Zhou Yi waited three or four days for Tony's message. Just as he was about to forget about the Adamantium request, Tony Stark finally replied.
"Hey, pal. What have you been busy with lately? I've invited some lovely girls, let's have a party on the sea today."
"Lovely girls, it's not easy to get such praise from you? Tell me, where did they come from?" Zhou Yi instantly forgot his initial serious intent.
"Angels freshly trained by Victoria, and several beautiful girls who just stepped into Hollywood. They participated in a movie I invested in, so I just invited them out like this." Tony's proud mood was palpable.
"Pal, you did really well. I think this is the most sensible thing you've done since we met." Zhou Yi had no integrity when it came to beautiful women.
Tony retorted, "I also think something might be wrong with me. Maybe Hogan accidentally hit my head... Normally, I wouldn't share these good girls with you."
Zhou Yi, already tidying up his appearance, pressed the serious topic. "Anyway, thank Hogan for me first. But, pal. Do you still remember why I left you a message?"
Tony, pulling away from the girls, instructed them: "Hey, girls. I have some business... Will you wait for me at the yacht? What? Which yacht? The coolest, most dazzling, and biggest one, do you see it? Girls, that's the one!"
Tony was pointing to his superyacht, the Dream, a 555-foot behemoth custom-ordered for nearly $700 million. Zhou Yi knew the yacht well:
Size: 555 feet long, nine decks.
Decks: Engine room, submarine/small yacht docking bay (with a disco).
Amenities: Could accommodate 12 to 30 guests in 8 suites. The owner's suite was 5,000 sq ft on the fifth floor, complete with a retractable ceiling for sleeping under the stars.
Interior: Designed by Jarvis, featuring a huge open-air pool on the third deck and an indoor pool with an adjustable depth that could transform into a dance floor.
Operation: Fully intelligent, operable by Jarvis, requiring no human security or drivers—one of only two in the world (the other being Zhou Yi's slightly smaller Sunshine).
Zhou Yi accepted Tony's expensive and showy behavior, reminding himself that money, for them, was meant to be spent.
When the girls' voices subsided, Tony returned to the topic. "Pal, can I know what you want that thing for? I'll tell you beforehand, this thing isn't something ordinary people can get their hands on. The Military has a colonel with considerable influence who strictly controls all production of this stuff... that guy has killed at least a dozen small tribes in Africa."
Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow, recognizing the colonel as General Stryker, the head of the X-Agency, who was fiercely antagonistic toward Mutants and on Zhou Yi's blacklist.
"Relax, I just want to make something for myself to play with. I think if you have stock, I won't need to deal with the Military."
"I only have less than 20 pounds of adamantium. I don't have any more than that... I can trade with you, it's just a display piece anyway. But pal, if I don't like your stuff, then I'll just have to keep it as a display!"
"Don't worry, I guarantee you'll be satisfied." Zhou Yi smiled. "I'll be right over, don't tell me it's just the two of us."
"How could that be? I also called Rhodey over. The three of us can compete to see who attracts more attention from the girls."
The two hung up and soon met on the Dream. Zhou Yi saw Tony and an extremely displeased Colonel James 'Rhodey' Rhodes (head of the US Military's Weapons Development Department).
"Hey, Rhodey. Why do you have that expression, like you're constipated? Cheer up, today is a rare occasion for Tony to treat us, with so many beautiful girls. Smile, today will be very pleasant."
Rhodey's expression was broken. "I wish there weren't so many girls looking at me! When I first arrived, a girl came over and asked me, 'Hi! Are you Colonel James 'Rhodey' Rhodes?'... The result…"
Zhou Yi interrupted, "Let me guess, did she ask you some strange questions?"
"Yes, she actually asked me, 'Why do you like men?'" Rhodey waved his arms in exasperation. "All the girls on the ship were looking at me, and I didn't know how to answer her. Who told her I liked men? I don't even know who she is, how did she know I liked men?"
"I didn't know you liked men either?" Zhou Yi took a cocktail from a nearby bikini-clad girl, who quickly walked away with a strange expression. "But I think it's best if you keep this secret."
Rhodey realized that the 'competition' Tony suggested was a setup. These two friends had conspired to eliminate their opponent (Rhodey) by spreading a damaging rumor.
Rhodey felt a deep sense of his own simplicity and naivety. Friends, indeed, were completely unreliable.