"Are you saying the pilot inside this armor is that playboy from the Stark family?"
Nick Fury sat behind a large black desk, pointing at a tablet.
On the screen, a demonic armor was wreaking havoc in a village in the Middle East, its mechanical tendrils tearing Terrorists apart like living things, dyeing the entire street blood-red.
"Yes, we tracked the residual energy signature of that armor's flight, and the final destination was Tony Stark's Malibu Villa."
Phil Coulson stood in front of the desk, a faint smile on his face.
Fury's finger tapped lightly on the desktop. "How did he build something like this? Also, is he really that violent?"
Coulson shook his head slightly, "To be honest, I'm not sure either."
He paused, "I followed your instructions and tried to contact Tony's secretary, Virginia Pepper Potts, but she was very wary and almost refused to disclose any information about Tony's recent situation."
Fury sneered, "Ms. Potts has always been very good at protecting her boss."
Coulson nodded, "Yes, and she's particularly wary of us. Every time I tried to probe, she skillfully changed the subject."
Fury stood up and walked to the window, overlooking the panoramic view of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. "According to our intelligence, although Tony Stark is a cynical playboy, he wouldn't commit such brutal acts."
He turned around, his single eye sharp as a blade. "Coulson, what do you think this means?"
Coulson pondered for a moment. "Two possibilities—either Tony is hiding something, or… he's being controlled."
Fury's lips curled into a cold smile. "Or both."
He pressed the communicator on the desk: "Natasha, come in."
Seconds later, the office door slid open, and Natasha Romanoff walked in with an elegant stride, her red hair gleaming under the lights.
"Sir," she greeted briefly, her gaze sweeping over Coulson before returning to Fury.
Fury nodded in response to Natasha, then quickly swiped his finger across the tablet. Two photos were magnified onto the holographic projection in the center of the office—on the left was Ethan; on the right, Chen Tian.
"Ethan," Fury's voice was low as he pointed to the photo on the left, "an MIT graduate with a Dr. in medicine, captured by the Ten Rings Gang in Afghanistan, his family destroyed. Clean as a blank slate." His finger moved to the right. "But this person…"
The photo of Chen Tian on the projection was enlarged, details clearly visible—he stood beside Tony Stark, a faint smile on his lips, his handsome face like a young man fresh out of college.
"Chen Tian," Fury emphasized, tapping the photo, "no information whatsoever. No birth records, no entry or exit information, no social traces, as if he popped out of a rock."
Natasha's red lips curved slightly. "So, you want me to 'get acquainted' with this mysterious Mr. Chen?"
"Not just acquainted," Fury's single eye gleamed with a dangerous light. "I want to know who he really is, why he suddenly appeared by Tony Stark's side, and…"
He pulled up a blurry surveillance video—in the footage, Chen Tian stood on the balcony of Tony's Villa, swinging a blade towards the sea, the blade energy flying towards the ocean, stirring up waves several meters high.
"How does he have such powerful strength?"
Coulson's characteristic mild smile suddenly froze on his face, his body unconsciously leaning forward as if to see the projected image more clearly.
"Uh… Sir," he blinked, "are you sure this video hasn't been tampered with special effects? I mean, this looks like a deleted scene from 'Star Wars'."
Natasha elegantly raised one eyebrow, but her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the dagger on her outer thigh—a small habit when she was nervous. "It seems next time on a date," she said unhurriedly, "I'll have to remind myself not to anger this Mr. Chen."
Fury's single eye darted between the two of them. "What? S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best Agents are scared by a surveillance video?"
"Scared?" Coulson gave a dry laugh, pointing at the frozen image of the exploding waves.
"Sir, this isn't some talent show ordinary people put on during a backyard barbecue. This is practically…" He racked his brain for a suitable analogy, "like the product of a cross between a missile and a katana."
Natasha had resumed her characteristic languid posture, but her gaze remained sharp. "At least now we know why Tony's Villa security system never reports anything—who needs an alarm when you have a roommate who can unleash an Impact with his bare hands?"
"That's not the point," Fury tapped the desk, and the screen switched to a scene of Chen Tian calibrating equipment in a laboratory. "This person can not only cleave waves with a single strike, but Stark designing this kind of toy that violates the Geneva Convention…"
He pointed to the earlier image of the demonic armor. "I suspect he's involved in that too."
