Abiding by the rules of the game was because Zane didn't want to disrupt his comfortable life, but it didn't mean he lacked the ability to break the rules.
The only thing Zane was somewhat hesitant about was that he had just acted mysterious in front of Tony Stark, and now he would have to face him again tomorrow, which might be a bit embarrassing.
But looking at it from another perspective, it was like watching a real-life version of Iron Man 1. Zane was considering whether to record Tony's embarrassed appearance and post it online; it would surely garner a lot of views.
As for the Ten Rings who kidnapped Tony in the original, Zane felt even if he stood there and let them hit him, they couldn't break his defense. It had been a long time since he fought; it wouldn't hurt to stretch his muscles.
Oh, and tomorrow, bring Lorna along. Let her experience the feeling of real combat. Usually, she sparred with Bastis, so while she had become proficient in techniques, it wasn't of much use in real battles. A warrior couldn't grow without shedding blood! If Lorna wanted to stay by his side in the future, she had to take this step...
After returning home, Zane noticed Lorna hadn't come back yet, so he took out his phone and called her.
"Lorna, what are you up to?"
"I'm discussing research topics with my mentor. We're at a critical point now, so I might be home later today," Lorna said apologetically over the phone.
Zane on the other end of the call covered his face. His silly girlfriend seemed to be getting lost in her studies. He had sent her to graduate school initially to deepen her understanding of her abilities, but it seemed she had a scientific maniac side to her, and now she was almost fully immersed in it.
"Stop researching. Come home tonight, and tomorrow I'll take you out to play."
"Okay, I'll come back now."
Upon hearing that Zane was going to take her out, Lorna immediately put down her devices, said goodbye to her mentor, and happily drove her beloved car home. After all, what was more important than going on vacation with her boyfriend for Lorna, who was naive enough to believe Zane's promise? She even started imagining sweet scenes in her mind.
If Zane knew what Lorna was thinking, he would just apologize and say, "You're thinking too much!"
When Lorna got home, Zane and Bastis were already waiting for her at the dinner table.
"Darling, where are we going for our honeymoon tomorrow?" Lorna asked excitedly as soon as she entered.
Zane, looking confused, wondered, "Honeymoon? Did I say that on the phone? Is this what they call a woman's imagination?"
"It's not a honeymoon. Tomorrow, there's an opportunity to test your abilities. You've been training for so long; it's time for some real action," Zane said.
As soon as Zane finished speaking, he saw Lorna's smile disappear.
"Oh!" After hearing Zane's words, Lorna's face became expressionless. She went to the bathroom to wash her hands and then picked up her bowl to start eating quietly. However, whenever her gaze swept over Zane, she would subconsciously bite down hard, as if biting Zane himself.
Zane felt uncomfortable under Lorna's gaze. Unable to bear it any longer, he broke the strange silence at the dinner table.
"Lorna, are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Lorna put down her bowl, her face suddenly breaking into a bright smile. But Bastis, who was beside her, couldn't help but shiver involuntarily when she saw Lorna's expression. Her animal instincts told her not to mess with this woman right now, or the consequences would be dire.
Zane, not completely clueless about emotions like a typical steel straight guy, understood that Lorna was basically saying:
'I have a problem! I have a problem! I have a problem!'
'Come and comfort me!'
"We'll make up for the honeymoon next time. You can choose the place," Zane said, not feeling annoyed by Lorna's little temper. She rarely got angry, and she was easy to appease. Zane himself enjoyed these little romantic moments between them.
"Hmph! Men are all big, clumsy pigs!"
Seeing Lorna had returned to normal, Zane gently put down his bowl.
"Lorna, you might see blood tomorrow."
Lorna paused for a moment while eating, but the pause was fleeting, and if Zane hadn't been watching her closely, he wouldn't have noticed.
"Yeah, I know. I've been mentally prepared for this for a while now, Zane, you don't need to worry."
"I'm sorry..."
"No need to apologize. Ever since the day you showed extraordinary abilities, I've been prepared. I don't want to worry about you every time you're away. I want to stand by your side. That's always been my motivation."
After hearing this, Zane grabbed Lorna's hand on the dinner table, and the two gazed affectionately at each other.
Meanwhile, Bastis, who was happily eating salmon next to them, suddenly felt like she had enough to eat when she saw there was still a lot of salmon left on her plate. Zane and Lorna's unexpected affectionate behavior seemed to have filled her up with dog food.
"Oh God, I want to run away from home. It's full of the nauseating smell of love!" Bastis's inner voice roared.
The next day, Zane, accompanied by Lorna and Bastis, appeared at the Air Force base in Afghanistan.
After they got off the plane, they found that the senior leadership of the base was already waiting for them.
Zane, dressed in a sharp suit, walked over to them with Lorna, wearing a formulaic smile, and shook hands with the leading general.
"Hello, General."
"Hello, Mr. Zane. We're looking forward to the weapons demonstration from your Skynet Technologies."
"You won't be disappointed."
"By the way, General, has the representative from Stark Industries arrived?"
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