"Daniel, you have a new mission."
Early that morning, Daniel woke up in his 500-square-meter luxury villa and received a call from Nick Fury.
And no—don't ask how a Level 5 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent could afford such a place.Back in Los Santos, he owned more than a dozen mansions far bigger than this. By comparison, this was practically low-income housing.
Nick Fury's serious voice came through the phone:"I need you to get close to Tony Stark and monitor his recent activities."
"This mission was originally assigned to Black Widow. With her qualifications, getting near Stark would've been easy. But she's tied up with an urgent operation, so I have to give it to you."
Daniel had heard of Black Widow.
A colleague who, like him, maintained a 100% mission success rate—though nowhere near his speed. Rumor had it she was an incredibly attractive woman with a massive fanbase inside S.H.I.E.L.D. One fanatic even swore he would drink her bathwater.
Considering her beauty and methods, seducing Tony Stark would be trivial.
But now she was unavailable.
Meaning that he would be the one—
"Director, let me say it upfront: I sell my skills, not my body!" Daniel blurted out.
Nick Fury: "???"What the hell is going on in your brain?!
"I'm not asking you to sell anything! How you get close to him is your problem. I only want results!"
[NPC Nick Fury has issued a new mission][Mission: Monitor Tony Stark][Objective: Infiltrate Stark's side, monitor all actions, and report to Nick Fury][Reward: 1000 EXP, +30 S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation, Random Item ×1, Random Equipment ×1]
"The rewards for Tony-related quests are always premium," Daniel nodded.This confirmed it—Tony Stark was definitely a main character in this game's storyline.
After hanging up, he packed up to leave.
If Black Widow were doing this mission, she'd start with a fake résumé, get hired at Stark Industries, then replace Tony's assistant to get close.
But Daniel's first obstacle was simple:
He was a man.Unless he considered cross-dressing—which he absolutely did not.
Besides, the traditional route was way too slow for him.
Daniel preferred shortcuts.
10880 Malibu Point — Tony Stark's seaside mansion.
In the underground lab, Tony was completely absorbed in fine-tuning his latest creation: the Mark III armor.
After surviving the Middle East incident, he had thrown himself fully into the development of the Iron Armor.
Compared to the crude Mark I built in a cave, this version was on a whole new level.
Most importantly, it could fly.
Tony remembered running for his life ugly and panicked, and silently swore never to experience that humiliation again.
He was even debating whether to mount a Gatling gun on the suit—Daniel's solo massacre of the terrorists had left a deep impression on him.
On the wall-mounted TV, the news was broadcasting loudly.
"Tonight, the red carpet outside the Disney Concert Hall awaits Tony Stark's third large donation to the Firefighters Family Fund. However, as of now, Mr. Stark has yet to appear—"
Tony frowned."Jarvis, were we invited?"
"There is no record of any invitation," answered the AI butler.
The news continued:
"Some speculate that Tony Stark suffered non-human abuse during his Middle East captivity, leading to psychological and physical trauma. Others even speculate that the person who returned may not be Tony Stark at all—"
Tony's face darkened.
Non-human abuse? Psychological trauma?What kind of nonsense was this?
"Jarvis! Find out which outlet this is. Buy them! And make them broadcast my gossip on repeat for a week! Make sure they emphasize that I'm perfectly healthy!"
"Understood, sir."
"And call Happy! Tell him to take me to this damn charity event right now!"
"Sir, Mr. Happy is on temporary leave today," Jarvis replied.
"What? Why?"
"Mr. Happy reported that he was attacked without warning. He is fine, but currently under medical observation."
Tony froze."Attacked? By who?"
"According to Happy, the attacker was an unknown male—black hair, black eyes, wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt and beach shorts."
Tony blinked slowly.
…Seriously?
Happy hardly had enemies. Who would attack him for no reason?
Before he could think more—
"Sir," Jarvis said again, "an unregistered visitor has appeared at the entrance."
"Who is it?"
"It is a man with black hair, black eyes, wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt and beach shorts."
Tony: "…I've found the attacker!"
"Put him on the screen," Tony snapped. "I want to—"
"Sir," Jarvis interrupted, "the visitor appears to have already entered."
"???"
A loud crack echoed overhead.
A large section of the ceiling suddenly broke open as a figure dropped through the hole—
"Found you!"
Familiar words.Familiar scene.Familiar madness.
Tony looked at Daniel—still holding a diamond pickaxe—and his face went so dark it nearly matched Nick Fury's.
"You again, you bastard!" Tony roared.
"Long time no see," Daniel waved casually, as if he'd just stopped by to borrow sugar.
His eyes drifted to the giant holographic model of the Mark III armor."Ohhh, the new suit! Way cooler than the tin can from before. I want this. I want this so much."
Tony immediately shut the projection down.
"Daniel," he said through clenched teeth, "what are you doing here?"
Daniel grinned.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to apply for a bodyguard job!"
Tony: "?"If you hadn't said so, I never would've guessed…