Rhodey shoveled down several mouthfuls of food to fill his stomach, then swiftly and decisively finished off the remaining divine liquor at the bottom of his glass.
The warm, mellow wine slowly spread throughout my body, instantly relaxing my tense and tired body. I finally recovered from the high-intensity work and felt completely alive again.
He held the empty glass, his fingertips tracing the rim, his face still showing lingering satisfaction. He turned to Tony, asking with a look of curiosity.
"Wow, Tony, when did you secretly start hiding this good wine? It tastes amazing, I've never had such a smooth wine before."
Tony leaned back in his chair, raised an eyebrow, smiled, and waved his hand, directly attributing the credit to Rimuru beside him.
"Don't try to pin this on me. This isn't my personal stash; it's a specialty this little guy brought back from Asgard."
"Gods, the realm of gods?!"
Rhodey's pupils contracted instantly, and he almost choked on the remaining wine he had just swallowed, coughing violently twice.
He stared intently at the empty wine glass in his hand, his eyes filled with disbelief. Then he looked up sharply at Rimuru, who was sitting obediently to the side, his tone becoming cautious.
"No way... this... this is real divine wine?"
Rimuru nodded slightly, his tone indifferent, completely disregarding the precious drink.
"Theoretically, yes."
"It's not as mystical as your human mythology makes it out to be. You can't ascend or gain power. It's just that Asgard's brewing process is special, and the aging time in the jars is long enough, so the taste and spiritual energy are slightly better than Earth's wine."
Hearing this, Rhodey breathed a long sigh of relief, his heart instantly at ease.
He had just felt guilty, thinking that drinking such a legendary and precious brew in one gulp was a complete waste. Now it seems he was overthinking it.
To put it simply, it's a top-quality wine with a very long vintage; it's just that the name sounds intimidating.
After eating and drinking his fill, Rhodey slumped back in his chair, limbs outstretched, looking utterly relaxed and content, enjoying life to the fullest.
After a brief silence, he couldn't help but launch into a rant and complaint, looking at Tony with a face full of grievance.
"Speaking of which, I still have to settle scores with you; you're too ruthless."
"You cut the military's allocation of recovery drugs by more than half. Now, even the rank-and-file soldiers don't have enough emergency drugs. I haven't been able to get any at all. It's too tough."
Tony shrugged helplessly, his face full of self-righteousness, showing no mercy whatsoever.
"How can you blame me? Isn't this all the result of your military's own messing around?"
"If you hadn't created that monster, the Abomination, and caused such destruction and panic in New York City, the higher-ups wouldn't have been so strict about drug rations. The fact that we're still able to keep a portion of the supply for you is already an extraordinary act of mercy."
After saying that, he raised an eyebrow and added a sentence, full of mockery.
"Besides, I secretly sent you several batches of specially supplied medicines, have you forgotten?"
Rhodey choked for a moment, awkwardly touched his nose, and sighed helplessly.
"Don't even mention it. The ones I secretly sent were discovered and confiscated by higher-ups. I was even summoned for a private meeting."
Upon hearing this, Tony couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, openly mocking him without any restraint.
"Hahaha! Well, that's really not my fault! I clearly gave you a chance, it's just that you were useless, Rhodey!"
Rhodey shook his head speechlessly, his eyes filled with a bitter smile of heartache and helplessness.
He spread his hands and sighed deeply.
"There's nothing I can do. A higher-ranking official can have absolute power. What can I do? I can only accept my bad luck."
Pepper, standing to the side, sipped her warm water, quietly enjoying her melon with a smile on her face.
As soon as Rhodey said this, everyone present understood perfectly.
Tony and Rhodey's close friendship was well-known in the industry; they were inseparable since childhood.
It's perfectly reasonable for Tony to secretly give Rhodey special treatment and supplies.
It goes without saying that there are tons of people in the military and S.H.I.E.L.D.. watching Rhodey. His every move is being observed, so it's impossible to hide any benefits.
Rhodey sighed deeply, resigned himself to his fate, and lamented how difficult the life of a wage earner was, pleasing neither side.
After venting about all his troubles, he slowly put away his playful smile and his expression became much more serious.
He turned to look at Rimuru beside him, looking somewhat reserved.
His eyes darted around for a moment, and he didn't know how to bring up the important matter.
Seeing his hesitant and evasive demeanor, Rimuru's little mind raced, and he began to wildly speculate.
Hmm? Does this mean they want something from me?
Could it be that the military is unwilling to accept this and wants me to help adjust the allocation of recovery potions back?
Or are you... eyeing my Transformers army?
After all, in the last Battle of New York, several Transformers appeared out of nowhere, overwhelming the entire battlefield with their firepower and sweeping away the alien Chitauri army with overwhelming force.
That overwhelming combat power is something that all the major powers and official institutions around the world have witnessed; who wouldn't be envious?
There are definitely a lot of people eyeing these super-powerful mechs.
Rimuru had a whole host of guesses in his mind, and quietly waited for Rhodey to continue.
Rhodey first shook his head, then nodded solemnly and told the truth honestly.
"The military did consider trying to restore the drug quota, and they even had designs on your Transformers."
"However, I don't know which higher-ups directly issued an order, but all your applications for supplies and equipment have been immediately halted and invalidated."
"I'm not responsible for drug quotas, and I'm not here to beg for that today."
At this point, Rhodey's eyes lit up, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation and probing.
"I just wanted to ask if you could procure a batch of your robots for our military? The price is negotiable; I'll definitely give you the best deal."
"As you know, after the Battle of New York, the military urgently needs a new batch of equipment for expansion."
Rimuru paused for a moment, then instantly realized what was happening.
Oh, so the robot they were talking about was the Ultimate Nullifier.
He muttered to himself.
Their own Ultimate Nullifier team has never been publicly revealed; strictly speaking, it is one of their hidden trump cards.
The fact that Rhodey and the military were able to find clues shows that S.H.I.E.L.D..'s information channels are truly extensive.
Rimuru tilted his head and asked casually.
Which model do you want?
This question stumped Rhodey.
The military had only seen footage of the robot carrying out a mission once in a secret S.H.I.E.L.D.. report, and had no idea what model or configuration it was.
He could only describe it in general terms.
"It's the one listed in S.H.I.E.L.D..'s records! If there are any other more powerful or better models, we'd like to see them too."
"If these robots are not for sale, that's fine too. You can lease them to our military on a long-term basis! All conditions are negotiable."
After hearing Rhodey's request, Rimuru completely ignored it, looking indifferent.
They were just a few mass-produced Ultimate Nullifier; they were nothing special to him.
He smiled slightly and casually waved his small hand.
With a soft hiss, a pure white portal, shimmering with a gentle glow, slowly unfolded in the center of the empty living room of Stark Villa.
Ripples spread gently in the air, and the steady sound of mechanical friction slowly rose.
Several Ultimate Nullifier T-800, T-850, T-888, T-1000, TX... all jet black, with sleek designs and cold lines...
The metal body has a cold and sophisticated feel, the eyes gleam with a faint blue light, and the upright posture exudes a strong sense of pressure.
The entire process was completely silent, without the slightest unnecessary movement; obedient and composed.
The once lively and bustling dining room instantly became momentarily tense due to the appearance of these mechanical warriors.
Tony sat up straight instantly, looking at the robot in front of him with great interest, for no other reason than the beautiful robot TOK715.
Pepper also raised her eyes slightly, looking curiously at this mysterious mechanical force that had suddenly appeared.
Rhodey himself stared wide-eyed, his pupils dilated slightly, and his face was filled with disbelief.