Tony Stark’s Offer of Cooperation

"Drop your weapons, raise your hands, and slowly walk out of the restaurant!"

Even in an obscure European town, America’s influence had quickly reached this place. Based on the public phone booth Bai Cangshu had used to call the police, America and Stark Tech swiftly pinpointed the caller’s location.

There was no helping it. Information of this level had quickly been confirmed: a group had indeed launched attacks in New York, causing more than several hundred casualties.

Whether it was the National Security Agency or more secretive departments, none of them would ignore the caller’s information.

They quickly had the local police surround the area, while their own agents were also on the way.

Police lights flashed outside the restaurant, throwing the European town, which had only just fallen into night, into chaos. Many people gathered around, unable to understand what was happening.

The restaurant owner was a somewhat plump old man wearing a chef’s apron. He stood at the entrance with his hands raised, completely at a loss.

But the customers at the table by the window were clearly the dangerous individuals the police were referring to. They were even waving him over.

"Boss, bring another round of what we just had. I mean every single dish~"

He saw the handsome Asian man with long black hair give the order in impeccably authentic British English, as though the heavily armed police outside did not exist.

Although Artoria could be considered a big eater, her table manners were not exaggerated, so she ate at an ordinary pace. She only felt that the host’s way of eating did not resemble eating at all; it was more like… cultivation.

Tree Herder frowned, though he was not worried about the special police officers.

"His Excellency Mercenary Tao, how did you know Solomon’s target was the Darkhold?"

"Your… your mind-reading ability should be blocked by Solomon, shouldn’t it?"

Mercenary Tao possessed the ability to read minds. This had basically been confirmed by every reincarnator who had interacted with him and was on record among the Space’s advanced teams and high-level gatherings.

Therefore, anyone dealing with him would certainly prepare appropriate items or abilities to conceal their thoughts if they had the means.

Whether it was Legilimency from the Harry Potter world or brainwave-concealment devices from certain technological worlds, there was always a way to deal with it.

And Solomon… Tree Herder knew that Solomon might already be on the verge of breaking through the Peak of Skill. He was a reincarnator standing at the pinnacle of the spellcasting path, and he had countless ways to evade mind reading.

Bai Cangshu’s answer to that question was very simple.

"Because if I were him, I’d target that thing too~"

Bai Cangshu smiled. Then, he suddenly raised a hand and flicked a finger toward the window. In the next moment, perhaps because they had waited too long, or perhaps because they were too nervous—

Among these poorly trained police officers from such a leisurely country, one of them actually pulled the trigger.

With a bang, muzzle flash flared and a bullet shot from the barrel. The faces of that officer and the chief beside him twisted at the sound of the gunshot.

Pfft!

The bullet seemed to strike an invisible wall and instantly ricocheted. It tore through the neck of the burly Black officer, then struck the asphalt and threw up sparks.

The surrounding crowd cried out in alarm. The others, already tense, instinctively began to pull their triggers as well.

Inside the restaurant, Artoria had already placed one hand on the hilt of her jet-black holy sword. With a single slash, these people would all become mangled corpses.

"Whoa, whoa~ Calm down, everyone!"

Someone shouted. Several trails of blazing light slowly descended from the sky, their intense kinetic force and heat making the tense police officers look upward.

A Black man clad in black-painted armor and a gold-and-red iron man slowly descended together from the sky.

It had been the Black man who had shouted for the others not to fire.

Tony Stark had actually come in person?

Bai Cangshu was somewhat surprised.

While Rhodey communicated with the local police, Iron Man Tony Stark arrived outside the restaurant. His equipment immediately scanned the interior and found that none of these people carried any common weapons.

Yet in that instant just now, he had clearly detected extremely terrifying kinetic energy.

Tony Stark entered through the restaurant’s front door, then walked to the table where Bai Cangshu and the other two sat.

"Hey, boss, how about bringing us some more of your specialties?"

"I’m paying."

He removed his faceplate, revealing a slightly weary face, then cautiously sat down across from Bai Cangshu.

Tree Herder frowned, while Artoria continued eating with her head lowered.

"Are you gods from another world too?"

Tony Stark spoke, then added,

"Um… like Asgard or something?"

From what he remembered, their display just now had been somewhat similar to Thor’s. There had been no sign of energy release, nor any high-tech weaponry. Their bodies alone possessed such strength…

The corners of Bai Cangshu’s mouth curled upward. At that instant, Tony Stark clearly sensed a peculiar aura.

He had never believed in things like killing intent or spiritual perception, but at this moment, Tony Stark truly felt something unusual.

"Looks like you aren’t."

He rejected his own guess.

Blood flowed across Tree Herder’s body, divine power surging within him.

He was waiting for Mercenary Tao’s command. Though he did not know why Iron Man had come alone to Europe outside America’s borders, this was a good opportunity.

Working with Artoria, the two of them had a high chance of swiftly killing Iron Man.

The death of someone at this level would cause a major change to the worldline and yield at least an A-rank Singularity.

"Compared to our identities, Mr. Stark, what made you risk coming here in person?"

After Bai Cangshu asked, he immediately sensed a change in Iron Man’s brainwaves. He read the information within them, and his expression shifted slightly.

"The Avengers have been attacked…"

Iron Man still did not know that his mind had been read. He merely felt that the man before him possessed an extraordinarily powerful information network.

He nodded in confirmation.

"Less than two hours after you gave us that information, New York and Scotland were attacked one after the other. The situation in Scotland is still unclear, but the attack on the New York Sanctum was extremely terrifying."

"Since you have special channels for information, I imagine you should have more detailed intelligence~"

Tony Stark was beginning to feel somewhat overwhelmed as well. Ever since that painful Avengers civil war, more than half of them had withdrawn from the alliance’s activities.

More and more pressure had fallen onto his shoulders.

It forced him to continuously upgrade and refine his armor technology, but an individual’s strength was always limited compared to a team.

Those hypocritical politicians could never be trusted.

The scale of the attack on New York had nearly made him think it was another invasion by Asgardian gods. Moreover, those people appeared and disappeared like ghosts, unlike their usual flamboyant style.

"Regardless of who you are, since you gave me that information, you probably don’t want those so-called Hydra people to succeed either…"

Tony Stark was not stupid. He would not completely believe Bai Cangshu’s nonsense, and he had keenly noticed the rift between Bai Cangshu and those two groups.

While taking the initiative to seek intelligence from them, after witnessing Bai Cangshu’s power, he also began hoping that Bai Cangshu would get involved.

Plot Character Tony Stark invites you to join his faction. Accept?

Tree Herder froze. Although Bai Cangshu had said it casually, they really had joined Hydra’s faction.

In other words, Tree Herder was currently a genuine Hydra member.

"Of course. I’ve long heard of Stark Tech’s reputation. Cooperation would naturally be for the best, but…"

Bai Cangshu readily agreed, then made his request.

Upon hearing it, Tree Herder let out a breath. Then again, what reincarnator truly cared about factions? Hydra was not worth sticking with anyway…