Pepper frantically darted around the spacious office, but her elegant high heels made it difficult to move, and the locked door prevented her from escaping directly.
The busy tone on her phone felt endless. She saw that the caller ID was Finney, but the urgency of the situation prevented her from hanging up and dialing again. All she wanted now was to get the message out as quickly as possible.
Obadiah held a paralyzing device that Tony had once invented, close to Pepper. It was very effective, but only at close range.
He had originally planned to sneak up and ambush her through conversation, but Pepper's phone call disrupted his plans.
Kamar-Taj, early morning.
Finney, having finished his meditation, enjoyed the tranquility. The fresh air refreshed him. He didn't feel the hustle and bustle of New York here; nature and peace filled the atmosphere of Kamar-Taj.
"Hey, Mage Finney, give me two chicken nugget wraps, quick!"
But soon someone broke the atmosphere. A female mage came to Finney's side, urging him impatiently.
"Tina, you're making me feel like a street vendor,"
Finney said helplessly to the female mage beside him.
"Then you could come to Hong Kong and sell fried chicken rolls, and try out some Chinese food while you're at it," Tina Xiu suggested, seemingly unconcerned.
"Next time, next time, definitely,"
Finney replied with a grin, his procrastination tactics never failing him.
Several more people came asking for food, and Finney accepted them all; with his abilities, supplying the entire city of Kathmandu wouldn't be a problem. After
feeding the mages and finishing his morning and evening self-study sessions in Kamar-Taj, Finney was about to open the door to go home when his phone rang.
Looking at the unfamiliar number, Finney wondered who was calling. If it were Tony, it would definitely show as unknown.
Fini, curious, answered the phone. A panicked female voice came from the other end.
"Help, it's Obama... *snap*..."
The voice abruptly stopped, as if the phone had fallen to the ground.
Fini's expression changed instantly. Although the other person hadn't finished speaking, the information revealed was enough: it was definitely related to Tony, and the identity was obvious.
Tony's assistant, Pepper Potts. Fini instantly guessed who was calling. Although he didn't know why Pepper would call him for help, he knew one thing: the future had changed.
"Hey, where are you?"
Fini asked quickly and anxiously. From what she had just said, Pepper was clearly in danger. She was the most important woman in Tony's life. Without her, Fini didn't think Tony could still be the Iron Man he remembered.
There was no answer from the other end of the line, and a few seconds later, the call ended.
"Damn it!"
Fini couldn't help but curse, his brows furrowing. A single phone call obviously wasn't enough for him to find the other person's location. He wasn't Ultron, able to track IP addresses or anything.
"A portal!"
Finney quickly came up with a solution. Whatever the reason, this was definitely related to Tony, and thankfully he knew Tony's address.
Without much thought, the portal opened.
However, just as he stepped through it, the floor beneath his feet suddenly dropped, and mechanical shackles appeared, binding his feet. At the same time, he heard a sound above him. Looking up, he saw a large net rapidly descending.
Finney instantly felt ambushed.
Without hesitation, Finney used his Flight spell to quickly ascend, dodging the shackles, and simultaneously summoned 'Haunted by Evil'. Finney
didn't equip his armor; he used one hand to summon the Ring of Gargador, and the other hand, wielding a longsword, to cut through the net. Just as he was about to equip his armor, he noticed Tony, who was also startled.
"What's going on here?"
Finney frowned and asked.
"Just preparing some small gifts for guests who come unannounced," Tony shrugged nonchalantly, silently noting the ability Finney had displayed.
"You really have nothing better to do!" Finney said sarcastically, suppressing his anger, then frowned and said, "A woman just called me. It seems something happened to her. It must be your assistant."
"Pepper!"
Tony's expression changed instantly, and he immediately shouted, "Jarvis, call Pepper!"
A few seconds later, Jarvis's voice came through.
"Sir, Miss Potts' phone is switched off and cannot be reached!"
"How could this be!"
Tony paced back and forth frantically, his heart filled with anxiety. Seeing Finney beside him, he couldn't help but ask angrily, "Why didn't you go save her?"
"Do you think I'm God?"
Finney wasn't in a good mood either. Anyone who rushed to save someone only to be met with an attack wouldn't be happy. Fortunately, he knew what was important. Now was not the time to be stubborn. He immediately asked,
"Where is she now? Do you know? As long as she's within New York City, I can basically open a portal."
Finney asked in a deep voice. He was very familiar with New York City, so opening a portal was relatively easy. But other places, except for Kamar-Taj and the remaining two temples, would be more difficult.
"Stark Tower!"
Tony, now calm, immediately said, "I asked her to look for something in my office, it must be there!"
"Then congratulations, she should have found it. She mentioned Obadiah on the phone; he's probably the killer. By the way, it was Obadiah who kidnapped you,"
Finney said. At this point, he clearly didn't care about the Iron Man; rescuing Pepper was the most important thing. He was worried Tony still trusted Obadiah, so he directly told the truth.
Tony clenched his fist, remaining silent. He had asked Pepper to go to his office, so Obadiah was the prime suspect.
"Teleport!"
Finding a secluded spot near Stark Tower wasn't easy; it took Finney a while to open a portal. Looking at the anxious Tony beside him, he said, "I'll go look for it first. What do you plan to do?"
"I'll go with you!"
Pepper was now arguably Tony's most important person, so he decided to go with her. If they encountered Obadiah, they could teach that old bastard a lesson.
Finney didn't refuse. He wasn't familiar with Stark Tower at all, and having Tony lead the way would be easier.
After passing through the portal, the two appeared in a small alley. Finney thought for a moment and decided to equip 'Possessed' and activate his invisibility ability.
Being with Tony would attract too much attention, especially since Tony was going through a critical period. Being with him would likely draw the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as Hydra.
Although he was now part of an organization, if anyone tried to cause trouble, he could call out the Ancient One and guarantee they'd be utterly destroyed. But it was better to avoid trouble if possible. Of course, getting the Ancient One involved wasn't easy.
"I'm right next to you, don't worry,"
Finney said to Tony after becoming invisible.
Concerned for Pepper's comfort, Tony didn't say much and immediately started heading towards the company. His face was the best proof of his identity, and no security guard didn't recognize him and dare to stop him.
Following Tony, they entered the building without any hindrance. Finney even took a moment to look around; it undeniably had the feel of a high-tech company.
Tony didn't have Finney's leisurely pace. Upon entering the company, he went straight to the office, only to find it empty. His brow furrowed, and he said to Finney,
"Let's split up and look for them. I'll go ask someone if Obadiah has left the company!"
Good luck! Good luck!
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(End of Chapter)