Leo drove with Lali to a high-end brokerage firm that specialized in deep-sea recovery.
According to his research, this company had the highest ratings online—professional, efficient, and discreet. Of course, their fees were also sky-high, but Leo wasn't the type to bargain when results mattered.
As they walked in, a young receptionist greeted them with a radiant smile.
"Welcome, sir, ma'am! How can we help you today?"
Leo didn't waste time.
"I need to recover someone from the Arctic Ocean," he said calmly.
The woman blinked. "I—I'm sorry, did you say... a person? From the Arctic Ocean?"
"That's right," Leo said, expression unreadable. "Take me to your boss. You're not qualified to handle this one."
The receptionist hesitated, then quickly composed herself. "Of course, sir. Please, follow me."
The office door opened after two knocks.
"Come in," a deep voice called out.
The receptionist stepped aside. "Boss, these clients have a major deal to discuss with you personally."
She introduced them, served coffee, and quietly left the room.
The man behind the desk stood up, extending his hand.
"How should I address you? I'm Bao An Dylan."
"Leo," he replied.
"Lali," said Android 18, giving a polite nod.
"Mr. Leo, Ms. Lali," Bao An smiled. "I take it you're here about something... unusual?"
Leo leaned back slightly. "You could say that. The job won't be easy, and it won't be quick."
That immediately piqued Bao An's interest. "We enjoy challenges here. Please, go on."
"I need you to find someone frozen in the Arctic ice," Leo said, tone firm. "He should still be alive."
Bao An froze mid-sip. "...Alive?"
Leo nodded. "Yes. Your only mission is to locate him. I'll provide an image once you're close."
He placed his cup down. "The crash site is near an iceberg, but that's all I can tell you."
Bao An frowned. This was madness—an alive man trapped in ice, somewhere in the Arctic? It sounded like a myth.
Still, the man sitting in front of him radiated calm confidence. And rich people don't waste their time on nonsense.
After a long silence, Bao An spoke. "Sir, this task will be... incredibly difficult. It could take months. We'd need hundreds of personnel and specialized equipment. The costs will be high."
"Money isn't a problem," Leo said casually. "Just name your price."
Bao An hesitated. "At least... thirty million U.S. dollars."
He braced himself for rejection. This was 2009—thirty million wasn't pocket change.
But Leo didn't even blink.
"Thirty million it is. But you will find him."
Bao An stared at him in disbelief.
Leo continued, "I'll transfer a ten-million-dollar advance. Once you start scanning the coordinates I send, I'll forward the target's image. Draft the contract."
Bao An quickly stood, bowing slightly. "Mr. Leo, you're the most generous client I've ever met. Please rest assured—if he's out there, we'll find him."
Minutes later, a lawyer arrived with the paperwork. Leo signed without hesitation.
"Pleasure doing business," Leo said, shaking the man's hand.
"Likewise, Mr. Leo," Bao An replied, nearly glowing with excitement.
He wanted to invite Leo and Lali to dinner, but Leo politely declined. He had other plans—namely, taking Wanda and Lali shopping that evening.
After all, a harmonious family deserved a little celebration.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the atmosphere at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters was anything but cheerful.
Inside Director Nick Fury's office, a massive holographic projection replayed the same video over and over—a battle between two massive mechs, tearing through a city like it was made of cardboard.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s satellites had captured every frame. Buildings collapsed under the machines' attacks, and vehicles exploded like toys.
But what truly unsettled everyone in the room wasn't the mechs—it was the man who appeared afterward.
He didn't use weapons. He didn't shout. He simply waved his hand.
And the mech—an armored titan weighing dozens of tons—disintegrated into dust.
The silence in the room was suffocating.
This man—this entity—defied the laws of physics, casually bending nature itself. Even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top scientists couldn't explain it.
Nick Fury's single good eye narrowed. He'd seen powerful individuals before—mutants, gods, aliens—but this one? This one was something else.
"Everyone here saw the footage," Fury finally said, his voice low and dangerous. "Stark Industries already has tech capable of this kind of destruction, and yet our R&D team can't even keep up."
He slammed his palm on the table. "What are you people doing with your funding? Just burning it?"
The scientists exchanged nervous glances. None dared speak.
Fury straightened his coat, gaze sharp as a blade. "I don't care what it takes. Find out who that man is. Track every signal, every anomaly, every rumor that matches his description."
He paused, looking at the frozen image of Leo on the holographic screen—his hand still raised, the mech dissolving into nothing.