Natasha was having a hard time fighting Blaine.
She felt like every punch and kick she threw didn't land on a person, but on a steel plate.
That sensation of striking metal left her whole body numb and sore. Never mind hurting him—just the backlash from her own strength was enough to make her uncomfortable.
And she also realized something else.
This guy in front of her wasn't just freakishly tough—his combat skills were freakishly good too!
No matter what move she used, he always had a counter—and he was getting more and more skilled as the fight went on. It was terrifying!
Was he treating her like a practice dummy?
Natasha had already noticed the bow behind Blaine and the arrows beside it. She figured this oddly dressed guy's real strength wasn't just in his body and martial arts.
She could even feel that he was holding back—he wasn't trying to kill her.
The commotion from their fight finally drew Tony, who had been in his underground lab working on something, upstairs.
What he saw was a completely destroyed bar counter.
Broken bottles and spilled liquor were everywhere.
"Oh, shit!"
Tony couldn't help cursing. Seeing the two still fighting, he shouted, "Stop! Stop! We're all on the same side! Uh… Natalie! Get over here!"
Same side?
Natasha quickly stepped back and retreated to Tony's side.
Whether they were truly on the same side or not, she needed an excuse to get out. If the fight kept going, she worried her hands might be permanently damaged.
Blaine didn't pursue her any further once Tony showed up.
Though he had thoroughly enjoyed the fight with Natasha, he hadn't forgotten his real reason for coming here.
Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose and his messy hair, visibly frustrated: "Natalie! Who the hell are you?! And you, Mr. Bounty Hunter—why are you here?!"
Tony had already been stressed lately about his impending death. Maybe he didn't show it in public, but in private, he was on the verge of breaking down.
Now, two people had suddenly started fighting in his house—his secretary and a Bounty Hunter who once tried to kill him.
If this didn't give him a headache, he wasn't American.
"…"
Natasha knew she couldn't keep her cover any longer. She let out a breath, flipped her hair, and said frankly, "My real name is Natasha. I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent assigned to protect you."
Tony's mouth twitched.
His own secretary turned out to be a secret agent? Who could accept that? No wonder he never had a chance to get close to her. Shit!
"Protect me? Couldn't you have come up with a better excuse?"
He scoffed.
Natasha just shrugged and didn't elaborate.
Everyone here was smart enough to know what S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent her to do—there was no need to say more.
"Mr. Stark, you'd better explain who this weirdo is."
Tony turned to Blaine, who was still standing in front of them.
"Mr. Bounty Hunter, what do you want with me? Is someone else trying to have me killed?"
Natasha's eyes narrowed slightly.
Blaine spread his hands and coughed. "Mr. Stark, I know what's troubling you—and I can solve it."
"My trouble?"
Tony shook his head and walked over to the sofa. "I'm not troubled. I'm happy."
"You've been suffering from palladium poisoning for a while, haven't you? You don't have much time left."
As Tony sat down—
Blaine's words made his body tense slightly.
Natasha looked at Tony in surprise.
Palladium poisoning? Not much time left?
Tony finally gave Blaine his full attention, staring at him intently. "Mr. Bounty Hunter, if you know about the palladium poisoning, then you must also know that there's currently no known new energy source on Earth to replace it."
"No,"
Blaine shook his head and said mysteriously, "If you can offer me the right price, I can help you find one—and let you live in peace."
Oh ho!
So he's here to offer his services!
Though Blaine's offer was blatant, Tony didn't seem to mind. In fact, a flicker of hope appeared in his eyes.
Maybe… he really could help?
"What's the right price?"
Blaine thought for a moment. "One hundred million. I'll find it for you."
Honestly, a hundred million for a life? That's a bargain.
If it truly saved his life, Tony would be willing to pay even ten billion.
In fact, a hundred million seemed a little cheap.
It's not that Blaine didn't want to ask for more.
But ever since the system patched its loopholes, it had set limits on task rewards.
One major rule: the rewards from missions couldn't be outrageously high, or they'd be invalidated.
Otherwise, Blaine could just threaten a rich guy into posting a "find a lost cat" mission and make billions off it.
This time, he was basically taking advantage of a loophole with Tony.
In the plot, Tony would soon discover the new element his father had left behind.
If he could earn a hundred million off that, he'd be more than satisfied.
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