A few days later, a helicopter appeared above the building.
"Miss Potts, Mr. Stark's guests have arrived."
A graceful woman in a long dress watched Alan Folker and his companions disembark from the plane and immediately greeted them with a smile.
"Hi, Mr. Alan Folker, I'm Potts, Mr. Stark's secretary. It's a pleasure to meet you." Potts smiled as she came forward, greeting Alan Folker, Hela, and Peter Parker.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Potts. You are even more beautiful than I imagined." Alan Folker smiled and said in a friendly manner.
"Mr. Alan Folker, you flatter me. Please follow me!" Potts said with a smile.
Tony Stark was at his workbench, analyzing data, when he saw Alan Folker arrive. He walked over step by step and shook his hand warmly.
"Tony, it's good to see you again!" Alan Folker stepped forward and smiled.
"The feeling is mutual. You've really gone to a lot of trouble!" Tony Stark responded with a grateful expression.
"Of course, I expect compensation!" Alan Folker looked at the console not far away, where there were several images of Karola's hiding places, and smiled.
Tony Stark had been investigating Karola, and progress was very successful.
"No problem, I'll pay you at the normal consultant rate, and I'll cover all your expenses for these past few days. You can enjoy yourselves." Tony Stark smiled slightly and said politely.
"Alright," Tony Stark looked at everyone and said excitedly, "Potts, please take them to their guest rooms to rest first."
...Night, the quiet Stark Tower.
"Although we've only met once, I've been observing you. You are indeed very intelligent, and you're more formidable than I imagined."
Tony Stark picked up two glasses of wine, handed one to Alan Folker, took a sip, and spoke.
"People are always interested in curious things. Although I didn't want to get involved, I'm already facing constant trouble from the other side. Didn't Coulson tell you this?" Alan Folker replied while drinking his wine.
"Of course, that's precisely why I need your help. Coulson said you always bring surprises." Tony Stark smiled slightly, praising him.
Alan Folker smiled elegantly at this, "You really think highly of me. But since you invited me, I can try my best to cooperate with you."
"Thank you. I hope our cooperation will be pleasant. I'm also very eager to resolve the Karola situation now." Tony Stark frowned and said.
Alan Folker nodded, put down his wine glass, and followed Tony Stark out of the banquet hall. They took the elevator to a higher floor.
From the top of the building, the vast World was brightly lit all around.
Inside the spacious room, there were only Tony Stark and Alan Folker. They walked towards the console.
Tony Stark brought up a screen, seeing Karola's voice appear on one of the images. Besides this, they had not taken any action.
Such actions were very secretive and usually involved friction with S.H.I.E.L.D., resolving and arresting many Karolans.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was studying the Karola species to find a way to deal with them.
Tony Stark brought up an image and said, "I found the latest batch of missing people, about fifteen of them. They will appear here today."
As he spoke, he pointed to the image, which showed a slum in a certain neighborhood. It was chaotic here, with many people, in addition to the captured power users.
Karola's current goal seems to be the assimilation of all humanity, not just those with abilities, because they themselves possess power. Once assimilated, their abilities are released, making them a very strong fighting force.
"Did Coulson ever tell you that the highest life forms of Karola number twelve, and they are called the Twelve Great Leaders? Currently, two have appeared: Blood Queen and Shadow." Alan Folker looked at the screen. It seemed S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony Stark had investigated all available information about Karola, but it wasn't comprehensive enough.
Alan Folker discovered that Karola's core strength came from the Twelve Great Leaders. As long as they were dealt with, perhaps dismantling them would not be difficult, and they might even disappear automatically.
"We are indeed investigating the Twelve Great Leaders, but Coulson said that Karola has a close relationship with Kingpin. To know everything, Kingpin is the best entry point, but also the most difficult. Besides that, the Karolans we've encountered almost never reveal any information." Tony Stark said gravely, looking at the screen.
Alan Folker fell into contemplation. Of course, this was true. Karola were high-level intelligent life forms, especially under the orders of the Twelve Great Leaders. They wouldn't utter a single word even if they died. This loyalty was much higher than that of humans.
However, both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony Stark were going in the wrong direction. Why insist on finding Kingpin? Knowing that this person is cunning and an enemy they cannot deal with, yet repeatedly interfering and provoking his hatred is completely unnecessary.
But the current method is correct; they do need to start with the missing persons, which is the only source of information.
"How is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research on Karola progressing?" Alan Folker asked curiously.
Tony Stark brought up a report and replied, "No progress. It's just that their cells and DNA genes do differ from humans, and they are very active."
"Alright, my suggestion is to find the source of the Twelve Great Leaders as soon as possible, and you can track them through energy fields."
"Because I've found that every time an energy field appears, a new Karola Grand Commander will definitely appear. This is absolutely related to them." Alan Folker thought for a few seconds and analyzed.
Upon hearing this, Tony Stark quickly operated the console, brought up an image, and exclaimed in shock, "This energy field is the newest one to appear, the fourth energy field! Could it be that another Karola Grand Commander has appeared?"
Alan Folker looked at the scene before him. Dust swirled around the energy field, and it was clearly observable that there should be no casualties this time.
"That possibility cannot be ruled out. Where is this place?" Alan Folker asked, looking at the scene on the screen.
Tony Stark zoomed in on the map, pinpointing the location of the energy field. He suddenly noticed that the energy field's location was very close to the slums.
"It looks like it's time to act!" Tony Stark walked to the central area. The instruments on the ground opened, and the Mark armor gradually donned him.
A moment later, the Mark armor was fully equipped.
Tony Stark opened his faceplate, looked at Alan Folker, and said, "Thank you for your cooperation. I'll take it from here."
As he spoke, he ignited his engines and disappeared from the top of the building, transforming into a trail of Fire and smoke as he traversed the dark sky.
Alan Folker glanced at the screen, then walked to the edge and leaped down from the height. This was a skyscraper dozens of stories high; if an ordinary person fell from here, they would surely be annihilated.
The next second, Alan Folker took out a phantom mask, put it on his face, leaped up, and dashed into the distance.