"Currently, from this area to this area, spanning the border between Iran and Afghanistan, from the south to the north, the terrorist organizations have been completely eradicated under our strikes. Our next target should be here!" Tony pointed to a location on the 3D simulated map in front of him. Seated before him, listening intently to his plan, were Raiden and Yinsen.
In the past few days, Tony and his team had conducted a thorough sweep of terrorist organizations along the Iran-Afghanistan border. Thanks to Michelle's intelligence, almost all of those organizations had been wiped out without exception.
However, there were still one or two terrorist groups that had managed to escape by sheer luck. But it was clear that they had been thoroughly frightened, and at least for the short term, they would not dare to cause any more trouble.
So now, Tony next target was the western region of Iran, near the border with Iraq. That area was even more chaotic, and the people there needed to see hope.
"First, we need to obtain accurate intelligence. This is crucial. Although JARVIS can detect many signal sources, to carry out precise and effective strikes against those terrorist organizations, we need more reliable and precise intelligence... Raiden, what are you doing again?" Tony suddenly asked with a hint of exasperation as he turned to Raiden.
Seated in front of Tony were Yinsen and Raiden. Yinsen was listening attentively to Tony plan, while Raiden... this guy was staring at his own hands, lost in thought, as if pondering something.
This had been Raiden behavior for who knows how many times in the past two days. He would often stare at his hands or some other place, lost in thought. When Tony and Yinsen asked him about it, they couldn't get a clear answer.
"Uh, sorry, go on" Raiden said, somewhat embarrassed.
Tony shook his head and continued explaining his plan.
Meanwhile, Raiden, as he listened, once again drifted into his own world.
In the past two days, Raiden had encountered a few minor issues. One was his Heroic Spirit power. The last time he used it was when Yinsen transformed into a werewolf and lost control, right?
But since that incident, Raiden had been unable to sense the presence of his Heroic Spirit power.
When they sealed the bald man in the cave, Raiden had used the residual soul power of the Heroic Spirit. At the moment the bald man was sealed, Raiden clearly felt a surge of his Heroic Spirit power within him.
Could it be... because of emotions?
This was also Raiden second issue. Raiden suddenly realized that he seemed to have developed a hint of emotion within him. Although it was just a tiny bit, this long-lost, genuine feeling made Raiden feel... very strange.
Without emotions, Raiden always felt as though there was a barrier between him and the world. He could never fully integrate into it. But with this faint trace of emotion... the world felt real to him, yet also unfamiliar. It was as if Raiden was experiencing the world for the first time.
And what was even more troublesome was that Raiden couldn't adapt to this newfound emotion. How should he put it... feelings that he never had before would now inexplicably surface.
Then came the third trouble: "Cut off one head, and two more shall take its place..." What kind of lousy organization's slogan is that? Raiden felt like he should have heard it before, but he just couldn't recall it.
The origin of this slogan was something Raiden had forced out of the bald man. It was this organization that had helped the bald man make a comeback, and their demand was simple, the bald man had to hand over Raiden in exchange for their assistance.
This made Raiden feel like he had stumbled into some serious trouble. And when all these worries piled up together... Raiden mind was constantly wandering, making it impossible for him to focus.
"Bang!"
The sudden sound of the door being pushed open startled Raiden, snapping him out of his distracted state. Tony, who was in the middle of explaining his plan to Yinsen, was also startled and quickly turned off the 3D map in front of him.
Pepper stormed in, slamming a file folder onto the table with a loud "thud!" She then angrily confronted the three of them.
"Have you all lost your minds? Are you insane? Tell me, are you out of your minds!"
"Uh, what's wrong, Pepper?" Tony asked cautiously.
"Oh, what's wrong? Oh my god, look at this mess!" Pepper pulled out a stack of photos and newspapers from the folder on the table.
"Look at this—New York's superhero, you, Tony, specifically named, fighting terrorist organizations in the chaotic Middle East? Impressive, my hero," Pepper said sarcastically, shrugging.
"So you already know about that. I get it, being a superhero... I might not be fully qualified yet, but I'm trying," Tony gestured to himself as he spoke.
Pepper glared at Tony, then pointed to another newspaper, "And look at this—'A god walking among mortals.' According to eyewitness accounts from civilians, this is the messenger of Allah, suspected to be connected to the abnormal weather in the Middle East recently."
The newspaper also included a few photos, but none of them had anything to do with Raiden.
After saying this, Pepper let out a heavy sigh and turned to Raiden.
"That's you, isn't it? Raiden, the magician? This is supposed to be the age of science!"
"Uh..." Raiden was speechless, his eyes darting around as he awkwardly rubbed his nose.
"Finally, there's this... Oh my god! A werewolf? Oh, Yinsen, please tell me this isn't you?" Pepper held up the newspaper, her face filled with disbelief.
In the photo on the newspaper, Yinsen werewolf form was clearly captured.
Yinsen pushed up his glasses, which had no lenses, and nodded. "Seems like it."
After saying this, Yinsen turned to Raiden and added.
"I did feel like I was being watched at the time. Turns out I was accidentally photographed."
Seeing the three of them acting like it was no big deal, Pepper rubbed her forehead in frustration, staggering a few steps before leaning on the nearby couch.
"Do you even realize this is the 21st century, the age of science... Do you have any idea how much trouble your reckless actions could cause?" Pepper said weakly.
"The results are actually quite good. We've taken out the terrorist organizations at the border between eastern Iran and Afghanistan. Although a few managed to escape, they've been thoroughly intimidated. The civilians there will be much safer now" Tony stood up and said to Pepper.
"But you're putting yourselves in danger!" Pepper retorted sharply.
"It's not just the terrorist organizations that are intimidated—countries are too. You're going to get into trouble." Her tone grew increasingly urgent.
"Especially Raiden and Yinsen. Their powers won't be understood. What they bring is fear and chaos. Maybe you all should lay low for a while" Pepper suggested.
"No" Tony flatly refused. "We still have a lot to do. People need us."
"You can't!" Pepper's tone was firm.
"Absolutely not! The company needs you too. You have to stop. This is for your own good, otherwise—"
"Bang!"
"Ah!"
The window beside them suddenly shattered as Pepper was speaking, causing her to let out a startled scream. Fortunately, Tony quickly pulled her behind him.
After the window shattered, Tony and Yinsen both turned to look at Raiden, their eyes filled with confusion and shock. Raiden himself seemed equally bewildered.
What had just happened?
"Sorry" Raiden said to the group.
Pepper stepped out from behind Tony, still shaken, and said to them.
"You all need to lay low for a while, no matter what... While you're out there being superheroes, take a moment to look at the world outside. It's become even more chaotic than the places you're trying to fix."
With that, Pepper turned and left without looking back.
Tony and the others watched her retreating figure, lost in thought.
------------------------------
Please read my new book : Demon Slayer : Breath of The Forest
Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator