Colonel Rhodes's face went from dark to liver-colored, then quickly turned grayish-blue.
He suddenly straightened up from his Iron Man Suit, his movements so sharp it was as if the person who had been sprawled on the ground just now wasn't him.
He wanted to speak.
For example, "This is Military equipment, not subject to traffic laws," or "I haven't been drinking," but as the words reached his lips, he felt they weren't very convincing.
Because the troublemaker next to him was already laughing so hard he was about to fall out of his suit.
"Hahahahaha... Drunk driving? William! You... you're a genius!"
Tony Stark held his helmet, shaking with laughter.
The alcohol made his already active mind even more unrestrained.
"Did you hear that, Rhodey? He asked if we count as drunk driving! I think... yes! Absolutely yes!"
"Tomorrow, I'll have the legal department draft a 'Superhero Traffic Safety Act,' and the first article will state: 'It is forbidden to fly over urban areas at speeds exceeding Mach three after drinking alcohol!'"
Rhodes felt his blood pressure rapidly rising.
He grabbed his friend, who was still babbling, and growled through gritted teeth, "Tony! Stop talking! We're here to discuss serious business!"
"Right, serious business!"
Tony finally stopped laughing and turned to William, his eyes filled with the excitement of alcohol and an appreciation for someone who understood his field.
"The question you asked is very professional! This just goes to show that Rhodey needs to buy insurance! Think about it, what if he gets too drunk one day and drives his War Machine to a Military exercise, accidentally damaging the White House lawn? Who would be responsible for that?"
"The Military? No, they'll just push the responsibility onto me! So I absolutely must buy insurance!"
Rhodes stood expressionless beside him, letting Tony continue to speak.
He just wanted to end this farce quickly and then go back and blow up Tony's wine cellar.
"I understand."
William's face maintained a standard professional smile, and he politely made a 'please' gesture.
"Tony, Colonel, it's windy outside, let's discuss the details in the office. I'll prepare the most comprehensive risk assessment report for both of you."
William didn't prepare sobering tea; instead, he brewed the strongest coffee.
The bitterness of the caffeine slightly sobered Tony, but the excitement in his eyes remained.
Rhodes sat on the sofa, looking dejected. He felt that his dignity as a U.S. Air Force Colonel had been completely trampled tonight.
Being dragged by a friend for a drunken 'speed race' was bad enough.
Now, he also had to be assessed for risk like a commodity by an insurance salesman.
"Colonel, don't be too stiff."
William's voice was gentle and professional. He took out a tablet and opened a beautifully designed interface.
"Based on the unique nature of your War Machine, I've drafted an insurance policy framework called the 'Global Tactical Response Unit All-Weather Protection Agreement.' Now, we need to refine some details."
"For example," William's finger slid across the screen.
"The first item is conventional combat wear and tear. Our insurance coverage includes armor scratches caused by light weapon fire, sensor malfunctions due to explosive Impact, and repair costs for crashing into buildings due to emergency evasions."
Rhodes's eyelid twitched.
"The second item is unconventional threat countermeasures. Coverage includes alien invasions, harassment by extradimensional demons, irresistible damage caused by certain beings from the Nordic God Realm, and complete destruction of the suit due to any attack beyond Earth's current technological level."
Rhodes's mouth began to twitch.
"The third item, and what I believe is the most important,"
William's gaze shifted between Tony and Rhodes.
"The 'Friendly Fire and Non-Subjective Error' exemption clause. Specifically, if your suit, for example, due to one of your genius friends modifying your operating system without your permission and adding some... overly entertaining features, leads to any accident, we will compensate you in full."
"Pfft—"
Tony almost spat out the coffee he had just drunk.
Rhodes suddenly looked up, his eyes lighting up for the first time.
He looked at William, his gaze full of the recognition, "Brother, you understand me."
"This clause, I want it bolded and highlighted in red!" Rhodes's voice had never been so firm.
"Hey!"
Tony was displeased.
"That was to optimize your user experience! The 'Spin Bike Mode' allows you to exercise during boring flights, which is good for your health!"
"Finally."
William ignored Tony's protest and smiled as he added the last item.
"We can also offer you an exclusive additional insurance—'Good Brother Proximity Effect Special Protection'."
