Chapter 81

Los Angeles Airport.

On the rooftop of a hundred-story building over a hundred meters away.

A S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter with an eagle emblem slowly landed there. Agent Barton, dressed in tactical gear, holding a mechanical bow and a quiver on his back, nimbly jumped off the helicopter. He then found a corner, set up a high-powered telescope skillfully, and began to closely monitor several entrances and exits near the airport.

"Groundhog, this is Eagle, I'm in position!" Barton pressed the communication device in his ear and said in a low voice.

"Groundhog in position, awaiting orders!"

"The target is extremely cunning, only long-distance surveillance is possible, do not approach closely, act with caution, and do not alert the target!"

"Understood!"

About ten minutes later.

A flight from San Francisco slowly landed, and soon, Bai Xiaofei's figure appeared at the airport exit.

Through the telescope, Agent Barton could see Bai Xiaofei's every move clearly.

Seeing Bai Xiaofei walk out alone, Barton became puzzled, thinking to himself, "Why is he alone? Where is Natasha? Could she have been transported out of the airport through another route?"

Immediately, Barton began to contact the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents responsible for ground surveillance at the airport.

"Sir, we haven't found any abnormalities. According to our investigation, the target didn't even carry any luggage; he flew here alone with nothing in his hands!"

The response only made Barton more suspicious.

"Natasha, where are you?"

"Could this Chinese man, Bai Xiaofei, have left you in San Francisco?"

"That doesn't make sense. According to Nick Fury's speculation, this person is likely to use Natasha to gain greater benefits. How could he not bring her here?"

Barton frowned, thinking hard but unable to find a clue.

Seeing Bai Xiaofei hail a taxi and about to leave the airport, Barton became anxious and ordered the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents nearby through the communicator, "Stay here and check all flights and luggage from San Francisco to Los Angeles, don't miss a single one!"

"Yes, sir!"

Barton, quick on the draw, took out an arrow with a micro tracker, loaded it into his mechanical bow, and with a "thud," accurately shot it onto the trunk of the taxi Bai Xiaofei was in.

Then, Barton put away the telescope, jumped onto the helicopter, and began to track.

...

Tony's hilltop mansion.

After paying the taxi driver, Bai Xiaofei walked into the long-missed dream mansion with a smile.

Everything in the mansion was managed and controlled by the intelligent electronic butler, JARVIS.

Bai Xiaofei had the second-highest level of authority, just below Tony. Therefore, he didn't even need to ring the doorbell. JARVIS, having detected Bai Xiaofei's arrival, had already opened the door for him.

"Welcome back, Mr. Bai Xiaofei!" JARVIS greeted.

"Ha ha, long time no see, JARVIS, have you missed me?" Bai Xiaofei said with a smile. "Where's Tony?"

"Mr. Tony is in the underground lab. I've already informed him of your arrival, and I believe he will be up shortly." As JARVIS finished speaking, an excited Tony Stark appeared from the stairs leading to the underground lab.

Seeing Bai Xiaofei, Tony's eyes lit up even more.

"Bai!"

"Tony!"

They almost said it in unison.

Then, they approached each other. Bai Xiaofei intended to punch Tony's chest to express his feelings.

But to his surprise, Tony was even more excited, spreading his arms and hugging Bai Xiaofei tightly, saying with great emotion, "Thank God! You finally showed up, I've missed you so much!"

Bai Xiaofei was slightly taken aback. At that moment, he could clearly feel Tony's sincere and passionate feelings for him, without a hint of pretense!

Thinking about how he had been plotting against Tony, Bai Xiaofei felt a bit ashamed.

He even had an impulse to tell Tony everything, including his previous schemes. He didn't want to hide or deceive Tony anymore, as it was a desecration of their brotherhood!

But in the end, Bai Xiaofei held back!

Because he was afraid!

Afraid that Tony wouldn't forgive him, and more afraid of losing this good brother!

Besides, Bai Xiaofei came from the real world, and there were some things he simply couldn't explain. Even if he could, the time-travel device wouldn't allow him to reveal everything!

