Chapter 36 Advice before Leaving_2

Seeing Peter looking at him expectantly, Shiller raised his hands and said, "Alright, alright, I'll convince Stark. But you guys had better take it easy. A field mission isn't like running an experiment in the lab, Peter. If you get hurt, your aunt is going to cry a liter of tears."

Peter pressed his forehead; he just wanted to let loose for once.

Steve said, "Don't set your expectations too high; don't think of it as a holiday trip. Kid, if you don't perform well, the first person to beat you up won't be the enemy—it'll be me."

"Who is your enemy?" Shiller asked. "Of course, I only want to know what falls within my security clearance level. I have no interest beyond that."

Steve said, "Actually, they're not some tough guys to handle. S.H.I.E.L.D. has discovered some covert operatives, or rather, an assassin organization, in the West."

"They seem to call themselves ninjas, coming and going without a trace. We don't know who's behind them, but they've murdered a state senator. Normally, that wouldn't be a big deal, but their leader seems to have bigger plans. And I could use some warm-up activity."

Matt stood up and said, "It's the Hand Union. Erica told me about them. Their organization has been trying to find dragon bones here but hasn't made any progress. So, they've been taking jobs locally, causing many murders..."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. may not be unaware of this. Their lack of major action indicates that the situation is still controllable," Shiller said. "More importantly, if S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to uncover their machinations, they have to be patient."

Matt sat back down. He knew S.H.I.E.L.D. had been watching him and his girlfriend Erica. Just because they hadn't made a move yet didn't mean they never would. Erica was an assassin of the Hand Union and hired by Kingpin, so Matt needed to figure out how to get her out.

Shiller patted him on the shoulder and said, "I know what you're worrying about. If you stand upright, you won't be afraid of your shadow, but the same might not be true for your girlfriend. You wouldn't want her to spy just to save her own life—it's equally dangerous. But, I can give you some advice."

"I don't know what the dragon bone is, but it must be something good, otherwise, the Hand Union wouldn't be looking for it. Don't you think Kingpin would be interested in such an item?"

Matt quickly understood him. Although they were all villains, it didn't mean they would band together, especially when their interests clash. Perhaps Erica would find a chance to escape...

After Steve left, Shiller was taken to Stark Building by a private car. Stark was again holed up in his lab, feverishly working on his mecha. Seeing this, Shiller shook his head and said, "At this rate, the one turning into a vampire won't be me, it'll be you."

Stark sharply twisted his wrench and said, "You don't know what the military people told me yesterday, huh? They want my mecha. Can you guess what they want to do with it?"

Shiller didn't answer him. Stark stood silently for a moment and then stood up. He threw away the wrench, looking at his mecha, and said, "You're right. Just because the enemy wants something, it doesn't mean I should give up on it. Now they want to turn my mecha into a war machine. Should I dismantle them?"

Stark continued, "Even if I dismantle all the mechas, what would I get? Peace in the world? No more wars? They would just switch to a different way, and the ones who could have been saved by me will have no more chances."

"I know you didn't want to give it to them. You must have emphatically declined their offer, and then they must have shown a step-down attitude, saying, 'Alright, we don't need your mecha anymore, regular weapons would do.' Right?"

Stark dug his heel in. He knew Shiller was right. This was an old trick of those people.

"Do I really only have the option to choose S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Stark said.

He walked over from beside the experimental platform, pulled up a chair and sat down, leaning back on the chair tiredly. He said, "What tires me out the most is knowing that every path is a trap, yet I have no choice but to pick one."

"I don't know if Howard anticipated things turning out this way when he established S.H.I.E.L.D. But I think he must have, because he was very smart, just as smart as you, Stark. And yet, he still chose to do it."

"So, you would rather me lean towards S.H.I.E.L.D. too? If I choose S.H.I.E.L.D. now, it would indeed alleviate a lot of trouble. As long as S.H.I.E.L.D. can keep their mouths shut, no one can take my mecha from me. But, I feel like this decision would bring me bigger trouble."

"Do you have a third way?" Shiller asked.

"I don't think so. But you could've been more tactful."

"You indeed don't have a third way. But you do have another choice: not to choose."

"But..."

Before Stark had a chance to object, Shiller said,

"You are stuck in a cognitive bias, always assuming that you have to actually choose a side, but that's not the case. You can keep stalling and not choose. If one side pressures you, you can hint at them that the other side provides better conditions and that you are already considering..."

Shiller continued, "Have you noticed, this is entirely a buyer's market. Who you choose won't be because the side puts more pressure on you, but because they provide better deals."

"And who can offer a better deal to me, the world's richest man, Stark? As an unprecedentedly wealthy and brilliant scientist, nobody would question your high demands, right?"

Stark revealed a very complex and tangled expression. He said, "You mean... I should act like a woman who mercilessly keeps two boyfriends dangling, acting as if I'd go with the better performer, but in reality not committing to anyone and just naturally enjoying their attentions?"

"I must say, Stark, your bloody analogy perfectly reflects your bloody character," Shiller said.

Stark spread his hands with shameless pride, "Who knows women's hearts the best? It's me, the charming Stark."

Shiller said, "Jarvis, the surveillance in Pepper's office yesterday should have been working, right? I'm dying to see the heroic image of the most understanding Mr. Stark."

"Dammit... Jarvis, weren't you broken yesterday? You still had the camera on? Hey, don't call up the screen... Alright, I admit it, there are some women I don't understand, and Pepper is one of them."

The system beeped twice and said, "Miss Pepper has been connected for twenty-three minutes."

Stark immediately jumped up from his chair.

"Just kidding, sir," Jarvis said. Shiller then said, "Who knows women's hearts the best? It's Jarvis!"