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...
Gulp~ Gulp~
Tony couldn't wait to unscrew the bottle cap and downed half of the juice in one go. The icy coldness traveled from his throat to his stomach, making both him and Yinsen shiver. It was like being caught in a refreshing rainstorm—absolutely wonderful.
Tony even thought that, no matter how many gourt als he'd enjoyed from five-star chefs in the past, none could compare to this bottle of chilled juice.
The burning heat from their ordeal seed to lt away.
Tony leaned back, relaxing as a look of contentnt crossed his face, eyes half-closed in bliss.
Natasha, watching their reactions, didn't laugh. She had experienced far worse conditions than this. Instead, she raised her eyebrows and focused on the faint blue light emitting from Tony's chest.
Her sharp eyes quickly scanned the device and the tal fragnts lodged inside Tony's body, held in place by the glowing chanism. Instantly recognizing what it was, she gave a small nod of admiration.
"You really are a genius," Natasha said, impressed. "In those conditions, you managed to build a miniature Arc Reactor."
She believed he was the only person in the world capable of pulling this off. Although Tony was arrogant, full of himself, and often reckless, there was no denying that his brilliance allowed him to back it all up.
"No matter how talented you are, there are tis when you'll feel utterly hopeless," Tony said bitterly, closing the juice bottle and holding it in his hand. The months spent in the cave had changed him.
He realized that being a genius and a billionaire didn't an much when faced with cruel terrorists. In their eyes, he was just prey. If they hadn't needed him to build the Jericho missile, he would have been killed long ago, his body discarded in the desert to dry up like a mummy.
The military had failed, and external forces couldn't guarantee safety. He could only rely on himself. Tony also knew that he didn't have superpowers, nor did he possess the incredible strength and speed of soone like Natasha, the woman who seed almost superhuman.
But what he did have was his intellect and a mind capable of making more money than anyone else.
He thought back to his ti in the cave, where he had to rely solely on himself to build both the "big guy" and the little device on his chest.
Maybe...
His mind began to flood with data and diagrams, but now wasn't the ti to get lost in his thoughts. What really mattered was understanding why these two won had co to rescue him.
Tony adjusted his expression, looking at Natasha seriously before asking, "So, I'm very grateful for you coming to save , and also for this bottle of juice. But tell , who sent you?"
"My na is Natasha. As for who we are, you don't need to know. But rest assured, we have no ill intentions towards you. Saving you is simply part of a deal."
"A deal?"
"That's right. To save you, we need sothing from Stark Industries—the big guy."
"The Ark Reactor?"
"Exactly." Natasha nodded. "I know you won't hand over the core technical drawings of that thing, so we need the finished product."
"The energy from that thing is far more powerful than you realize," Tony said calmly. "It could power all of New York for half a year."
Natasha saw through Tony's attempt to gauge her intentions and smiled. "That's precisely why we need it. I need its stable energy supply to support a big project."
"I'm curious—what's this 'big project'?" Tony asked.
"That's all I can tell you for now. If you really want to know more, you'd have to join us," Natasha replied with a half-smile.
Tony's expression imdiately changed, and he waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it then. How many do you need?"
"We need five for the first batch, and one every year after that."
"Wow, that's a lot of money."
"The first batch is free," Natasha said firmly. "After that, we'll buy each one annually."
Although Natasha maintained a firm attitude, Tony didn't get angry. After all, the woman in front of him was mysterious, but she had saved him from a dire situation. Tony was capable of handling that much. He pondered for a mont, his eyes flickering with thought, but he didn't respond right away.
The atmosphere grew quiet. Yinsen, leaning back in his chair, sipped from his juice bottle occasionally, seemingly indifferent to the conversation. However, there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, as though he were lost in thought.
After reflecting, Tony looked at Natasha's strikingly beautiful face and spoke softly, "If I provide the Ark Reactor for free, can I earn your friendship?"
Huh?
Tony's words caught Natasha off guard. She stared at him, surprised. "It's unusual for soone like you to say sothing like that."
Natasha already had a basic profile of Tony Stark in her mind. To her, he was easy to read—proud, domineering, flamboyant, high-profile, arrogant, and self-centered, with little regard for others. He was highly suspicious of anyone or anything unfamiliar.
While Tony could be generous, he only extended that generosity to those who earned his approval and beca true friends.
This ordeal in the cave, Natasha guessed, would probably change so aspects of his personality—at least when it ca to being more cautious about his safety.
Despite having saved him, Natasha knew that her mysterious identity made it impossible for Tony to fully trust her. Even though she had openly stated that the rescue was simply a one-ti deal, Tony wasn't likely to believe her completely.
She even believed that although Tony might genuinely provide the Ark Reactor and not reveal her identity to the outside world or the military, he would almost certainly investigate things secretly. However, Tony made a risky decision that surprised her. Instead of keeping his distance, he sought to use this opportunity to forge a friendship with a mysterious organization—one that was far from ordinary.
So, what drove Tony to make such a decision?
With her sharp intelligence, Natasha quickly analyzed the situation from Tony's perspective. Given the circumstances, she could understand his reasoning. Deep down, he was still feeling unsettled.
He had been abruptly kidnapped, and the military escort's movents had been compromised. The Jericho missiles, which were secretly developed for the military, had ended up in the hands of terrorists. Clearly, there was a traitor within Stark Industries, soone high-ranking—perhaps soone Tony didn't want to suspect.
Moreover, the extraordinary abilities Natasha displayed proved to him that there were many powerful superhumans in the world, sothing he hadn't fully grasped until now.
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