"Oh! My goodness, you guys should change your names," Raiden and Yinsen said in unison.
"Ugh! Cough, cough," Tony quickly swallowed the whiskey in his mouth and slammed the table, saying, "I was just thinking the same thing!"
The three men exchanged smiles, making Coulson, who was standing nearby, feel quite awkward.
"Mr. Stark, can we schedule a time to talk?" Coulson asked Tony.
But at that moment, Tony caught sight of Pepper in the crowd. She was wearing a stunning azure backless dress, exuding both sexiness and elegance.
"Mr. Stark, we have many questions that need answers, and time waits for no one. Perhaps we could set a time, say, 8 PM on the 24th at your company?" Coulson extended his hand, looking at Tony as he asked.
However, Tony gaze was entirely fixed on Pepper, and he didn't pay any attention to what Coulson was saying.
"She's really beautiful, isn't she? Go on, Tony!" Raiden patted Tony on the shoulder.
Well, it seemed he was being ignored.
Coulson sighed helplessly and picked up a glass of whiskey to drink.
"Should I go over?" Tony glanced at Raiden, then nodded to himself. "Yes, I really should go over."
Tony turned to Coulson and said, "I need to check the time with my assistant. You guys chat."
With that, Tony took a sip of his whiskey and walked over.
"Hey, Tony, don't forget to ask her to dance!" Raiden called out from behind. Tony raised a hand and waved without turning around.
"Oh! Alright," Raiden said, spinning his chair around with a dramatic flourish and addressing the bartender.
"Get me a whiskey too. I'm parched. Yinsen, you want one?"
"No, I... I think I'll take a walk," Yinsen said, looking at Raiden.
"Alright, alright, I get it. Have a great night!" Raiden said with a wink.
Yinsen hesitated but didn't explain further, simply walking into the crowd. Truth be told, Yinsen just didn't want to stay with Coulson—or any government agent, for that matter.
"Hello, I'm Coulson," Coulson extended his hand.
Raiden glanced at Coulson out of the corner of his eye but didn't shake his hand. Instead, he kept his eyes on the bottles behind the bar and said.
"I know who you are. Tony already mentioned you. I assume you know who I am too, so I won't bother introducing myself."
"No, I don't know who you are!" Coulson stared intently at Raiden.
."You have no identity, no trace of you anywhere. It's like you just appeared out of thin air. Are you an alien?" Coulson inquired.
Aliens—there were quite a few on Earth, but most of them lived under S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance. Those aliens were hardly different from humans, aside from their odd appearances, greater strength, and some minor, insignificant abilities.
"An alien? Do I look like an alien to you?" Raiden laughed.
"But you're definitely not an ordinary person!" Coulson insisted.
"Of course, of course I'm not an ordinary person," Raiden admitted.
Coulson's face showed a look of satisfaction, as if he had confirmed his suspicions.
"I'm a rich man!" Raiden added immediately.
Coulson expression froze in an instant.
"We once followed your trail, you and Yinsen Ho! In the deserts of the Middle East, in the villages you passed through. All the terrorists were dead, and in some villages, there weren't even any bodies left—it was as if they had vanished into thin air. And we found these in those villages!" Coulson placed several photos in front of Raiden.
The photos showed a wall with a massive claw mark, while others depicted the corpses of wolves and the wreckage of a torn-apart jeep.
"I want to know what exactly happened? How did Tony Stark and the three of you escape that cave? And what about that humanoid armor that appeared in the Middle East? What was that?" Coulson, suppressing his unease, fired off all his questions in one go.
Of course, there was one question he didn't ask, and he didn't dare to. That was, in the Atlantic Ocean, how could a fishing hook reach a submarine over a hundred meters deep? It was a question that defied scientific explanation, but then again, how many such questions were there?
But when Coulson finished asking all his questions and looked at Raiden with eager eyes, waiting for an answer, he realized that Raiden was staring intently into the crowd, seemingly not listening to him at all.
Great, ignored again!
Coulson sighed and turned to the bartender, tapping the table. The bartender refilled Coulson glass.
"Raiden? Sir?" Coulson called out, seeing Raiden lost in thought.
"Huh? What did you say? Let's talk next time! I've got things to do!"
Raiden hurriedly brushed off Coulson and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Coulson sighed, took a sip of whiskey from the bar, and thought to himself. Asking directly clearly wasn't working. It seemed… it was time for Plan B!
Raiden weaved through the crowd. He had just caught a glimpse of a figure, a person! Someone who didn't belong to this world. But how could she appear in this world? Wasn't this supposed to be the Marvel universe? Could it be?
Raiden didn't dare to think further. If it was as he suspected, then this world might be far more dangerous than he had imagined.
Raiden pushed through the crowd, arriving at the spot where he had seen the figure, but she was already gone.
Raiden scanned the surroundings.
Where? Where! There!
Raiden finally spotted the figure again in the crowd. She was heading upstairs, and Raiden quickly followed.
Nearby, Tony and Pepper were dancing in the ballroom, but both seemed a bit reserved.
Suddenly, Tony was pushed from behind and stumbled into Pepper… His face pressed against her shoulder, and they held each other tightly… But after two seconds, they sprang apart as if shocked.
Tony quickly looked behind him, trying to see who had pushed him, only to catch sight of Raiden squeezing through the crowd and heading upstairs.
For a moment, Tony felt grateful to Raiden, but the atmosphere between him and Pepper became awkward. After the intimate moment, neither knew how to break the silence.
"Do you need to step out for some fresh air?" Tony finally broke the silence.
"Great, great, it's so stuffy in here. I've been wanting to go out for some fresh air!" Pepper quickly replied.
The two of them walked towards the balcony together, while Raiden, the "culprit," had already rushed up to the second floor.
There she was!
Raiden suddenly dashed over and grabbed the woman arm. The woman turned around, revealing a stunning beauty with a beautiful face framed by beautiful hair—a woman with a heroic aura.
"Hello, sir? Sir, could you let go? You must have mistaken me for someone else, sir? I don't believe we've met," the woman said softly, her voice pleasant, enchanting, and elegant.
"What's your name?" Raiden asked, gazing at the woman face in a daze.
"My name is Diana Prince," the woman's voice echoed in Raiden mind.