"High?"
Tony's voice on the other end was almost distorted.
In the background, the sound of a building's glass curtain wall shattering poured down like a waterfall.
"The city beneath my feet is being demolished!"
"My building is turning into an alien Hive!"
"And you're talking to me about 'high'?!"
"Precisely, Tony."
William's voice was unperturbed.
He even pulled up a chair by the window to enjoy the apocalyptic fireworks from a better vantage point.
"The higher the risk, the more expensive the premium; that's a basic industry principle. Moreover, the risks you face already exceed the underwriting capacity of any reinsurance company on Earth."
"I am my own insurance company!"
Tony roared, accompanied by a harsh metallic screech; he seemed to have dodged an attack.
"Name your price, William, don't make me fly over there and crush your apartment, along with your coffee machine, into scrap metal!"
William's heart remained unmoved.
He knew that when a client started making personal threats, it meant they were truly desperate.
And a desperate client was a fat lamb ready for slaughter.
"Alright, since you're so sincere."
William cleared his throat.
"Let's discuss the policy details."
"Firstly, this cannot be a personal accident insurance, Tony."
William's tone became serious.
"This is a war. You need comprehensive war insurance, and the coverage must extend to the entire team."
"Team?"
"That's right. Captain America, Thor Odinson, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and... Dr. Bruce Banner."
"I call this policy the 'Avengers Founding Members Special Risk Protection Plan'."
"Coverage includes, but is not limited to: personal injury compensation, repair and replacement of armor and equipment damage, joint liability for urban public property loss, and... special clauses for additional damages caused by Dr. Banner's loss of control."
A brief silence fell over the phone, with only the violent wind and explosions remaining.
Tony was clearly stunned by William's combination of punches.
He just wanted to buy himself some peace of mind, but the other party directly packaged a whole family meal for him.
"You... you even dare to insure the Hulk?"
Tony's voice was filled with absurdity.
"Risk control is my profession, Mr. Stark."
William chuckled softly.
"As long as the premium is sufficient, I'd even take on Ragnarok. Now, let's talk price."
"Considering the suddenness, unpredictability, and... alien nature of this risk, I need ten billion U.S. dollars as the starting capital for this group policy."
"What?!"
Tony's voice suddenly rose, almost drowning out the roar of a Leviathan behind him, "Why the hell don't you just rob someone?!"
"Robbery is too high a risk; it doesn't align with my career plan."
William explained unhurriedly.
"Ten billion is just the fee to make this policy 'effective immediately'. Subsequent claims will be paid as a special fund from 5% of Stark Industries' net profit over the next five years."
"You're insane!"
"I am perfectly sober, Tony."
William's tone was more serious than ever.
"You're flying in the sky, risking your life to protect this city. I'm sitting here, calculating risks for you and your comrades, providing logistical support. We are both fighting in our own ways."
"This is an investment, Tony."
"An investment in your and your team's future."
"With this protection, Captain America can smash his shield without a care, Thor can summon lightning to his heart's content without worrying about damaging the municipal power grid, Hawkeye can set off his explosive arrows like fireworks, and you..."
William paused, watching the golden-red figure in the distance, like a meteor, fearlessly charging into the enemy hordes.
"You can save the World with peace of mind, because you know that even if you fall from the sky, there's the strongest safety net, woven with money and contract, waiting for you below."
These words, like the devil's whisper, precisely struck the softest part of Tony's heart.
He wasn't unafraid of death.
He just hid his fear beneath that armor and that cynical mask.
He needed a reason.
A reason that would allow him to cast aside all worries and execute that crazy plan.
And William gave him that reason.
"...Jarvis!"
Tony growled into the comms channel.
"Sir, I'm here."
"Grant Rodriguez the highest level of financial access!"
"Immediately! Now!"
"Transfer ten billion from my personal account to him!"
"Establish a special fund! Do exactly as he says!"
"Authorization confirmed."
"Funds are being transferred."
"Sir, I must remind you, this transaction has not undergone any risk assessment..."
"I am the risk itself right now!"
Tony roared, sharply pulling up to dodge a Chitauri aircraft's collision, then blasted it into fragments with a repulsor ray.
He re-aimed at William's comms channel, breathing heavily.
"The contract! Now!"
The corners of William's mouth finally curved into a victorious arc.
"A pleasure doing business, Tony."
He said softly into the phone.
"The policy is effective immediately."
"Establishing insurance files for the following clients:"
"Tony Stark (Iron Man)"
"Steve Rogers (Captain America)"
"Thor Odinson (Thor)"
"Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow)"
"Clint Barton (Hawkeye)"
"Bruce Banner (Hulk)"
Before William's eyes, a golden data stream poured down like a waterfall, almost overwhelming his consciousness.
He felt as if his brain was a tiny USB drive, forcibly loaded with the data of an entire national library.
An unprecedentedly massive information flow impacted his every neuron.
The call was disconnected.
Tony had already gone to execute his crazy plan.
And William, meanwhile, collapsed onto the sofa, gasping for breath, his shirt soaked with sweat.
He succeeded.
He had just completed a transaction that would surely go down in the annals of human insurance history.
He had sold an exorbitant policy to the most powerful superhero team on Earth, on their very first day of formation.
Client files established.
Extracting abilities... WARNING!
Super high energy level reaction detected!
Client 'Thor Odinson' possesses divinity, client 'Bruce Banner' has a super high gamma radiation source within his body... Extraction protocol has a 37.5% chance of causing system overload!
WARNING!
Abort ability extraction?
William looked at the constantly flashing red alerts in his mind, his heart pounding.
Overload?
He made his choice without hesitation.
"No! Continue!"
Fortune favors the bold!
He dared to insure a god; was he afraid of a system overload?
Activating highest priority extraction protocol... Randomly extracting client abilities... The golden data stream instantly turned into a furious vortex.
William felt as if his soul had been thrown into a high-speed washing machine, with all sorts of bizarre images and complex knowledge exploding in his mind.
There were blueprints for Iron Man armor, chemical formulas for the Super Soldier Serum, Asgardian runes, Red Room combat techniques, ballistics of arrow flight, and... endless, green rage.
Finally, all the images settled into calm.
Lines of brand new text clearly appeared in his consciousness.
Extraction complete.
Congratulations, you have gained the following abilities:
From client 'Tony Stark' — Mechanical Induction (Advanced): You have mastered core permissions for deep linking and intuitive control with all electronic machinery.
Your consciousness can transform into an invisible stream of commands, penetrating and taking over various electronic systems, from personal terminals to complex networks.
At the current level, you can parse and reassemble data at the speed of thought, remotely control precise mechanical clusters, and even engage in direct mental dialogue and strategizing with artificial intelligence.
All technological creations are like transparent extended limbs before you.
From client 'Steve Rogers' — Super Soldier Serum (Optimized · Potential):
Your body cells are slowly being transformed by a gentle yet powerful energy.
Your strength, speed, endurance, and self-healing abilities will continue to grow steadily over a period of time, until they reach the pinnacle of human potential. Without any side effects.
William's breath suddenly hitched.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"