In Marvel, people are slime Chapter 015

Laimu and his group safely arrived at the American military base in Afghanistan.

Along the way, his identity and superpowers were not exposed. After all, unless Stark said something, who would have thought there was a non-human among them?

Colonel Rhodes naturally noticed Laimu and Stark were deliberately hiding something, as well as many other suspicious points.

The most basic point was, why could an Afghan hunter understand English and communicate without barriers in English?

But since Stark intended to conceal it, he wisely chose not to ask. Rhodes trusted his close friend.

Also, because Laimu’s appearance seemed completely unthreatening.

After a brief rest at the US military base, the military doctor gave Stark a simple dressing.

While Stark was getting bandaged, Laimu wandered around the base.

There were many novel pieces of equipment here: helicopters, armored vehicles, anti-aircraft missiles, and two F- 22 Raptor fighter jets.

But security was tight, and there were guards everywhere.

Thanks to Stark’s connections, Laimu was tacitly allowed to visit freely, but when he wanted to get his hands on some things and fire a few shots, he was invariably stopped.

A normal person might feel guilty and not dare to act presumptuously in a US military base, but a certain slime deeply understood the principle of ‘if you’re wrong, act strong; if you’re a thief, don’t feel guilty,’ and swaggered through the US military’s tight security.

Additionally, Laimu also discovered something: his appearance could effectively lower most people’s guard.

If he could purse his lips or bite his lip, with an innocent or accusatory look in his eyes, the effect would be even better. Sometimes, it could even make the other party feel self-reproach.

After all, most people were visual creatures.

/——————

After the bandaging was complete, Stark, Laimu, and Colonel Rhodes boarded a special plane bound for California, USA.

After more than ten hours of flight, they arrived at their destination.

On the wide, spacious airport, two people came to pick them up.

One was Tony Stark’s personal assistant, Pepper Potts, nicknamed ‘Little Pepper’.

The other was a driver who also worked as a bodyguard.

Pepper meant ‘chili pepper,’ but it didn’t mean her personality was as spicy as a chili. In fact, quite the opposite; Little Pepper, besides being sharp and capable in the workplace, was a very gentle person privately.

She had long golden hair tied up, and wore a women’s tailored suit, dressed like a corporate elite.

At this moment, looking at Stark walking off the plane, her eyes were red with tears of joy.

Stark broke free from Rhodes’ support and walked directly towards his delicate little secretary, examining her carefully.

“Your eyes are red. Crying for your long-lost boss?”

Little Pepper smiled, tears streaming down her face, “It’s because I’m happy. I hate looking for jobs.”

“Yes, your vacation is over.”

Little Pepper peeked her head out and noticed Laimu standing behind Stark.

She took a deep breath to calm her agitated feelings from seeing Stark, and with a gentle smile, nodded at Laimu, “You haven’t introduced us. Who is she?”

Stark spread his hands, motioning to get in the car first, “It’s complicated, Ms. Potts, we’ll talk about it later.”

Laimu and Pepper Potts waved at each other, considering it a greeting.

Sitting in the driver’s seat was a burly white man, Happy Hogan, Stark’s driver, who sometimes worked as a bodyguard.

In Laimu’s memory, he seemed to become Spider-Man Peter Parker’s uncle or aunt’s husband in the future?

At this time, he didn’t look as fat as he was in memory; instead, he was quite strong.

Happy Hogan asked, “Where to, sir?”

“Three things: get us some cheeseburgers. Pepper, contact the press conference for me, then send this little guy back to get changed first.”

Stark then looked at Laimu, “I have something important to discuss with you later.”

Pepper was a bit confused, “A press conference? For what?”

“Alright, Happy, drive first, go buy burgers.”

Stark raised his hand and tapped his chest, which clanged. “I’ll explain it to you slowly on the way.”

/——————

Stark Industries is a US-based multinational corporation, NYSE code: SIA, NASDAQ code: STRK.

It was an arms company founded by Howard Stark around 1940.

“Peace is having a bigger stick than everyone else.”

This was Howard’s philosophy.

Two generations of the Stark family, Howard Stark and Tony Stark, both prided themselves as patriots and protectors of peace. And they were equally arrogant, only believing in their chosen path.

Obadiah Stane was an executive at Stark Industries and a former partner of Howard.

He had no interest in so-called peace, but wealth and power were his lifelong pursuits.

He and Howard worked together tirelessly in the last century, enduring hardships and pioneering efforts to raise Stark Industries.

During the company’s pioneering phase, he was the sharpest sword, the keenest spear, fighting bloody battles amidst countless wolves, seizing the most meat, crushing countless competitors, and establishing immense merits for the company.

And indeed, that was the truth.

Now in his sixties, he possessed unparalleled wealth and prestige, but still lacked one thing.

Power, absolute power to have the final say.

Since Stark’s disappearance, Stark Industries had finally become his personal domain in substance.

Every day, he could sit in the CEO’s office, puffing smoke, sipping a little wine, flipping through magazines or reports, with large sums of money coming in every minute. How leisurely and carefree.

Early this morning, however, a piece of news, like a nuclear bomb, destroyed all his good mood and leisurely life.

Tony Stark was not dead, and he was returning today!

