In Los Angeles, at a military base, a military plane landed steadily on the tarmac.
The cabin door opened, and a Black man in uniform helped a bearded man with a bandaged right hand descend. Below, a White woman watched the bearded man with concern.
"Careful, Tony, this way," the uniformed Black man reminded him, pulling the somewhat uneasy bearded man aside to clear the cabin door.
"You've got to be kidding me, Rhodey?" the man called Tony said, pointing at a stretcher being pushed towards them, as if he'd found an excuse to break the White woman's intense gaze. His tone was a bit exaggerated: "Get that out of my sight right now."
The uniformed Black man, Rhodey, waved to the medical personnel, signaling them to leave, and then released his grip on Tony.
He felt that it was now time for Tony and her to catch up.
"Red eyes? Missing your missing boss?" Tony awkwardly stroked his beard, breaking the silence.
"I'm happy," the White woman replied, her eyes slightly red. "It saves me from having to find another job."
"Yeah, your vacation's over," Tony quipped, looking at the White woman's expression. He was a little intimidated, so he walked towards his car first.
As Tony got into the car, he immediately noticed a young Asian boy in the back seat, around seventeen or eighteen years old. His face, though youthful, was quite handsome; he would definitely be a heartthrob in the future. However, there was one thing that Tony found very displeasing.
"Zhang Lan, wake up, hey, wake up." Tony poked Zhang Lan with his good left hand. "Can you please wipe your drool?"
Woken by Tony, Zhang Lan looked around, a bit dazed, as if he hadn't fully woken up. Seeing Tony's disgusted expression, he blinked, seemingly brewing something, until a yawn escaped him, accompanied by a stretch.
Comfortable!
This series of actions made Tony raise an eyebrow; his patience seemed to be reaching its limit.
"Alright, Tony, don't be like that." Before Tony could erupt, Zhang Lan finally spoke: "Protecting you is hard work. I haven't had a good night's sleep in a long time."
Hearing the young man's words, Tony's mouth twitched involuntarily. He opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing.
He did indeed need to thank the young man in front of him. Over the past two months, he had been with him in that dark cave, providing a lot of help.
This was Zhang Lan's roundabout tactic.
Tony was sharp-tongued but knew how to repay favors. Based on this personality, Zhang Lan found Tony.
His address wasn't hard to find, at least not for Zhang Lan, since he had publicly announced its location in Iron Man 3. For this, he had paid the price of a villa.
After finding Tony, Zhang Lan didn't even go inside, as Jarvis's guest list didn't include him. Zhang Lan also wasn't planning to meet Tony immediately. He handed Jarvis a letter and left a message for him.
"Jarvis, please tell Tony that I have a blueprint for a miniature arc reactor. I hope he reads this letter, and I'll appear on my own later. Tell him not to look for me."
The so-called blueprint for a miniature arc reactor was, of course, a lie; such technology hadn't appeared in Zhang Lan's world yet.
It was merely an excuse to pique Tony's interest, with the ultimate goal of getting him to read the letter.
The letter didn't contain many words; the gist was that Zhang Lan had learned through certain channels that Tony would soon be attacked, and he would appear at the opportune moment to protect Tony's life, with his fee being one condition.
As for what that condition was, or the specific details of the attack, they were not written on the paper.
Tony at the time just treated it as a prank and casually looked up Zhang Lan's appearance.
But Zhang Lan, who was well-prepared, naturally wouldn't show his true face; he was someone who could use transformation jutsu.
His model was Hu Ge, so Tony naturally couldn't find anything.
Afterward, Zhang Lan, who had been keeping an eye on Tony's private jet movements, disguised himself as a co-pilot and followed Tony to Afghanistan.
As for why he tracked Tony's jet movements rather than Tony's movements, it was simple.
He couldn't track Tony directly.
Tony's flight schedule, however, was much simpler, as his website was already taking shape, and he even had a small working group. Among his employees, fortunately, was a decent hacker.
After Tony finished testing his weapons, Zhang Lan killed an English-speaking bandit, then used his transformation jutsu to disguise himself as a bandit, lurking nearby, witnessing Tony being knocked out by his own weapons.
Coincidentally, that missile was actually fired by the bandit Zhang Lan was impersonating; now it was he who had fired it himself.
He accidentally became a mentor for Iron Man's ideological awakening?
