"Two pieces of good news, which one do you want to hear first?"
On this day, Tony, looking as flashy as ever, came before Mike, who was temporarily staying at Stark Tower.
Exactly one week had passed since Mike's return.
During this time, Tony had been busy, leaving early and returning late every day to complete his search mission. Mike, on the other hand, had been idle, once again enjoying the life of a rich man in Stark Tower.
"Tell me, I want to hear both pieces of good news," Mike said with a smile, forming a ball of light and tossing it onto Tony.
"That's the feeling, no matter how many times, it's always so captivating…" Tony, having washed away his fatigue, sighed before continuing, "The first good news is that a small group of mutants, including Wolverine, are still alive. However, it will take some time to find them…"
After the emergence of the X-gene inhibiting food, the era of mutants had passed.
The small group of mutants who were still alive couldn't make any waves, so they all went into hiding.
Even for Tony, finding them was quite difficult.
"The second good news is that most of the street heroes you were looking for have been found, except for a few who are homeless," Tony asked with a hint of pride, "Do you want to go see them now?"
"Of course," Mike nodded.
"Then it's settled, one hero, one Healing Power light ball. If you agree, we can depart now," Tony said with a smile, revealing his true intention.
There was no other way; the healing effect of Saint Light Power was too good.
Tony, having experienced the healing effect, had become addicted to that feeling of complete relaxation.
"No problem, as long as you find enough people, I can be your exclusive 'physician'," Mike replied.
If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it grass.
Mike didn't mind giving Tony more motivation.
"Deal, we're heading to Hell's Kitchen now, where at least three street heroes are waiting for us." As expected, upon receiving the promise, Tony immediately felt energized.
The two then went to the underground garage and got into a flashy red sports car.
"How is it? Not bad, right? Do you want me to give you one later?" Tony, driving the cool sports car, showed off a bit, then held up a finger, "One healing session."
"Deal." Mike nodded again.
Truth be told, as flashy as Tony was, his aesthetic sometimes aligned quite well with Mike's style.
"Done," Tony clenched his hand into a fist.
He had already decided how he would use the Healing Power.
He would probably use it when the next Playboy magazine came out.
"See that villa being built over there? That's where I've prepared for you to live." Tony, in a good mood, drove out of the garage and gestured towards the villa under construction nearby.
After the alien invasion, many commercial buildings and residential areas in New York were severely damaged, and Stark Industries took on a portion of the reconstruction work.
The timing was perfect, as Mike decided to settle in New York.
Therefore, Tony simply waved his hand and built a new villa for Mike not far from Stark Tower.
Although its scale couldn't compare to Stark Tower, it wasn't far off.
And with ample funds invested, only a week had passed, and the villa was already taking shape.
"Looks good, what reward do you want? One healing session?" Mike proactively offered a reward.
After all, give and take is human nature.
"No, no, no, I put a lot of effort into your new home. You'll be able to move in with just your bags in half a month." Tony said with a smile, "So, this time I want two healing sessions."
"OK," Mike nodded speechlessly.
He shouldn't have had too many expectations for Tony.
"Haha, adding the previous ones, you owe me a total of three healing sessions." Tony, having succeeded in his plan, couldn't help but laugh.
Face, in front of Healing Power, was worthless.
Can it be eaten???
Then, Tony, driving his cool sports car, took Mike on a short detour, deliberately coming to New York's central square.
At this time, a huge projection screen in the central square was playing Mike's cool personal promotional video.
If he remembered correctly, that was two days ago, when Tony specifically took a whole day to film it.
The video fully showcased Mike's handsomeness.
"I understand, this promotional video is worth two healing sessions." Sensing the sports car noticeably slowing down in front of the big screen, Mike again proactively offered a price.
There was no other way; Tony's thoughts were too easy to guess.
"Besides this projection screen, there are ten other places with similar screens in major commercial streets throughout New York," Tony boasted, "They play continuously, 24/7, to maximize the chances of New York residents getting to know you in a short amount of time."
"So?" Mike asked.
"So, it's not too much for me to ask for ten, no, five more healing sessions, right?" Tony's face showed a fawning smile.
In his opinion, Mike was also a strange person.
He had a peculiar obsession with "fame."