Coulson suddenly thought of something, and his expression turned strange. "Wait, if Chen Tian is so dangerous, then Ms. Pepper is sharing a room with him every day…"
He made a throat-slitting gesture. "Should we give Ms. Potts the 'Bravest Employee of the Year' award?"
"Or 'Most Unlucky Employee of the Year' award," Natasha added, her red lips curving into a playful arc. "Imagine, you're making coffee in the kitchen, and suddenly you see your new colleague gesturing with a sword at the microwave…"
Fury sighed heavily. "Have you two had enough of your stand-up comedy?"
He pulled up Chen Tian's complete file—or rather, the empty file page. "What I need is an action plan, not a stand-up comedy script."
"Simple," Natasha stood up, adjusting a non-existent wrinkle on her collar.
"Next week, acting CEO Obadiah will host a charity gala. I'll attend and pretend to accidentally spill red wine on his suit."
She winked slyly. "If he reacts normally, we continue to observe; if he tries to give me a new hairstyle with 'blade energy'… then we'll have our answer."
Coulson suddenly raised his hand. "I request remote support."
Seeing Fury's puzzled look, he explained seriously, "After all, my insurance doesn't cover 'injuries from mysterious Eastern blade energy'."
— — — —
Tony Stark was jointly murdered by the explosion outside the window and the blinding Sun.
To be precise, it wasn't murder—it was "attempted murder."
Because Tony now didn't even have the strength to lift a finger, let alone get up to close the curtains or flip the bird at the sky.
"Jarvis…" His voice sounded like it had been sanded, "Has the demonic power in me been removed?"
"According to Ms. Lia's previous exorcism ritual, Sir, the demonic power has been removed from your body."
Jarvis's voice was as elegant as ever. "However, your vital signs indicate that your body is overdrawn from the ritual, which is also why you are currently unable to move."
Tony lay on the bed, unable to move like a salted fish washed ashore.
He tried hard to turn his eyeballs to look out the window—good, Chen Tian was once again giving the Pacific Ocean a "free cosmetic surgery" with his blade energy.
The roar of the exploding waves made his temples throb.
"Jarvis," Tony said weakly, "I feel like I've spent a whole night with twelve cover girls, and then received a full-body massage from Rambo and the Terminator combined."
"Based on your current situation, Sir, your analogy is quite accurate."
Jarvis paused. "Would you like me to play the recording of Ms. Lia's exorcism ritual for you?"
"No!" Tony's voice suddenly went up an octave, then he grimaced as it pulled on his muscles.
"That crazy woman almost pulled my soul out of my nostrils!" He recalled the sharp pain when Lia, with a wicked smile, placed her hand on his head, and cold sweat seeped from his forehead again.
"I'd rather be kidnapped by the Ten Rings Gang again than experience a second 'Demonic Power Exorcism SPA'."
Another loud bang came from outside the window, and Tony felt his bed tremble.
"Jarvis," Tony groaned weakly, "tell me, why is Chen Tian suddenly so irritable? He usually cuts the sea with an elegant 'one-sword style'; why has he switched to 'berserk chaotic slashing mode' today?"
"According to my scan, Sir," Jarvis's voice had a subtle pause, "Mr. Chen showered and changed after waking up this morning, and meditated on the balcony for about ten minutes—then suddenly flew into a rage."
Tony struggled to turn his neck, trying to look out the window. "What did he see when he meditated? Or does he know I sent Happy the video of him reciting 'Marxism' naked?"
"Perhaps Mr. Chen dreamed of something unpleasant, Sir." Jarvis brought up a surveillance footage—on the balcony in the early morning, Chen Tian sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his face serene.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, pupils contracting to pinpricks, and then…
"Boom!"
Chen Tian in the projection cleaved half of the balcony railing.
Tony: "…..Was he meditating or struck by lightning?"
"Based on Mr. Chen's self-talk analysis," Jarvis continued, "he seems to have sensed some kind of 'energy fluctuation' during meditation, which made him very…"
"—Angry?" Tony interjected.
"Mr. Chen's Dragon script translates to: 'Damn it! Why is it empty again!'" Jarvis paused. "By the way, Sir, your yacht, the 'Stark Waves' docked at the pier…"
Tony suddenly had an ominous feeling. "What about my yacht?"