The reason he didn't prevent this tragedy was, first, that the circumstances at the time made it impossible to do much.
After all, at its core, he was just a weakling who could cast E-rank ninjutsu 20 times. With so many guns and ammunition on site, he could run away himself, but Tony couldn't.
He couldn't be too clever for his own good.
Crucially, would Tony still be Iron Man if he hadn't been harmed by his own weapons?
Would his ideology awaken?
No one knew.
So, Zhang Lan followed the original plot, lurking by Tony's side for two months, creating the impression that he had saved Tony, and providing as much help as possible.
Tony had also asked Zhang Lan, puzzled, why he didn't directly call for outside help. The military would rescue him.
Zhang Lan's answer at the time was simple: "Do you want me to notify the military?"
Tony was silent then.
Did he want them to?
No, he didn't.
He, who considered himself a genius, couldn't be a child who, after losing a fight, would ask his parents for help.
And he already had his own plan.
This plan was also successfully implemented in the movie, but Tony didn't know this, so Zhang Lan happily gained a wave of goodwill.
Building the Iron Man suit required tools, many of which Tony couldn't reasonably ask the bandits for. But Zhang Lan could, as a favor, mix them in with the original materials and deliver them to Tony.
The ample tools unexpectedly shortened the original three-month timeline to two months.
As for whether the delivery bandits would discover it? Zhang Lan, with his transformation jutsu, could freely transform into any bandit.
The prerequisite was that the bandit had to speak English, otherwise, his cover would be blown.
Zhang Lan would never impersonate any single bandit for more than a week. He would always use various excuses to participate in activities, then cleverly "die in battle," and then kill another and impersonate him.
The only regret was that Yinsen still died; he couldn't save him.
On the last night before Tony was ready to act, Zhang Lan participated in an activity to escape the bandit lair and found the right time to reveal Tony's location to Rhodey.
The contact information was, of course, given by Tony.
In this way, he perfectly gained a huge wave of goodwill in front of Tony. In life and death, the two people who stayed by Tony's side were Yinsen, who had died, and Zhang Lan, who risked his life to rescue Tony, was naturally seen as a kindred spirit.
"Where are we going, sir?" the driver asked at this moment.
"Happy, to the hospital," Pepper replied from the passenger seat.
"No, we're not going," Tony interrupted. "Pepper, I'm not going to the hospital."
"Tony, you have to go to the hospital to get checked out."
"I said no. Don't force me to go to the hospital. I've been locked up for two months." Tony flatly refused. "Right now, I only want to do two things. One is..."
Before Tony could finish, the young man Tony had forgotten suddenly reached out in front of him, a hamburger in his palm.
"Sir, is this the cheeseburger you ordered?" Zhang Lan's voice chimed in just then.
Tony was a bit speechless and smacked his lips. After a second's pause, he naturally took the cheeseburger with his good left hand and spoke to Pepper; he needed to attend to the second matter.
"Pepper, I also need..."
"Happy, to the company. Our press conference is about to start." Tony's words were interrupted again by Zhang Lan. "I've already notified all major media outlets, using your account."
Tony's account, of course, was the one Tony had given Zhang Lan to notify Rhodey.
The driver, called Happy, didn't know Zhang Lan. So he didn't start the car immediately, but looked at Tony. Seeing Tony nod with a helpless expression, he then started the car.
"How did you know?" Tony asked.
"Know what? Are you referring to this attack? Or Pepper thinking you'd look for women as soon as you got back?" Zhang Lan's answer was off-topic, and his words made Pepper's face flush.
"Tony," Pepper in the front seat said somewhat flustered, "who is this? I'm sorry, I don't know him."
As Tony's personal assistant, she needed to know everyone Tony knew; she wasn't just changing the subject.
"Zhang Lan, Chinese American. Well, he accounted for 12% of my escape this time." Tony introduced them to each other. "Lan, this is Pepper, my assistant."
"Lan, it's nice to meet you." Pepper politely turned around in the front seat, wanting to shake Zhang Lan's hand, but Tony directly grabbed her small hand.
"Lan doesn't like women, so it's better if I shake your hand."
Could this be tolerated?
Naturally, it couldn't be tolerated.
"Pepper, this trip was quite good. Tony and I spent two months together, and I found that when he sleeps at night, he always calls out a name in his dreams. That name is Pep— *muffled*."
