Soon, the person Happy contacted arrived at the rendezvous point in an armored vehicle, taking Chen Ye and his group to the Afghanistan airport.
At the airport, Yinsen turned and walked in front of Chen Ye and his group, shaking Chen Ye's hands and thanking him, "Thank you for saving me, even though that wasn't your intention."
"Ding"
"Congratulations to the host for successfully adding Yinsen as a friend."
"Obtained attribute: Chemistry lv8."
"Would you like to merge immediately?"
"Merge," Chen Ye replied in his mind.
Chen Ye's mind flooded with chemical knowledge, instantly transforming him into a top-tier chemist.
"Aren't we already friends? Isn't saving a friend the natural thing to do?" Chen Ye said with a smile.
Yinsen laughed as well, understanding dawning in his eyes.
"Dr. Yinsen, are you coming back with us?" Chen Ye asked.
"Yinsen already refused me. He wants to go back to his hometown to see his children," Tony said, cutting in.
Chen Ye remained silent, knowing that Yinsen's family had actually been killed by the militants. He'd only said that before to give Tony Stark hope.
"Tony, actually, I lied to you. My family died a long time ago, at the hands of those militants. I was just deceiving you before. Now, I don't really know where to go," Dr. Yinsen said, his eyes unfocused.
Chen Ye noticed his complexion wasn't good and patted his shoulder, testing the waters. "I'm planning to open a community school in Hell's Kitchen. You could be our science and chemistry teacher. I have an apartment in Hell's Kitchen, with room and board, and full benefits. What do you say?"
"Yinsen, don't listen to him. When we get back, come to my Stark Industries. I'll set up a lab for you in the Stark Tower. You can research whatever you want. Your talent shouldn't be wasted at some community school," Tony Stark interrupted, saying.
"You better take care of yourself first, and look at the little light bulb on your chest. When it goes out one day, I don't need to say what will happen, whether you can even live or not is another question. Alright, let's not talk about it. It's settled for now. If Yinsen isn't comfortable staying with us in Hell's Kitchen one day, I'll send him to your company," Chen Ye decided with a hint of threat.
In the end, Chen Ye's group and Tony Stark boarded Tony's private plane. Waiting to greet Tony Stark was his driver and bodyguard, Happy.
The plane soon took off, heading towards John F. Kennedy Airport.
These Chaotic Guests Were Not Made For Late Night Shows Brainberries Ads by Pubfuture On the plane, Pietro put on his headphones to rest, while Deadpool was eating a feast prepared by the stewardess. Of course, Deadpool couldn't help but flirt with the stewardess while eating. Dr. Yinsen was chatting with Happy.
Chen Ye sat in his seat, shaking his wine glass and looking at Tony Stark across from him. The glass was filled with a Coke from '82.
At this moment, Tony Stark was no longer as disheveled as he was in the cave. He was wearing a suit and eating Western food. His entire demeanor reminded people of his playboy status.
Chen Ye couldn't help but exclaim, "Indeed, clothes make the man."
"Chen, I wonder what your plans are when you get back to New York. Your dog is quite good, though it's a bit ugly, but it seems to understand people. Any interest in having it work at my company? I could do some research on it."
Tony Stark looked at Deadpool's dog with interest.
"Forget about it, they're all my family. Not one will be left behind," Chen Ye said, shaking his head helplessly.
"Family, huh, that's nice. Then I'll pretend I didn't say anything," Tony Stark paused, surprised.
"Don't you have one too, Miss Pepper Potts? Judging by how nervous she is, I don't believe it's just an employee-boss relationship. Come on, pay some attention, you're not young anymore," Chen Ye shrugged.
"You… what are you talking about? We'll talk about this later," Tony Stark didn't expect the man in front of him to say such things. They had only just met, but there was a strange feeling, like they were old friends.
Tony Stark didn't think too deeply about it, maybe it was because Chen Ye had saved him.
"Tony, I hope it's okay for me to call you that. After all, even though you're our employer, we're also friends, aren't we?" Seeing that Tony didn't object, Chen Ye continued.
"I imagine not many people knew about your trip to Afghanistan this time. Have you considered who might want to kill you?"
Tony Stark was a smart man and understood the hidden meaning in Chen Ye's words.
"You mean, there's a mole in my company?" Tony Stark stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"That's your business, of course. I'm just giving you a heads-up. After all, they're clearly trying to kill you. We saved you this time, but I believe they won't give up. Including the people around you, they might try to threaten you through them." Chen Ye kindly reminded him.
