Chapter 25: Deadpool, The Comical Pest, Comes Knocking

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 Even if it was exasperating and a headache, pepper Potts had no other choice but to dutifully let Tony Stark have his way.

After all, she was just an assistant!

"You sure?"

"I mean, this is your 'final decision' right?"

"You're not going to change your mind again, suddenly telling me you've decided to head to Las Vegas, are you?"

Pepper Potts pulled out Tony Stark's schedule, eyes locked on him for confirmation.

"Even if I did change my mind, we're short on time now, right?"

"So, the thing you're worried about is not going to happen."

"Feel better now?"

Tony Stark spread his hands in a gesture of reassurance to Pepper Potts.

Upon reflection, Pepper Potts realized he was right and didn't push the matter further.

Instead, she picked up her pen and made some adjustments on the schedule.

"And another thing!"

 But soon, pepper Potts came across another issue and sternly reminded Tony Stark.

"Tomorrow you need to take a trip to Afghanistan, and that's not something you can just cancel on a whim."

"If you really want to cancel, I think you should talk to Stane about it."

"Do you need me to contact him for you?"

Tony Stark's brow furrowed slightly, a clear sign of displeasure.

Considering his current status and position, there weren't many things he couldn't push away, and it might happen only a few times a year.

However, the trip to Afghanistan tomorrow was precisely one of those rare occasions.

That was completely different from an award ceremony.

If he didn't attend the award ceremony, nobody would make a big deal out of it, except perhaps Rhodey might be a bit upset.

After all, he would have been stood up by the great Tony Stark.

But for the trip to Afghanistan, there would be many big military shots present, including generals.

It certainly wasn't a place where Tony Stark could whimsically act on a caprice.

"No need."

Tony Stark gestured dismissively.

It was just a trip to Afghanistan, after all, not a massive time sink.

Think of it as a vacation!

"Apart from tomorrow's deal, cancel everything else!"

He left Pepper Potts with that statement and headed straight out of his office without any further delays.

Leaving his assistant to helplessly shake her head.

Working with a boss as capricious as Tony Stark was truly exhausting.

...

Ding!

Carefully placing the washed dishes away, Zhou Cheng wiped his hands and resettled himself on the sofa to continue his pondering.

Although he had dismissed the original Mark armor as useless in his diary, that was just idle fantasy.

Now that he thought about it calmly, even if the first model was imperfect, it still held tremendous commercial value.

Its awkward look and bulkiness aside, the fact that it was functional was quite remarkable.

It was not something just any company could achieve.

In fact, presently, hardly any company could do what had been done.

The fact that Tony Stark had crafted it in a cave with nothing but a hammer meant it was already beyond the technology of the era.

And that was not an exaggeration.

Just look at Hammer Industries.

 Even though Justin Hammer was shown as Tony Stark's foil in the Iron Man movie series, he was constantly put down by Tony Stark, enduring humiliation and becoming no more than a stepping stone.He looked like a buffoon.

But actually, Hammer Industries is very powerful! It's just that they can't compete with the behemoth that is Stark Industries.

Yet even a company the size of Hammer Industries produces robots that are wonky as anything. They can trip over their own feet walking, twist their waist just by turning.

Don't even get me started on taking off; they fly about as erratically as a monkey soaring to the heavens.

It's a sorry sight indeed.

It's not just a problem of lacking a power source.

Zhou Cheng believes that if he could get his hands on the original armor blueprints, he could sell them for a good price.

But there's still that crucial issue; Zhou Cheng has no idea where the cave is! Is he really supposed to do as the notebook says, and rob Obadiah Stane?

Okay, that's just Zhou Cheng's wild imagination.

Just a fleeting thought.

He wouldn't really rob someone just to make money.

After all, Obadiah Stane might not be a good person, but there's a fundamental difference between him and the terrorists of the Ten Rings.

Snatching the blueprints from the Ten Rings inside a cave and stealing them from Stane's office are entirely different in nature.

Zhou Cheng would feel no pressure doing the former, but he feels he couldn't really do the latter.

Besides.

This kind of thing can't be accomplished with brute strength alone; this isn't a movie!

"After much thought, it seems more reliable to sell the house and buy stocks!"

After pondering for a while, Zhou Cheng eventually shook his head with some resignation.

The money from selling the house might not seem like much, but for an ordinary person like him, it was quite a sum!

Riding on the ups and downs of Stark Industries could indeed be quite profitable.

At least it was more money than Zhou Cheng could ever hope to earn in his lifetime.

Isn't that enough?

One mustn't be too greedy!

"That's decided then!"

After some thought, Zhou Cheng made his decision.

Considering the time, and that the Polar Awards ceremony had already begun, Zhou Cheng didn't delay any further.

He planned to visit the real estate agent to finalize the sale of the house.

After changing his clothes, he was about to step out.

But just as he opened the door, Zhou Cheng froze for a moment.

Because a tall, crew-cut, and rather familiar-looking white man appeared in his line of sight.

The man was standing just outside Zhou Cheng's door, blocking his way out.

Undoubtedly, he was here for Zhou Cheng.

"Deadpool?"

Zhou Cheng almost blurted out.

Because the white man in front of him looked exactly like Deadpool, there was no difference.

Or, to be precise, the only difference was that this man's face was not marred by scars like Deadpool's cratered moon-face.

It was a complete, unscathed face of a normal person.

Was this an untransformed Wade before becoming Deadpool, or someone else who just looked very similar?

This thought quickly crossed Zhou Cheng's mind.

"Who are you?"

"Why are you standing outside my door?"

Zhou Cheng gazed directly into the eyes of the white man and voiced his doubts.

"Also, your name wouldn't happen to be Wade Wilson, would it?"

Unable to contain his curiosity, Zhou Cheng added another question.

Then he saw the man who had been wearing a cool and cocky demeanor suddenly show a look of astonishment.

"Do you know me?"