Pepper never expected Kaitou Kid to suddenly appear before her. His white cloak contrasted sharply with the night, but somehow, it didn't feel out of place. Instead, it exuded an air of quiet elegance.
"Kaitou Kid?" Pepper gasped, her voice involuntarily calling out his name again in surprise.
"Indeed, it is I, madam," Kaitou Kid's voice was soft but clear. "It seems my reputation has spread all the way to New York. It's an honor."
Pepper felt tense. She didn't know whether she should call the police or have security come upstairs.
Kaitou Kid saw through her hesitation. "Don't be afraid. I'm just tired from flying, so I landed to rest. The view of New York from here is magnificent!"
Pepper glanced over at the city below. She had looked at it many times before, yet she never grew tired of it. But chatting with someone standing on the balcony railing felt strange, especially when that someone was a thief. She decided it was time to call security.
But Kaitou Kid wasn't going to let her win. From his pocket, he pulled out an envelope. "Beautiful lady, do you believe in magic?"
Pepper didn't understand what was happening. The envelope, which Kaitou Kid had pulled out, suddenly floated into her open hand.
"Open this envelope after the ceremony begins tomorrow," Kaitou Kid said. "It will tell you a secret about Tony. Remember, it must be opened before the opening ceremony starts, or the magic won't work."
"..." Pepper was left speechless. What was this supposed to mean? But before she could ask, Kaitou Kid spread his arms and jumped into the night sky.
"Ah!" Pepper watched in shock as Kaitou Kid unfolded his gliding wings and soared away, leaving her with a sigh of relief.
Looking at the envelope in her hand, Pepper wanted to open it and see what was inside, but she remembered Kaitou Kid's words. It had to be opened tomorrow evening during the opening ceremony to work.
What should she do? Should she open it or not? It was like Pandora's Magic Box or Urashima Taro's Dragon Palace Box— the more you're told not to open it, the more curious you become. That was exactly how Pepper felt right now. What could be inside that envelope?
She held it up to the light but saw nothing. Pepper felt like she was going crazy. What was Tony hiding from her? If it was something about a woman, then it wasn't a secret at all; Tony was just too charming to women. Was it something about the company? That didn't seem likely either. Pepper handled most of the company's matters, and she didn't believe Tony would lie to her.
What was it???!!!
Her hand shook as she gripped the envelope. She was dying to open it. But Kaitou Kid had specifically said it would only work tomorrow evening. Could it be? Was there really such a thing as magic?
"What am I even thinking?" Pepper suddenly released the envelope and leaned back on the couch. She had made up her mind. She should trust Tony. Even if Tony was hiding something from her, he must have his reasons. That was his secret, and she shouldn't be so nosy. Even in a loving relationship, space should be given to each other. "Knowing when to advance and retreat is the key to getting along."
With that realization, Pepper calmed down. She decided there was no need to rush. Everything could wait until tomorrow.
That night, Tony didn't rest. Instead, he spent the entire night working on the Iron Man suit. To make Iron Man adaptable to various battlefields, different configurations were necessary. He felt the portable Iron Man suit wasn't convenient enough and wanted to develop a remote-sensing suit. That way, the suit would fly to him at his command, which would be far more convenient. On the other hand, due to the poisoning, Tony feared that if he fell asleep, he might never wake up, especially with the crucial opening ceremony the next day. He couldn't afford to miss it.
"Sir, do you need to assemble a new suit?" JARVIS inquired.
"No, wait a bit," Tony replied. He was still struggling to find an alternative to palladium, so assembling a new suit would be pointless. It would only make his poisoning worse.
Pepper had never expected Kaitou Kid to suddenly appear before her. His white cloak contrasted sharply with the night, yet it felt so natural, exuding a quiet elegance.
"Kaitou Kid?" she gasped, involuntarily calling his name out again in surprise.
"Indeed, it is I, madam," Kaitou Kid replied, his voice soft but unmistakably clear. "It seems my reputation has already spread to New York. It's an honor."
Pepper felt a wave of tension. Should she call the police or have security come up?
Kaitou Kid, noticing her anxiety, smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. I'm just tired from flying, so I stopped here to rest. Look at this beautiful view of New York!"
Pepper glanced out. She had seen it countless times, but it never got old. However, standing here chatting with a thief on her balcony felt odd. Maybe she should just call security.
But Kaitou Kid wasn't going to let her win. He pulled an envelope from his pocket. "Beautiful lady, do you believe in magic?"
Before Pepper could fully process what had just happened, the envelope he had pulled out floated directly into her hands.
"Open it after the ceremony begins tomorrow," Kaitou Kid said. "It will reveal a secret about Tony. Remember, it only works if you open it before the opening ceremony, or the magic will be lost."
"..." Pepper was confused. What was going on here? She wanted to ask, but Kaitou Kid had already spread his arms and leapt into the sky.
"Ah!" Pepper watched, eyes wide, as Kaitou Kid deployed his gliding wings and flew off into the night. She let out a sigh of relief.
