Watching Pepper retreating figure, Yinsen picked up the newspaper on the table and glanced through it.
Then he turned to Tony and Raiden, saying.
"Maybe we should really listen to Pepper, guys. Let's go out and see. We might have gotten ourselves into some trouble."
"I've had plenty of troubles lately. A little more won't hurt" Raiden said casually.
Both Tony and Yinsen gave Raiden a surprised look.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Raiden asked cautiously.
Yinsen shrugged, walked over to Tony, and slapped the newspaper onto Tony chest.
Tony took the newspaper and read it carefully. Then he turned to Raiden, his eyes showing a hint of shock again. He nodded somewhat obsessively and said.
"Maybe we should take a couple of days off."
"Hey, hey, hey, that look, Tony! It's even worse than before" Raiden said, touching his nose.
He tried to take the newspaper from Tony hands, but Tony pulled it away.
"Raiden, maybe you should go out and see for yourself. We should have chosen a more low-key approach from the start" Tony hinted.
Raiden frowned, looking at Tony and Yinsen, but these two annoying guys refused to tell him what was in the newspaper.
"Alright, Raiden, go out and see for yourself. We need to lay low for a few days. It's a good chance to rest. Being a superhero is exhausting, isn't it?" Yinsen said.
"Yinsen right, Raiden. Take a good rest. I can gather more intel these couple of days" Tony said, walking over and patting Raiden on the shoulder.
"Alright, you two, but you're really acting strange. I didn't say I had to save the world or anything, right? Resting is fine, but why are you two like this?" Raiden said, slapping Tony's hand.
Yinsen looked puzzled.
"Bro, haven't you been the most active these past few days? Even to the point of being... Raiden, are you sure you're okay?"
"I... I'm sure! I'm sure I'm fine. Alright, looks like it's time to enjoy some good times. Want to have dinner together tonight?" Raiden asked.
Yinsen and Tony exchanged glances, reaching a tacit understanding—they both said to Raiden in unison.
"No!"
"Alright then, goodbye" Raiden said hesitantly, shaking his head and pretending not to care. But before leaving, he turned back to Tony and Yinsen and asked.
"Are you sure you don't want to have dinner together tonight?"
"We're sure!" Yinsen and Tony said in unison. Only then did Raiden reluctantly leave Tony house.
After Raiden left, Tony was the first to voice his confusion.
"Yinsen, have you noticed? Raiden has changed. He's been acting very strange lately. He almost hurt Pepper earlier, and his actions in the Middle East these past two days..."
Ever since Raiden went to the Middle East alone to deal with the bald man, he had been using his powers in an unusually flamboyant way.
The time he summoned lightning in the valley, and these past two days in the Middle East... Have you ever seen a sandstorm engulf a town with fire?
Tony realized that Raiden was becoming more and more powerful—powerful to a frightening degree. But what frightened Tony even more was whether Raiden had suddenly become so powerful recently, or if he had always been this strong and had just been hiding it...
Either way, it didn't seem like a good thing.
What didn't align with Raiden immense power were his recent perplexing actions. Not to mention the incident earlier that nearly harmed Pepper.
Take, for example the way Raiden had been dealing with terrorist organizations in the Middle East recently—it seemed excessive... leaving no survivors, and those who died suffered terribly.
If it had happened once or twice, it might have been understandable, but Raiden had been acting this way consistently lately. Sure, you could argue they were guilty and deserved to die, but the sheer brutality of his methods was something Tony couldn't stomach.
After Tony voiced his concerns, Yinsen shared his own perspective on Raiden, though it was clear Yinsen's focus was on a different aspect than Tony.
Tony had noticed Raiden recent behavior, while Yinsen had observed a change in Raiden psychology.
"Raiden has become more human, more real. Haven't you noticed, Tony? Raiden gets angry now—right in front of us. He shows genuine emotions, something he never did before" Yinsen said with astonishment.
During their recent operations in the Middle East, Raiden had fully displayed his hatred and disgust for terrorist organizations in front of Tony and Yinsen. It was a level of loathing so intense that the mere sight of terrorists would ignite a burning rage in Raiden.
"Isn't it strange? Raiden never showed such intense hatred for terrorists before, but ever since he went off alone to kill Raza, he's been like this. And haven't you noticed, Raiden... he just invited us to eat together, didn't he? How many times has that happened recently, Tony? Would the old Raiden have done that? It's like he's become overly dependent..." Yinsen tone was filled with confusion and surprise.
"I don't know what's happened to Raiden, but he's acting like a newborn who's just discovered emotions. He can't control them well, they spill out easily. His hatred, his love—it's all so strange, isn't it?" Yinsen shared his thoughts.
"Alright, alright" Tony clapped his hands, covering his head as he walked to the side. It was clear that their concerns about Raiden's recent behavior were focused on entirely different points.
But when these two different perspectives were pieced together... it seemed to perfectly explain Raiden's recent actions.
"Are you saying Raiden emotions have become more intense recently?" Tony asked.
Yinsen nodded vigorously.
"Oh, it does seem that way" Tony said, rubbing his temples. After thinking for a long while, he looked up and added.
Comparing Raiden present to his past, the old Raiden only cared about having fun, while the current Raiden was obsessed with eradicating terrorist organizations. The old Raiden preferred to act alone, while the current Raiden seemed to rely heavily on others... What exactly was going on? Tony pondered.
Then, a sudden realization flashed through Tony mind.
"Yinsen, do you remember Raiden once said he had lost his power in the past?"
Yinsen pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"Do you think it's possible that Raiden lost his emotions along with his powers, and that the reason for losing all of this is related to Raza? So after Raiden killed Raza, both his powers and emotions returned?" Tony proposed his conjecture, which, although not entirely accurate, could fully explain the current situation.
After listening to Tony conjecture, Yinsen fell into deep thought, then looked up and said.
"What you said seems quite reasonable. This could also explain why Raiden was so eager to kill Raza, and it completely aligns with his recent changes."
Tony couldn't help but marvel.
"I'm such a genius! But this is good too. The old Raiden always seemed too careless, giving off an unreliable vibe. But now... holy crap!"
Tony suddenly sprang up from the couch, slammed the table, and exclaimed.
"I feel like Raiden is even more unreliable now. Would that guy just kill someone if they offended him?"
"Uh."
Yinsen was speechless, his eyes darting around as he quickly said.
"I'll call Raiden and invite him to dinner!"
....
As for Raiden, he was currently walking through the bustling streets of New York, gazing at everything around him...
'That girl is so beautiful, I want to possess her.'
'That food looks so delicious, I should get some.'
'Oh shit, Barcelona vs. Manchester United, I want Barcelona to win!'
After countless years, Raiden, for the first time, felt an emotion called desire, born entirely of his own will and this emotion was so intense in his heart!
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