Few people could block S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tracking, but Tony Stark was definitely one of them.
Especially when the plane was stolen.
The two of them sneaked all the way back to Tony's mansion.
Qin Xiao had just tried out the luxurious smart bathtub at Tony's home.
Then Coulson appeared at Tony's front door with his pitiful hairline and honest-looking face.
"Sir, an agent from that intelligence agency with the ridiculously long name is here!"
JARVIS cracked a joke in Tony's manner.
Coulson, however, showed no sign of anger.
He greeted the two with a smile, then opened a video on his phone and placed it in front of them.
It was footage of the two of them showing off their might in the Middle East.
"Anything you'd like to say?"
Coulson looked at them with a serious expression.
"If you want to watch a movie, go to a theater. Look at that bootleg picture quality. It's disgusting. You could try my private screening room. You'll love it there. By the way, what's this movie called?"
Tony's answer was even more deadpan.
Coulson sighed helplessly. "Don't you think the thing on that Iron Man's chest looks a lot like the one on yours?"
"Are you kidding? Mine is an Arc Reactor. That thing on his chest is obviously an LED light!"
Faced with Tony's reaction, Coulson could only turn to Qin Xiao.
He pointed at Qin Xiao in the footage, who was swinging a tank barrel into its hull, and said,
"Qin, what about you? Anything you'd like to say?"
"That guy's really ugly. Is he your friend? He's disgusting. Is that shit on his face?"
The moment Qin Xiao spoke, Coulson nearly reached up and tore his own hair out in anger.
Clearly, Qin Xiao's shamelessness far exceeded anything Coulson had imagined.
Even Tony beside him nearly failed to hold back a laugh.
"Ah!"
Coulson let out another deep sigh.
He finally understood why Nick Fury had even smashed his phone.
He took several deep breaths in succession, calming himself down.
Coulson spoke with a solemn expression.
"This video was sent to Obadiah from the Middle East. We intercepted it. I came here to tell you, Stark, that you have one week to sort out your company's affairs. After that, my people will act."
Seeing Tony finally nod seriously, Coulson stood up, turned, and left.
He feared that if he stayed any longer, every last hair on his head would fall out.
"Oh, right!"
Coulson suddenly came back from the doorway.
"Our local branch lost a Quinjet. Qin, you're one of our agents. Have you heard anything?"
Qin Xiao smiled mysteriously.
"I'm only a trainee agent. But when it comes to finding things, let me show you one of China's greatest mystical arts: fortune-telling. You can think of it as divination!"
Qin Xiao held out his right hand, rapidly tapping his thumb with each of his other four fingers in turn.
He also chanted, "Zi Rat, Chou Ox, Yin Tiger, Mao Rabbit, Chen Dragon! Little Slob, such a little slob! Fahai! You don't understand love! Taishang Laojun, swiftly, in accordance with the decree! Ha!"
A smile appeared on Qin Xiao's face.
Even though Coulson and Tony both knew this guy was spouting complete nonsense,
they were still won over by his mystical performance.
Tony played along particularly well, asking with an expectant expression,
"Well? Did the divination work? Where's the plane?"
"It's not that easy!"
Qin Xiao rolled his eyes.
"There's still one final step!"
"Qian, Kun, Kan, Dui, Li, Zhen, Xun, Gen! Let the eight trigrams spread in all directions, let this worn-out shoe point the way! Off you go!"
Qin Xiao gave an explosive shout, pulled off one of his shoes, and tossed it into the air.
"Done!"
"Send someone in the direction the shoe points. It should be near a beach not far away!"
Coulson pressed a hand to his forehead, looking as though he had lost all will to live.
"Then thank you very much, Agent Qin Xiao. Once we find the plane, I'll report this incident and make sure you get credit!"
"No problem!"
Qin Xiao waved dismissively!
"Just add a little bonus next month. It doesn't have to be much. Five percent of the plane's price will do!"
Coulson gave a muffled cough, feeling blood surge in his chest.
He turned and left without another word.
"Don't go! We can negotiate! Three percent works too! If that's really too much, even one percent is fine. Just a little token! Hey!"
Hearing Qin Xiao's words behind him, Coulson caught his foot and stumbled in the distance, nearly falling flat on the ground.
"What a cheapskate!"
Qin Xiao was still muttering behind him.
Qin Xiao and Tony had reached a certain understanding on the plane.
They would establish an independent organization outside all agencies with official backing.
But this would have to proceed slowly. For one thing, there were only two of them right now, so there was little need.
For another, Tony's biggest concern right now should be the matter of Obadiah.
Early the next morning, Tony made a rare trip straight to the company.
He met with no one, going directly to his office instead, where he poured two glasses of liquor and waited quietly.
He knew that as soon as he came to the company, Obadiah would definitely show up.
Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, Obadiah appeared in the office doorway.
"Oh, look who it is! Our Tony Stark finally remembered he owns a company. What have you been busy with lately, Mr. Chairman?"
Obadiah walked straight over and sat down beside Tony.
He paused briefly at the sight of the two glasses Tony had already poured.
Then he smiled and said, "You always have the good stuff here, don't you?"
Picking up a glass and taking a small sip, Obadiah tapped lightly on the desk and said,
"Tony, people out there see us as a joke now. The biggest weapons company no longer makes weapons. The shareholders are already very unhappy with you. You need to do something to restore their confidence."
"Didn't you say you wanted to work on renewable energy? I'll help you convince the shareholders, but you need to produce something. Like that miniature reactor in your chest!"
Unlike in the movie, Tony's escape this time had been entirely due to Qin Xiao's rescue.
He had not relied on that primitive suit of Mark I armor.
No one had thought along those lines. After all, Tony had never released the specifications of the reactor in his chest.
Even Obadiah had not considered it until he saw the video sent by the Ten Rings yesterday.
Obadiah had summoned the scientists under him overnight.
Building the armor was simple. It was merely a matter of materials and weapons.
The biggest problem was the power source. The Arc Reactor in Tony's chest looked simple.
But dozens of experts under Obadiah had held a meeting all night without even finding a direction for their research.
"I've seen the video they sent you. The one where I was tied to a chair. I think we need to have a proper talk, my dear Uncle Obadiah!"
Tony raised his head and spoke slowly.
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