In order to finish before Christmas and avoid having to supervise construction during the holiday, Shi Xiaolei had started the renovation of his old residence early.
However, the decoration of the new house hadn't been completed yet.
The family was temporarily living in a rented apartment, while the old furniture and appliances cleared from their former home had been moved by Shi Xiaolei to his base inside the Ark during his spare time.
Firstly, those items were still usable, and it would be a shame to throw them away.
Secondly, unlike in China where regulations weren't yet fully established, most developed countries had rules against casually discarding large used furniture and appliances—disposing of such items from the old residence would cost quite a bit of money.
Thirdly, the default blueprints in "ARK: Survival Evolved - The Island" were somewhat limited; while they could satisfy survival needs, they weren't exactly comfortable.
Moving the discarded old furniture here would greatly improve the livability of the base.
Moving things over bit by bit like ants, the originally industrial-looking survival base gained a touch of homely warmth.
Perhaps it wasn't as convenient as their actual home, but as a temporary vacation spot, it was more than adequate.
Carrying the still unconscious Bruce Banner back to the base, Shi Xiaolei settled him in the small wooden cabin by the river—when he had originally played the game, this cabin had been his storehouse for fish meat.
But now, since the aquatic pets had been released back to the sea and no longer needed to be kept at home and fed daily, plus there was no need to tame new pets.
After all the fish meat in the storehouse had been consumed, the cabin had been left vacant.
Later, realizing the cabin was close to the river with a beautiful view, perfect for fishing and relaxation, Shi Xiaolei had brought Kanna and 2B there once before deciding to transform it into a secret spot that combined scenic views with leisure fishing.
It was about a hundred meters away from the main building.
The cabin wasn't large but was furnished in a homey style, even if Bruce Banner woke up while he was away, in such an environment, there was no need to worry about him transforming into the Hulk due to heightened vigilance and consequently damaging the base structures.
Indeed, Shi Xiaolei had no intention of staying in the Ark to accompany Bruce Banner until he woke up.
Who knew how long this guy would sleep?
Kanna and 2B were waiting for him at home. If he delayed returning for too long, they would definitely worry.
Also, he needed to quickly update Tony Stark.
Tony had witnessed him and the Hulk falling into the water, and if he didn't surface for too long, that guy might cause all sorts of trouble.
If it was just Tony searching for him, that would be fine, but if he told 2B and Kanna about what happened.
Given how much those two cared about him, it was obvious they would abandon all discretion and use their full abilities to search for him.
Imagine the scene: 2B summoning her HO-229 multi-purpose aerial combat vehicle while Kanna revealed her true form, both flying back and forth across the New York sky.
Whatever commotion the Hulk had caused would be nothing compared to this—they would definitely attract countless eyes and become targets of covetous interests.
As the head of the family, protecting his family was the top priority.
Even though Kanna and 2B were very capable and didn't fear threats from various forces on Earth, from Shi Xiaolei standpoint, he didn't want them getting involved in these messy affairs.
So, after staying in the Ark for barely fifteen minutes, Shi Xiaolei returned to the bottom of the Hudson River.
Not daring to surface carelessly, he determined his direction while underwater, held his breath, and swam a considerable distance to reach the docks in Hell Kitchen.
Using a restaurant built on the shore with half of its structure suspended over the water as cover, making sure the helicopters still patrolling the sky couldn't see him emerging, Shi Xiaolei cautiously surfaced and climbed out of the water.
Standing on the riverbank beneath the restaurant, he took out a spare set of sportswear from his backpack and changed into it, then carefully stored his wet clothes.
Leisurely walking along the riverbank, his appearance now would give no one reason to suspect he had just taken a plunge in the river.
Taking out his phone, which he had placed in his backpack to keep it dry, he found Tony Stark number and made a call.
"Thank God."
With almost no delay, Stark answered the phone immediately. His tone was full of concern and anxiety.
"Man, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Shi Xiaolei felt a warmth in his heart and unconsciously smiled.
"Tony, how are you? Not injured?"
"Of course not, I'm Iron Man after all."
After his habitual boast, Tony continued to inquire.
"Where are you now? You haven't been captured by the military, have you?"
"No, I'm at the docks in Hell Kitchen. Tony, do me a favor, have JARVIS locate my car and tow it away. Don't let it fall into the military hands."
"Your car? Is there something special installed in it?"
"No. I just encountered a group of soldiers, and they know the car is mine..."
After describing the situation that had occurred earlier, Shi Xiaolei explained.
"I'm worried they'll use the car as a clue to discover my identity and eventually find my home. You know me, I hate trouble and don't want to deal with them."
"OK, I understand. JARVIS, locate Rock car immediately and send someone to tow it back to the company."
"Right away, sir."
"Oh, and also clean up the car registration information. And delete any footage from street cameras too."
After instructing JARVIS, Stark returned his attention to Shi Xiaolei.
"Rock, don't wander around now. Find a secluded spot, and I'll send someone to pick you up."
"...That shouldn't be necessary, right?"
Looking down at the clothes he had just changed into, Shi Xiaolei felt the probability of his exposure was quite low.
"Being cautious is always good."
"O...uh."
Just as he was about to agree, he suddenly noticed Coulson standing just twenty meters away.
He hadn't expected to be proven wrong so quickly, and Shi Xiaolei felt genuinely embarrassed.
"Tony, you don't need to send anyone. I've got it covered here."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Coulson is here—you know, that agent with the receding hairline. Remember him?"
Looking at Coulson waiting in place, Shi Xiaolei raised his hand in greeting and gave him a sheepish smile from a distance.
"I have a feeling he's here to help me clean up the aftermath."
"Alright, call me anytime if you need anything."
"I will."
Ending the call with Stark, Shi Xiaolei put away his phone and approached Coulson, who had been waiting.
"Hi."
"Hello, Mr. Rock."
With a polite smile, Coulson raised his hand, pointing to a car parked not far away.
"Need a ride?"
"I'd appreciate that. Thanks, Coulson."
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist?you can read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [p@treon.com/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)