St. Joseph's Abandoned Church.
It exuded a decaying aura, forgotten by time, yet this made it the ideal hiding place.
William didn't enter directly through the main door.
He went around to the side of the church and slipped in silently through a broken side window.
He immediately locked onto his target.
In front of the altar, Tyrone was resting weakly against a stone pillar.
Tandy stood in front of him, and although she wasn't condensing a light blade in her hand, her entire body remained in a highly vigilant posture.
The little boy Harry was circling the battered Mark 42 Armor with a look of astonishment.
And the Armor's Master, Tony Stark, was pacing back and forth irritably in front of the altar.
"It seems your temporary refuge is more stylish than I imagined."
Tony turned around.
When he saw William's leisurely demeanor, his pent-up anger and anxiety instantly found an outlet.
"You're finally here! I thought you got lost, or went to apply for some 'travel allowance'!" His tone was filled with sharp sarcasm, "Your employees are much more efficient than you."
"Customer satisfaction is our greatest pursuit."
William walked up to him with a smile, as if he hadn't heard the hostility in his words at all.
"I was just handling some follow-up 'asset transfer' work. That glowing light bulb has already been packaged and sent to our laboratory. Believe me, he will make the greatest contribution of his life to human genetic science."
He knew William's style of doing things; that bastard's fate would definitely not be good.
"Alright, Tony, playtime's over."
William's smile faded a bit.
"Now, tell me, what's your plan? Find Killian's lair and rescue Pepper?"
"Exactly!" Tony's eyes sharpened again, "But I need time, I need a place to fix this Armor! It's my only..."
"Why fix this?"
William interrupted him, pointing at the pile of scrap metal on the ground, his tone as if asking an idiotic question.
"Couldn't you just contact Jarvis and have him send your other toys over?"
Tony froze, then looked at William with a look of a madman: "Are you out of your mind? My Villa was blown into an underwater landscape, and the entire network system is down! Jarvis might be chatting with starfish in some server wreckage right now! How do I contact him? By generating power with love?"
"Oh, you mean that."
William nodded as if suddenly enlightened, then pulled out his phone from his pocket, tapped a few times, and brought up an interface to show Tony.
It was a complex architectural diagram, specifically the Underground Room part of the Malibu Villa, with a large space marked in green, labeled "'Iron Legion' Warehouse — Status: Unlocked, Remote Deployment Possible."
"While you were out of commission, I already sent Maurice to your house to help clear the ruins."
"And incidentally, I liberated that pile of treasures you had hidden in the Underground Room. As long as you need them, you can summon them through Jarvis from anywhere in the World to come and party."
Tony's eyes were fixed on the screen, his mind blank for a moment.
He had imagined countless possibilities for a counterattack, each one difficult, each one requiring him to fight alone.
But he had never imagined that at his lowest, most desperate moment, someone had silently paved a broad road to victory for him.
Maurice?
He didn't even remember that name.
But it was this person, of whom he had no impression, who, under William's instructions, accomplished something he himself thought impossible.
This guy... always comes up with what you need most when you least expect it.
"You..." Tony opened his mouth, the word "thank you" swirling in his throat for a few turns, but in the end, it reverted to his usual style, "This is illegal trespassing on private property! My lawyer will..."
"Will thank me for saving his client at least a billion U.S. dollars in potential losses."
William smiled and took over the conversation.
"Alright, now that your logistical issues are resolved, let's talk about the next step. I'll help you pinpoint Killian's exact location, but I won't be accompanying you."
"What?"
"You're not going? You pull me out of the pit and then abandon me?"
"I'm a risk management consultant, not a frontline assault trooper, Tony."
William patted his shoulder.
"My job is to assess risks and configure the most reasonable 'risk solution' for you. Solo assault is too high a risk and doesn't comply with our company's operating procedures."
He turned to Cloak and Dagger: "You two, your next mission is to assist Mr. Stark and ensure the 'asset recovery' mission, which is to rescue Miss Pepper Potts, is foolproof."
Tandy and Tyrone exchanged glances and nodded heavily.
"Just the two of them?"
Tony frowned.
Although he had witnessed their strange abilities, to deal with an entire army of Extremis... "Of course not just them."
William's lips curved into a smile.
"I also contacted another 'outside helper.' He just happens to be on a motorcycle tour around the United States, experiencing the beautiful landscapes of his homeland, so he shouldn't be far from here."
A figure in a star-spangled uniform, holding a shield, instantly appeared in Tony's mind.
"You called him too?"
Tony's voice was filled with disbelief.
This was truly too embarrassing.
Why hadn't he contacted the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Because this was his, Tony Stark's, personal vendetta, yet this guy had actually called Steve Rogers over directly.
This embarrassing matter would surely spread throughout the Avengers before long.
"Professional matters, of course, should be left to professionals."
William spread his hands, his smile becoming incredibly smug.
"Listen, Tony. A billionaire genius, a Dark Dimension teleporter, a Master of Light power, plus a walking symbol of patriotism. If the four of you 'Super Heroes' team up and still can't take down a quack, then I really suggest you consider retirement, maybe open a car repair shop or something; it might have more prospects."
This extremely provocative taunt, however, completely ignited Tony Stark's proud heart.
That's right, he wasn't alone anymore.
He had his Armor, his helpers, and the top team in this World.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and pulled out his phone to issue a command he thought he could no longer connect to.
"Jarvis, can you hear me?"
"Always at your service, Master."
Tony's eyes snapped open, and ecstasy instantly swept through him!
"Jarvis!" He practically shouted, "Initiate 'House Party Protocol'!"
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