Chapter 087: Another Watchful Gaze

Looking at Tony Stark in front of her, Pepper Potts asked earnestly, "What obstruction are you talking about? What are you saying?"

Tony glanced down at the Arc Reactor in his hand and said, "It's nothing, just a small inconvenience."

He began removing the Arc Reactor from his chest while explaining, "There's a wire underneath this device that's exposed, and it's touching the socket casing, causing a short circuit."

As he spoke, Tony pulled out the old reactor and let out a satisfied breath. "Phew, that's good."

He then placed the old Arc Reactor on a nearby table and turned his attention back to Pepper Potts.

Seeing the scene in front of her, Pepper Potts was bewildered and asked, "What, what do you want me to do?"

Tony waved his hand and said, "Just put that one on the side table. It's not needed anymore."

Pepper Potts turned and placed the old Arc Reactor on the side table, exclaiming, "Oh my, goodness."

Tony then looked at the new Arc Reactor in his hand again and said, "I need you to stick your hand inside and gently pull out the wire."

Turning back to face Tony, Pepper Potts asked with uncertainty, "Is that okay?"

Tony closed his eyes and replied, "It should be fine, it's a bit like a military operation."

"As long as you don't trigger any alarms, it won't make a sound."

Pepper Potts looked at Tony with a puzzled expression and asked, "What do you mean by 'a military operation'? What are you talking about?"

Tony answered, "It's a computer game, don't worry."

"Just gently pull out the wire, okay."

Seeing Tony's assurance, Pepper Potts reluctantly agreed, "Okay."

She then cautiously reached her hand into the opening in Tony's chest.

As her hand entered, Pepper Potts exclaimed, "Oh, there's something gooey inside!"

Tony explained, "That's not goo; it's just some inorganic plasma discharged from the device."

Pepper Potts wrinkled her nose and said, "It smells terrible."

Tony nodded, "Yes, it does smell bad. Have you touched the copper wire?"

Pepper Potts replied, "Yes, I've got it, I've got it."

"Good, just be careful not to touch the casing on your way out."

Following Tony's instructions, Pepper Potts did accidentally touch the casing once, but after some careful maneuvering, she successfully pulled out the copper wire along with the magnet.

Pepper Potts successfully installed the new Arc Reactor in Tony Stark's chest, although there were two painful yells from Tony during the process.

With her hand covered in plasma fluid, Pepper Potts exclaimed, "Please, never ask me to do something like this again!"

Hearing Pepper Potts' words, Tony Stark gazed at her and tenderly said, "But, you're my only choice."

They locked eyes for a moment, and Tony couldn't help but make a funny face before saying, "Anyway, thank you. Thank you for helping me and for sending Charles Doyle to rescue me."

"Although I'm confident I could have escaped on my own, I still appreciate your help."

Pepper Potts turned around and muttered, "Unlucky," then picked up the old reactor Tony had removed and asked, "What should we do with this?"

Tony, as he put on his shirt, casually replied, "Destroy it."

Pepper, holding the old reactor, asked curiously, "Aren't you going to keep it?"

Tony turned around and said, "Pepper, I have many flaws, and one of them is that I get tired of the old and want the new."

Hearing Tony's words, Pepper wasn't too pleased and asked, "Is there anything else, Mr. Stark?"

Tony, now dressed, replied, "No, there is none."

He then turned to an AI machine on the side and said, "These things, apart from my phone and a photo of my old man, throw everything else into the trash."

Pepper Potts left the lab while holding the old Arc Reactor.

…

In the Triskelion building, Nick Fury's office, Phil Coulson was giving a report. "Director, I'm still following up on Tony's situation, and we might find a breakthrough through Pepper Potts."

"Here's the latest information on Charles Doyle, and it differs significantly from your previous analysis. Take a look."

Nick Fury took the folder handed to him by Coulson and started reading it carefully. His eyebrows raised when he saw that Charles Doyle had become an Elder of the High Table, a position within the criminal underworld that he didn't expect.

Although the High Table was still a criminal organization, apprehending Charles as easily as before wouldn't be possible anymore.

However, Nick didn't consider the High Table as a significant threat. He only saw a change in the balance of power between the two parties.

Turning to the second page, Nick was even more surprised when he read about Charles Doyle's war with the Hand and how he had dispatched his men to eliminate Madam Gao. 

At this moment, he realized why Coulson had mentioned that things didn't align with his previous analysis.

After reading all the information, Nick Fury closed the folder and said, "We'll need to reach out to Charles Doyle again. Since he rescued Tony Stark, he must know the situation."

"Pepper Potts was generous, paying him $100 million so easily. I hope he pays his taxes on time..."

Hearing Nick Fury's words, Coulson responded, "Understood, Director. I'll meet with him today and gather information about the rescue operation."

Nick Fury contemplated for a moment and then said, "Select a reliable operative, find a way to get close to Charles Doyle. Since he's not a ninja from the Hand, we need to dig deeper into his background."

Pointing to the forehead protector with the symbol of the Leaf Village in the photo, Nick Fury continued, "This symbol must be related to the organization behind him. I need to know more about their existence."

Hearing about sending an operative to get close to Charles, Coulson pondered for a moment and replied, "Director, Charles Doyle's agency doesn't recruit new members, and he now has a group of High Table enforcers. It might be challenging to get close to him."

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