded an imposing aura, clearly not an ordinary person. Plus, he mentioned superheroes, so maybe he really knew something.

Facing Tony Stark's flippant attitude, Nick Fury couldn't help but twitch his lips. He didn't really want to block Tony Stark at his door like a hater, but there was no choice. S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't breach Tony Stark's home security system.

Although this made their agency's programmers look incompetent, it also strengthened Nick Fury's resolve to recruit Tony Stark into his Avengers initiative.

Stark's home security system wasn't originally this strict. It was only after being infiltrated by Kraft that he had J.A.R.V.I.S. upgrade it several times. Then, after Obadiah Stane nearly killed him by sneaking into his home, he tightened the personnel screening even further. This prevented Nick Fury from infiltrating Stark's home and making a dramatic entrance as planned.

Without the cool, silent appearance in Stark's house, Tony Stark didn't take Nick Fury as seriously as he might have otherwise.

"Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Failing to intimidate Tony Stark as planned, Director Fury decided to get straight to the point and introduced himself.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.? That agent... um..."

"Coulson."

"Right, I was just about to say that."

Stark snapped his fingers, smoothly recovering without any embarrassment. His attitude also became slightly more guarded, as Coulson had been quite helpful during the Obadiah incident.

"Come in and have a seat."

Stark gestured with his head towards Fury and opened the villa door.

"J.A.R.V.I.S."

"Welcome back, sir."

J.A.R.V.I.S. lit up the lights in the hall. Stark casually gestured for Fury to enter.

"Make yourself comfortable. Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, thank you."

Nick Fury shook his head. As a seasoned agent, he rarely consumed anything not under his control, even in Tony Stark's home.

"So, what brings you here?"

Stark poured himself a drink, plopped down in the center of the sofa, and leaned back lazily.

"I want to talk to you about forming the Avengers."

"The Avengers? What's that? A band name? Sounds catchy."

Stark swirled his glass, the ice cubes clinking against the glass with a crisp sound.

"No, it's an organization, or rather, a team, that gathers individuals with special abilities like yours."

Nick Fury ignored Stark's teasing and explained.

"Wow, nice idea," Stark took a sip of his drink, then smirked and asked Nick Fury, "So, how much salary are you planning to pay me?"

This was his way of refusing. Given Tony Stark's net worth, even with all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s funding, they couldn't afford his salary.

Nick Fury understood the subtext. He gave Stark a deep look, then stood up to leave.

"I'll be back to see you."

"Make an appointment next time."

Stark raised his glass in a farewell gesture.

Kraft, who had been spending a lot of time in the lab recently, visited the FEAST homeless shelter built by Martin Lee for the first time in a while.

This was actually related to that Tony Stark guy. Because of his fight with Obadiah, New York City had a lot of new casualties. FEAST, as a charity, not only housed the homeless but also occasionally served as a temporary hospital for the poor who couldn't afford to be hospitalized.

Although Stark Industries had stepped up to cover the damages this time, hospitals in America, especially in New York, weren't just about money; you couldn't just walk in. So, the shelter was still taking in quite a few patients.

Originally, this had little to do with Kraft. But Alice, the soft-hearted robot, couldn't stand seeing others suffer. After learning about it, she often went to help voluntarily. Since the shelter was short-staffed recently, she dragged Kraft, who was tinkering with wrenches in the lab, along with her.

"Brother! Patient in bed five needs a dressing change! Quinn, please throw these things in the trash."

While tending to patients, Alice transformed into someone else, her personality becoming incredibly assertive. Not only Kraft but even Quinn, the dog, was ordered around to help.

"Coming, coming..."

Exchanging a glance with Quinn, who was running towards the trash can with a bag of garbage, Kraft reluctantly picked up bandages and medicine and headed towards bed five.

Is it possible that the personality I adjusted for Alice only manifests at times like this?

Kraft sighed as he expertly changed the dressing for the patient in bed number five. He had been doing this since he was very young. Back when he and Martin first escaped from the Maggia, he and his father were almost always injured.

"Hey! Kraft! Your sister is way cuter than you! You should learn from her!"

Peter Parker popped out from somewhere while Kraft was busy, patting Kraft on the shoulder and teasing him.

Kraft turned his head and glanced at him.

Is this guy asking for a beating?

This was the first time Peter Parker had deliberately come to provoke Kraft, which surprised him a little.

Unfortunately, Peter's bravado didn't last long. After Kraft's glance, he seemed to recall past tragic experiences and immediately chickened out.

"By the way, how did you train Quinn? He's so well-behaved."

Peter, who had wisely retreated, decisively changed the subject.

However, Kraft didn't answer. Instead, he frowned and scrutinized Peter from head to toe.

"W-what's wrong..."

Peter Parker cautiously took half a step back, on guard. Given Kraft's past misdeeds, he couldn't afford to be careless.

Kraft continued to stare silently at Peter Parker, his gaze sweeping across his face, making Peter's skin crawl.

Just as Peter Parker was about to bolt, Kraft finally spoke.

"Where are your glasses?"