“Twenty million?!”
Tony’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He had money, and he wasn’t stingy.
If it was for his life, let alone twenty million—even two hundred million, two billion, or twenty billion—he would be willing to pay.
For this highly conceited genius, he was confident that as long as he remained alive, he could create as many Stark Industries as he wanted.
What was a mere few million or even a few billion dollars to him?
But having money didn’t mean being stupid.
Rich people were willing to spend astronomical amounts on luxury brands, but they wouldn’t willingly pay an exorbitant price for something that wasn’t worth it.
Tony was even more so.
This guy was only introducing him to a doctor.
He wasn’t even responsible for treating him.
Yet he dared to ask for such an outrageous amount.
Did he really think Tony Stark’s money was worthless?
“What’s wrong with twenty million?”
Leon looked at him strangely while leisurely cutting into his steak.
“Do you really think the life of the smartest genius of the twenty-first century, Tony Stark, isn’t worth twenty million?”
“Are you looking down on me?”
Tony snorted disdainfully.
“My value can’t be measured by mere money.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
Leon nodded.
“So I’ve changed my mind.”
“Thirty million.”
“…”
Tony’s mouth fell slightly open.
Did I just shoot myself in the foot?
No.
No, no.
This guy set a trap for me.
Tony came back to his senses and looked annoyed.
“You’re just as irritating as ever!”
“Likewise.”
The two of them hadn’t exactly gotten off to a pleasant start.
At the time, Tony had just returned from the Middle East.
After holding a press conference and announcing that Stark Industries would shut down its weapons division, he had been stopped by Leon on his way back.
Leon had told Tony that the entire incident had been a carefully designed conspiracy targeting him.
Someone within Stark Industries had colluded with terrorists and leaked his travel itinerary.
And Leon knew who that person was.
Tony had already had his suspicions at the time.
So he asked who the culprit was.
Leon immediately quoted ten million dollars.
Tony had been speechless.
A complete stranger had suddenly approached him claiming to know who the mastermind was—and then demanded such an outrageous price.
Anyone would instinctively assume the person was a scammer.
Tony had bargained with him, figuring that even if he got scammed, he could use JARVIS and government channels to recover the money.
Instead, Leon raised the price to thirty million.
Fine.
By then, Tony had already figured out what kind of person Leon was.
He knew that continuing to negotiate was practically impossible.
So he gritted his teeth and agreed to pay thirty million for the information.
And the answer Leon gave him was:
“Obadiah.”
Obadiah was the person Tony trusted most at the time.
Leon, meanwhile, was the person Tony trusted least.
When Leon claimed that Obadiah was the mastermind behind everything, the result was obvious.
Although it was eventually proven that Obadiah really was the culprit, the two of them had nearly come to blows at the time.
Moreover, Tony’s personality had always been extremely arrogant.
Although the Middle East incident and Obadiah’s betrayal had tempered him considerably, much of that arrogance still remained.
It had simply evolved from outright arrogance into a more tsundere-like attitude.
Tony knew that he had misunderstood Leon and felt guilty about it.
But he refused to admit it verbally.
Today, they had happened to run into each other.
Because Tony knew he didn’t have much time left, he had originally planned to apologize and avoid leaving any regrets behind.
But as soon as they started talking, the conversation had gone completely off track.
Tony had already forgotten why he came over in the first place.
He looked at Leon, who was leisurely enjoying his lunch as if he had already seen through him completely.
Tony couldn’t help feeling irritated.
But when he thought about his condition, he finally relented.
“Fine.”
“Thirty million.”
“Give me the doctor’s contact information.”
“She doesn’t use a phone or email.”
“I’ll take you directly to her.”
“Alright!”
The two reached an agreement and prepared to leave.
At that moment, Coulson arrived with seven or eight agents and blocked their path.
Tony looked at Leon.
Leon helplessly shrugged.
Tony turned toward Coulson.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“Sorry to interrupt your meal, Mr.
Stark.”
Coulson first apologized before continuing.
“Your friend, Leon, has been accused of murder.”
“We need to take him back for questioning.”
“Do you have an arrest warrant?”
“This is the authorization.”
Coulson took out a document issued by the police department and handed it to Tony.
He then looked toward Leon.
“Mr.
Leon, we’ve worked together before, so we could say we know each other.”
“I don’t want to use force.”
“I hope you’ll cooperate.”
Leon looked up at him.
Then he glanced at the people standing behind him.
A cold smile appeared on his face.
“What if I don’t cooperate?”
“Then I’m afraid we’ll have no choice.”
Coulson finished speaking and drew his pistol.
The several agents behind him also pulled out their weapons and surrounded Leon.
“Wait!”
Tony shouted.
Coulson looked over in confusion.
“Is there something else, Mr.
Stark?”
“I have a question for him.”
“Give us a moment.”
Without waiting for Coulson’s answer, Tony turned directly toward Leon.
“Did you really kill someone?”
“Self-defense.”
“Okay.”
“I understand.”
Tony nodded.
Then he directly tore the arrest warrant in his hand to pieces.
Coulson was stunned.
He reacted a moment too late before shouting:
“…What are you doing?”
Tony dropped the shredded pieces of paper into his bowl of soup and smiled faintly at Coulson.
“Sorry.”
“If you want to arrest him, go back and issue another arrest warrant.”
“Tony, you’re—”
“Don’t fucking give me any of that.”
“If you want to argue, go argue with my legal team.”
“…”
Coulson fell silent.
Seeing this, Tony smiled and turned toward Leon.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Leon nodded.
He pushed aside the agent blocking his path and prepared to leave with Tony.
Although Leon could handle the situation himself, he hated trouble.
Since Tony was willing to deal with it for him, he was more than happy to sit back and enjoy the convenience.
“Stop!”
Just as they were about to leave the restaurant, Coulson’s shout came from behind them.
Immediately afterward, the sound of guns being cocked rang out.
The two had no choice but to stop.
Tony turned around.
His face had become grim as he stared at Coulson.
“Whatever agency you people are from…
are you trying to hurt me and my friend?”
“We’re simply carrying out our duties, Mr.
Stark.”
“If you believe your rights have been violated, you can have your legal team take us to court.”
Coulson’s expression remained calm, and his tone was firm.
He showed no intention of backing down.
“Besides, we received information that someone appears to be trying to kill Mr.
Leon.”
“We’re also doing this for his own safety.”
Tony turned to look at Leon.
“Let me handle this myself.”
Leon looked at Coulson and slowly walked toward him.
As he walked, he loosened his tie, a faint smile on his face.
“Coulson, I suppose we can barely call each other friends, right?”
“Of course.”
“If Mr.
Leon is willing to be a law-abiding citizen, we can remain friends.”
“No.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Leon stopped eight paces away from Coulson.
He removed his tie and tossed it aside.
“What I mean is…
you should know me at least somewhat by now.”
Coulson was somewhat confused.
He didn’t understand why Leon was asking this.
After a brief moment of thought, he answered honestly.
“…Yes.”
“Then do you think I’m the kind of person who likes to bluff?”
“…No.”
Hearing this, the smile on Leon’s face became even wider.
“Then let me show you why I dared to threaten Fury.”
“And why I dared to threaten S.H.I.E.L.D.”
“Sun Breathing…”
…
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