Hell’s Kitchen, Site Base.
Natasha finished the last slice of pepperoni pizza and wiped her mouth with a complicated expression.
She looked at the miraculous empty box in front of her, resisting the urge to secretly spirit it away to SHIELD for slice-by-slice research.
“Since breakfast is over, I won’t disturb the landlord’s business any longer.” Natasha stood up, her professional smirk returning.
“But as a friend, I should warn you.
You took something of Stark’s, and that playboy isn’t nearly as patient as Director Fury.” “He’s a control freak, and he’s very rich.” “Being rich is indeed a superpower.” Levi nodded slightly.
“But in the face of the Foundation, US dollars are sometimes less useful than a piece of toilet paper.” Natasha arched an eyebrow but said nothing more, turning to leave Room 301.
Levi watched her retreating back, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He knew that SHIELD’s attitude had shifted from a hostile investigation to cautious contact.
This was good news; it meant the Foundation now had the qualifications to sit at the negotiating table.
As for Tony Stark…
*Vroom—!!!* Suddenly, the flamboyant roar of an engine drifted up from below, followed immediately by the sharp screech of brakes.
Levi walked to the window and looked down.
He saw a red-and-gold Audi R8 parked arrogantly and illegally right in front of the apartment building, nearly knocking over a trash can.
The car door opened, and Tony Stark stepped out, wearing an expensive custom suit and sunglasses.
Behind him followed a helpless-looking Happy Hogan, carrying a briefcase.
“Speak of the devil.” …
First-floor lobby.
Ada Wong, who was reading a newspaper at the front desk, didn’t even look up.
She only glanced at the two men entering out of the corner of her eye.
“We don’t accept solicitations or house calls here,” Ada Wong said coldly.
“I’m here to buy the building.” Tony took off his sunglasses and scanned the seemingly dilapidated lobby, his eyes full of disdain.
“Happy, the checkbook.” “Right away, boss.” Happy immediately produced the checkbook and a pen.
“Call your boss out,” Tony said, walking to the front desk and tapping his finger on the counter.
“This building, the land it sits on, and everything you ‘moved’ out of my factory last night.
Name a price.
I’m in a hurry.” “Stark, having money doesn’t mean you can just throw trash wherever you like.” A voice came from the stairs.
Levi walked down slowly, his hands in his pockets.
“You again.” Tony looked at Levi, a flash of annoyance in his eyes.
“Listen, sorcerer.
I don’t care who you are or what you do.
That reactor is my technology.
It’s a hazardous material, not something a private organization like yours should be playing with.” “Fifty million dollars.” Tony named a figure directly.
“Give me back my stuff, and I’ll buy this building too.
You can take the money and retire in Hawaii.
It’s a very fair trade.” “Fifty million?” Levi walked up to Tony and shook his head with a smile.
“Stark, your vision is too small.” “Not enough?
One hundred million.” Tony didn’t even blink.
“Happy, write the check.” “No, I’m not selling.” Levi took the Infinite Pizza Box from Ada Wong and placed it on the counter.
“Stark, do you think everything in this world can be bought with money?” “Of course.” Tony tilted his chin up arrogantly.
“If it can’t, it just means you didn’t offer enough.” “Is that so?” Levi opened the lid of the pizza box; it was empty inside.
“Then let’s make a bet.” “If you can buy whatever I want to eat right now with your money, I’ll return the reactor along with the remains of the Iron Monger to you for free.” “If you can’t…” Levi paused.
“You have to do me a favor.” “Huh?” Tony looked as if he’d just heard a joke.
“Don’t play these boring games with me.
Who knows what you want to eat?
I’m not a mind-reader.” “From your tone, it sounds like you think you can do it?
You can just make whatever I subconsciously want to eat appear instantly?” “Naturally.” Levi shrugged and pushed the pizza box toward Tony.
“Open it.
It will give you the answer, and it will let you know that your money is worthless in the face of certain rules.” Tony looked at the greasy cardboard box printed with a cheap pizza shop logo, finding the situation absurd.
“Are you messing with me?” Despite his words, a strange sense of curiosity drove him to reach out and flip open the lid.
The next second.
A rich aroma of cheap cheese, pickles, and beef patties wafted into his nose.
Tony froze.
Happy couldn’t help but sniff the air.
“Boss…
that smell is…” Inside the box, there wasn’t a pizza.
Instead, it was a cheeseburger shaped like a pizza!
Thick beef patties were spread over the crust, covered in melted American cheese and topped with pickles and diced onions.
This was exactly the first meal Tony had eaten after returning to the States.
It was also the flavor he had fantasized about countless times in that cave—a cheap cheeseburger from a roadside stand.
“This…” Tony took off his sunglasses, his wide eyes full of disbelief.
He had indeed been thinking of that exact flavor just now.
But this box…
how did it do it?
Telepathy?
Or some kind of rapid synthesis technology?
“Try it.” Tony hesitated, picked up a piece, and took a bite.
That familiar texture, that low-quality but comforting cheesy taste, instantly exploded in his mouth.
It was real.
“Jarvis, scan this box,” Tony whispered.
The miniature sensor in his collar immediately went to work.
“Sir, scan results show…
it is a common corrugated cardboard box.
No circuitry, no energy signature, no quantum fluctuations.
Composition: 98% paper pulp, 2% ink.” “Impossible…” Tony looked at the pizza in his hand, his worldview rocked once again.
This was harder for him to accept than seeing the Iron Monger torn to pieces by a Gauss rifle.
The latter was still within the realm of science, but this…
this was pure magic!
Levi looked at the shocked Tony and said flatly, “The Infinite Pizza Box doesn’t follow science.” “Now, do you still think your checks can solve every problem?” Tony fell silent.
He put down the half-eaten pizza, his expression turning solemn.
If things that violated the laws of physics really existed in this world, then the scientific system he believed in—even the armor he was so proud of—might truly be nothing more than…
tin toys in the face of such things.
“You win.” Tony took a deep breath, forced to admit defeat.
“What do you want?
You want me to build weapons for you?” “No, we don’t lack weapons.” Levi shook his head.
“I need materials.” “We need a special alloy that can withstand high temperatures, strong acids, and even block certain types of mental pollution.” “The secondary Adamantium on the market is too expensive and highly regulated, and your gold-titanium alloy, to be honest, is too brittle.” At the words “too brittle,” Tony’s eye twitched.
“That’s aerospace-grade material!” “In front of a Gauss rifle, it’s paper.” Levi added the finishing blow without mercy.
“We need something stronger.
And you are one of the most brilliant materials scientists in the world.” “Help us develop new containment materials.
In exchange…” Levi pointed toward the floor.
“I can let you take a look at our generator.
It might give you some new inspiration regarding clean energy.” “Generator?” Tony sharply caught the keyword.
A generator specifically mentioned by an organization possessing such advanced technology definitely wasn’t some coal-burning unit.
“Deal.” Tony agreed without hesitation.
His curiosity for the unknown always triumphed over everything else.
“But I still need that reactor back.
That’s my bottom line.” “Of course, you can take that old battery.” Levi waved his hand generously.
“We already have a better source of fuel anyway.”