Having "escaped" from the manor, Raiden stood under a large tree several kilometers away, looking back at the manor with lingering fear and letting out a heavy sigh.
"Damn it!" Raiden turned around and punched the tree, causing leaves to fall in droves.
"Why on earth did Tony think of giving Iron Man suits to me and Yinsen?" Raiden leaned against the tree, chewing on a blade of grass while gazing at the sky and muttering to himself.
The suit itself was easy to take, but the responsibility it carried was not so easy to shoulder.
If Raiden accepted the suit, Tony would undoubtedly find all sorts of reasons to drag him into the dream of being a superhero. And as for superheroes... Raiden quite liked his current peaceful life and didn't want it to be turned upside down.
"Sigh, it seems I'll have to avoid Tony for the next few days. What excuse can I come up with to completely reject him?" Given Tony stubborn personality, Raiden needed to come up with a foolproof plan to brush him off, otherwise...
"Ah! I'll definitely be driven crazy." Raiden frantically ruffled his hair in frustration.
"Sigh."
In the end, Raiden could only let out a heavy sigh. Clearly, this matter was both irritating and somewhat helpless for him. He couldn't find a suitable reason to refuse Tony.
But truthfully, Raiden didn't even know why he was so agitated or why he was so resistant.
The moment he thought about his life changing, he instinctively wanted to escape.
Raiden wanted to maintain this life. He liked it this way. At least, he kept telling himself that he needed this life, and he wouldn't allow anyone to disrupt it.
"WuldnahKest!"
"WuldnahKest!"
"WuldnahKest!"
When someone is troubled, they always find a way to vent, though perhaps not the most rational one.
With each shout of the Thu'um, Raiden figure would appear several kilometers away, and along the path he traveled, trees fell in droves, and everything in his way was shattered.
It was an impulsive and irrational act... at least in the eyes of others.
....
"Sir, this area... something's not right." A man in military uniform pointed at the screen in front of him.
Behind him, a lieutenant colonel walked over and looked at the screen, where patches of green representing vegetation were fading from dark to light.
"Immediately direct the satellite to this area" the lieutenant colonel said, pointing at the screen.
The soldier quickly adjusted the satellite to focus on the area. When the image zoomed in, they saw that the trees in that region were falling in large numbers without any apparent cause.
The lieutenant colonel looked at the soldier in confusion, but the soldier couldn't explain it either. Through the satellite's lens, they couldn't make out the figure moving at high speed through the forest.
"Should we report this to the higher-ups, sir?" the soldier asked, looking up.
The lieutenant colonel nodded, but before he could take any action, the phone rang.
He answered it, continuously responding with "Yes," "Okay," and nodding his head.
After hanging up, the lieutenant colonel let out a sigh and said to the soldier.
"That matter is no longer our concern. Someone else will handle it. Let's focus on other areas."
"Understood, sir" the soldier responded, then glanced at the screen and shook his head.
....
Impulsive actions are often irrational, and it was clear that Raiden behavior had caught the attention of many, as well as stirred up considerable dissatisfaction.
After the battle with Obadiah, the entire United States was on edge. A single misstep could trigger an explosion. Tony press conference had greatly satisfied the inner desires of most Americans, but for the government and the military, it was not good news.
However, due to Tony unique status, they could do nothing about it.
But now, in an area under their supervision, near New York, something unusual had occurred again. This gave the already irritated government higher-ups an outlet for their frustration.
The roar of helicopters jolted Raiden, who had been lost in the thrill of unleashing his power. He looked up to see more than a dozen helicopters hovering above. When he turned to look behind him, he saw the swath of fallen trees.
"Oh, shit!"
Raiden cursed under his breath and thought about using his Whirlwind Sprint to escape. But then it struck him—using it now would be like walking right into a trap.
Damn this Shout, it couldn't change direction!
I need to find a way to improve this Shout, Raiden thought to himself.
Perhaps he wasn't qualified to alter other Shouts, but the Whirlwind Sprint was originally created by humans, so Raiden believed he had the ability to modify it.
But how to escape now? It seemed like he'd have to rely on his legs.
With that thought, Raiden sprang into action, leaping onto the branches to flee the area. Raiden chose to escape through the trees to cover his tracks on the ground, but he forgot that this would also make his own trail more obvious.
Because from the sky, such behavior... was just too foolish.
The soldiers in the helicopters quickly noticed the shaking treetops.
Several helicopters swiftly moved to surround the area, shining their searchlights on the tree where Raiden was hiding.
Damn it!
Raiden shielded his eyes with his hand. Why are you using searchlights in broad daylight?
Seeing the helicopters tightly circling above, was a conflict about to break out? That wasn't something Raiden wanted to see, as he still wished to continue living in the United States.
The helicopters showed no reaction; it seemed they had no intention of communicating with Raiden. Several ropes were thrown down from the helicopters, indicating they were preparing to rappel down.
Just as Raiden was struggling with how to escape the area, a suit of armor flew over from the sky and hovered in front of the helicopters.
"This area is under my jurisdiction. You can leave now" Tony, clad in the Iron Man suit, said to the soldiers in the helicopters.
There was no immediate response from the helicopters. After a while, a voice said.
"Mr. Stark, this area is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. government."
Tony looked down, his visor scanning the area.
"Sir, it's indeed Mr. Akatosh" JARVIS said, and the visor locked onto Raiden figure.
Tony looked up at the soldiers in the helicopters and said.
"No, this area is under the jurisdiction of Iron Man." As he spoke, he raised his right hand and fired an energy blast.
The helicopters fell silent. After a moment, the soldiers who had rappelled down returned to the helicopters, which then flew away from the area.
Tony watched the departing helicopter and breathed a sigh of relief before descending to the ground.
"Raiden, come out" Tony said.
Raiden jumped down from the tree.
Tony opened his faceplate and looked at Raiden helplessly, pointing at the fallen trees behind him.
"What happened to you?"
Raiden scratched his head sheepishly.
"Just testing my abilities, sorry."
"It's fine," Tony said, waving his hand. "But maybe next time we should find a safer, more discreet place, don't you think?"
Raiden nodded.
"By the way, weren't you heading home? Let me give you a ride" Tony offered.
"You're giving me a ride?" Raiden looked at Tony skeptically. The suit didn't seem like it could fit two people.
Without hesitation, Tony nodded and repeated "Yes, I'll give you a ride."
...
"Oh, shit, Tony, please don't tell anyone about this."
"Of course not."
In the sky, Raiden experienced what it felt like to be carried in a princess hold.
This damn position...
Raiden expression was one of pure agony.
Fortunately, Tony suit flew fast, and Raiden torment only lasted about ten minutes before they reached his home. It also helped that Raiden lived high up, so Tony suit didn't attract much attention from the public.
After dropping Raiden off, Tony left immediately.
Raiden watched Tony departing figure, lost in thought.
After the Tony left, Raiden sat on the couch and couldn't help but mutter.
"What the hell just happened?"
Suddenly, a knock at the door snapped him out of it.
Raiden went to open the door.
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