Now holding the envelope, Pepper felt the urge to open it and see what was inside. But then she remembered Kaitou Kid's instructions: it had to be opened tomorrow night, during the ceremony.
What should she do? Open it, or not? It was like Pandora's box, or Urashima Taro's Dragon Palace box—the more you're told not to open it, the more you want to. Pepper was no different. What could be inside?
She held it up to the light but could see nothing. Her curiosity was driving her crazy. What could Tony possibly be hiding from her? If it was a woman, it wouldn't be a secret; Tony was just too charming. Was it something about the company? That didn't seem likely either. She handled most of the company's business, and she didn't think Tony would lie to her.
What was it???!!!
Her hand trembled as she clutched the envelope. She was dying to open it. But Kaitou Kid had said it would only work tomorrow evening. Could there really be such a thing as magic?
"What am I even thinking?" Pepper finally let go of the envelope and lay back on the couch. She realized something: she should trust Tony. Even if he was hiding something from her, he must have his reasons. That was his secret, and she shouldn't pry. Even in a relationship, space should be given to each other. "Knowing when to advance and retreat is the key to getting along."
With this realization, Pepper calmed down. There was no need to rush; everything could wait until tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Tony didn't rest. He spent the entire night working on the Iron Man suit. To make Iron Man adaptable to various battlefields, he needed different configurations. He thought the portable suit wasn't convenient enough and wanted to develop a remote-sensing suit. That way, the suit would fly to him at his command. It would be much more convenient. On the other hand, the poisoning kept him up. Tony was afraid that if he fell asleep, he might never wake up, especially with the critical opening ceremony the next day. He couldn't afford to miss it.
"Sir, do you need to assemble a new suit?" JARVIS asked.
"No, wait a bit," Tony replied. He was still struggling to find an alternative to palladium. Assembling a new suit would be pointless—it would only worsen his poisoning.
The time had passed, and it was already past midnight. With more than ten hours remaining before the evening began, Tony had another dose of the bitter medicine. He didn't know how much longer this would go on. No matter what food he ate lately, it all tasted the same—he was sick of it. Tony was close to giving up. Sometimes, he even thought it might be easier to just die. He had already made plans—let Pepper take over the company as CEO, and give the suit to his good friend Rhodey.
As time passed, Tony's mood grew increasingly bleak.
Natasha had received the "wait and see" orders and went back to her work. Her role was to be Stark Industries' legal advisor. She handled all of Stark's legal issues. Because of the clandestine actions of Hammer Industries, the court was putting a lot of pressure on Tony to reveal the technology behind the Iron Man suit. The law stated that the weapons Tony created were too advanced and dangerous, and they should be handed over.
But Tony knew the schemes behind Hammer Industries. They were secretly working on their own version of the suit but hadn't had any success, causing their test subjects to die. Furthermore, they conducted their experiments in underdeveloped countries, which Tony found repulsive.
Tony could ignore Hammer Industries, but Natasha couldn't. She had to deal with a mountain of legal paperwork. In addition to the competition's attacks, there were many personal accusations against Tony. Because Tony was Iron Man, his actions often led to casualties, and he was constantly embroiled in lawsuits.
Unlike Superman or Batman, Tony didn't hold back when it came to killing. He didn't even have to lift a finger; with a command to JARVIS, the suit would do the fighting.
By the time Natasha finished, it was already afternoon. The infiltration mission had been exhausting. She was heading downstairs when she saw Hogan arriving to pick up Pepper. Natasha got into the car with them, heading to the Expo Center.
"Miss Romanoff, it's an honor to share the car with you," Hogan, the pudgy man, said with a bit of an ulterior motive. Natasha was a long-lasting Russian beauty, her aging slowed by medication, and she had escaped the fate of Russian women whose beauty fades too soon.
Natasha simply nodded, saying, "What's going on with Pepper?"
Pepper suddenly stopped at the car door. "I forgot something. Wait for me. I'll be back soon." She remembered the envelope Kaitou Kid had given her yesterday. It was almost time for it to take effect, and her curiosity was piqued.
The Expo Center was packed. The newly built Expo Center covered a vast area, with 36 large pavilions and 72 small ones, totaling 108 halls filled with cutting-edge industrial pRhodeyucts from around the world.
The opening ceremony attracted numerous businesses, journalists, and abundant business opportunities. Of course, many Iron Man fans were present too. They came to see Iron Man, eager to witness the perfect combination of technology and power.
"All of them are Tony's fans," Pepper muttered, unsure whether to feel happy or sad seeing so many people.
"They're Iron Man's fans," Natasha corrected. "A playboy hasn't earned this kind of popularity. They are here for Iron Man. They believe Iron Man will protect them and keep them safe from war."
Iron Man fought against warlords, arms dealers, terrorists, and other threats to regional security. The American public believed Iron Man's actions would protect them from these external threats and reduce terrorism. What they didn't realize, though, was that for every superhero, there were bound to be more supervillains. It was an eternal law.