Late at night, the streets of Los Angeles were deserted.
Only the occasional passing car broke the silence.
The Rolls-Royce cruised smoothly down the road like a silent beast.
Streetlights swept through the car, flickering across the two brothers' faces in turn.
Just like outside, the atmosphere inside the car was quiet.
But that was precisely what made it abnormal.
It was nothing like their usual noisy way of getting along.
Luca rested his head on one hand, his gaze fixed calmly on the road.
There was no music playing in the car, and he made no attempt to speak, focusing solely on driving.
Tony was quiet too, silently watching the nighttime scenery rush past, a complicated look in his eyes.
But judging by his deeply furrowed brow, he was clearly struggling with something.
After quite a while.
Luca glanced in the rearview mirror and broke the silence.
"When are we going?"
Tony visibly froze at the question.
He looked at Luca in confusion and asked in return.
"Where?"
They reached a traffic light, and Luca hit the brakes.
The car came to a smooth stop at the intersection.
Then he smiled at Tony and asked him a question in return.
"Where do you think? Where else could we go?"
Tony's expression turned serious at once.
Of course he knew what Luca meant, and he knew what they most needed to do now.
Tony didn't answer immediately.
He lowered his head and glanced at his watch. It read 5:59 a.m.
Then Tony fell into a long silence.
He looked out the window again, as though weighing his options, or perhaps bracing himself.
Seeing his hesitation, Luca had no intention of rushing him.
He had long since made up his own mind.
For Luca, the rules of survival in this world were simple: nothing could hold him back.
If someone wanted his life, that person would never see another sunrise.
Even if that person was a veteran of Stark Industries, even if that person was an uncle who had always treated them fairly well.
Every man for himself, or heaven and earth would destroy him.
If a person didn't even care about his own life, he was a complete fool.
He admitted that he was a scumbag, a playboy.
But he was certainly no idiot who would let his feelings blind him.
Still, he understood why Tony was hesitating.
Tony had spent far more time with Obadiah than Luca had, and the bond between them was deeper.
More importantly, Luca and Tony had grown up in completely different environments.
Tony had been lonely since childhood.
Their father, Howard Stark, was a workaholic who spent all day researching inventions that would change the world or keeping busy with various secret projects away from home.
Of course, that was how things looked to him, at least.
As for what their father had actually been doing...
To be honest, Luca had never known.
Their parents had rarely had time for Tony, leaving him starved of affection from an early age.
So Tony actually placed great value on his relationships, cherishing the few people close to him.
Obadiah had often played the role of Tony's father.
And Luca himself?
From the moment he was born, he had been the darling of the entire Stark Family.
His older brother Tony complained about him, but cared for him deeply.
His mother Maria doted on him, and even his stern father Howard favored him.
As for his uncle Obadiah, he brought Luca all sorts of gifts every time they met.
Luca had grown up adored by everyone around him; there was hardly anyone who didn't like him.
So Luca admitted that it was hard for him to fully understand the heartbreaking pain and struggle Tony felt at being betrayed.
Precisely because he understood that, Luca didn't rush Tony into making a choice.
He was willing to give his brother some time.
Time passed, second by second.
In truth, Tony understood this principle just as well.
When he saw the terrorists carrying weapons made by Stark Industries, he had already prepared himself mentally.
But when things actually came to this, he still felt terrible.
Tony looked at Luca, whose expression had remained calm.
Looking at his younger brother's youthful face, he suddenly understood.
He couldn't hesitate any longer.
Obadiah wanted to kill not only him, but Luca as well.
That was a line Tony absolutely could not allow him to cross.
His gaze instantly became resolute, all his hesitation and weakness swept away.
He glanced at his watch again.
Six o'clock in the morning.
Dawn was near.
"We're going now!"
Hearing that answer, Luca broke into a brilliant smile.
"Good. I knew you'd make the right choice."
Then the light turned green.
Luca hit the gas without hesitation.
"Vroom!!!"
The V8 engine let out a deafening roar, and the tires kicked up a cloud of white smoke.
The car shot forward, executing a drifting U-turn on the deserted street.
It sped straight toward Beverly Hills.
Meanwhile.
In another place far from Los Angeles, Washington, D.C.
This was the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters.
Although it was already early morning, Director Nick Fury's office was still brightly lit.
Holding a freshly printed report, Coulson briefed Nick Fury, who was sitting in his chair, on the night's events.
"Sir, our field agents in Los Angeles have just sent back confirmed information."
"Tonight, three genetically modified superpowered assassins infiltrated the hotel where the Stark brothers were staying."
"There was a violent explosion in the hallway, but we don't know how it happened."
Nick's one eye narrowed slightly. With his hands folded on the desk, he asked in a low voice.
"You're certain a missile was used? And after the assassination attempt, the Stark brothers not only survived, but also let the lead assassin go of their own accord. Is that right?"
"Yes, sir. Completely confirmed." Coulson nodded, opened the report in his hands, and continued reading.
"According to the examination of the scene, the explosion in the hallway was caused by a miniature tactical missile manufactured by Stark Industries. Two of the assassins died in the hotel."
"One was shot full of holes, and the other appears to have been blown to pieces by the missile. As for John, the one who was let go, he's an elite Hydra assassin."
Coulson paused, his tone growing more emphatic.
"Furthermore, according to reports from our agents monitoring the perimeter, John was seriously injured. Both his legs were pierced through, and his face suffered severe blunt-force trauma. You could say he's half crippled."
"Our guess is that the Stark brothers clearly interrogated him before letting him go."
After listening to Coulson's report, Nick Fury fell into thought.
A few seconds later, Nick unexpectedly laughed, something he had never done before.
"Interesting. This is really interesting."
"Three well-trained assassins with superpowers went to kill two playboys believed to be utterly defenseless."
"And the result? Not only did they fail, but two of them were killed instead, and the last one was thrown out like garbage."
Fury leaned back in his chair and asked pointedly.
"Coulson, you tell me: what kind of monster has Luca Stark become?"
Coulson frowned and thought for a moment.
"Sir, no matter what kind of monster he has become or how powerful his superpowers are, uncontrollable mutations have both advantages and disadvantages for S.H.I.E.L.D., or for the security situation of the entire world."
"The advantage is that if he's willing to stand on our side, he'll be an extremely powerful asset."
"But the disadvantage is that they explicitly refused the offer to join S.H.I.E.L.D."