The people in the collapsing iron gave the immortal ship a small shock from the Holy Lord.

Page 36

"Okay... I'll call 911 right away and ask them to send a helicopter to transfer me to the hospital."

Upon hearing this, Tony Stark immediately shut his mouth. Magic is good, but you need to be alive to learn it. He should go to the hospital to alleviate his condition first.

"You don't need to call 911, Ancient One. Please, open a portal to the largest hospital in New York."

Bai Zhi turned around and said to Gu Yi.

Gu Yi smiled and shook her head. She felt that she, a dignified Supreme Mage, was almost becoming Bai Zhi's personal bodyguard.

However, she did not reject this feeling.

Before, when the timeline was clearly visible, she had already foreseen all her fates and was prepared to face them.

However, this does not mean that she liked that fate. It simply means that it was the best and most suitable one among countless timelines, sacrificing her physical body to achieve a more perfect future.

Moreover, as a mage, her spirit is paramount; physical destruction is not unacceptable.

Now, with the appearance of Bai Zhi, she has discovered that the timeline of this world has become unpredictable...

To be precise, it's not that it was unpredictable, but rather that what was predicted was the original course of events, without mentioning the existence of Bai Zhi, Jing Yuan, and Fu Xuan.

The arrival of these individuals has brought a great deal of uncertainty to the world.

But she likes this uncertainty; she prefers the unknown to a future that she can see the end from the beginning.

Even if this unknown might lead to some bad results, she is willing to accept it.

The Ancient One casually stretched out her hand, and a portal crackling with electricity opened in front of her. On the other side of the portal was one of the best hospitals in New York.

Seeing this scene, even though Tony Stark had seen similar scenes on surveillance footage, his pupils couldn't help but shrink. It was astonishing that a human could do something like this.

It's important to understand that, according to scientific theory, the amount of energy required to open a portal is incredibly large.

He was now even more curious about where the energy of this magic came from. Surely it wasn't stored inside the human body?

“Let’s go, Mr. Tony, you should go to the ward,” Bai Zhi said.

"What did you say? Tony Stark appeared in a New York hospital, seriously injured, and with several other people with him?"

Nick Fury, who was in his office figuring out how to recruit people, stood up with a somewhat serious expression.

Tony Stark was a key candidate he was trying to recruit, and now he's seriously injured.

“That’s right, Director. Tony Stark was seriously injured, and the men around him… the color of their clothes is the same as the color of those missiles supposedly launched from Stark Tower, so we have a bold guess…”

Coulson swallowed hard. "Maybe... those things aren't missiles at all, maybe it's just these people flying around."

"After all, analysis shows that the so-called missile launch direction was Tony Stark's seaside villa. Of course, this is just a guess, without any substantial evidence. You can decide for yourself."

Coulson hesitated for a moment, but then added his own conclusion at the end.

After all, it's hard to believe that a person can fly out of thin air, and fly so fast. He was also afraid that Nick Fury would think he was lying to him.

"Alright, you don't need to say anything more. And don't spread these conclusions around. Just tell me the address of that hospital and arrange a car for me."

Nick Fury shook his head. He didn't disbelieve Coulson's speculation, after all, he had seen more outrageous beings than those who could fly out of thin air.

Compared to that powerful woman, these people were not beyond his expectations.

He felt that the best option was to go there as soon as possible while those people were still in the hospital and recruit them.

As for whether he can recruit them, he feels quite confident about that.

Although their organization isn't rolling in money, it's still a global institution with ample funding and the ability to offer sufficient compensation to capable individuals.

Moreover, even if he cannot entice them with benefits, he can persuade them with his eloquence.

Humans, living in this world, will always have one of the following: wealth, fame, or ideals.

Money may not be able to sway such talent, but talking about fame, ideals, and making grand promises is very effective for them.

S.H.I.E.L.D., such a powerful organization, is first and foremost adept at making grand promises, and also has the capability to deliver on them.

With the dragon charging right in front of us, how can we possibly lose?

With this mindset, Nick Fury exuded confidence.

Coulson was stunned. Did his chief completely believe his outrageous guess?

But he didn't say much. Instead, he saluted and left the office to make arrangements for going to the hospital.

73. Can you give me the price for recruiting Jing Yuan?

"Mr. Tony, how are you feeling now?"