In this situation, a little bit of promotional resources should be enough to exchange for "healing" sessions from the other party.
Anyway, in Tony's opinion, he wouldn't lose out no matter what.
"Deal. Next, what other surprises have you prepared? Just say them all at once. No need to drag it out like this." Mike turned to look at the smug Tony.
Given their relationship, the other party could totally speak frankly.
There was no need for so many tricks.
"None for now, remember you now owe me a total of eight healing sessions…" Tony put on his sunglasses and started to accelerate the sports car, "Our next destination is Hell's Kitchen. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll owe me three more healing sessions."
Hell's Kitchen is located in the slum area of Manhattan. Due to frequent gang activities and high crime rates, it is known as "Hell."
And because of the large flow of people and the rapid development of civilian catering, it earned the nickname "Kitchen."
Putting the two together, it became — Hell's Kitchen.
As the red sports car left the central area of New York and entered the relatively remote impoverished district.
Consequently, more and more people looked at Tony's luxurious sports car.
Greed… poverty… squalor…
This was the first impression Hell's Kitchen gave people.
"This place is really messed up…" Tony honked his horn all the way, pushing through the crowd, and parked his sports car in front of a law office.
"Shit!"
Tony, who was complaining, accidentally stepped on an unknown object when he got out of the car.
This made his already bad mood even worse.
Then, after rubbing his foot on the ground for a long time, Tony pulled out a silk scarf and covered his nose.
Although the air here had a hint of food aroma, it was mostly an indescribable sour, foul smell.
If he hadn't promised to help Mike find people, Tony might never have set foot here.
"Let's go, let's meet the first civilian hero." After calming down, Tony quickly stepped forward and pushed open the door of the law office:
"Is Lawyer Matt in?"
"I am Matt, how can I help you?" A man in a sharp suit with meticulously combed hair was "reading" documents.
He looked up when he heard the voice.
"It's not me looking for you…" Tony observed the surroundings, then walked to the desk and complained, "This place of yours is really simple. By the way, can you make money by opening a law firm here?"
Although the man was wearing a suit, he still couldn't hide the scent of poverty on him.
"Just making a living," Matt showed a polite smile, seemingly not hearing the mockery in Tony's tone, then turned his head to "look" at Mike and asked, "May I ask, what can I do for you, sir?"
"My name is Mike, I just came to see the famous Daredevil out of admiration." Mike immediately revealed the other party's identity.
[Super Senses (Trait)]… [Radar Sense (Trait)]…
[Combat Proficiency (Experience)]… [Weapon Proficiency (Experience)]… [Law Proficiency (Experience)]… [Psychology Proficiency (Experience)]…
Immediately, Mike obtained many trait traits and experience traits from the other party.
"There are only lawyers here, no Daredevil you're looking for. You've come to the wrong place—" After his identity was revealed, Matt, relying on his strong psychological experience, controlled his micro-expressions.
Then he looked as if he was seeing them out.
And Mike, having obtained a large number of traits, had already achieved his purpose for coming.
Not intending to make things difficult for Daredevil, he nodded slightly to Tony, then prepared to leave.
"By the way, can a blind person also open a law office? Or are you faking it…" Meanwhile, Tony, who had been observing Lawyer Matt for a long time, suddenly reached out to grab the sunglasses on the other's face.
And Matt, who had sensed Tony's movement in advance through his super hearing, leaned back slightly and easily dodged the sneak attack.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, I am indeed blind." Matt straightened his suit, which had been disarranged by his lean, and explained with a smile, "However, when God closes a door, he also opens a window. Because I lost my sight, my hearing is a little stronger than ordinary people…"
Saying that, Matt pointed to his moving ears.
"I see, I apologize for my previous rude behavior." Tony also noticed at this point that Matt had a white cane by his hand, confirming the other party's blind identity.
Moreover, Tony's previous actions were also out of boredom, wanting to find some fun for this trip.
In fact, there was no malice.
"It's alright, I'm used to it. If you have any legal issues next time, you can come find me again." Matt didn't seem angry, and by the way, he also promoted his law firm.
Similarly, his words also carried the meaning of seeing them out.
"We'll see about that." Tony gave a perfunctory reply, then followed Mike out of the law firm.
