72

Mikhail Ivanov sat in the dimly lit room, his hands bound behind his back and a look of defiance in his eyes. His rugged features contrasted starkly with the air of sophistication that surrounded him. His piercing gaze met Tony's with cold determination, and a cruel smile played on his lips.

"You think you can intimidate me, Tony?" Mikhail sneered. "You and your little gang of thugs are nothing compared to the power I wield. Killing me won't change a thing. The RED's grip on this city is unshakeable."

Tony knew that taking down Mikhail would not be the end of it, but it would be a significant blow to the RED's operations. He had to make sure that the man in front of him would never be able to hurt anyone again.

"You think you're untouchable, don't you?" Tony retorted, his voice filled with disdain. "You've terrorized this city for too long. It's time for you to pay for all the lives you've destroyed."

Mikhail's eyes flickered with complex emotions, but Tony could sense a hint of uncertainty as well. He knew that he had the upper hand now, and he wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away. He looked at John who suddenly walked forward as the Naginata appeared in his hand.

"Wait!" Mikhail's voice cut through the tension in the room. "I have information that you might find... valuable."

John raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite himself. Mikhail had a desparete expression over his face.

'Oh, now you are showing your true face,' John who was going to slice Mikhail's head with his Naginata stopped after the claims done by the man. If there was a chance to gain an advantage over the RED, he had to take it.

"What kind of information?" Tony demanded, his eyes never leaving Mikhail's face.

Mikhail smirked, knowing that he had piqued John and Tony's interest. "I know the locations of the RED's secret warehouses, where they stash their illegal weapons and drugs. I can give you the access codes, the security details... everything you need to take them down. But of course, I'll need something in return."

Tony contemplated Mikhail's offer, weighing the potential gains against the risk of being double-crossed. He knew that he couldn't trust the man in front of him, but the chance to cripple the RED's operations was too tempting to ignore.

"Even if what you say is true, how do I know you're not just leading us into a trap?" Tony questioned skeptically.

Mikhail leaned back in his chair, his eyes glittering with a sinister glint. "You don't. But wouldn't you rather take that chance than let the RED continue to thrive? You know as well as I do that they won't stop until they control everything in this city. I can be your ticket to taking them down."

Tony mulled over Mikhail's words, the gravity of the situation bearing down on him. If there was a chance to strike a significant blow against them, he couldn't afford to pass it up.

"There is no need to listen anymore," John declared and cleanly sliced off the neck of Mikhail with the help of his Naginata.

Tony was surprised by John's abrupt decision, but neither he felt sorry for that guy nor he thought that John had done anything wrong. On the contrary if he was in John's place, he would have done the same thing.

"He was lying," John clarified after removing the blood on his Naginata with the help of small vibrations.

Tony and Banner looked at John curiously as how he had reached to that conclusion with such a certainty.

"I have an ability which helps me to discern whether a person is lying or not," John answered vaguely, though he didn't tell them about his Haki as there was no need to do so.

It's not that he didn't trust Tony or Banner, but he thought that he should not reveal all of his abilities.

"How many abilities do you actually have?" Tony questioned. "This is the first time I have ever seen a mutant with so much different abilities," he further continued.

John just smiled and chose not to answer. He then looked at Mikhail and with the help of his vibrations, he blew off his dead body far away in the forest.

"What do you think about the information provided by him?" John questioned as he got back into the car followed by Tony and Banner.

"Don't you trust us?" To y ignored John's question and retorted.

John sighed," Of course, I do." He saw Tony and Banner looking at him with expectant eyes.

"Well, you know about my weapon and the ability to create vibrations. Other than that, I got the ability to cover my body with metal like stuff, which helps me enhance my defense and attack. Moroeover I also got a good perception ability," John answered wondering whether he would regret in the future after telling some information about his abilities to them.

But John knew that he had did the right thing as Tony and Banner were worthy of his trust. They had already proved it by helping John in this difficult situations.

"Anyways, back to he earlier question," John stated after he gave them a moment to think.

"I don't think we should trust the details provided my Mikhail. I am not saying that he had lied, as it almost impossible to do so under the effect of the truth serum; unless he had some weird ability that could actually counter it's effects," Tony answered.

"So there is only option left that the information actually provided to him was already altered or was false," Banner finished Tony's sentence.

"There may be no General Volkov behind RED?" John raised his eyebrow.

"Exactly," Tony affirmed. "And if that's the case, then we need to be extra cautious. We can't take anything at face value. We have to assume that the information Mikhail gave us was either fabricated or manipulated in some way."

"Which means we need to approach this next base with extreme caution," Banner added. "We can't afford to make any assumptions or trust anything or anyone blindly. We need to be prepared for anything and everything."

"Don't worry, if we face something problematic, I will ask Lucy to teleport each one of us out of the base, as quickly as possible," John answered in assurance.

Everyone nodded in agreement as John maneuvered the car through the winding, deserted roads leading to the next base. The tension in the air was palpable as they contemplated the implications of their discussion. It was clear that the stakes were higher than ever, and the slightest misstep could have great consequences.

As the car sped along the desolate road, the group fell into a contemplative silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

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