Tony Stark surveyed the street, which looked as if it had been bombed, then glanced at the half-dead Abomination in the crater.
Finally, he turned his gaze to the dust-covered William.
"So, the party's really over? Didn't even leave me a peanut?"
William rolled his eyes.
"If you'd arrived five minutes earlier, you might have caught Mr. Abomination's live demolition tutorial. Guaranteed to teach you, or your money back."
"What a shame. I was hoping to discuss new ideas for urban planning with him."
Tony shrugged, his Iron Man suit emitting a slight metallic friction sound.
"Since business is done, how about a few drinks at your place?"
William was stunned.
"At my place? Mr. Stark, we're currently in the middle of a ruin. How do you plan to get there? You're going to carry me and fly? A 360-degree Thomas flair accelerated version?"
He didn't want to experience a real-life roller coaster, especially after just witnessing a monster brawl.
Tony Stark gave him a look that said, "Do you have a better idea?"
Then his gaze swept over the bus stop nearby, half-flattened by a single punch from Hulk.
The next second, amidst a harsh metallic tearing sound,
A relatively intact bus seat, along with a small section of metal pole, was forcibly ripped from the remains of the bus stop by Tony.
"Here, your special seat."
Tony weighed the seat in his hand, as if it wasn't dozens of pounds of steel, but a light, airy baguette.
William watched this scene wide-eyed, his mouth agape.
He wanted to say something.
Like, "Public property is inviolable," or "Mr. Stark, isn't this destroying an accident scene?" But in the end, he just silently swallowed his saliva.
"No... are we just... flying like this?"
"Otherwise? Call a taxi? Do you think any poor soul would dare to drive over in this road condition?"
Tony plunked the seat onto the ground.
"Come on, Xiao Wei, experience Stark Airlines' VIP service: no seatbelts, pure natural 360-degree panoramic sunroof."
William looked at the shockingly simple "flying device," then at Tony's face, which was practically screaming "Hurry up, don't dally." The little person in his mind was already complaining wildly.
"Tony, I think it's absolutely necessary for me to sell you a 'Stark Industries Test Pilot and Temporary Passenger Accidental Death and Disability Insurance (Luxury Custom Edition),' with the beneficiary listed as... never mind, I haven't decided who can inherit my potential clients."
"So much nonsense."
Before William could say anything else, an irresistible force wrapped around his waist.
The next second, he found himself firmly secured to that bus seat.
And Tony Stark.
Or rather, Iron Man, was holding the metal pole of the seat with one hand, hot flames injection ing from his feet.
"Ah ah ah ah -- My back! Tony! Slower! It's going to break! My last work injury hasn't fully healed yet!"
William's screams echoed through the sky, but unfortunately, the wind was too strong, so probably only he and a few startled pigeons on the roadside heard him.
The high-altitude wind cut across his face like knives.
William clutched the edge of the seat tightly, feeling like a tattered rag hanging on a kite string, liable to be flung off at any moment.
He swore that once they landed, he would add a few more zeros to the coverage of his "Accidental Injury Insurance"!
Tony seemed to completely disregard William's wailing, even making a few small-angle tilts and ascents in the air in good spirits.
"How does it feel? Isn't it much more exciting than flying first class on a commercial airline?"
"Exciting! It's too exciting! I feel like my soul is about to be flung out! Tony, are you sure we're flying in the right direction? Why do I feel like the Empire State Building is getting further and further away from us?"
"Relax, Xiao Wei, I'm testing a new navigation algorithm, and taking you to see different angles of the New York night view at the same time."
William wanted to curse.
See the night view?
He didn't even dare to open his eyes too wide now!
After an unknown amount of time, amidst violent turbulence and William's wails that he felt like he was falling apart, the two finally "landed" on the balcony of William's luxurious apartment.
With a thud, the bus seat was casually tossed into a corner of the balcony.
William scrambled off the seat, his legs weak, his face pale, and began to dry heave while clutching the railing.
"Ugh... I can't... I feel like I've used up my lifetime's quota of flying experiences..."
Tony Stark emerged from his suit, walking into the living room in casual clothes as naturally as if he were returning to his own home.
He looked around, then sniffed.
"Hmm? This place of yours... smells like a woman, Xiao Wei."
William had just caught his breath, and upon hearing this, he almost fainted again.
Smells like a woman?
Jessica Jones's cold face flashed through his mind instantly, along with his own back that was almost ruined.
It's over, it's over, it's over!
How could this guy's nose be as keen as a dog's?
"Ah? Is there? Heh heh, maybe it's... the cleaning lady just came?"
William feigned composure, trying to muddle through.
Fortunately, apart from a faint, almost imperceptible... perfume scent in the air, there wasn't anything particularly special.
That perfume scent... wait, does Jessica wear perfume? Why doesn't he remember?
"Cleaning lady?"
Tony raised an eyebrow, walked to the sofa, and casually picked up a cushion to sniff.
"And it's the 'Midnight Enchantment' series? Good taste, I must say. She should be between 25-28 years old. Are cleaners in Manhattan so fashionable these days?"
William's cold sweat instantly poured down.
How did he know the brand?
Besides, the cleaning lady at his apartment only used lemon-scented disinfectant!
"Uh... maybe it was... a friend who visited before, yes, a friend!"
William's mind raced, trying to find a plausible explanation.
Tony looked at him with interest: "Oh? What kind of friend would use such a distinctive perfume and leave such a clear mark on your sofa?"
He pointed to an almost invisible, extremely slight indentation on the sofa.
William followed his finger, his pupils quaking.
He could even see that? Are you a devil?
"And,"
Tony slowly paced to the bedroom door, speaking in an "I know everything" tone.
"This 'friend' also has quite a bit of strength."
He pointed to a shallow indentation on the bedroom nightstand, made by the one hundred thirteen dollars and twenty-five cents that William had angrily slammed down and then picked up earlier.
William: "..."
He just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, or immediately insure his apartment with "Super Rich Gossip Scene Investigation Accident Insurance."
Tony Stark turned around, a playful smile on his face.
"So, Xiao Wei, aren't you going to introduce her? Which lady could make a stingy person like you willingly... pay a 'service fee'?"
William stammered, feeling his cheeks flush.
This misunderstanding was huge!
"It's not what you think! Tony! That money was... was..."
What was it again? He couldn't possibly say it was a superhero's payment for services, could he!