The surveillance footage switched—a deviated blade energy diagonally cut across the sea, precisely splitting the 80 million dollar luxury yacht in half.
Tony: "..."
Jarvis: "...The insurance company might not cover it."
Tony closed his eyes, took three deep breaths, and then—
"Jarvis! Connect me to Chen Tian immediately!"
Three seconds later, Chen Tian's panting voice came from the speaker: "Yo, our Sleeping Beauty is awake."
Tony was speechless for a moment, then gritted his teeth: "Do you know you just turned my yacht into a 'two-bedroom, one-living-room sea-view apartment'?!"
Silence on the other end for two seconds.
"Uh… I didn't do it on purpose, that boat just moved in front of my blade energy."
Tony: "….."
"Hehe… the insurance should cover it, right?" Chen Tian's voice sounded a bit guilty.
Tony's roar echoed in the room: "Insurance won't cover this kind of loss, 'split in half by mysterious Eastern blade energy'!"
On the other end of the communicator, Chen Tian awkwardly chuckled a few times: "Um… how about I help you put it back together? My sword skills are very precise…"
"Put it back together?!" Tony's voice grew louder and angrier. "Do you think this is a LEGO toy?!"
A moment of silence. Chen Tian's guilty cough came from his end.
Tony took a deep breath, feeling his temples throb. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then finally sighed. "Forget it… anyway, that boat's design was due for an upgrade…"
"Ha, I knew the great Tony Stark wouldn't care about this." Chen Tian's voice immediately brightened. "By the way, how do you feel? The Diablo exorcism ritual…"
"Don't mention that damned demon!" Tony immediately interrupted him. "My whole body feels like I've been roughed up by a dozen big men all night." He struggled to move his body. "Jarvis, get me a cup of coffee, double sugar."
"Sir, given your current physical condition, I do not recommend…"
"Now! Immediately! Right now!"
Chen Tian's voice came from the communicator: "How about… I make you a cup of tea? Dragon Country's calming tea…"
Tony narrowed his eyes: "You're not thinking of brewing tea for me with your 'blade energy,' are you?"
"How could I!" Chen Tian said aggrievedly, "I promise I won't use any abilities this time…"
Before he finished speaking, a loud 'boom' suddenly came from downstairs, and the entire Villa shook.
Tony and Jarvis fell silent simultaneously for two seconds.
"Chen Tian…" Tony said through gritted teeth, "Did you just do something to my kitchen again?"
"Uh… that microwave… it… it moved first!" Chen Tian stammered, "I swear I just wanted to heat a bun…"
Tony closed his eyes and counted to ten in his head. "Jarvis, prepare a wheelchair for me. I want to see what my kitchen has become with my own eyes."
"Sir, considering your current physical condition…"
"Wheelchair! Now!"
When Tony was pushed to the kitchen doorway by Jarvis's intelligent wheelchair, the sight before him plunged him into silence once more.
The microwave door was gone, its inner wall neatly sliced in half, and Chen Tian was squatting on the floor, trying to tape the pieces back together.
"Look!" Chen Tian looked up, revealing a bright smile. "My sword skills are precise, aren't they? I only cut the microwave, didn't even touch the coffee machine next to it!"
Tony stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed. "You know what? I suddenly feel like I should go on Chef Gordon's show, 'Hell's Kitchen,' and have you demonstrate your knife skills there."
"Really?" Chen Tian's eyes lit up.
"Yes," Tony nodded. "You can perform 'blade energy steak slicing' live. I guarantee it will be unforgettable for all the viewers."
Chen Tian scratched his head. "Are you praising me?"
Tony didn't answer, just turned to Jarvis and said, "Make a note: the first thing I do when I can move is to find Captain America's shield, then melt his shield and replace all kitchen appliances with the shield's Vibranium material."
"Sir, Vibranium's thermal conductivity…"
"I don't care!" Tony said huffily. "At least that way, my coffee machine will still have a full corpse next time he goes berserk!"
Chen Tian mumbled softly to the side: "Actually, I can use blade energy to grind your coffee beans…"
"Chen Tian!"
"I'll shut up!"
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