Several doctors and nurses looked nervously at Tony Stark, who was lying on the hospital bed, looking extremely weak.

The arrival of this well-known New York tycoon at the hospital today, seriously injured, shocked everyone. More importantly, the fact that he was still alive and kicking despite having such a large hole in his chest is nothing short of a medical miracle.

However, this medical miracle did not last long, and his condition deteriorated rapidly. The hospital did everything it could to stabilize the wealthy man's condition.

Even after things stabilized, his physical weakness was still clearly visible.

"I'm fine... Gentlemen, could you please go outside? I'd like to talk to my friends."

Tony Stark spoke softly to the doctors and nurses.

"Of course, no problem, but please pay attention to your condition. If anything seems amiss, please press the alarm bell next to you."

The attending physician glanced at Bai Zhi, Jing Yuan, and the others standing to the side, then looked at Tony Stark, and readily agreed to the request.

Although strictly speaking, patients shouldn't talk much in this situation, they also understand that they can't go against the will of these wealthy people. All they can do is provide medical support when needed.

"Jingyuan, my friend... and Miss Baizhi... thank you for your help, which allowed me to survive until now."

After saying that, Tony Stark gasped for breath, looking like he was about to die there.

"Alright, let me give you a buff first... Let me see, let's use this one." Bai Zhi shook her head with amusement. With the way the other person spoke, she was really afraid that the other person might accidentally die in front of her.

After she finished speaking, crimson power surged through Bai Zhi's body, and a majestic dragon head phantom flashed above her head before being transferred to Tony Stark.

Yes, she didn't use the power of the dog talisman. After all, although the other party was very weak, it was not yet on the verge of death. It would be better to give the other party a little bit of vitality.

"Hiss... This feeling is so wonderful."

A crimson light flashed in Tony Stark's eyes. He felt his body brimming with power, an endless surge of vitality coursing through him. But strangely, the weakness he felt from the injuries he had sustained did not disappear.

This feeling is a contradictory sense of both power and weakness. If he had to describe it, it would be like the feeling of a berserker who has burned out his blood and gained immense power—extremely powerful, but also extremely weak.

But this force did make his speech much more fluent.

"Thank you all for your help, especially Jing Yuan. You've saved me twice already. When I get back and deal with Obadiah, I'll give you his Stark Industries shares as a thank you gift."

"There's no need for that. I don't care about the company's shares. If you really want to give them away, I suggest giving them to Xiao Baizhi. After all, although I led the way this time, it was actually her who saved you. Without her, I wouldn't have been able to treat you."

Jing Yuan waved his hand. As a general of the Luofu Immortal Ship, he had everything he could want. If he accepted shares in a mere native planet's enterprise, people would laugh at him.

“Of course, I haven’t forgotten Miss Bai Zhi’s kindness,” Tony Stark said formally. “Therefore, I will set aside a portion of my shares as a gift.”

Bai Zhi scratched her head. To be honest, she didn't really need this thing, because she couldn't exactly go to the Star Iron World with US dollars to buy things, could she? But after thinking about it, it seemed that these were the only truly valuable things the other party had. Stark Industries was basically Tony's lifeline.

"Actually, there's something else I wanted to say. I actually want to learn magic from Miss Bai Zhi."

At this point, Tony finally revealed his ultimate goal: for him, money could be earned again, but he absolutely had to learn this magic.

Having gone through so much, he had long since come to understand that while technology was powerful, he couldn't stay inside the armor forever. He still needed to eat, drink, and relieve himself. Without technological protection, magic became very important.

This is also why he gifted the shares. After all, the other party had already done him a favor and wanted to learn something, so he had to show his sincerity. And his most valuable assets, besides the steel armor technology, were the group's shares.

But the magician probably wouldn't even consider the Iron Man armor technology; he'd be better off offering something more practical, like shares.

"Huh? You want to learn magic?"

Bai Zhi was somewhat surprised, because in her memory, this main figure in Marvel movies had always been a staunch believer in science, and now he actually wanted to learn magic from her.

"Of course, over such a long period of time, I gradually realized one thing, which is... technology has its limits."

"So you're not going to be human anymore?" Bai Zhi immediately retorted.

"...I still have to live my life, but I want to try combining science and magic, so I want to learn from you, Miss Baizhi."

