The system prompted that the mission was completed, and ten thousand U.S. dollars were directly deducted from the account.
Soul energy and destiny energy once again floated from Stark's body.
Mike's smile widened; Stark was a good comrade.
Hawkeye didn't stay to wait for Mike, and Mike hadn't asked him to wait anyway. So when Mike emerged from the valley, he didn't see Clint.
They found a sheltered spot to rest. After all, the heat, smell, and dust from the explosion were truly unbearable.
Stark sighed, "At a time like this, if I had a can of ice-cold beer, I'd probably have no regrets in life."
"Is that so? I thought you'd say red wine or champagne," Mike exhaled a murky breath and retrieved canned beer from his system space.
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
After chugging half a can, Mike felt like he was about to ascend to heaven, "You're right, this is amazing."
Stark touched the can, "It's actually cold!"
Ethan grumbled, "Although cold is strange, shouldn't we be more concerned about where he got the beer from? He clearly doesn't have a bag..."
"It seems so." Stark stared intently at the cold beer in Mike's hand, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
"Want a drink?"
"Yes."
"If I said a million U.S. dollars a can, I suppose you wouldn't haggle, would you?"
"No."
"Heh~"
Mike flipped his wrist and tossed out two cans of cold beer, one to Stark and one to Ethan.
Mike: "Just kidding, I'm not that tasteless."
Catching the cold beer, the icy sensation spread through his hand. Stark eagerly opened it and took a big gulp, "Whew~ At a time like this, beer really hits the spot."
He looked at the bottle, "What brand? First time I've seen it."
"From China. I run a small supermarket specializing in Chinese groceries... How does it taste?"
"It's alright."
A few minutes passed.
Mike thought, "Hawkeye wouldn't have run in there himself and gotten blown up, would he?"
A figure ran out of the smoke.
Hawkeye!
His face was covered in soot, and his hair was full of grass clippings.
Clint glanced at the three people comfortably drinking cold beer: "..."
Mike said, "Why did you run in there?"
Clint was exasperated, "Who knew you'd blow up the entire valley?!"
Mike pointed at Stark.
Clint: "He blew it up?"
"No," Mike shook his head, "He hired me to blow it up. If you want trouble, go find him."
Stark squinted at Clint, "Without a lawyer present, I won't admit to any accusations against me."
Mike interjected, "Which law firm is your family's lawyer from?"
Stark smiled proudly, "Heh, Stark Industries has its own legal department."
"Awesome!"
Mike said, "Actually, don't let my appearance fool you. I'm an excellent graduate of Princeton University's law school and interned at Wei Kai Law Firm. I can introduce you to my private lawyer; he's incredibly shameless and can find loopholes in any case."
In the U.S., shameless is the highest compliment for a lawyer.
Stark himself was a busybody, a pain in the neck, and the spokesperson for nitpickers. Suing or being sued was as common as eating and drinking for him, so his demand for lawyers was quite high.
"Alright, have him contact the group's legal department when he's free."
At this moment, Clint was internally collapsing.
After Mike disappeared, Clint immediately pulled out his satellite phone and contacted Coulson.
Clint told him that the fog was real, felt moist to the touch, and was not a guessed optical effect.
Coulson asked Clint to collect samples.
After doing all this, Clint couldn't suppress his curiosity and followed them into the valley.
During the explosion, Clint frantically ran out. Fortunately, the explosion was a chain reaction caused by detonating talismans; if all the ammunition had detonated instantly, Clint would have been scattered in pieces, medium to well-done.
A thousand words condensed into one sentence: "Is there any more beer?"
"Yes."
Mike tossed a can to Clint and took out some biscuits for Stark and Ethan.
Clint scrutinized Mike from head to toe and asked, "Where do you hide things?"
Stark: "That's what I want to ask too."
Mike whispered, "To be honest, my refrigerator is connected to an alternate dimension, and I can retrieve things from it at any time."
Clint: "Tsk~", while Stark stroked his chin thoughtfully—this was the difference between a bad student and a top student.
Of course, facts sometimes prove that top students just think too much.
Clint looked at Ethan: "Who is this?"
Ethan was wearing a full suit, a bit worn but very neat, with a tie, and a pocket square even peeking out from his chest pocket. His demeanor was calm and refined; he didn't look like a prisoner who had been held for a long time.
"Ethan," Ethan introduced himself.
"He's my lifesaver." Stark lifted his shirt, revealing the Arc Reactor on his chest. "A genuine 'heartbreak,' and the weapon was even produced by Stark Industries; how incredibly ironic. So not only am I going to blow up those Terrorists' weapons, but I'm also going to shut down Stark Industries' weapons division as soon as I get back to the U.S."
"Heh~"
Clint thought Stark was joking. After all, Stark Industries' main business was weapons trade.
Mike asked, "When?"
Stark: "Huh?"
Mike: "I mean, when will you announce this news?"
Stark: "Immediately hold a press conference after returning to the U.S. Why do you ask?"
Mike said, "When you were kidnapped before, I shorted Stark's stock and made a small profit. This time, announcing the closure of the weapons division, the stock is probably going to crash, and I need to seize the opportunity to make another profit. Sure enough, the most important thing in stock trading is inside information, hiahiahia~~~"
Stark: "..."
I really want to hit him.
Can I beat him?
The four people walked to where the car was hidden.
Mike: "Going back to the Base now is a bit troublesome."
Clint: "Trouble is one thing; it's mainly unsafe. We have a safe house in Parwan Province. We'll board a plane and return to the U.S. as soon as it's daylight."
Stark grasped the key point: "Why would the air Base be unsafe?"
Mike: "Don't you understand yet? It means your kidnapping this time was an inside job; there's a mole."
Stark angrily said, "Who?"
Clint: "Obadiah is a major suspect, and he's already hiding in the shadows. If he knows you've been safely rescued back to the Base, who knows what he'll do."
As long as Stark dies, Obadiah might be able to handle those shareholders and politicians. For the latter two, a dead person is not as important as profit.
As for the truth... the ordinary citizens who constantly clamor for the truth are actually the easiest to fool.
Stark: "Impossible!"
Mike reminded, "Think again?"
Stark remembered Obadiah calling after the Jericho missile demonstration, saying he couldn't sleep because he hadn't secured the order.
At the time, Stark found it a bit strange. How could a "mere" five hundred million U.S. dollar order not be secured with him personally involved?
Moreover, it wasn't the first five hundred million U.S. dollar order, and Obadiah had never lost sleep over them before.
After a moment of silence, Stark asked, "Are you sure?"
Clint said, "Basically confirmed."
Stark asked again, "Why?"
Clint's eyes were innocent, and he thought, "Why are you asking me about your personal issues?"
Mike raised his hand: "I know this one. It's 100% due to your arrogance, your self-centeredness, and your foul mouth."
To Mike's statement, Clint actually couldn't help but want to give a thumbs-up, while secretly glancing at Mike. When it comes to pissing people off, you and Stark are two sides of the same coin.