Afternoon
"Miss, you really shouldn't be here. I could have come alone. This is Hell's Kitchen, not exactly a safe place," a voice called from outside the door.
Chen Ye and Deadpool glanced towards the entrance, where a portly man in a suit was walking in. Behind him were a worried-looking blonde woman and another woman with brown hair dressed in a secretary outfit.
Deadpool quickly approached the trio. Introducing one of the women, he said, "Chen, this is our esteemed benefactor—oops, I mean, our employer, Ms. Pepper Potts."
"This gentleman here is probably not important, just Ms. Potts' tag-along."
"And as for this lovely lady, are you here to see me?" Deadpool ignored the man and turned to offer a rose to the brown-haired woman.
"Just call me Happy. I'm Stark's bodyguard, and I recommended Ms. Potts to find you," the man replied. "And this is Ms. Rashman, Stark's new secretary." The brown-haired woman in the secretary outfit nodded.
Chen Ye quickly stepped forward to shake hands with Ms. Pepper Potts, then gestured for them to sit down. "Please, have a seat, Ms. Potts. Pietro, hurry and pour some tea for our guests."
"Please, enjoy the tea, don't be shy," Pietro said, and as soon as he finished speaking, three cups of tea were already set on the table in front of Happy and the two women.
Happy and Ms. Potts were momentarily stunned. Only the brown-haired woman remained expressionless, as if she had expected this.
Chen Ye gave Pietro a disapproving look. "Please don't mind him; it's just a small ability. If we didn't have some skills, how could we survive in Hell's Kitchen?"
"Back to the point, I'm truly sorry to hear about Stark's disappearance. We'll do everything we can to help you find him. Could you tell us more about the situation?"
Pepper Potts composed herself and began to speak slowly. "A month ago, Tony Stark went to Afghanistan to deliver weapons to the local U.S. military. After the transaction, on his way back to the base, he was attacked by unknown armed forces. There was no sign of Tony's body at the scene, so we suspect he was kidnapped."
"I hope you can help me bring Tony Stark back, even if it's just his body..." At this point, Pepper Potts' eyes reddened, and she struggled to continue.
Happy fumbled around for tissues, but fortunately, the secretary next to him handed a handkerchief to Ms. Potts.
Knowing the storyline, Chen Ye put on a sympathetic expression, though he was secretly delighted. He quickly said, "Ms. Potts, I completely understand how you feel, and I'm very sorry to hear about Stark's situation."
"But I must mention, since Mr. Stark was attacked by unknown armed forces, this rescue mission might involve facing heavily armed groups, which could require our team's combat skills."
Chen Ye paused, looking troubled. "We can't guarantee success. Moreover, if Mr. Stark is still alive, we'll need to safely extract him from the armed forces, which is a significant challenge unless..."
..."
Deadpool, standing behind Chen Ye, made a money-adding gesture with his right hand, fingers pinched together.
Seeing Deadpool's gesture, Pepper Potts understood immediately and said, "Money is not an issue. As long as you can find Tony Stark and bring him back safely, I can add fifty million more! Even if it's just to recover his body, I'm willing to pay five million dollars."
Clearly, Pepper Potts was determined to see Tony, dead or alive.
Chen Ye, who already knew Stark would create an Iron Man suit to escape, responded solemnly, "No problem at all. Our team is elite, and we will complete the mission 100%. If we don't bring Tony Stark back, we won't take a dime."
"We're professionals!" Deadpool quickly nodded in agreement.
"That's right," Pietro added, giving a thumbs-up.
Pepper Potts seemed to be encouraged by the confident statements from Chen Ye and his team, her mood visibly improving.
A cold laugh suddenly interrupted the harmonious atmosphere. Everyone turned to see the secretary smirking.
"Even the American police and the world's most elite FBI couldn't find him. Where does your confidence come from?" the secretary said disdainfully.
Only then did Chen Ye take a good look at the familiar secretary in front of him.
"System, get to work. Scan this person."
"Ding"
[Name: Natasha Rushman (Natasha Romanoff)]
[Title: Black Widow]
[Race: Human]
[Affection Level: None]
[Skills: Unable to read as the person is not your friend yet.]
The famous Black Widow from Marvel, Chen Ye mused.
Knowing the person before him was Black Widow, who indeed lived up to her reputation as an "old woman," born in 1928 in Stalingrad, former Soviet Union.
She was trained as an agent from a young age by Soviet operatives, and her aging process was significantly slowed down due to genetic modifications by the Soviet government.
However, Chen Ye wasn't clear on more details. In his previous life, there was a standalone Black Widow movie, but he wasn't interested in the Avengers movies made for political correctness in America.
Knowing that he would soon enter the sights of S.H.I.E.L.D., Chen Ye felt conflicted. On one hand, he didn't want any ties with S.H.I.E.L.D., especially since he wasn't fond of that "egghead" Nick Fury. On the other hand, he really wanted to befriend each member of the Avengers.
After all, the Avengers were the fastest way to make friends with so many superheroes. It wasn't that there were no other channels, but making friends one by one was less efficient than joining a team.
But these concerns were for the future. For now, he needed to make friends with Black Widow.
"This beautiful lady, you're underestimating us. Tony Stark is no big deal; I, Deadpool, could bring him back on my own. Just wait for the good news. And if we do bring your boss Tony Stark back, how about a romantic... mmm mmm mmm," Deadpool said cheekily.
"I'm very sorry, Miss Rushman." Chen Ye quickly covered Deadpool's mouth and looked apologetically at Black Widow and Pepper Potts.
"I believe that with the time Pepper Potts has spent..."