"How long are you all going to chat? Do you need me to prepare afternoon tea for you?" Whiplash sneered, watching the three of them flirt while he was left out.
"Really? That sounds great, I'll take mine with extra sugar," Deadpool replied, never one to miss a beat, looking expectantly at Whiplash.
"Your tech is impressive, but the cycle per second is a bit low." Tony's smile faded as he put his hands in his pockets and slowly approached Whiplash.
He then launched into a technical analysis, voicing his doubts. "You seem to know some underworld friends. Why not find a way to sell this technology? You'd make a fortune."
"Your family! They're all thieves... and butchers." Whiplash glared at Tony, gritting his teeth.
Meanwhile, Deadpool, who had been standing next to Luo Mang, turned to face the corner, feeling a bit left out. He traced circles on the ground with his finger, muttering, "Why don't they listen to me? Am I that invisible? But I can't even understand what they're saying..."
Luo Mang, on the other hand, watched Tony and Whiplash's conversation intently. Two arch-enemies, speaking softly despite the unfriendly words.
"Pfft—" Luo Mang suddenly laughed, drawing Tony and Whiplash's attention.
"Nothing, nothing, just thought of something funny," Luo Mang said as they both turned to face him.
"Think about it. Tony, after being seriously injured, made a reactor out of scrap metal in a cave that outputs 3 billion joules per second. But you? You made yours from blueprints and only managed 1.8 billion joules. Isn't that hilarious?"
As his words hung in the air, Luo Mang discreetly observed Whiplash's reaction. Just as he expected, Whiplash was grinding his teeth, looking like he wanted to kill Luo Mang with his eyes.
"Alright, stay put in your cell, I'll send you some soap," Tony said, standing up after Luo Mang's interruption, glancing at Whiplash before turning to leave.
"Five minutes, I need to talk to him," Luo Mang's voice came from behind. Tony turned back, meeting Luo Mang's eyes. For some reason, Tony always felt a sense of familiarity when he looked at Luo Mang.
"Fine, you two can share the soap I send," Tony replied instinctively, then quickly added his usual banter.
"Oh no, are you leaving? Do you need personal protection, sir? Don't go, I can do anything!" Deadpool followed Tony outside, chattering non-stop.
Luo Mang turned back to find Whiplash staring at him, eyes glistening with unknown thoughts.
"Your talent is decent, but compared to Tony, you're still lacking," Luo Mang said, fearlessly walking over to sit beside Whiplash.
"Just a god of defeat with shattered dreams. When he starts bleeding, it's the beginning of his end," Whiplash's voice was grim, like gears grinding in his throat.
"Is that so? But what does defeating Tony prove? Who will remember your father's death?" Luo Mang smiled at Whiplash, as if admiring a delicate piece of art.
Hearing Luo Mang's words, Whiplash looked up at him again. "You don't seem to be here just to mock me."
"Work for me." Whiplash was smart, and Luo Mang didn't hide his intentions, getting straight to the point.
"Can you help me kill Tony Stark?" Whiplash asked, and Luo Mang shook his head.
"That's your own business, something you need to do yourself. But I can help you grow," Luo Mang said, pointing to Whiplash's head.
"Since you have the blueprints, you have a chance. You help me, and I'll help you grow. It's a simple deal."
Seeing Whiplash staring at him in silence, Luo Mang smiled and stood up. "You can think it over. I'm not in a rush, but your time is running out."
Luo Mang left the interrogation room without hesitation, leaving behind Whiplash's flickering gaze.
Outside the interrogation room, Luo Mang found that Tony hadn't left, with Deadpool's chatter still in his ears.
"Want to go together?" Tony nodded at Luo Mang. "I didn't bring my suit."
"Of course," Luo Mang agreed readily.
As the two walked to the car, Deadpool couldn't sit still. "Mr. Stark, you should definitely choose me..."
Before Deadpool could finish, a window rolled down, and a check for ten thousand dollars floated out. Then Happy drove away without looking back, leaving Deadpool kneeling on the ground, carefully cradling the check. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
...
In the car.
"What's up? You're not going to randomly give me half your shares, are you?" Luo Mang asked casually, watching Deadpool's figure fade into the distance.
"Of course, if you want them," Tony replied even more casually, sipping from a bottle of green liquid. "35% of the shares, in exchange for you becoming Stark Industries' exclusive consultant. How about it?"
After the 'Iron Monger incident,' Tony had gained a clearer perspective on many things. Even though Pepper was capable, it was hard to maintain the vast Stark Industries alone. Just like the hearing Tony had recently attended. Without enough strength, nothing could be retained. What a damn world of survival of the fittest~
Sometimes what seems like a step back is actually the best long-term plan.
Seeing Luo Mang remain silent, Tony continued, "You don't need to manage anything, you don't need to worry about anything, leave it all to Pepper. You just need to agree, and wow~~ 35% of the shares, all yours."
Tony made an exaggerated expression, but there was a rare hint of tension in his eyes.
"You don't seem like the kind of fool who makes a losing deal. Let me guess, are you dying? You talk like you're leaving a will," Luo Mang said with a smile, but it made Tony's heart skip a beat, quickly hiding behind his chlorophyll drink.
Happy, sitting in the driver's seat, tightened his grip on the steering wheel instinctively but maintained his professional demeanor, pretending he hadn't heard anything.
"Haha, just kidding, look how scared you are," Luo Mang suddenly changed his tone, laughing heartily as the atmosphere grew tense.
"If you said that while I was in bed with Miss June, I'd really kill you," Tony shot Luo Mang a sideways glance, only to find Luo Mang still looking at him with a smile, as if seeing through everything.
"He really knows!" Tony thought, startled by the sudden realization.