Chapter Twenty-Six: Sharing Benefits Equally

"Not just that, there's also the evil god Loki. Set the timeline to last night."

Tony Stark fell silent after watching the video of Daredevil and Natasha battling Loki, the god of mischief.

"This world is becoming more and more unfamiliar. I must develop new energy sources, new suits... Potts, take them to the armory and give all the remaining Chitauri missiles to Yang Xin." Rising to his feet, Tony Stark drained his glass in one go.

Yang Xin knew it was time to leave. He stood up as well and, after calling in Natasha and the others, handed Natasha the dimensional pocket, instructing them to follow Pepper to transport the Chitauri missiles.

Once Natasha and the others had left with Pepper, Yang Xin suddenly said, "Soon, a batch of Asgardian interstellar warships will be delivered to S.H.I.E.L.D. If you're interested, come and have a look."

"Wow—the Norse gods have interstellar warships? And you're telling me S.H.I.E.L.D.'s confidential information so openly? Aren't you afraid Fury will come after you later?"

"The Norse gods—rather than calling them gods, it's more accurate to say they're powerful aliens... As for the Asgardian warships, this is too big for S.H.I.E.L.D. to conceal. Besides, I requested them from the great Lady Sif herself. If you want, I'll let you have two to play with." Yang Xin spoke casually.

"What do you want in return?" Tony Stark knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. As for Yang Xin, he considered him a friend—yes, a friend. Tony Stark defined Yang Xin as a friend.

Since they were friends, it was best to keep things transactional. Tony Stark had almost no friends, so he guarded this friendship with great care.

"An AI system for a suit of Iron Man armor, plus a comprehensive personal intelligent defense system." Yang Xin replied as if it were nothing, though in his heart he cared immensely.

Having an Iron Man suit meant a solid guarantee for survival in this world. But that only applied when the suit was on—without it, a single bullet could end him.

Tony Stark faced the same problem. Why had he always managed to sail through troubles so smoothly? On the one hand, S.H.I.E.L.D. protected him from the shadows; on the other, Tony Stark clearly had his own defense system. Otherwise, who knows how many times he would have died?

"I understand." Tony Stark immediately got the point, turned, and went inside. He soon returned, holding a bracelet and a pair of glasses.

"I've already backed up the suit's AI operating system to your armor. From now on, it'll work with all Mark series suits. This bracelet and these glasses are the human intelligent defense terminal. As for your home's defense system, I'll have Happy install it for you. Want to try?" Tony Stark handed the bracelet and glasses to Yang Xin.

After putting on the bracelet and glasses, Yang Xin instantly understood how to use the personal intelligent defense terminal. This system could actually connect to the human nervous network—a touch of the fantastic.

With a thought, the world before the glasses changed. A series of intelligent displays appeared; anything or anyone that posed a threat was marked. Even more impressive, the glasses could pull up all available personal information on a person. The only flaw—unsurprisingly, since it was a technological product—was that it couldn't read minds. It could only infer hostility using facial expressions, eye movement, heartbeat, and so on.

Yang Xin scanned the room and found no one present bore him ill will, which satisfied him. At that moment, Pepper and the others returned.

"Thank you, Miss Potts. In gratitude, soon I'll have some rare alien trinkets in my possession. I'll set one aside for you, Miss Potts—I hope you won't mind." Yang Xin's thanks were heartfelt. It was Pepper Potts's words at a crucial time that provided him with an additional layer of protection, allowing him to quickly establish himself before S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Mind? Of course not!" Before Pepper could reply, Tony Stark interrupted hastily.

"Very well. Goodbye, Tony. And once you develop a new suit, don't forget to set one aside for me—don't forget my armor." As he left, Yang Xin reminded him again.

"I won't, I won't. It's my armor," Tony Stark replied, pumping his fist.

"No, it's my armor. Whatever you have, I have too—but what I have, you don't..." Yang Xin said, throwing an arm around both Natasha and Hill's waists, giving Tony a triumphant look.

"Crap. Get lost." Tony Stark shooed Yang Xin and his party out.

"What rare alien trinket? And it's alien?" Before Yang Xin could leave, Pepper asked eagerly, giving him a playful wink.

"Nothing special, just an interstellar warship... And stay away from that guy—I get the feeling the way he looks at you isn't quite right," Tony Stark said, a little sourly.

Pepper answered Tony with a look of surprise and a tinkling laugh.

Tony and Pepper made no effort to keep their conversation private. Natasha immediately slithered over like a snake, pressing her whole body against Yang Xin. "I want a rare trinket too..."

Yang Xin's other hand, which was resting on Hill's slender waist, was suddenly seized. What was casual now became intimate, and when Yang Xin looked up, he saw a blaze of heat in the eyes of the normally icy Hill.

Coulson, too, wore a fawning yet awkward smile. "I'd like one of those little trinkets myself."

"One for each of you!" Yang Xin pulled Natasha to his side with his left hand, savoring the heat of her body, while his right drew Hill closer, relishing the perfection of her waist.

This was a classic case of a spendthrift giving away what wasn't his. With the Asgardian warships, Yang Xin would finally have a real foothold on Earth. The Iron Man suit gave him personal safety, but the Asgardian starships would keep any schemers at bay.

The real headache came from the political pressure exerted by the American leadership, the military, and the International Security Council overseeing S.H.I.E.L.D.—they held the power.

Giving some Asgardian warships to Tony was about establishing a strong bilateral partnership. Giving them to Coulson, Natasha, and Hill was about forming a strategic alliance with S.H.I.E.L.D.—forging a united front. Giving half to Nick Fury gave him an official cover story and also reduced scrutiny.

Hogging everything for oneself never ended well; only by sharing the spoils could Yang Xin ensure his own survival. As to whether others would see him as weak and easy to push around?

The best way to send a message was to kill the chicken to scare the monkey—but Yang Xin preferred to kill the monkey to scare the chickens.

Who was the monkey?

Naturally, the Chitauri. And as for the chickens...

Well—humph!