After Wesley hung up the phone, he looked at Ivan Vanko, who was passed out facedown on the table, and felt a wave of helplessness.
This was a friend he had made by chance since arriving in Russia. In Ivan, Wesley saw a shadow of his former self—someone full of potential but stifled by circumstances, unable to change his fate. He saw the way Ivan wanted to act but was anchored by his ailing father; though Wesley hadn't had his father by his side back then, the parallels were striking.
After getting to know him, Wesley realized the man was a mechanical genius with revolutionary insights into firearm modifications. Over a few drinks and late-night talks, they had become genuine friends. This bond was what drove Wesley's desire to recommend Ivan to Shiranui Hayate.
Carlos summoned a hotel waiter to help carry the drunken Russian to a room. Wesley knew he needed a strategy—a way to convince this stubborn man to travel to New York and meet his Boss.
Back at the agency, Hotaru watched Hayate set his phone down. "Boss, you sound like you already know the person Wesley is recommending."
Hayate leaned back with a small smile. "I've heard of him. His father is Anton Vanko, a man who once worked alongside Tony Stark's father. Wesley isn't wrong about the talent—Ivan is a mechanical prodigy—but the man is a walking magnet for trouble. I'm not particularly fond of his personality."
To be able to take the blueprints for a massive Arc Reactor and build a miniature, functional version in a squalid basement—just as Tony had in a cave—was proof enough of his genius. However, the ideology Anton Vanko had hammered into his son made Ivan difficult to manage.
If he brought Ivan into the fold, the man would certainly be an asset, but a limited one. If Ivan's obsession with the Starks led him to go on a suicide mission against Tony, Hayate would be left with a headache. Would he intervene? What would he gain?
He didn't mind Ivan and Tony having a "friendly" technological rivalry, but if Ivan insisted on a death match, Hayate had no interest in playing shield for the man's vendetta. Better to let him go bother Justin Hammer.
Hotaru blinked, processing this. To her, "personality" was secondary to "genius." She believed that with Hayate's charisma, even a stubborn Russian mechanic would eventually fall in line.
She also had her own motivations. Within the agency's power structure, she only had the father-son duo of Carlos and Wesley in her "camp." Shizune was surrounded by the three academy ninjas, and John Wick was a direct recruit of the Boss. To maintain her standing and move closer to Hayate, she needed more people—talented people—under her wing.
"Boss," Hotaru said, her eyes bright with determination. "Why don't I head to Moscow myself? I can vet this 'genius' for you. If he's as good as Wesley says, I'll bring them both back. If he's a disappointment, we cut him loose."
"It'll also show Wesley that not just anyone has the right to be recommended to your inner circle."
Hayate looked at her, slightly surprised by her eagerness. "If you want to go, you'd better leave soon. Moscow isn't exactly around the corner. Go ahead and see him—maybe his personality won't even pass your standards."
"But before you leave, transfer that ten million dollars we just got from Stark to my private account. I have a use for it."
Hayate, focused on his upcoming system upgrades, completely missed the subtle office politics Hotaru was playing.
"Of course, Boss," Hotaru smiled. "I'll handle the audit for you. The funds will be in your account within the hour."
With the meeting concluded, Hayate headed upstairs. Hotaru watched him go, her mind already racing. She felt the pressure from Shizune's presence and knew the ninja faction would only grow larger. To keep her value high, she needed to be the one who managed the "extraordinary" non-ninja talents.
She quickly authorized the transfer and boarded a High Table private jet bound for Russia.
Back in his room, Hayate hadn't been resting long when his phone buzzed. Ten million dollars had cleared.
He immediately entered the system space. Looking at his meager balance of 1.8M Copper Coins, he initiated the exchange. The ten million vanished, and his balance soared to 11.8M.
With the resources in hand, he opened the Summon interface. His focus: Aoda.
The blue snake was currently Level 20. The next upgrade required 500 Reputation and 50,000 Copper. He knew the costs would scale sharply. With 13,650 Reputation in the bank, he began the grind.
After burning through 13,000 Reputation and nearly 5M Copper, Aoda reached Level 40. The snake's power surged visibly, but the cost for the next ten levels was staggering: 2,000 Reputation and 250,000 Copper per level.
To max him out at Level 50 and unlock the next summon, Gamakichi, he estimated he'd need another 25,000 Reputation. The Copper is fine, but the Reputation will take time, he thought. Though with the Continental missions flowing in, it shouldn't take more than a month.
He switched to the Equipment tab. His Chunin-grade gear was all sitting at Level 30. He poured the remaining 6.8M Copper into his armor and weapons. All six pieces flashed as they hit Level 50. He was now just ten levels away from the Jonin-tier set.
As the last of the Copper vanished, Hayate felt a physical change. His defensive and offensive stats had climbed significantly. While he hadn't tested it yet, he had a strong feeling that small-caliber firearms wouldn't even be able to "break his defense" now, even if he stood perfectly still.