As the two left, the smile on Lawyer Matt's face disappeared, replaced by deep thought.
"Matt, do you know who those two just were?" It was at this moment that Nelson, who had been watching from a distance for a long time, walked over and said excitedly, "They are Iron Man and the Guardian who repelled the alien army in the Battle of New York! Especially Iron Man, if you can get involved with him, we'll never have to be poor again."
The full name of this small law firm was [Nelson & Murdock Law Offices].
Nelson was not only Matt Murdock's partner but also a member of Matt's Daredevil team.
The two, who knew each other inside and out, truly shared a common destiny.
"Calm down, Nelson. My identity as Daredevil seems to have been exposed." Matt reminded his friend.
"How could that be…" Nelson's expression changed, and he asked with concern, "They didn't make things difficult for you, did they?"
"No, they didn't. I could feel that they had no ill intentions towards me." Matt shook his head. With his super senses, he could perceive other people's emotions through blood flow, heart rate, etc.
Naturally, he could also distinguish between "good and evil."
However, his expression remained solemn, and he continued, "To be safe, our actions for the next period of time might have to be canceled."
Being targeted is never a good thing.
Especially for a blind person.
"Sigh, it can only be this way." Nelson also became dejected.
He had originally thought that meeting Iron Man was a stroke of fortune, but in the end, he didn't get any benefits and might even get into trouble.
No matter who it was, their mood wouldn't be too good.
On the other side, the two, unaware that their actions had caused trouble for others, had already driven deeper into the residential area of Hell's Kitchen.
"Next, we're going to meet a mercenary who was active during the mutant era…" After entering the residential area, Tony drove while introducing, "He doesn't sound like a good person, but this guy protected the safety of his block on the day of the alien invasion."
"All in all, he can barely be considered a street hero…"
Hell's Kitchen was already a chaotic area, and it was not hard to imagine people causing destruction during the alien invasion.
However, a mercenary who would do anything for money, transforming into a street hero who protected peace during the chaos, was somewhat unexpected for Tony.
"Mr. Wade, I regret to inform you. Your rent is over a month overdue. If you can't pay the rent, I'll have to ask you and your wife to leave." In an old house in the slum, the blind old lady Althea was giving the struggling Deadpool a final ultimatum.
Althea, whose real name was Althea Winifred Sanderson, was a great beauty in her youth and had even participated in World War II.
But now, she was just a blind old lady living off rent.
"Shh!" Wade, who was staying at the blind old lady's house, being under someone else's roof, carefully glanced towards the bedroom and whispered, "Don't forget, I protected this street before, including you and your house."
"Can't you, for God's sake, give me a few more days for the rent…"
Although Wade protected this area that day mainly to protect his wife, Vanessa, who was suffering from cancer and had difficulty moving.
But that didn't stop him from using it to ask for some favors.
"It's precisely because you protected me that I've given you over a month's grace on the rent. If I don't get the rent, I'll just have to eat dirt…" The blind, lonely old lady said she was also in a difficult situation.
"Wade, what's going on?" Just then, Deadpool's wife, Vanessa, heard the commotion outside from the bedroom and laboriously made her way to the door.
"Nothing, honey." Wade quickly went to help his wife back into the room, admonishing her, "The doctor said you're not well and need more rest. Don't worry about things outside, I can handle it."
After comforting his wife, Wade returned to the living room and whispered to the old lady, "Give me two more days for the rent. I'll go out and find a way to get money. Also, don't tell Vanessa about this."
"Of course. For Vanessa's sake, I'll give you two more days. But only two days…" Old Lady Althea nodded, indicating her understanding.
…
"Oh, you must be Wade. Your face is indeed very recognizable…" Tony parked his sports car in front of Deadpool, who was just coming out, and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to comment on your looks."
Melted avocado…
Unless it was a blind person or a close relative.
Deadpool's appearance was indeed very difficult for people to accept.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Wade, full of negative energy, stared at Tony, who was dressed in expensive clothes, and his luxurious sports car, like a hunter eyeing prey.
What was this?
This was wealth delivered to his doorstep.
Especially for someone desperately in need of money to solve their predicament, Tony, exuding the scent of money, had an almost irresistible "charm."