After much consideration, Bai Xiaofei decided that instead of risking their friendship by laying everything out, it would be better to stop scheming and deceiving from now on, to treat this brotherhood seriously, and to repay Tony well in the future. This way, wouldn't everyone be happy?

With this decision made, Bai Xiaofei felt much lighter.

Gently patting Tony's shoulder, Bai Xiaofei said with a smile, "Tony, I've missed you too, but I must clarify, I only like beautiful women!"

"Oh shit!"

Tony's good mood immediately soured upon hearing Bai Xiaofei's words. He punched Bai Xiaofei's chest hard and said irritably, "I'm not gay either! My God! Bai, at such a wonderful moment, you have to say something to ruin the mood, is that really necessary?"

"Hehe, just trying to liven things up, why so serious!"

"Sexual orientation is a serious matter! By the way, Bai, you've been in Africa for so long, did you hook up with anyone? How are the women there?"

"..."

Bai Xiaofei's eyes twitched. Seeing that Tony was about to go off-topic, he quickly changed the subject, "Tony, how's the research on the Mark III armor and the Aries skeleton going?"

For someone like Tony, to divert his attention, you need to mention something he's interested in. Tony's interests mainly fall into two categories: first, beautiful women, as the top playboy, the allure of top-tier beauties is undeniable; second, high-tech, as a scientific genius, all high-tech is his fatal weakness!

The first point, beautiful women, was already off-topic, and Bai Xiaofei didn't know many beautiful women. Therefore, he chose the second point, high-tech, which was also what he wanted to know.

The mention of the Mark III armor and the Aries skeleton immediately hit Tony's sweet spot.

Then, Tony's JARVIS-like monologue began: "Ha ha, Bai, I was just about to tell you, my Mark III armor has been upgraded to an extremely terrifying level. And my mini-arc reactor has been fully upgraded according to your suggestions, using a card-type design and compression technology to compress palladium..."

Bai Xiaofei: "..."

Seeing Tony's endless explanation, Bai Xiaofei thought to himself, "Damn! How could I forget this!"

Feeling that he had dug his own grave, Bai Xiaofei was on the verge of tears, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

You dug the hole, you have to jump in, even if you have to crawl!

...

In a room a few kilometers away from Tony's mansion.

Barton, Coulson, and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in black suits were busy reviewing video footage sent by an agent.

The video detailed Bai Xiaofei's entire process from boarding to disembarking.

After the video ended.

Barton and Coulson's faces were almost as black as the bottom of a pot.

No leads!

The Black Widow seemed to have vanished into thin air, with no trace of information!

Even with numerous agents and extremely detailed surveillance of Bai Xiaofei, it was all for nothing!

"Barton, do you think Nick Fury might have miscalculated? Could Natasha have already been harmed?" Barton had the most interaction with the Black Widow, having worked closely and fought side by side on countless missions, they had a special bond, so he was the most concerned about Natasha's safety.

"…No!"

Though he said this, Coulson wasn't really sure.

They knew too little about Bai Xiaofei. What would happen to Natasha in his hands was unpredictable. While Nick Fury was skilled at reading people, he wasn't a god!

Barton frowned, and Coulson's words sounded more like a consolation, giving him little confidence.

After some thought, Barton said, "Coulson, I'll wait three more days!"

"If after three days, S.H.I.E.L.D. still finds no trace of Natasha, and that damn Bai Xiaofei shows no intention of dealing with S.H.I.E.L.D., I'll go to him and ask for the truth!"

"…Alright!"

Coulson understood the bond between Barton and Natasha, so he wasn't surprised by Barton's decision and understood his feelings. He said, "Barton, I'll report your decision to Director Nick. I believe he will support you!"

"He'll support me anyway!" Barton said firmly.

Coulson just smiled bitterly, said nothing more, patted Barton's shoulder in a comforting manner, and continued to study the materials.

Barton stared at Bai Xiaofei's photo, gritting his teeth.

...

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