Tony was taken aback, but still answered Bai Zhi's question in a serious manner.

"This... let me think..."

Just after Bai Zhi finished speaking, the door was opened, and a hard-boiled egg barged in, attracting everyone's attention.

"Hey, who are you, barging in here? Get out!"

Upon seeing who came in, Tony immediately became angry. "You interrupted me at such an important moment!"

"Let me introduce myself. I am Nick Fury, Director of the Strategic Defense, Attack and Logistics Agency. Hello, Tony. Although you may not have heard of this organization, your father, Howard, was one of its founders."

"Our organization has always taken it upon itself to protect the entire planet, while also fighting crime and dealing with things done in the shadows..."

Despite being stared at by so many people, Nick Fury showed no fear and instead gave a very confident self-introduction.

“The organization my father founded…” Tony Stark frowned, somewhat annoyed, “but that’s no reason for you to barge in here. I’m currently discussing some things with some friends.”

He knew his father was a man of few words, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had created some kind of organization.

But he doesn't want these organizations to get in the way of his business.

"Of course, I apologize for trespassing, but I came here precisely because you are all here, and I thought it was a good opportunity."

Although he sensed Tony's disgust, Nick Fury continued shamelessly, saying he wouldn't leave just because the atmosphere was awkward.

Thick skin is a basic quality of a secret agent, and he certainly doesn't lack it.

"So, Mr. Fury, what do you consider a great opportunity for? You're not trying to recruit us, are you?"

Knowing the plot, Bai Zhi asked a question at the opportune moment.

Nick Fury paused for a moment, then nodded very naturally. "That's natural, but it's not about having you join our organization. Instead, it's about creating a new organization composed of superheroes to combat supernatural crimes that may occur in the future."

He had originally planned to be tactful before revealing his purpose, but since Bai Zhi had brought it up herself, he had no choice but to tell the truth.

"puff"

Upon hearing Nick Fury's words, Bai Zhi couldn't help but laugh.

"Young lady, why are you laughing?" Nick Fury was a little confused. Although his words sounded a bit childish, for someone with ability, such a grand statement was just right.

After all, for capable people, making grand promises is the best option.

“Mr. Fury, recruiting us is no problem, I can even make the decision myself. But can you pay our salaries? Especially the salary of General Jingyuan here with me.”

Bai Zhi rolled her eyes and said with a slightly cunning look.

Jing Yuan's identity is that of a general leading a celestial ship with a population of hundreds of billions. Even if Earth were a unified regime with the position of Earth's governor, it probably wouldn't be as prestigious. She was very curious whether this bald-faced director would offer a price to recruit him if she revealed this information.

74. Do you know what a population of 100 billion means?

"Paying salaries, of course, is no problem."

Nick Fury looked at Jing Yuan. Although he didn't know what General Jing Yuan represented, as a top agent, he had a special skill.

That is to judge people by their character and analyze their background and social status through their temperament.

He glanced at everyone and began to analyze the situation in secret.

The short girl in front of me had a strange demeanor, a kind of ruler-like feeling, but also a childlike quality. And were those two horns on her head just decorations?

The girl next to him, however, was aloof and powerful, and with the gem on her forehead, she looked extraordinary.

And then there was this mysterious figure wearing a yellow hood, who had the air of an old monk deep in the mountains, which made him pay more attention to him.

Of course, the last one was his target, Jing Yuan. Although Jing Yuan often wore a warm smile, Nick Fury knew that it was just a disguise. He could feel the authority of a superior from Jing Yuan.

However, for those with less experience, the authority of a superior can easily be masked by a warm smile.

"So, Mr. Fury, how much salary are you planning to offer?"

Bai Zhi asked with amusement, already anticipating the price this guy would offer.

Even Tony Stark turned his gaze to Nick Fury. He knew that his friend Jing Yuan was the leader of a force from another planet. How much could he possibly offer for such a person?

“...50 US dollars per month. Of course, the money isn’t the point. The point is that we will send someone to take care of the aftermath of the war. If you join the organization I’ve formed, as long as the battle is justified, you won’t have to take care of the follow-up matters. We’ll handle everything.”

"At the same time, we will also give you some legitimacy. After all, you can't be arrested by the police for upholding justice. If you have family members, they will be taken care of properly, including but not limited to government positions or positions in large companies."