"By the way, did you see Loren? Did you capture him?"
"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. I did see him—but someone else got there first."
"What? There's someone who can snatch a man from you? Who is she?"
"A green-haired woman. We've learned she's one of Hydra's leaders. Her full identity is still unknown, but I managed to take a covert photo of her. We can investigate her later."
In truth, Natasha hadn't told the whole story. Not only had she photographed Viper—she'd also snapped pictures of Loren himself.
And she'd been naked at the time, hiding in the ventilation duct of the VIP room.
That made her an eyewitness to everything that happened between Loren and Viper—
not a single detail missed.
Of course, she'd never tell a soul.
If that secret ever got out, her life would be in danger.
So it would stay buried in her heart—forever.
"What—did Loren make contact with Hydra's leader?"
"Yes… and it was deep contact."
"'In-depth contact'? What on earth is that guy trying to do?"
"Who knows? He's unpredictable—capable of anything."
As she spoke, her mind flashed back to the scene moments earlier—Loren brutally punishing Viper.
The sheer intensity, the raw power… it was insane.
A strange shiver ran through her body.
"So… the mission failed?"
"Completely."
"Ugh. I was hoping you could talk to Master Loren and get him to stop attacking us online.
Our operating system crashes every day now, and all we see is a picture of a black-braised egg floating on-screen!
The director's losing it—he's still yelling curses in his office!
At this rate, S.H.I.E.L.D. might as well be disbanded."
"…"
"There's no way that lunatic's going to stop.
Instead of banking on him, we should build a more secure cybersecurity system."
"Agreed. That's already in the works—but we haven't found the right person to build it."
"I think I just did." Natasha's eyes drifted toward Tony Stark, lying unconscious nearby.
"Who?"
"Tony Stark."
"Iron Man? You saw him?"
"He's right in front of me."
As she spoke, Natasha walked over to the motionless Tony Stark.
"Wait—did you sleep with Tony Stark?!"
"…"
"Sir, what do you take me for?
Tony was ambushed. Then that silver-haired woman showed up.
They fought—and beat each other senseless. Now they're both out cold on the roadside!"
"What?! Tony Stark was attacked?!
Damn it—how did we not hear about this?
That kid Loren's got us completely in the dark!
I'm sending Barton to assist you immediately. Tony needs help—now.
If we step in at the right moment, we might earn his trust.
If we can't win over Loren, maybe we can win over Iron Man.
His genius and his armor could be a game-changer for us."
"Understood. Loren's beyond reach—but I'm confident we can work with Tony Stark."
"Then I'm counting on you. I'll await your good news."
After hanging up the phone with Coulson, Natasha sighed, her expression complicated.
To be honest, judging by Tony Stark's current situation, even if they successfully recruited him into S.H.I.E.L.D., it wouldn't change much.
It was estimated that she—Natasha—was unlikely to stand a chance against Loren. Her move had been nothing more than a gamble.
As she thought this, she dragged Tony Stark into her car and drove him to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret base.
Meanwhile, Loren lounged lazily in a luxury car, quietly sipping red wine.
Before him, a holographic projection displayed Natasha's actions in real time.
"Boss," the car's AI, Alice, spoke, her voice tinged with doubt, "since you've already caught this woman spying on you, why not expose her? She's just taken Tony Stark—that's hardly to our advantage."
Loren smirked. "Expose her? In that situation, calling her out would only embarrass me. But if I pretend I know nothing, I avoid embarrassment—and honestly, I find it thrilling! If she enjoys peeking, let her watch all she wants. It's not like I'm the one who can't handle it."
"Boss, I understand," Alice replied. "Is this what they call a… fetish online?"
"Uh… never mind. Better not ask."
"What about Tony Stark?"
"No need to interfere. He'll join S.H.I.E.L.D. eventually—whether Natasha approaches him or not won't make much difference."
"Clear."
After a few more questions, Alice fell silent.
At that moment, a long-forgotten system prompt chimed in Loren's mind:
> [Congratulations! The host has participated in the "Iron Man vs. Iron Monger" event and successfully eliminated Iron Monger. Reward: Nano Suit Blueprint +10 points.]
> [Congratulations! The host has participated in the HYDRA assassination mission and successfully captured the assassin Viper. Reward: Neurotoxin Formula +10 points.]
>
> [Host]: Loren Morgan
> [World]: Marvel Universe
> [Dimensional World]: NieR: Automata
> [Technology Available]: General-purpose combat robots, anti-gravity drones, etc.
> [System Points]: 60
Hearing the sudden system notification, Loren couldn't help but smile—his heart racing with excitement.
He'd suspected that attending Tony Stark's tech showcase might trigger a reward, but he hadn't expected two at once. This was a first.
Even better, one of them involved nanotechnology—cutting-edge, next-level tech.
With this breakthrough, his combat capabilities could leap forward again.
The thought alone made him eager to teleport straight to his lab and begin development immediately.
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