Obadiah’s face was gloomy. He casually tossed away the magazine he was reading and extinguished the cigar in his hand on the keyboard. The smoke from the extinguished cigar swirled around his fingers and disappeared into the air.

His unpredictable face showed three parts ferocity… Why could you come back alive? What are you, Stark!

Stark Industries, that’s the empire I, Obadiah, built!

The one who can sit on this throne can only be me, and must be me…

/——————

At the entrance of Stark Industries.

The area was filled with people welcoming Stark’s return: executives, employees, reporters, and curious passersby, bustling and shoulder-to-shoulder.

Obadiah led the welcome, standing at the very front.

The sixty-something old man had a smiling face, looking so kind and amiable. He was dressed in a suit, with a bushy white beard, wearing cool sunglasses, and his bald head seemed to gleam with a Buddha’s light.

Just like those cool, dashing, and easy-going elders from other families.

“Look here!”

Stark got out of the car. The old man jogged two steps, waving his arms to show off to the crowd, as if displaying his son, who had returned alive from a distant expedition.

The audience cooperatively offered their applause, which lasted for a long time.

Obadiah turned, exaggeratedly spread his arms, and with a joyful expression, embraced Stark, “Tony! I thought you were in the hospital. Look at you, you’re in good shape!”

Although Obadiah had been taking care of him and the company for over a decade, Stark was still unaccustomed to his overly enthusiastic demeanor. So he just looked at Obadiah expressionlessly.

Happy handed Stark a bag of burgers from the side. Obadiah saw it and joked with a smile, “Oh, burgers! Is there one for me?”

Stark walked inside, refusing with a troubled expression, “Uh… it’s the last one, I want to eat it myself.”

Inside was the press conference venue, where reporters had been waiting for a long time.

/——————

Little Pepper and Laimu left early.

After the blonde secretary contacted the press conference for Stark, she drove her car and took Laimu away first.

Laimu sat in the passenger seat, gnawing on a bag of burgers, his cheeks bulging like a squirrel.

He hadn’t eaten for a long time and missed the taste. There were two more burgers in the bag, and he had already unceremoniously devoured three.

Pepper slightly turned her face, a little amazed in her heart, thinking how such a small person could eat so much.

With a gentle smile on her face, she softly greeted Laimu, afraid of startling him, “Hi, I’m Pepper, Pepper Potts, Tony’s personal assistant. What should I call you?”

Laimu swallowed the burger in his mouth and replied with a smile, revealing two small canine teeth, “Laimu Etcheverry. I’m a child from an Afghan hunter family. I was captured by terrorists, and then I escaped with Stark.”

This child’s smile was truly beautiful, bright and charming, with a natural innocence, Pepper thought.

“What about your family? Did they not come to America with you?”

“Uh… they’re all dead.”

Laimu thought that human life was limited, and he had been trapped in that unknown darkness for a very, very long time, so it was highly probable that everyone he knew in the other world had already died of old age. So this was just the truth.

Pepper’s heart tightened, feeling a touch of self-reproach, but she opened her mouth not knowing what to say.

She shouldn’t have brought that up… Poor child, her family must have been killed by terrorists, leaving only her alive.

But even after such a tragic experience, she still seemed so optimistic and lively.

As she continuously processed things internally, Pepper’s eyes slowly reddened, and a hint of emotion welled up in her heart.

She couldn’t help but reach out and gently ruffled Laimu’s light blue hair. There was some sand in the strands, not smooth, but it made him even more endearing.

Laimu clutched the burger, carefully guarding it in his arms. What’s wrong? Why is she suddenly touching me?

/——————

My name is Phil Coulson, an agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.

By the time you read this sentence, I have been working for this ridiculously long-named agency for over twenty years.

Twenty years ago, I was an agent, and today, twenty years later, I am still an agent.

For these twenty years, I have been working under Nick Fury, diligently and without complaint.

I went from having a full head of black hair to being a bit bald now, and Fury has successfully become the director. Time flies, it’s quite.

I am an experienced old agent. After so many years of work, gentleness is my motto for dealing with the world, and meticulousness is my principle for doing things.

Today, I received another mission from Fury: to investigate leads on the illegal outflow of weapons from Stark Industries, the largest arms company in the US; and the details of billionaire Tony Stark’s escape from Afghanistan.

However, so-called billionaires are often difficult to deal with, and so are the people around them.

The file originally showed that Stark’s personal assistant, Pepper Potts, was a relatively easy person to approach, but she had disappeared somewhere.

So, I tried to ask Stark’s driver, Happy Hogan, for some information.

Now, as you can see, this burly man is rudely grabbing my collar through the car window, shouting into my ear with a burger-scented breath.

“No comment!!”

My name is Happy Hogan, and I am a qualified bodyguard; driving is just a part-time job.

My professional ethics dictate that I must absolutely protect all of my employer’s safety! Besides protecting my employer’s life, I must also protect my employer’s secrets.

I will never tell anyone that my employer, Tony Stark, might have brought an illegitimate daughter back from Afghanistan. If it gets out, it will definitely cause a lot of trouble for my employer!

Also, privately, as Tony’s friend, I am truly happy for him. He has been wandering alone for so many years; now he should settle down properly.

Yes, from his eyes, I can tell that Tony has changed; he has become more mature and steady.