The handover will be in three days.
He looked at Coulson's sincere face, which made one want to award him the 'Best Employee Award,' and nodded with a smile:
"No problem, Phil. My client is welcome to move in anytime. Remember to tell Director Fury that there's a 10% discount on the first year's service fee, as a token of our sincerity for our first collaboration."
Coulson's eyelid twitched involuntarily again.
He found that dealing with William Rodriguez subjected his facial nerves to severe tests.
After seeing off Coulson and his "Black Hawk" helicopter, North Brother Island returned to tranquility.
Only William and the two others stood on the empty landing pad, facing this steel fortress.
"Boss,"
Tandy's expression was extremely grave as she pointed in the direction of the giant cage.
"That 'bad-tempered' client you mentioned... it wouldn't be Godzilla, would it?"
"Don't talk nonsense,"
William corrected her sternly.
"Godzilla's insurance business is managed by Toho Co., Ltd. That's outside our jurisdiction and not according to the rules."
Tyrone silently pulled down his hoodie at the side and whispered, "Are we really going to work here?"
"No, we're not just working here; we're realizing our life's value here!"
"Think about it, we are making indelible contributions to maintaining World peace and stability!"
"Every time we successfully help a client get a good night's sleep, we are saving thousands of innocent citizens! What a noble cause this is!"
Tandy and Tyrone exchanged glances, both seeing the same emotion in the other's eyes—'You're full of it.'
William no longer paid attention to these two employees who lacked identification with his corporate culture.
He turned and walked into the Base, pulling out his personal phone as he went.
On the surface, he was as steady as an old dog, but in reality, he was extremely nervous.
He knew all too well what S.H.I.E.L.D. was like.
This Agent organization said they handed the island over to him, but God knows how many backdoors and surveillance devices they left inside.
He didn't want Nick Fury, that one-eyed man, to analyze how many sheets of toilet paper he used each day as a data report.
He had to find outside help.
An external helper who could technologically overpower S.H.I.E.L.D. and also didn't care about them.
The call connected.
"Who is this? If it's another one of those damn fund salesmen, I promise I'll buy your company and send you to Siberia to dig potatoes."
Tony Stark's characteristic, slightly hungover, lazy voice came from the other end of the line.
"Good morning, Tony. It seems your party last night was a success."
William's voice was light and cheerful, as if chatting with an old friend.
"William? What, has my 'Don't Die From Your Own Stupidity Insurance' expired? I thought I bought a lifetime package."
"Your coverage is rock solid, Tony. I'm calling this time because I want to invite you for an... art appraisal."
"Art appraisal?"
"I have more Picassos than you've seen ties. What do you have that's worth my time? A signed, oversized insurance policy?"
"You know, S.H.I.E.L.D. prepared a private island for me. The location is excellent, and the privacy is top-notch."
"However, the contractor's taste is a bit... official. You know, big, clumsy, lacking soul. I'd like to invite you, the modern-day Da Vinci, to offer some guidance on this semi-finished product."
"Alright, you've successfully piqued my curiosity. But I must warn you, my consulting fees are very expensive, billed hourly. Less than an hour is counted as an hour, and fractions are automatically rounded up to millions."
"No problem,"
William readily agreed, his smile as bright as the Sun outside the window.
"Coincidentally, my company is expanding into new business recently. We can tailor a 'Genius Consultant Personal Accident and Reputation Protection Insurance' for you. The fee will be deducted from your consulting fee. I believe you will be satisfied."
On the other end of the phone, Tony Stark seemed to choke for a moment, then let out a loud laugh:
"You, you're always selling something. Wait, I want to see what kind of scrap metal is worth such a grand display from you."
The call ended.
William put away his phone, his smile incredibly sincere.
Done.
Half an hour later, a sonic boom, tearing through the air, grew from distant to near, exploding over North Brother Island.
Tandy and Tyrone were startled by the sudden loud noise and rushed out of the Base.
They saw a golden-red stream of light, like a meteor from outer space, trailing a long plume of fire, descending vertically onto the center of the landing pad in an utterly unreasonable manner.
The sound waves and airflow kicked up dust, making it almost impossible for Tandy to open her eyes, feeling as if the collagen in her face was draining away.
When the smoke and dust cleared, the incredibly flashy steel armor stood on the ground in a classic, superhero-like half-crouch pose that would thrill any chiropractor.
The faceplate snapped upward with a 'click,' revealing Tony Stark's face, adorned with a cynical smile.
"Express delivery, on-call service."
Tony stood up, the armor emitting a subtle mechanical whirring sound.
"Tell me, William, where's your 'artwork'? If it's just a bigger safe, I'll have to charge you for wasting my fuel."
Tandy's mouth formed an "O."
She instinctively wanted to say something.
Like "That's so cool" or "Can I take a picture?" but she forced the words back down, merely crossing her arms and trying to maintain a cool, "I've seen it all" expression.
Beside her, Tyrone silently pulled the brim of his hoodie further down.
As if he wanted to hide his entire self in that small Shadow, but his slightly trembling fingertips still betrayed his inner turmoil.
"Welcome, Tony."
William seemed accustomed to such flamboyant entrances. He stepped forward, extended his hand, and made a 'please' gesture.
"The artwork is inside. Please follow me. I believe its 'weight' will certainly not disappoint you."
Tony curled his lip and started walking.
The heavy armor made dull 'clanking' sounds as it walked on the metal floor, each step seemingly asserting its extraordinary nature.
When the group passed through the thick alloy gate and arrived at the huge circular space deep within the Base, even Tony Stark couldn't help but whistle.
"Whoa."
The cynicism in his eyes faded somewhat, replaced by the scrutiny and curiosity of a technician encountering a complex structure.
Tony walked around the massive object, tapped its dark outer wall with a steel finger, and listened intently to the echo.
"The energy conduction lines use outdated pulsed methods, not the more efficient continuous field resonance.
The material science is somewhat interesting, doped with inert elements to absorb energy impact? How old-fashioned, like Soviet submarine design ideas from the sixties. And these..."
He pointed to the gigantic shackles, thicker than a man, "Does your client sleepwalk and box?"
Before William could repeat his 'deep sleep' spiel, Tony impatiently waved his hand.
"Alright, don't treat me like those idiots in Congress who can't even tell a transistor from a resistor. Leave the rest to me."
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