99 MUP: Chapter 98. Metamorphosis

Natasha's expression remained calm in the face of the name Ip Man had mentioned.

Instead of pressing the issue, Natasha turned the conversation around and asked, "So you and Ah Xing, who appeared in New York earlier, are from the same place?"

Nodding his head, Ip Man didn't deny it, "Yes, in fact, I left Peng Lai because of Ah Xing."

"So, where is Ah Xing?"

"He had an accident." Ip Man lowered his face and answered with a sad expression.

"I'm sorry to hear that." As an experienced agent, Natasha knew very well how to win the favour of a target and deliberately apologised. She immediately changed the subject, "I didn't know that."

"No, it's not your fault, Miss. You don't need to apologise to me."

"Actually, my name is Natasha Romanoff. You can call me Natasha." Pulling back the expression on her face, Natasha went on to say, "I'm part of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division, which specialises in particular incidents, like the one in Chinatown."

"... Strategic Homeland... Enforcement ... Logistics Division...?"

Suppressing his inner desire to laugh, Ip Man maintained his elegant image and pretended to wonder, "Are you from the government?"

"Semi-officially. We have contacts and cooperation projects with various countries, which currently fall under the jurisdiction of the World Security Council." Natasha provided a shallow explanation of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current operational model and then brought the conversation back to the events in Chinatown.

"..."

After an appropriate silence, Ip Man said, "The battle in Chinatown is actually a follow-up from what happened in Peng Lai a few years ago. The Beast, the legendary ultimate king of killers, appeared in Peng Lai a few years ago, killing Peng Lai's people and stealing the Peng Lai Celestial Art, 'Buddha's Palm' ..."

[Reputation points from Natasha Romanoff +100]

Natasha was worthy of being one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents. Even though she was inwardly stunned by what Ip Man had explained, she still wore a calm and collected expression on the surface.

After waiting quietly for Ip Man to describe the cause and effect of the Chinatown battle, Natasha immediately pointed out the key point, "Since the Beast is dead, then, Master Ip, why are you staying in New York?"

"Because of what the Beast said before he died. He said he had fought a mysterious man, and this mystery man was likely to reappear..."

"Mystery Man?" Ip Man's response caused Natasha to frown subconsciously. The whole thing had turned out to be even trickier than she had originally anticipated, "Do you know who it is?"

As soon as this was said, Natasha knew that she had asked a stupid question. If the other person knew his identity, he wouldn't describe the person as a mystery man.

As expected, Ip Man shook his head in response, "It's not clear yet, but the other party's martial arts skills should be quite advanced. The Beast was seriously injured in their fight. In fact, if it hadn't been for that, that fight in Chinatown might have turned out completely different."

'A mysterious but dangerous person.'

Having silently assigned a definition in her mind based on the clues Ip Man had given her, Natasha could already imagine the look on Fury's face when he was informed of the news.

In short, it won't be pleasant.

　　...

Afghanistan, in the boundless desert.

A group of armed figures were constantly rummaging through the sands.

"Found it!"

With a strong accent, a tanned man lifted a metal mask from the sand and shouted.

Soon, a bald man with burns on his face was seen approaching. If Tony had been here, he would have definitely recognised that the other man was the terrorist who had kidnapped him some time before.

Reaching out to take the mask, the pain of the wind and sand blowing across the wound caused the man to twitch the corners of his own mouth. He whispered, "Contact Obadiah and tell him we have something for him."

　　...

"Jarvis, progress report."

Stark cliff side villa, basement.

Putting down the tools in his hands, Tony called out with a small sigh of relief, rubbing his stiffened face.

"Yes, Sir."

In the basement, Jarvis replied in his usual tone, "At present, the arms, shoulder armour and back section have been assembled, and the power systems are being configured. However, Sir, I need to remind you that you haven't slept for over 24 hours."

"That's not important right now."

"According to most research, when a person doesn't sleep for over 24 hours, their bodies, both mentally and ..."

"I know how I'm doing, Jarvis. Keep going with the report." Frowning, Tony interrupted Jarvis's advice.

"Yes, Sir."

As artificial intelligence, Jarvis wouldn't feel angry, so he maintained his usual tone after Tony's rude interruption.

Tony narrowed his eyes as he listened to Jarvis's report. He pondered for a moment and said, "I think it's time to move to practical simulations."

"But Sir, there's no guarantee this thing is absolutely safe. You could get injured."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Facing Jarvis's concern, Tony answered with confidence.

On the experimental platform in the middle of the basement, Tony wore the partially built armour on his feet. He tested how it felt on his feet and got a firm footing. He turned his head to the recording camera not too far away and took a deep breath.

"Okay, activate hand controls."

Although he was full of confidence when he spoke to Jarvis, Tony was still a little nervous.

Shaking his head and sweeping away the confused thoughts from his mind, Tony looked at the camera again: "We're gonna start up nice and easy, we're gonna see 10% thrust capacity, and achieve lift. And... three, two ..."

"One!"

Bang --

At Tony's command, his figure that had been standing there was catapulted into the air by the thrust of the armour on his feet. He slammed into the roof of the basement and fell down.

"Jarvis." On the ground, Tony felt the pain all over his body. In particular, the soreness coming from the tip of his nose made his eyes flush, and he groaned as he braced himself.

"Yes, Sir."

"Delete the footage."

"Yes, Sir."

"And... I think you were right. I need to take a break today."