Tony Stark's expression darkened, and he looked down at the miniature Arc Reactor on his chest. Although his life might be short, the thought of Pepper Potts being harmed because of him made him immediately say, "I wonder if you guys still take on commissions. The first one is to protect Ms. Pepper Potts from harm until we find out who's behind this. The second commission is to help me find out who's behind it."
"Ten million," Tony Stark held up one finger.
Chen Ye saw this and smiled, shaking his head and sighing, "You two have such a great relationship. Ms. Pepper Potts paid us to save you, and you're paying us to protect her. So, I'm just working for both of you?"
"Twenty million," Tony Stark continued to raise the price, seeing that Chen Ye was refusing.
Chen Ye shook his head. "It's not about the money. Someone will protect you when you get back to America. I don't really want to get involved with them. As for the mastermind, five million, a friendly price."
Chen Ye knew who the mastermind was, so this money was basically free, but he still refused the previous offer.
On the one hand, Tony Stark wouldn't believe him right now, after all, it was his own uncle. It's better to slowly guide Tony Stark to discover it himself.
On the other hand, Chen Ye also wanted to be friends with Tony. He had just earned him a hundred million dollars, and it would be too embarrassing to ask for more.
"As for Ms. Pepper Potts, if she has any problems, she can call us. This is my personal number. As long as we receive the call, we'll be there within five minutes, and the price will be calculated separately." Chen Ye took out a note with his phone number on it.
"If you're not comfortable with that, you can let Ms. Pepper Potts stay in Hell's Kitchen for a while. We will protect her safety," Chen Ye added.
"Hell's Kitchen? Are you kidding?" Tony Stark knew the place, the most chaotic place in all of New York.
"For others, Hell's Kitchen may be dangerous. But for Ms. Pepper Potts, Hell's Kitchen is the safest place. Because we're there, I'm there," Chen Ye said confidently.
"We'll talk about Hell's Kitchen later. I'll leave the matter of the culprit to you. Let me know immediately if you get any leads." Tony Stark put away the note with Chen Ye's phone number and turned to walk towards Happy. He was thinking he should hurry back and perfect the blueprints; he still lacked strength.
Chen Ye saw Tony Stark's cautious attitude towards Hell's Kitchen and shrugged. He didn't mind and closed his eyes to rest.
Several hours passed, and the plane slowly landed at John F. Kennedy Airport.
Parked on the runway were four vehicles: two Rolls-Royces, a military armored vehicle, and a medical ambulance.
Pepper Potts anxiously watched the plane as it approached, accompanied by Colonel Rhodes and a team of soldiers. Medical staff stood by with stretchers, ready to assist.
Everyone was there to welcome Tony Stark home.
The cabin door slowly opened, and Pepper Potts, with red eyes, saw Tony Stark emerge.
Tony Stark was the first to step out of the plane. Seeing the stretcher brought over by the medical staff, he waved his hand and said, "I'm fine. I can still walk and jump. I don't need this. Take it away."
Watching Tony Stark slowly walk towards her, Pepper Potts covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
"You're crying, huh? Were you worried about me? It's okay, I'm back."
Tony Stark stepped forward and embraced Pepper.
Pepper Potts laughed, "These are happy tears. You know, good jobs are hard to find."
Just as Tony Stark and Pepper were embracing, a whistle interrupted their intimate moment.
It was Chen Ye and his group at the cabin door. The one whistling was none other than Deadpool, who was there to eat the melon.
Chen Ye turned around, glaring at Deadpool with a death stare. Chen Ye didn't come out immediately, wanting to give Tony Stark some time, and also to eat some melon himself. Who knew he would be interrupted by Deadpool?
Pepper quickly released Tony Stark from the embrace. She immediately stepped forward and thanked him. "Mr. Chen, thank you for bringing Tony back safely. I'll pay the remaining balance later."
Tony Stark immediately chimed in, "The money goes through the company account, I'll handle the reimbursement."
"Of course, I don't have that kind of money," Pepper Potts said, rolling her eyes.
"No problem. Just don't forget the bet. Come find me in Hell's Kitchen if you need anything next time," Chen Ye said casually.
"It seems you have other things to do, so I won't bother you, Mr. Stark. I'll notify you immediately when I have news about what you asked," Chen Ye said, seeing Colonel Rhodes from the military.
Chen Ye knew that the Iron Man armor would appear in the Marvel Universe next, marking the official start of major Marvel events!
"Oh, and be careful of your new secretary," Chen Ye reminded him before leaving.
Chen Ye believed that Tony Stark was a smart man and would take it to heart.