Now that Pepper and Tony's relationship had been firmly established—and was going extremely well—Pepper didn't want Tony to have any unnecessary doubts.
As the glass door opened, a handsome man in a dark-patterned suit slowly turned around. The tailoring was impeccable, the cufflinks refined, the accessories understated yet elegant. Paired with a mature, striking face, he was, objectively speaking, the embodiment of a high-quality man. Even Happy had to admit that, in this department, Tony fell just a little short compared to this guy.
"Hey~ Pepper~"
His voice was rich and magnetic, so pleasant it almost seemed to resonate in the ears.
"Long time no see, Killian~"
Pepper smiled in response, but her smile was purely polite—there was no trace of deeper emotion.
"You're still as beautiful as ever today."
Killian set the book in his hand aside and looked Pepper up and down.
"Thank you. You look well too."
Standing beside her, Happy suddenly sensed danger. He felt that Tony was in trouble—this man was practically the textbook definition of an elite male specimen, leagues ahead of Tony in sheer presentation.
"What have you been doing all these years?" Pepper asked, surprised.
"You've changed so much. You're like a completely different person."
"I suppose you could call it a successful startup," Killian replied casually as he stepped closer to her.
"Sir, do you have a visitor access badge?" Happy interjected, subtly positioning himself between Killian and Pepper.
"Happy, let us talk alone," Pepper said suddenly, turning to him.
"It's fine."
Happy froze.
Wait—you were the one who asked me to come play the bad guy. And now, before I've even done anything, you're already telling me to leave? What kind of plot twist is this?!
"Y-You're sure it's fine?" Happy asked weakly.
"It's fine, Happy. You can go," Pepper said again, reassuring him.
Happy nodded, shot Killian a warning glare, then turned and walked out. But after rounding the corner, he quietly sneaked back, crouching behind a wall to secretly observe the situation inside. It wasn't that he didn't trust Pepper—he was worried that this Killian guy might try something inappropriate. If Pepper couldn't handle him physically, she'd be at a disadvantage.
---
"Have a seat. It really has been a long time," Pepper said as they sat down.
"So… what kind of company are you running now?"
In the Stark Industries lobby, a man in a suit—with his tie crooked and messy—sat in the visitor waiting area. His eyes darted back and forth as if he were anxiously waiting for someone.
By coincidence, Happy noticed him when he turned around. The man's behavior struck him as suspicious—he didn't look like someone here on business, more like someone casing the place. Happy approached, intending to question him.
---
Inside the office, Killian continued speaking.
"I now own a biotechnology company," he said.
"We're focused on developing a solution that could free humanity from the suffering of disease. After years of work, my team has finally made a breakthrough."
He took out a small box containing three marble-sized spheres. Pepper immediately recognized them as projection devices.
"We discovered a virus," Killian said.
"I call it the Extremis Virus."
He attached a small metal piece behind his ear, then turned off the lights with a remote.
A projection of a human brain's neural network appeared. Blue neural pathways filled the air, threaded with streams of golden light flowing through them like blood.
"And this," Killian said, pointing,
"is what I want to show you."
He zoomed in on a synapse. A golden energy-like substance emerged clearly.
"The Extremis Virus unlocks our biological potential," Killian explained.
"And here—"
He magnified another section. A neuron resembling a miniature black hole expanded endlessly.
"This state indicates that our brains—and even our genes—are being upgraded. Human cognition itself is destined to evolve."
Pepper watched in amazement. She didn't fully understand what the Extremis Virus was, but she grasped some of what Killian was saying. After all, her background was finance and management, not biotechnology.
---
In the lobby, Happy was still watching the suspicious man when his phone suddenly rang. It was Tony.
"Hey~ enjoying your life yet?" Tony teased.
"Tony, I've got serious business right now."
"Flirting with company employees?" Tony joked.
"Cut it out. I really do have something important going on."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
Tony was already back home, sitting on his couch with a glass of orange juice. JARVIS was overseeing the repainting of a new suit, leaving Tony unusually free.
"Alright," Happy said seriously.
"Pepper is meeting a scientist—apparently a former colleague of hers. He's very handsome, dresses well. I didn't recognize him at first, but I looked him up afterward."
"You know who he is?" Happy continued.
"Aldrich Killian. We've met him before—at a scientific symposium in Switzerland."
Tony paused.
"Hmm… I don't remember him."
"Of course you don't," Happy shot back.
"What can you remember besides beautiful women?"
Then he continued.
"At first I didn't think much of it, but now something feels off."
On Tony's end, JARVIS had already pulled up all of Killian's information, which Tony was scrolling through.
"Honestly, Tony, I don't trust this guy," Happy said.
"I think he has ulterior motives. And there's another sketchy person who came with him—I've got a bad feeling about that guy."
Happy kept his eyes locked on the suspicious man, who was sprawled lazily on the couch, one leg propped on the armrest, flipping through a magazine.
"Relax, Happy," Tony said.
"What you need is to unwind. Go to a nearby bar, have a drink, meet a few women, and take them home for the night. Don't fixate on some random guy."
With a swipe, Tony routed the call to his home speakers.
"Tony, you should be feeling threatened right now," Happy snapped.
"Pepper is your girlfriend. She's alone in a room with a man who might as well be her ex. And what are you doing? Sitting at home playing with your oversized action figures. You're wasting a gift, do you know that?"
Happy grew more agitated, then switched the call to video and aimed the camera at Pepper and Killian's office.
"Look at them. The atmosphere is like a nightclub at midnight. And do you see those projections around them? That's a brain. I don't know what it means, but it doesn't feel right."
Happy waved his phone around, trying to capture every angle for Tony.
"I'm going to check Killian's license plate," Happy declared.
"If he so much as lays a finger on Pepper, I'll snap his neck."
"Alright, Happy," Tony said calmly.
"That's Pepper we're talking about. I trust her. She wouldn't have any interest in some so-called Killian."
Then he added smugly,
"She's only interested in me."
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