If Kai remembered correctly, according to the original timeline, Killian would soon find Pepper and show her the Extremis virus.
That would then be discovered by Happy, who'd think Killian was up to no good and immediately warn Tony.
Now, after chatting casually with Tony earlier and mentioning the Extremis virus in passing, Tony should already be mentally prepared.
Once Killian finds Pepper and Happy reports it to Tony… with Tony's insane IQ, he'll piece the whole thing together in seconds.
Although the actual creator of Extremis is Maya Hansen, Killian is the leader behind it — and his real target has always been Tony Stark.
All because Tony once ditched him on a cold rooftop for an entire night.
Even though Tony barely remembers that ever happening.
"A super-cyborg? Something like Steve? Well, Steve doesn't self-destruct."
Hearing Kai's words, Tony flexed his wrist thoughtfully.
"It strengthens the body in every way and allows rapid self-healing. The only drawback is the risk of exploding? If I were a researcher, then…"
He trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly freezing as the realization hit.
"Damn it! Happy told me earlier today that a guy named Killian met with Pepper."
"He showed her something about his brain and mentioned an Extremis virus."
"The description matches exactly what you just said about those cyborgs."
"The only difference is — no self-destruction!"
"Shit. Either they're coming for me… or for Pepper."
Hearing Tony's suddenly urgent tone, Kai asked, "Need a hand?"
"No need, I've got this covered. Still, you reminded me — so as a thank-you, your monthly bonus just doubled!"
And before Kai could respond, Tony hung up in a hurry.
Kai stared at his phone, then calmly set it down, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
He sank back into the sofa, turned on the TV, thought for a moment, and sent Coulson a message.
He'd already told Tony what he knew, and Tony had reacted — so it only made sense to update Coulson too.
No one would realize he was the one connecting all these dots.
He'd only said a few vague words to Tony, and technically, he was off duty right now.
Still, he couldn't ignore a potential threat.
That was just the kind of justice Kai lived by.
Borsalino role performance +0.1%
Hearing the system notification, Kai smirked and took another sip of tea.
"See? Even the system agrees I'm playing the part perfectly."
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
Opening it, Kai saw Coulson and Melinda walk in.
He let them in and poured each a cup of tea.
"Kai, you just said Mr. Stark might've figured out who those suicide attackers were?" Coulson asked quickly after thanking him for the tea.
Kai relayed everything that had happened.
Coulson immediately stood up, grabbed his phone, and stepped aside to make a call.
Kai leaned back on the sofa, glancing at Melinda sitting across from him.
"Not a fan of tea?"
"Not really. Just… strong tea at night isn't great for sleep."
She glanced toward Coulson, who was finishing his call, then downed her tea anyway.
"But I guess it doesn't matter — looks like we'll be heading back to New York soon."
Coulson returned, phone in hand. "I've reported everything to Hill. She's sending Natasha and Captain Rogers to Stark's location to see if Tony needs backup."
"Kai, Melinda — call Simmons and Fitz. We're leaving New Jersey and heading back to New York."
"So late, and you're dragging me back to work? What a pain."
"That's the job, Kai," Melinda said, half-smiling. "For people like us, there's no real 'off-duty.' Once there's a mission, we move — no matter the time."
Before she could continue, Coulson cut in with a grin.
"Kai, check your bank account. Hill just transferred $200,000 to you."
"It's not much compared to what Stark pays you, but it's a little reward for saving the four of us today."
Kai raised an eyebrow, pulled out his phone, and checked. Sure enough — $200,000 added.
"Fine. For the bonus, I'll go round up Simmons and Fitz."
He stood up, drained the rest of his tea, and — of course — packed up the open bag of tea leaves before leaving.
While Kai went to get Simmons and Fitz, Coulson and Melinda headed toward the Quinjet.
In S.H.I.E.L.D., you didn't get bonuses for saving teammates — same as soldiers didn't get paid extra for saving comrades in battle.
That $200,000 was something Coulson had personally requested from Hill, just to show good faith.
If you were going to bother Kai off duty, you'd better show some sincerity.
And Coulson knew exactly how to handle him.
Meanwhile, high above New York…
"Natasha, Steve, I'm heading to the Stark Industries building," Tony's voice came through the comm.
"Pepper's working late. According to Kai, he fought four people who tried to self-destruct tonight."
"If Killian's targeting me, he'll have agents planted around Stark Tower ready to grab Pepper!"
"Also, Happy's tailing Killian. Go back him up. He'll lead you straight to the guy."
Natasha nodded, her expression sharpening as she sped through traffic.
"Tony's gone to Stark Industries to protect Pepper himself," she told Steve beside her.
"Happy's following Killian — whether Tony's guess is right or not, we're catching him first."