"Sit down. It'll make things easier to talk about—and I can finish this burger more comfortably."
Watching the television, seeing Tony's casual, almost flippant posture, along with Obadiah Stane sitting awkwardly beside him on the floor, Zhou Yi revealed a playful, watching-a-show kind of smile.
"Boss, it looks like you already know what Tony Stark is going to say at this press conference?"
Seeing Zhou Yi's expression, Ada—who had come to understand his personality quite well—asked this question. She was certain he knew something; she simply wanted to see whether he was willing to tell her.
"You'll know soon enough. See that bald guy? In a moment, he'll lose his temper and drag Tony off the stage."
Zhou Yi lifted his cup and pointed toward Obadiah Stane, signaling Ada to pay close attention to him.
"Mr. Stane?"
Having already taken over much of Zhou Yi's work, Ada was naturally familiar with the second most powerful figure in Stark Industries. She couldn't believe such a steady and composed man would behave like that in front of the media.
"Just keep watching," Zhou Yi said with a smile, offering no further explanation.
Ada fell silent and focused on the developments of the press conference.
"You know, at a time like this, I find myself thinking about my father. I didn't say goodbye to him. Yes—when he passed away, I didn't say goodbye."
"I really have a question I want to ask him now. Did he ever hesitate? Did he ever waver? Did he ever regret founding this company and selling weapons capable of taking lives all over the world?"
"I really want to ask him—what does it feel like to be a merchant of death?"
Sitting on the floor, Tony Stark spoke these words in front of countless media outlets.
As soon as he finished, the entire room fell silent—then erupted into a storm of noise.
Almost every reporter surged forward, trying desperately to push their microphones closer to him. Their keen professional instincts told them that a major headline was unfolding.
Not just them—even Obadiah Stane felt something was terribly off.
He quickly grabbed Tony, trying to ask what he was about to say and why he hadn't discussed it beforehand.
But it was already too late.
Tony had already dropped the bombshell.
"I have decided to shut down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries. This decision takes effect immediately."
The moment those words were spoken, it wasn't just the media—almost everyone watching the broadcast felt as if a tidal wave had crashed over them.
Anyone holding Stark stock now had only one thought: sell immediately.
Everyone knew a massive financial upheaval was coming.
The one most frightened and anxious about this storm was none other than Obadiah Stane.
As one of the founders of Stark Industries, he valued the company more than his own child. How could he possibly allow Tony to casually cut off one of its most vital pillars?
He immediately grabbed Tony, stopping him from continuing, and seized the microphone on the stage.
"This press conference is mainly to announce Tony's safe return. Everything else is just Tony joking with everyone!"
Even as he said this, very few believed him.
After all, the company was named Stark—not Stane.
Everyone knew that Tony Stark held the ultimate authority, not Obadiah Stane.
Tony was forcibly escorted off the stage.
Zhou Yi knew very well that a complicated exchange would follow between the two.
But for now, he had no place interfering.
As the chairman of Radiant Group, he no longer had the right to participate in Stark's board decisions. Although he still held shares, at most he could place someone inside as an observer.
Unless he completely took control of Stark Industries, he had no real say.
This was the result of mutual compromise among major corporations. None of them would allow a rival to sit in on meetings and dictate their company's direction.
Because of this unspoken rule, Zhou Yi could no longer intervene in Stark's decisions.
Naturally, Tony and Obadiah's issues had nothing to do with him anymore.
With no one inviting him into the matter, Zhou Yi happily returned to a relaxed and comfortable life.
That lasted—until the next uninvited guest arrived.
And judging from his current situation, that guest wouldn't take long to appear.
Reality proved him right.
In less than a week, someone came looking for him.
But unlike what he expected, it wasn't Coulson—the usual trouble representative.
This time, the visitor herself was trouble.
"Agent Hill—I really didn't expect it would be you."
Looking at Maria Hill, who had been brought before him by Ada, Zhou Yi spoke in surprise. He had assumed S.H.I.E.L.D. would send Coulson again.
As if reading his thoughts, Commander Hill frowned slightly and said,
"Coulson is currently handling matters related to your good friend Tony Stark. That's why I've been assigned to talk to you."
"Tony? What happened to Tony? Don't tell me stock market fluctuations affect S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operations too?"
Zhou Yi began playing dumb.
"Zhou Yi, don't think pretending ignorance will get you through this. You know exactly what Stark's Iron Suit is capable of."
