"What? Stark Industries?"
Michael and the others shouted in unison.
That night in Aetheris still haunted them. Their eldest brother, Iron Tiger, and fifth brother, Black Tiger, had both been killed by that damned Tony Stark. Even Pangolin Tiger Daoge had his leg crippled by him, he still walked with a limp to this day.
Their grudge against Tony Stark was deep and unrelenting.
"Are you serious?" Daoge's eyes glinted with a vicious light.
"I am, Big Brother," Davis stammered, not daring to meet his gaze. These men lived by violence; bloodshed was second nature to them.
"In that case, our brothers in heaven must be guiding us. We're not letting this girl walk out of here alive!"
Daoge turned to the girl trembling in the corner, cowering in fear.
He began walking toward her slowly.
"Let me go! Please, let me go!"
The girl struggled with all her strength, but she was no match for the towering brute before her.
"Hey, Second Brother, this one's got soft skin. Real smooth," Daoge sneered as he reached his hand toward her face.
The girl stared at the approaching hand in horror, her jaw clenched, ready to bite down as hard as she could. If she had to rip that hand off, she would.
"Let her go."
A cold voice cut through the night.
"Who's there?"
"What was that?"
But Daoge's filthy hand didn't stop. It kept moving toward her.
"Ahhh!"
A scream tore through the alley. It felt eerily familiar, like that horrific night all over again.
"Second Brother! Someone's above you!" River Tiger Bernie shouted, spotting a black shadow flash past.
"Who's there?! Who is it?!" Ground Tiger Michael looked around, but saw nothing.
"Behind you!"
Michael turned to follow Bernie's shaking finger.
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
It was him.
The demon himself, Tony Stark.
Daoge, too, stopped his screaming when he saw who it was.
"What's happening?" Davis was confused. These men, just moments ago so confident and aggressive, now looked like balloons that had lost all their air.
"Brothers, he's just a skinny guy and he's alone. What are you all afraid of?"
Smack!
Michael slapped him hard across the face, knocking several teeth out.
"Big Brother, why did you"
Davis clutched his cheek, stunned and hurt.
"Why? I ought to kill you!"
Michael kicked him hard in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground, unconscious.
"Enough with the clown show," Aetheris said, waving dismissively. "Stop pretending."
"Pfft. That punk's always needed a beating. Honestly, I've been sick of him for a while," Michael spat a thick glob of phlegm onto Davis's face, clearly done with him.
"I have to say, the three of you are rotten to the core. And you never learn," Aetheris said, stepping forward.
"It hasn't been that long since last time. Is your leg already healed?"
He stopped beside Daoge and helped the terrified girl off the ground.
"Daoge wasn't wrong—her skin really is soft."
As he helped her up, Aetheris finally got a good look at her face in the dim light.
"Annie?"
He asked cautiously.
"Sir, how do you know my name?" the girl looked up, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Huh? It's you, Mr. Tony Stark!"
She gasped.
He was her father's boss, the one constantly mentioned at home—so much that she was sick of hearing his name.
Ever since arriving in America, she had seen his face everywhere on billboards, in ads, in movies, so she recognized him instantly.
"Haha, yeah, that's me."
Aetheris found her face vaguely familiar but still couldn't quite place her.
"My dad is Ethan"
Seeing his confusion, she quickly added, "He talks about you all the time. But I never got the chance to meet you before."
"You're Ethan's daughter, Annie!"
Now it made sense. No wonder she looked familiar.
Aetheris let out a long sigh of relief.
What a twist of fate. If Pepper hadn't interrupted his earlier "mission to repopulate the human race," he'd still be busy "tilling the land."
And if not for that interruption... Annie's fate tonight could have been tragic.
While the two were catching up, the Brooklyn Three Tigers were slowly inching toward the alley's exit.
Out of the corner of his eye, Aetheris spotted them.
"Did I say you could leave?" he asked coldly.
The three Tigers and the unconscious Davis froze on the spot, slowly turning back around.
Still limping, Daoge fell to his knees with a heavy thud.
"Mr. Stark, I've got an elderly mother at home and a baby who just... just started breastfeeding. My family depends on me. After you crippled my leg last time, I couldn't work. I just started walking again, and now we run into you. I give up just hand me to the cops, please!"
Watching Daoge cry like a child, Michael and Bernie were moved. They dropped to their knees beside him, kowtowing until their foreheads bled.
"Hmph. Maybe you don't deserve to die, but with all the evil you've done, letting you go would only bring more harm to others."
Aetheris pulled out his phone and dialed Nick Fury.
"I've got three armed robbers here. Mind swinging by to deal with them?"
The Three Tigers immediately panicked.
Armed robbers?
Where were the weapons?
All they had were their own 'meat weapons'...
Nick Fury, who had just gotten home from a long day, nearly popped a blood vessel.
Luckily, his dark skin hid the rising flush of frustration.
"You could've just called 911, you know?"
"But the victim's the daughter of my good friend Ethan. If I hadn't shown up, who knows what would've happened? If she'd been hurt... I wouldn't hesitate to tear New York's entire underworld apart."
Aetheris glanced down at Annie clinging to his arm, still trembling. A surge of righteous anger swelled inside him.
Annie, hearing that her idol would overturn the city for her sake, felt warmth flood her chest.
"Fine. I'll send Clint Barton over. He'll handle it thoroughly," Fury said, rubbing his temples as a migraine began to build.
(End of Chapter)
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