Happy’s Backstab

"Hey, Tony, what are you spacing out for? Why aren’t you getting in the car?" Happy’s voice brought the distracted Tony back to his senses.

"Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about where to go have fun." Tony got into Happy’s car. "To the Martial Arts School."

"You’ve already learned everything, haven’t you? Why do you keep going to the Martial Arts School?" Happy glanced at Tony in the rearview mirror and said slowly as he drove, "I heard that while you were away, all those models were kicked out of the school."

"They hadn’t managed to get started after three months, so they failed the assessment," Tony replied casually.

"But I heard the school wanted to make room for the newcomers. Was that all just a rumor?"

Tony shrugged. "You can’t exactly call it a rumor. A lot of new people really did come, but unfortunately, most of them were men."

"Many of the models who were kicked out contacted me privately, hoping to get your contact information, but I turned them all down. I figured that since you didn’t plead on their behalf, you must have wanted to replace them with a new batch of girls. Am I right?"

"Uh… basically. But even if I had pleaded for them, it wouldn’t have helped." Tony thought of his master’s rigid rules and couldn’t help sighing.

"Huh? He won’t even give you special treatment?" Happy asked in feigned surprise.

"Not just me. He doesn’t give anyone special treatment. The problem is, he has the ability to disregard everyone’s feelings."

Thinking of his own combat power, then estimating his master’s, Tony felt weak all over. He couldn’t help lamenting, "How can someone like that even exist in this world?"

Happy glanced at Tony in the rearview mirror again. "I heard he killed more than a dozen police officers a few days ago, right in front of everyone. My God, that’s terrifying."

When Tony didn’t react, he probed again:

"Could the group be implicated because of him? Once the public finds out, Stark Industries’ stock price will definitely plummet."

"The news is being suppressed. It won’t get out."

"What about the students who quit the Martial Arts School? They won’t tell anyone either?"

"As long as it doesn’t spread widely, the voices of a few individuals won’t gain any momentum. No one will care."

"But the victims’ relatives will care. They might seek revenge, install bombs, or something."

"Heh." Tony couldn’t help laughing. "Happy, once you master Current Drive, you naturally stop being an ordinary person. You won’t be hurt by mere bullets."

"I’m worried that if the victims’ relatives can’t take revenge on the Martial Arts School, they might redirect their hatred toward Stark Industries. People like Obadiah or Pepper, for example."

"…Fine, you have a point. We can’t rule out that possibility. But I’ve already arranged for Pepper to learn martial arts at the school. Once she gets started, Obadiah will go too. By the way, Happy, how’s your Chinese coming along?"

"Uh… Chinese really is a profound language," Happy said awkwardly.

"It’s just a language. How hard can it be?"

"Hey, Tony, don’t use your standards to measure ordinary people. It takes a normal person at least a year to learn a language. If I were as much of a genius as you, I wouldn’t be driving you around right now. I’d start my own major company and drag you over to be my chauffeur." Happy shouted indignantly.

"Haha, you’re right. When your company is founded, I’ll drive you around. ‘Mr. Happy, please get in.’ ‘Mr. Happy, please get out.’"

The two of them burst into laughter as they talked.

After laughing for a while, Happy composed himself and said seriously to Tony, "Tony, that man called Zhan Liu doesn’t seem like a good person. I’m really worried about you."

"That’s true, Happy. Master Zhan isn’t just a bad person; he’s also a bastard who treats human lives as worthless. But the problem is that his combat power is far too high, even beyond the limits of my imagination. I have no idea who on Earth could restrain him." Tony sighed.

"Tony, you can do it! You’ll definitely find a way to restrain him!"

Happy slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road. Turning around, he stared into Tony’s eyes and said solemnly:

"Tony, you’re a genius! The one and only genius in this world!"

"If there’s anyone in this world who can counterbalance that dangerous man, it has to be you!"

"Tony, you need to have confidence in yourself. There’s no problem in this world that you can’t solve."

Tony stared blankly at Happy in the front seat and said in surprise, "Happy, I really appreciate your faith in me, but why would I want to counterbalance him? What do I stand to gain by doing something so dangerous?"

"Hey, Tony, you’re a superhero! You’re Iron Man!" Happy shouted angrily.

"Oh, give it a rest! Those are titles the media made up. I’ve never thought of myself as a superhero, and I’m not interested in being called one."

"I don’t want to be the lapdog of those powerful people. Give them your youth, then your whole life; give them your whole life, then your descendants. Of course, I don’t object to other people doing that. I’d even applaud and welcome it, giving them all the glory. As for me, wouldn’t it be better to spend that time chasing a few more women?"

"I think my master was right. The greater your ability, the greater your power should be."

"Come on, Happy, don’t look at me so disappointedly, like a pitiful little puppy that’s lost its bone. You know me. I’m just a playboy. Becoming Iron Man was purely an accident."

Happy slowly turned back in disappointment and started the car again. With a sigh, he said, "Fine, you’re right. I expected too much of you."

"Happy, I’m glad you told me all this. At least it proves that you sincerely consider me a friend." Tony smiled and reached toward the front seat, patting Happy on the shoulder.

Happy continued driving and said, "Of course I consider you a friend, and I also hope you’ll do things befitting your identity and reputation. It’s not just me. Everyone who cares about you and loves you will have the same expectations."

"That includes Miss Pepper, Mr. Obadiah, and… the late Mr. Howard Stark."

As Happy spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the rearview mirror. He clearly noticed that when Tony’s father was mentioned, Tony’s brow furrowed and his expression grew distracted.

Sure enough, just as that person had said, the late Howard Stark was Tony’s weak point. Although Tony always claimed that he had nothing to do with Howard, the truth was that his every word and action had been influenced by the father who had left him when he was young.

Having achieved his goal, Happy didn’t disturb Tony’s contemplation. Instead, he looked away, fell silent, and continued driving steadily.