Chapter 25: This Woman Is Truly Dangerous

“Damn… that’s some serious firepower.”
Inside the mech, Luke stared wide-eyed at the deep crater below, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.
He hadn’t expected the second-generation grenade to pack such a punch! He’d never even tested it since building it.
Luke figured it must be because he’d added magicbane stone powder.
Within the pit, remnants of white electricity still flickered, mingling with odd coils of blue gas that lingered stubbornly. Anyone could tell this wasn’t the aftermath of any conventional weapon.
The gas was bright, almost like some kind of chemical frost. Luke knew it was the vaporization of liquid nitrogen mixed with magicbane residue.
And those gangsters who’d been shouting a moment ago?
They’d vanished. Probably vaporized in an instant by the blast…
“What… what did you do?!”
Black Widow stared down in disbelief, murmuring. Her voice sounded muffled; her ears were still ringing from the explosion. “What kind of weapon is this? Is it a biochemical bomb?”
A similarly muffled voice came from the mech beneath her: “Relax. It just looks a little dramatic, that’s all…”
Luke was sweating inside.
He’d really underestimated the power of his second-gen grenades. Had he known, he would have thrown fewer.
With this level of force—twenty-four grenades in three volleys—he could probably sink an aircraft carrier.
But this was definitely not the time to admit a mistake. Instead, he insisted, “My weapons are absolutely safe—green, non-polluting, non-radioactive, non-toxic, and with no side effects…”
Black Widow was speechless for a long moment.
At last, she sighed softly. This was a problem for the police to worry about; it no longer concerned her mission.
“Put me down,” she said, patting the back of the mech.
“One moment.”
The mech swiftly flew to the rooftop of a nearby building and landed in the darkness.
“Let’s have a proper talk.” After landing, Black Widow massaged her aching ears and looked at the mech, which was several heads shorter than she was, her feelings complicated.
What she was really thinking was: Who could have built such a small combat robot with such terrifying weapons?
The dead gangsters certainly hadn’t expected it. Otherwise, no one would have dared provoke this guy.
Who was he? Where had he come from? Why had she never heard of him before?
As an intelligence agent, her memory was impeccable. She was sure she’d never seen or heard of a machine in this style.

A mech blending DNF and Gundam aesthetics would be considered quite the oddity in the Marvel universe. No wonder no one recognized it.
“What do you want to talk about?” Luke asked.
“Who are you?” Black Widow’s brows arched. “I don’t recall Tony Stark having a younger brother.”
“Why a younger brother? Why not an older one?”
“Because you sound young. Even through the distortion, you sound like a kid.”
“….”
Luke was silent for a moment. He had to admit, she had the instincts of a top-level agent.
“That’s just your imagination,” Luke replied. He would never admit it. “Now it’s my turn to ask.”
Black Widow folded her arms expressionlessly. “What do you want to know?”
“I want to know why you’re here. What’s your mission?” Luke voiced his doubt.
According to Iron Man 2’s storyline, Black Widow should have been undercover at Stark Industries at this point, serving as Tony’s secretary—Nick Fury’s way to keep tabs on Tony.
Her being here made no sense.
Black Widow didn’t answer directly. Instead, she suddenly smiled and countered, “You seem to know a lot about me.” Her smile was enchanting.
“Uh, I suppose…” Luke coughed lightly. “I know far more than you imagine.”
“Oh?” Black Widow arched a brow and considered him a moment. “Fine. I’m here looking for someone with luck-manipulating powers—a suspected mutant. That’s my mission.”
“Someone who manipulates luck?” Inside the mech, Luke’s mouth dropped open. That sounded awfully familiar.
“I didn’t expect these gangsters to start shooting like that. I thought I’d been made. I have no idea what happened tonight. With all this chaos, there must be a reason.” Black Widow said.
“You’re so willing to tell me your mission—are you sure that’s wise?” Luke’s tone was odd.
“The mission’s failed anyway.” Black Widow shrugged nonchalantly. “Now it’s my turn to ask.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
“How old are you?”
“Uh…” Luke hadn’t expected her to be so persistent. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Can I pass?”
Black Widow smiled, her eyes gleaming. “I don’t know your exact age, but from your voice, you’re very young. Don’t tell me you’re older than a certain uncle in a metal suit?”
Luke gave Tony a moment of silent mourning.
Then he replied, “You’re absolutely right. Not every woman has Pepper’s daddy issues!”

Black Widow pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.
“Are you close with Tony Stark?” she asked casually.
“Not bad. I make his lunch every day.” Luke said, thinking there was nothing wrong with that statement.
“Oh? Is your surname Stark too?”
“Of course not!” Luke replied. “Why would you ask?”
“You’re both so arrogant—and full of yourself.”
“Let’s take that as a compliment,” Luke replied, somewhat exasperated. “Alright, Agent Romanoff, don’t try to fish for more. The Q&A session ends here. It was a pleasure meeting you tonight. I have things to do, so I’ll take my leave. Until next time!”
“Mm. Goodbye.”
Luke was genuinely wary of this woman.
As Zhang Wuji’s mother taught all men: the prettier a woman is, the more dangerous her lies!
And this one had formal training—that was terrifying.
Every sentence from Black Widow was an attempt to gather intelligence.
Luke feared if he kept talking, he’d fall right into her trap.
So, he decided it was best to make a quick exit.
He glanced around and asked before leaving, “You’ll be alright getting out of here yourself?”
“No problem.” Black Widow nodded.
He figured as much—this place was out of the crossfire. With her skills, leaving would be easy.
Flames burst from the mech’s feet, and it soared into the sky once more.
As Black Widow watched, the mech flew off toward Hell’s Kitchen, disappearing gradually into the night.
Natasha stood there for a long moment, sighing.
Tonight, she hadn’t found the luck manipulator, but she’d run into “Iron Man’s little brother” instead. In the end, this matter would likely land on her desk. Troubles just kept piling up.
She pulled out her earpiece. “This is Romanoff. I have a new development to report.”