Although Tony clumsily covered his mouth, the appearance of the word "Pep" was already very obvious, but Tony was still a bit unprepared, so he was a little flustered.
"Hey, buddy, the condition you mentioned before, there's no need to change it, right?" Tony threatened.
Before returning, Zhang Lan had already told Tony his request.
"Hmm, can I change it now?" Zhang Lan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Pepper. "My request is to have Pepper as my assistant. How about it? I'll pay Pepper ten times her salary."
This was, of course, teasing Tony, as he couldn't afford such a high salary.
Pepper in the front seat also tensed up, staring intently at Tony in the rearview mirror. She also wanted to know the answer.
"No, you opportunistic scoundrel, that condition is absolutely not acceptable!" Tony reacted very strongly. "Your original one was very good, and I agree to it."
Tony was excited, seeing the playful smirk on Zhang Lan's face and Happy secretly laughing in the front. He couldn't see Pepper's mouth because he was sitting behind her.
But he could see in the rearview mirror that Pepper's eyebrows were raised, so she must have been happy.
"Sir, we've arrived," Happy interjected at the opportune moment, relieving Tony's awkwardness.
They had indeed arrived at the press conference venue. Outside the window, a white-bearded old man was tapping on the window; it was Obadiah Stane, who had orchestrated Tony's kidnapping.
Obadiah personally opened the car door for Tony and embraced him as he got out, warmly greeting him and inquiring about his health.
He didn't look at all like someone who wanted Tony dead.
After a brief greeting with Obadiah, Tony introduced Zhang Lan and Obadiah to each other.
"Oh, Lan, thank you so much for saving Tony!" Obadiah exclaimed in an exaggerated loud voice. "You saved Stark Industries, you know? It's like saving me! I won't have to feel ashamed before Howard after I die."
Was he feeling guilty and playing the emotional card?
Zhang Lan's expression wasn't warm. He simply shook hands with Obadiah and then asked Tony if it was time to go inside.
For the sake of the plot, Zhang Lan hadn't yet told Tony Obadiah's true nature, but that didn't mean Zhang Lan could wear a false mask and conspire with a tiger.
That wasn't his style; he didn't want to be that tired.
And Obadiah didn't seem to mind Zhang Lan's coolness, at least his expression didn't show it.
As a seasoned individual, controlling his emotions was a basic skill. He chatted and laughed with Tony as they walked into the press hall.
Inside the press hall, Zhang Lan didn't try to steal the spotlight but stood quietly beside Pepper. He needed to meet someone.
"Miss Potts, Mr. Zhang, good day," Coulson's unruffled tone sounded.
"What is it?" Pepper replied politely.
"May I have a word with you?" Coulson politely invited.
"The press conference doesn't need me yet, but I'd like to watch," Pepper said, mistaking Coulson for a reporter.
"I'm not a reporter. I'm Agent Coulson, representing the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." A classic line was replayed.
Coulson handed a business card to both Zhang Lan and Pepper.
"Wow," Pepper exclaimed softly. "That's a mouthful."
"We're working on that problem too."
"The Department of Defense, the FBI, the CIA have all contacted us."
"We're an independent department," Coulson interrupted Pepper. "Our functions are more focused. We'd like to hear the detailed circumstances of Mr. Stark's escape."
"I'll arrange it, okay?" Pepper said evasively.
"Thank you," Coulson said politely, then turned to Zhang Lan. "So, Mr. Zhang, are you free now?"
Zhang Lan looked at Coulson's signature deadpan expression and then turned to look at Tony and the others, who were already sitting on the floor.
"Coulson," Zhang Lan said, "you must not be busy, right? I think there's going to be a good show. Why don't we watch it before we leave?"
"As you wish," Coulson replied politely.
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Please don't cast recommendation votes for this book anymore. My new book, "Naruto: Playing a Fake God," has been released. I'm asking for everyone's collection and recommendation votes!
It is now March 23, 2017, three months and three days after this book was published. I want to say something to new readers.
This book is my first as a novice author. There are definitely flaws, but I only seek to finish it smoothly, not to make it perfect.
Therefore, I ask readers who look for flaws with the mindset of reading a great author's work to please bypass this book. Thank you. Please do not display the lowest limits of your character in the comment section. It's troublesome for you to type, and it takes me time to mute and delete.
Finally, I welcome friendly discussions about the plot. I am not unwilling to accept criticism; I just don't accept readers who are entirely critical and abusive.