"When you are on a mission, as long as Tony is within a one-kilometer radius of you, your policy's compensation limit will automatically increase by fifty percent, and the premium... will also increase by twenty percent accordingly."
The office suddenly fell silent.
Rhodes began to think.
This additional insurance sounded... very appealing.
Going on missions with Tony definitely increased the risk significantly, so a higher premium was reasonable.
Anyway, he wouldn't be paying for it himself, so who cared!
Tony, on the other hand, widened his eyes and pointed to his nose: "Hey! I can even increase the compensation limit? Am I that important? No... why the extra premium? I myself am the biggest insurance!"
"Tony, risk and reward coexist."
"You are the biggest 'uncertain factor' in this World. With you around, any small conflict could escalate into a localized war. From a risk assessment perspective, this is definitely the highest level of risk source."
These words left Tony speechless; he even felt... that there might be some truth to them.
Finally, with Tony's generous decision, this policy, whose premium was high enough to buy a small mercenary army, was finalized.
Colonel Rhodes underwent a complex psychological change, from initial resistance to numbness in the middle, and finally to... a certain anticipation.
Just as William was about to send the electronic contract to Rhodes's encrypted email, Tony, who had been very excited, suddenly became gentle.
He even showed a rare seriousness.
"William,"
He looked at William, his eyes no longer those of the cynical playboy, but of a friend who genuinely cared for those around him.
"Have you ever considered providing services for those who aren't protected by Iron Man Suits?"
William's heart stirred.
"Pepper... and Happy."
Tony's voice lowered.
"They face danger every day, and many times, the danger appears because of me. Can you... design such an insurance for them too? Money is not an issue."
At this moment, the atmosphere in the office changed.
William looked at Tony's eyes, filled with sincerity and anticipation, and a complex feeling welled up in his heart.
If only he could.
He slowly shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice: "Sorry, Tony, the company's business scope is very... clear. We only provide services to clients with 'special risks'."
"Special risks?"
Tony frowned.
"Pepper is the CEO of Stark Industries, Happy is my Head of Security, aren't the risks they face special enough?"
"From an ordinary person's perspective, that's true."
William chose his words carefully.
"But from my business model, they... lack a certain 'key factor'. Our insurance calculation model is built upon non-traditional physical rules. For ordinary people, traditional insurance companies can do better than me."
These vague words left Tony disappointed and confused.
"So, you can insure a soldier in flying armor, but you can't insure my CEO? What kind of logic is that?"
William sighed inwardly.
What logic?
Do you think I don't want to?
If I could sell insurance to ordinary people, the entire Wall Street would be calling me boss right now!
Tens of thousands of employees at Stark Industries, if I went door-to-door selling to each one, the commissions alone would let me retire directly to buy a small island in the Caribbean!
What kind of clients do I deal with every day?
Either they can fly to the heavens and burrow into the Earth, or they can shapeshift and control objects, or they're just people with strange ideas!
The risks are terrifyingly high!
Is it easy for me?
William thought a lot internally, but his face still maintained a polite smile.
He finally ended the topic with a common business cliché: "We specialize in what we're good at, and I regret this."
Tony looked at him deeply, not pressing further.
He knew that some people and things had their own secrets and rules behind them.
Standing up, Tony patted Rhodes on the shoulder:
"Alright, the hero's insurance is settled. Our 'party' should also end."
Rhodes immediately stood up as if relieved, his movements so fast it was as if he was escaping something bad.
After the two Iron Man Suits once again roared into the sky and disappeared into the night, William stood alone by the window.
[Ding! Successfully pitched the "Global Tactical Response Unit All-Weather Protection Agreement" to "James Rhodes (War Machine)".]
[Extracting customer ability... "Tactical Vision (Primary)"!]
[Tactical Vision (Primary): Your perception system has been reconstructed, allowing you to instinctively analyze the structural weaknesses and key nodes of a target (individual, organization, or event). Effect: When observing and analyzing, you will automatically pinpoint the target's "core flaws" and quickly construct the most efficient countermeasure. Warning: This ability consumes mental energy; when used on targets with insufficient information or those far beyond your cognitive scope, it may lead to analytical errors or mental fatigue.]
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