Hill showed him no courtesy—as always.
And Zhou Yi wasn't inclined to show her any either.
"How would I know what Tony is doing? Just because he bought some nanometal from me, does he need to report how he's going to use it?"
"Besides, I've been here the whole time. I don't know anything about this 'Iron Suit' you're talking about."
Of course, Zhou Yi knew perfectly well.
Not long ago, Tony had even video-called him, asking about differences between various nanometals—and even showed off his newly completed suit.
But there was no way Zhou Yi would admit that to S.H.I.E.L.D.
They weren't close enough for him to betray a friend.
"You're lying. We know that."
"But you can't do anything about it."
The two quickly fell into a stalemate.
Serana and Ada silently chose to observe.
They both knew this wouldn't end in a breakdown—someone would eventually give in.
Hill's chest rose and fell sharply.
After a moment, she pulled out a document and placed it in front of Zhou Yi.
"I don't have time to argue. This is why I came. Read it—then we'll talk."
"How interesting. Some people don't even say 'please' when asking for help?"
Zhou Yi leaned back, crossing his legs as he took the file.
One glance at Hill's expression told him it was already cold enough to freeze someone solid.
Knowing when to stop, he didn't push further.
"Alright, alright. Let's take a look first."
He began reading.
At the start of the file was a profile.
Robert Bruce Banner—lead researcher on a classified military project.
The project itself was marked confidential by S.H.I.E.L.D., but the next page revealed more.
A subproject under the Super Soldier Program—focused on radiation-induced human enhancement.
Zhou Yi couldn't help but sigh.
It seemed even "confidential" had different levels depending on who was reading it.
As he continued, he saw something familiar.
During a gamma experiment, Bruce Banner had suffered a catastrophic accident.
Due to his unique physiology, gamma radiation caused a terrifying mutation.
A monstrous being was born from his body.
Zhou Yi found it familiar.
In his memory, people called it the Hulk.
Here, they called it the Green Giant.
Memories of his previous life were scarce, and few things were worth remembering.
But the Avengers were an exception.
He couldn't recall every member, but a few stood out clearly.
Tony Stark.
Captain America.
And the last one—Hulk.
A being of immense power, difficult to control, growing stronger with anger.
Such a figure was unforgettable.
Comparing the file with his memory, Zhou Yi concluded that Bruce Banner was indeed the Hulk he remembered.
And clearly, Hulk had now become a target in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eyes.
The rest of the file—dozens of pages—contained analysis and records of destruction caused by him.
After skimming through, Zhou Yi tossed the file aside.
"Alright, I've read enough. Now tell me—what exactly do you want from me?"
Hill retrieved the file and looked at him.
"You've seen Banner's situation. It's simple. I want you to help us capture him."
"Why?"
Zhou Yi countered immediately.
"Has Dr. Banner threatened you? Or anyone else?"
"From what I've seen, every incident so far was caused by the military trying to capture the giant he turns into."
"From my perspective, Dr. Banner is the victim."
"So why should I help you harm a victim?"
"Because he himself is a massive threat!"
Realizing Zhou Yi's resistance, Hill raised her voice.
"Banner can transform into that uncontrollable monster under various stimuli. We cannot allow such a creature to appear in a city—do you understand?"
"Where was he last time? Brazil?"
"He had already chosen to live in isolation. So why did he suddenly appear in a city again?"
"And not just appear—but cause chaos at a university and destroy an armored unit."
"I think… you're hiding something from me."
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
New Addition
" Marvel: Plundering Multiverse Technology Starting (18+) "
" Superman in the Marvel Hero "
" Sentry of American Comics World "
" Marvel: My Wife Is Hela "
" Marvel: Married Black Widow at the Start "
" DC Universe: The Days of Being a Mage God "
" Marvel Universe: I Pick Up Attributes "
" Marvel: The Black Hand Covers the Sky "
" A Certain Marvel Legend's Life "
" Marvel: FBI Bureau First Mission Persuading Harley Quinn "
" Marvel: Godhood Cultivation System "
" Marvel: Sign In at the Start to Obtain Megatron "
" Marvel: Starting as the Prince of Asgard "
" Marvel: Omniscient and Omnipotent — Growing Stronger by Watching Battles "
" Marvel: Cultivating Swallowed Star Techniques, Shocking the Avengers "
" Master of Souls in the Marvel Universe "
" Marvel: The Supernova "
many more are available 120+
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)