Chapter 22

Juan initially wanted to pick a secretary from his part-time workers, preferring someone with a scholarly appearance. However, it turned out that while his men were excellent at fighting and killing, they were completely lost when it came to secretarial work like handling documents or scheduling.

Surprisingly, among them, the fiercest-looking Max displayed a remarkable talent for these tasks, proving as competent as a professional secretary and demonstrating considerable patience.

This arrangement had its benefits, deterring any minor characters from messing with Juan. Just the sight of Max following him around was enough to intimidate them into inaction.

"Hurry up, let's go! I want to see our new home soon," Wanda exclaimed, interrupting the conversation between her brother and her husband and leading the way excitedly.

Meanwhile, Juan, burdened with various bags, followed reluctantly behind Pietro, who was carrying a backpack and dragging a suitcase, puzzled.

"Sister, was it necessary to bring so much stuff? Didn't Juan say Jack had everything prepared here?" Pietro asked, since Juan had arranged everything beforehand, leaving Pietro to bring only a few essentials in his backpack.

"You wouldn't understand, Pietro. These items hold memories for me and Juan—gifts we exchanged, photos, mementos. They had to come with us," Wanda replied, stopping and turning back to help Juan with his load, her heart aching at the sight.

Pietro felt as though he'd been stabbed in the heart.

"Good thing I'm not staying with you. I need to find a girlfriend soon!"

Just then, four muscular security guards suddenly appeared, blocking their path. Pietro instinctively let go of his suitcase to shield Juan and Wanda.

"What's the matter?" Juan inquired.

"I'm the security captain of this complex. You must be the new residents," the leading security guard replied with a grin.

"Yes, we just moved in today," Juan responded with a smile.

"Welcome to the complex. We offer a free moving service for new residents; let us handle your belongings," the security captain offered, waving his hand, prompting the other guards to enthusiastically help with the luggage.

"Thank… thank you," Pietro and Wanda said, both internally praising the excellent service of the complex.

With the warm assistance of the security staff, their belongings were quickly delivered to the two adjacent houses Juan had purchased.

Before the security team left, Juan whispered to the security captain, "San, check on Obadiah Stane, a shareholder of Stark Industries."

Indeed, the security captain was also one of his men.

The task of rescuing Dr. Ethan was not so much about dealing with the terrorists—given his current capabilities, that part was manageable. The real challenge was locating their base.

Juan remembered that the terrorist base was somewhere in a desert, but the exact location eluded him. However, he was aware that someone must know: Obadiah Stane of Stark Industries, who had hired the terrorists to kill Tony Stark and take over Stark Industries, although the terrorists had not followed through with their part of the deal, opting instead to use Stark to build weapons for them.

...

In the early hours, as Juan and Wanda embraced in sleep at their new home, an uninvited guest approached the complex.

Grant Ward, a level seven S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, an expert in operations and weaponry, had been detained in his youth for attempting to kill his brother and parents. Discovered by John Garrett, he was trained into a top-tier double agent.

Receiving a task from Garrett two days ago, Ward planned to secretly kidnap Juan, the chairman of the Lee Corporation, to extract the formula for a powerful drug to enhance the Deathlok project.

Initially, he intended to act in Sokovia, but after discovering that Juan was moving with his wife to New York, he quickly shifted the location of his operation.

The Lee family had long been established in Sokovia, making it challenging to silently abduct the wealthy businessman there, especially with the recent explosion at the Hydra base there causing significant upheaval and crippling their local intelligence network.

In New York, however, he could utilize both S.H.I.E.L.D.'s and Hydra's intelligence systems to perfectly plan his actions.

By the time Juan was about to settle in New York, Ward already knew the exact address of his residence in the complex.

Not understanding why they chose an ordinary apartment instead of a villa, Ward still saw tonight as the optimal opportunity.

After checking all his tools, Ward started his car and drove towards the complex gate.

His plan was simple: park the car, go upstairs to unlock and sneak into the room, knock out Juan, stuff him in a box, and then bring him to Hydra's base to interrogate him using a mind-control device.

If all went well, he might even be able to return Juan before dawn, with Juan likely waking up with just a slight headache the next day.

"Something's not right; these two guards aren't in the intel!"

Upon entering the complex using a previously forged access card, Ward glanced at two guards napping in the security booth, his pupils dilating.

He had memorized the security details of the complex the day before—four middle-aged men, two seniors, knowing their names and backgrounds thoroughly.

But the physique of these two guards didn't match anyone in his information.

"Is it a coincidence, or does it have to do with Juan?" Ward leaned toward the latter. The timing of the security change on the day Juan moved in was too suspicious, but he didn't let this stop his mission.

Even if the guards were arranged by Juan, that wasn't a major issue. Being a top-tier operative, Ward could take down several strong men with his bare hands, and even more if he had weapons.

And he wasn't planning on a direct confrontation; he just needed to sneak in without being noticed.

As Ward's car turned towards the parking lot, the two guards in the booth immediately got up, grabbed their walkie-talkies, and reported:

"Brother San, a non-resident has entered the complex, black Chevrolet, license plate EVJ4329."