In the end, Raiden and Yinsen did not move into Tony house, not because Pepper disagreed or due to any external factors.
The main reason was that Raiden, Yinsen, and even Tony himself all needed independent living spaces. Each of them had their own secrets and hidden plans.
Moreover, after all, they were three grown men, and living together would inevitably lead to inconveniences, such as bringing women home, or worse.....
Hadn't Tony done that enough? Furthermore, Tony, who had lacked familial love since childhood, was suddenly overwhelmed by the presence of Raiden and Yinsen, who were more than family to him.
In his excitement, he impulsively made such a decision.
Raiden and Yinsen, on the other hand, thought more deeply and long-term compared to Tony. Perhaps Raiden emotions hadn't yet reached the point where he needed family so much? He needed an independent space to ponder many questions.
For Yinsen, giving him a private space to heal his wounds was the best choice.
In the end, Tony gifted Raiden a luxurious mansion located on West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York, bordered by Central Park to the north and Columbus Circle to the west—a truly "golden" location.
This was also the tallest residential building in New York and the entire Western Hemisphere. Since Raiden said he liked heights, Tony spent $20 million to purchase the penthouse for him. At 543 meters high, Raiden could enjoy a panoramic view of New York City.
This three-story duplex mansion became Raiden's haven, immersing him in its charm. Perhaps deep down, Raiden had always yearned for such a dreamy and peaceful life.
Although Raiden, living in the penthouse had no immediate neighbors from the day he moved in, everyone in the building became his neighbor. After all, this was a $20 million mansion! And the buyer was none other than Tony Stark.
Raiden received many gifts from his so-called neighbors, as well as business cards from various women, though he didn't need them. Perhaps once Raiden emotions fully recovered, he might pursue such things.
But for now, Raiden simply wanted to enjoy this life, savoring the remnants of feelings he had once fantasized about, which brought him contentment. This tranquil and beautiful life was like a millstone, smoothing the sharpest sword, or a poison, numbing a heart filled with hatred.
As for Yinsen, he moved into Queens, an unremarkable area of New York City. Tony had wanted to give Yinsen something better, but Yinsen refused. What Yinsen needed was simplicity, plain and simple.
Yinsen lived an ordinary life like any regular person, making many new friends in his fresh start. Yinsen never let Tony visit his new home; he wanted to keep a low profile. His daily routine revolved around drinking tea—he loved tea, which brought him peace.
But who would have guessed that this seemingly idle and leisurely man had over eight figures in his bank account?
Although Raiden, Yinsen, and Tony didn't end up living together, they spent every day together. Whether in Tony lab or on the beaches of the East Coast, life was comfortable—or rather, life with money was truly comfortable.
However, in this idyllic life, only Tony seemed unable to let go of something. Every day, aside from accompanying Raiden and Yinsen on outings, he would immerse himself in the lab.
In the lab, Tony worked on developing his armor or studied the blood of Raiden and Yinsen. The blood of Raiden and Yinsen was perhaps the most astonishing substance in Tony understanding.
Yinsen blood, collected after his transformation into a werewolf, was brimming with vitality and "instability," constantly splitting and merging, growing and evolving.
As for Raiden blood—oh, it could hardly be called blood anymore. It was a vessel, a thirsty container, a greedy demon. Through his experiments, Tony discovered that 500 milliliters of Raiden blood could even contain half the energy of a reactor.
This led Tony to entertain the idea of using Raiden blood to create a reactor, though the plan ultimately fell through due to numerous constraints.
However, this discovery inspired Tony to propose an intriguing plan: What would happen if Raiden were continuously supplied with enough energy? When every drop of his blood reached saturation, would Raiden still be human? Perhaps he would become a god.
But this remained merely a hypothesis, as Raiden had no desire to stay in one place "charging" every day. Power was something one sought to obtain what they desired, and Raiden currently desired nothing. All he wanted was to live a peaceful, uneventful life, and he was thoroughly enjoying it.
Yet, for some reason, in the depths of every night, a faint, angry roar echoed in Raiden heart, leaving him restless. To cope, Raiden turned to alcohol and a life of indulgence to numb himself.
...
On the Atlantic Ocean, a small yacht floated quietly on the calm sea. Under the blue sky and white clouds, basking in the comfortable sunlight, three men in shorts, their muscular bodies exposed, lay on deck chairs sunbathing.
"Raiden, the fishing rod moving," Tony said with his eyes closed.
"Let it move a bit longer," Raiden mumbled weakly.
"But this is the fourth time. Four fish have already gotten away, Raiden. Just reel it in..." Yinsen, also resting with his eyes closed, said softly.
"Why do I always have to reel it in? I want to sleep..." Raiden rolled over, savoring the warmth of the sun.
"Hey!" Raiden was suddenly yanked up. He opened his eyes to see Tony glaring at him.
"You idiot, who told you to place all three fishing rods under your crotch? If you don't reel them in, who will?" Tony snapped.
"Fine, fine, I'll reel it in." But by the time Raiden pulled the line, the fish was long gone. Staring at the empty line, Raiden collapsed back into his chair, feeling utterly drained. He waved a hand at Tony and muttered,
"Sleep, sleep."
Tony, too, lost interest. "Sleep it is. It's not like we're short on fish."
"Oh, by the way, Raiden, Yinsen, there's a party tonight. I'll have the driver pick you up," Tony said after lying down for a while.
"No need. I'll have Wayne pick me up," Raiden murmured.
"Don't bother picking me up either. I'll take a cab," Yinsen added.
Tony didn't speak, merely nodding gently as if Raiden and Yinsen could see him. Such a leisurely life could make one forget all their troubles. Take Raiden, for instance—he had almost entirely forgotten the subsequent developments in the Marvel universe.
Those trivial memories, since they were hard to recall anyway, might as well not be dwelled upon. After all, if the sky were to fall, there would always be someone taller to hold it up.
Raiden never considered himself the tall one, nor did he see himself as a hero. Right now, Raiden was simply a person living in this real world.
But this was the Marvel universe, and trouble always had a way of finding you. While Raiden and the other two were basking in the sun over the Atlantic Ocean, 500 meters below the surface, a submarine lay quietly in the water.
Inside the submarine, a bald black man stood with his back to a white man and said.
"Coulson, this mission is yours."
"Yes, sir," replied the white man, known as Coulson, nodding in response. But Coulson eyes were filled with worry.
He couldn't understand why, just moments ago when the submarine was at a depth of 100 meters, had been snagged by a fishinghook...