Chapter 21

[Side Mission: Rescue Dr. Ethan from the hands of terrorists and safely extract him.

Reward: A-rank Ninjutsu: Palm Sage Jutsu.]

After reviewing the newly appeared side mission on his panel, Juan began to recall his past life's memories.

"Dr. Ethan, is that the doctor who helped Stark create his armor and ultimately sacrificed himself?"

He remembered that during Tony Stark's captivity, there was a doctor named Ethan who not only saved Tony Stark's life but also helped him secretly build the first Iron Man suit. In the end, he was shot dead during their escape to buy time.

Should he accept this mission?

After pondering for a moment, Juan decided to temporarily change his plan to go to the Naruto world and instead complete this mission first.

The A-grade medical ninjutsu, Palm Sage Technique, was an ability he couldn't afford to miss.

In battle, no one can guarantee they won't get injured, and the Palm Sage Technique can heal both internal and external injuries, as well as render people unconscious by disrupting their bodily functions.

Mastering this technique would significantly increase his survival rate and greatly assist his future plans when he returns to the Naruto world.

"Alright, Jack, you all go back first, it's too conspicuous this way."

When the motorcade reached a less bustling street in Queens, Juan instructed Jack and all the bodyguards to leave first, and then he drove on with Wanda and Pietro.

A month ago, after deciding to settle in New York, Juan had discussed the location issue with Wanda.

New York, America's largest city, is divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Staten Island.

Juan's initial idea was to buy a villa in bustling Manhattan because it was closer to his new company's building, making commuting easier.

However, considering that the location of the first Avengers' battle was in Manhattan, it seemed too dangerous for Wanda, so he discarded that idea.

Next, he thought of Queens. It's only separated from Manhattan by the East River, not too far from his company, and it's the borough with the best natural scenery.

He had lived in Queens in his past life and was familiar with the area.

In terms of safety, Queens is probably the safest among the boroughs, with a future friendly neighbor, Spider-Man, swinging around maintaining law and order.

Wanda had no objections to settling in Queens, but she disagreed with the idea of living in a villa.

Her reason was that living in a villa area was too boring and isolated. When Juan went to work, she would be left all alone at home.

She wanted to live in an ordinary residential building where she could meet new neighbors, discuss cooking and parenting tips with other wives, and exchange gifts.

She didn't fancy the lifestyle of the high society ladies; her ideal life was more like the one depicted in "The Dick Van Dyke Show," simple yet filled with the small joys of life.

Juan agreed without much hesitation.

Considering Wanda's compromise to accompany him to New York, he also needed to consider her feelings.

Personally, he had no strong preference between living in a villa or an apartment; choosing a villa was just a thought for Wanda's safety.

Moreover, living in an apartment wasn't a problem.

Before arriving in New York, he had already instructed his aide, Max, to replace the property management of their new residential area with his own people. From the day they moved in, all the security guards in the complex were his most elite subordinates, each highly skilled and regularly consuming the best quality Strength Pills, also trained in professional firearms use.

Unlike the commercially available Strength Pills, the ones his subordinates consumed were an enhanced version that had gone through further improvements, providing more significant boosts in strength over long-term use.

Still, compared to the effects of the medicine he could obtain from side missions, they were somewhat inferior.

Also, the best sniping spots in the building complex targeting their apartment had been preemptively purchased and staffed with snipers.

If enemies appeared, these snipers would be ready to take their heads off immediately.

Of course, these were details Juan couldn't share with Wanda.

In Wanda's eyes, Juan was always a kind-hearted legitimate businessman, a philanthropist praised by everyone in Sokovia, and a good husband who helped with household chores at home.

Juan wasn't intentionally keeping secrets from Wanda; it was just that he had always maintained a good persona in public when pursuing her, and suddenly exposing her to his darker side might be difficult for her to accept.

Additionally, although he was ruthless in his dealings and showed no mercy to his enemies, he didn't want his wife and future children to think of him as a bad person.

He had taken this path in his previous life to become strong and protect those he cared about, necessitating a harsher approach.

If one day he became powerful enough and there were no significant crises in the world, he hoped his children would grow up to be kind, happy, and just individuals.

Not like him.

...

"We're here, this is our new home!"

Under the respectful gaze of two muscular security guards, Juan parked the car in the outdoor parking area of the complex.

"Truth be told, it's impressive how secure the guards here look, fitting for a big city."

Pietro couldn't help but comment as he got out of the car.

He worked as a courier and often ran through various complexes in Sokovia, where most security guards were either elderly or middle-aged men with big bellies.

It was rare to actually hire young and robust men as security guards unless it was a genuinely high-end complex.

Yet, their new complex, clearly a very ordinary one, was guarded by two men at the entrance who were at least six-foot-three, bursting with muscles even under their security uniforms.

They looked like they could win a bodybuilding contest, not just serve as security guards.

"That's because this neighborhood is known for its good security; that's why we chose this complex."

Juan explained with a smile as he carried luggage from the car.

He couldn't help it; his subordinates all consumed the enhanced version of the Strength Pills, which inevitably affected their physiques.

His male secretary, Max, was often mistaken for his bodyguard, although he technically was one.

While most bosses had secretaries who were either curvaceous beauties or neatly dressed elite men with glasses, his secretary, Max, was bald, nearly six-foot-three, with a fierce demeanor and a muscular build that could make children cry just by smiling.

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