Chapter 57 S.H.I.E.L.D.

Just as Tony had boasted, once he contacted Stark Industries, a nearby US military base dispatched armed helicopters not long after.

Moreover, taking Borsalino's height into consideration, they even sent a large heavy-lift transport helicopter capable of carrying armored vehicles.

The base commander clearly wanted to curry favor with Tony, but at that moment, Tony was already eager to return home and directly ordered the pilot to take him to the airfield so he could board a private jet back to the United States.

"I can finally leave this shithole of a place! Hello, Pepper, it's Tony. Yes, I'm on my way back to New York right now. Don't worry, the only thing you need to do right now is help me notify the party planning agency—I need to host the most luxurious pool party! Just follow the usual standards!"

Tony impatiently dialed his phone, starting, of course, with his ultimate secretary, followed by the top executives of Stark Industries and those annoying folks at the Pentagon.

There were still plenty of other things to take care of, such as the plummeting stock price of Stark Industries and the loss of numerous contracts caused by his disappearance.

The former wasn't really a major issue; Stark Industries was fundamentally a family-controlled enterprise, and for a genius like Mr. Stark, that kind of financial game could be easily reversed by releasing a few positive press releases to drive the stock price right back up.

The latter, however, was somewhat more troublesome. Although Tony had decided to stop manufacturing weapons under Yinsen's persuasion, quite a few of the contracts that had been lost were standard industrial contracts.

None of this, however, could dampen Tony's high spirits.

He even had the leisure to brag to Borsalino about how he could take on three at once in a single night. Borsalino, who had reigned supreme over Joy Street for many years, merely smiled without a word.

Even Nami, who looked like a porcelain doll in Borsalino's eyes, possessed a physical baseline that ordinary people in the Marvel Universe simply couldn't compare to. If a puny physique like Tony's were to fall into the hands of those she-wolves on Joy Street, he probably wouldn't even last two rounds.

What Borsalino did not know at this moment was that while he was flying back to the United States with Tony, all the data concerning him had already been delivered straight to a certain one-eyed bald man's desk.

Tony was not only the U.S. military's premier weapons supplier, but also the son of S.H.I.E.L.D. founder Howard Stark.

Any abnormal circumstances related to him warranted the attention of the current S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Nick Fury.

Nick Fury, who had just learned of Tony's disappearance, hadn't even had time to figure out a rescue plan when he received news that Tony had already been successfully rescued—and that the one who saved him was an unidentified man standing three meters tall.

Three meters tall?

Nick Fury's first thought was of a cyborg or an alien. To Nick Fury, as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., neither of these was a particularly rare phenomenon.

However, the sudden appearance of an unidentified cyborg or alien by Tony's side was a matter of considerable concern.

What was his objective?

Tony Stark? Stark Industries? Or S.H.I.E.L.D. founder Howard Stark?

"Notify Agent Romanoff to come in."

Nick Fury murmured after a moment of deep thought, speaking to Phil Coulson, who had just finished reporting on his work.

Even for the sake of that S.H.I.E.L.D. founder, he had to investigate the background of the person accompanying Tony.

Based on Nick Fury's understanding of Tony, the best person for the job was Agent Natasha Romanoff.

Just as Nick Fury was preparing to dispatch personnel to investigate Borsalino's identity, Borsalino himself was currently residing in a villa owned by Stark Industries, experiencing the pool party passionately recommended by Tony.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's welcome my new friend, Borsalino!"

Dressed in a floral shirt and swim trunks, Tony shouted loudly from the highest vantage point by the pool.

Surrounding him were countless glamorous pool party girls and celebrities and wealthy merchants invited to attend the event.

As soon as he finished speaking, Borsalino, who had also changed into a shirt and swim trunks, walked out from the villa. His towering height of three meters left everyone utterly stunned.

Even the pool girls, who under normal circumstances would have already latched onto him, hesitated slightly—not because Borsalino wasn't handsome enough.

It was purely because a height of three meters felt somewhat terrifying in a world where the vast majority of people stood under two meters.

"He's so tall! Can people really grow that tall?"

"Hey, aren't you going to try your luck? This is Mr. Stark's new friend!"

"I'll pass, he looks way too intimidating. Wouldn't you get impaled?"

...

Even though the party's music hadn't stopped, Borsalino's appearance still caused the crowd to fall silent for a brief moment, followed by a flurry of whispers.

"The honorable Mr. Borsalino saved my life from those damned terrorists. While the friendship between him and me is priceless, I cannot simply show no token of appreciation whatsoever... This is a welcome gift for Mr. Borsalino upon his arrival in New York!"

As a veteran party animal and a well-known playboy in New York and across the United States, Tony had naturally anticipated such an awkward silence in advance.

As he clapped his hands, six attendants pushed out a row of luggage racks covered with black cloth, gesturing for him to personally unwrap the "packaging" of the gifts.

Having long guessed what it was, Borsalino very cooperatively pulled off the black cloth, revealing stacks upon stacks of US dollars neatly arranged on one of the luggage racks!

A total of six luggage racks, each loaded with over a hundred kilograms of US dollars, amounting to a grand total of 1,050 kilograms!

One hundred million US dollars!

The moment this mountain-like pile of cash appeared.

Everyone present, except for Tony and Borsalino, involuntarily held their breath.

Even wealthy businessmen with net worths exceeding one hundred million dollars had never witnessed a scene of an entire hundred million dollars stacked together. The breathing of the pool girls present instantly turned rapid, and the invited celebrities were no exception.

What?

You say a three-meter-tall giant looks terrifying?

Backed by one hundred million US dollars, let alone three meters tall, the pool girls declared that even if he were three meters long, they wouldn't fear a thing!

"Mr. Borsalino!"

The beauties swarmed Borsalino at lightning speed, each and every one of them eager to throw themselves directly onto him.

"Furthermore! I personally will also fork over 5% of Stark Industries' shares to hire Borsalino as the security consultant of Stark Industries!"

Seeing that even the pool girls who had originally swarmed around him were beginning to get restless, Tony didn't mind in the least and dropped yet another bombshell.

At this, everyone at the party went completely wild!

A 5% stake was enough to make Borsalino the largest individual shareholder of Stark Industries right after Tony.