Chapter 3

"WHAT?" Zhou Chao turned his head in confusion, looking at the person speaking beside him.

It was a young black man, about the same age as him, dressed in a rather shabby manner, similar to a street homeless person. His hair was in small, messy braids, giving him a somewhat disheveled and trendy look. However, these details were not important. What was important was that Zhou Chao found himself unable to understand... Although he had passed the CET-6 (otherwise, he wouldn't have received his graduation certificate), he had long forgotten most of it. Apart from "OH, YES" and a few four-letter words starting with F and S, he couldn't even finish watching an English drama without subtitles, let alone have a conversation.

"Damn, I was so focused on the穿越 (time travel) issue that I completely forgot about the language problem," Zhou Chao said with a helpless smile.

"RUOK?" The black man asked again, seeing that Zhou Chao wasn't speaking.

Zhou Chao understood this and responded in a very textbook manner, "YES, I'M FINE, THANK YOU."

Then the black man spoke a long string of English that sounded like gibberish to Zhou Chao, patted his shoulder, and walked away. Zhou Chao, left undisturbed, continued to stand there, staring blankly at the street that was completely unfamiliar to him.

"Well, let's just take a look around. I hope I can run into some kind-hearted countrymen later," Zhou Chao sighed helplessly after a moment, turned around, and started walking aimlessly down the street.

Of course, he wasn't just walking aimlessly. Whenever he encountered someone with black hair and black eyes, who looked like a Chinese descendant, Zhou Chao would approach them and shout "HELP" to seek assistance. However, most people either shook their heads and refused or simply ignored him, walking past him as if he were a passerby.

Finally, with no other options and in unbearable pain, Zhou Chao gave up on this hit-or-miss approach, sat down by the roadside, exhausted. But unexpectedly, shortly after he sat down, a few kind passersby, perhaps moved by his tattered appearance and pitiful look, gave him a few dollars. Although it wasn't much, about twenty dollars, it was enough for Zhou Chao to enjoy a simple and warm meal.

After all, although the daily expenses in foreign countries were high when converted to RMB, some basic necessities were quite cheap. A dollar or two could buy some food to fill his stomach, and with twenty dollars, he could survive for two or three days in this unfamiliar land, provided he wasn't robbed.

This money not only allowed Zhou Chao to eat but also provided him with some convenience. After resting for a while by the roadside, Zhou Chao stood up, stretched his legs, and started walking down the street again, occasionally stopping to ask passing Asians for directions. This time, he didn't directly ask for help but inquired about the city's roads. The passersby he stopped were much more helpful, giving him directions in a mix of broken English and Chinese.

After about two hours of this, Zhou Chao arrived at a massive seaside villa.

The entire villa was grayish-white, resembling a small air traffic control tower, with a flat, round top. The middle part of the walls was entirely made of reinforced glass, surrounding the structure. In front of the main gate was a large concrete area, about 200 square meters, with a beautifully designed fountain in the center and the rest left empty, clearly for parking cars during parties. A long asphalt road extended from the gate, connecting to the coastal highway below. Zhou Chao was standing on this outer road.

"Wow, so big! When I have money, I'll definitely find a place to build one like this!" Zhou Chao said enviously, staring at the luxurious villa.

He then walked up to the closed gate, pressed the electronic doorbell on the pillar next to the gate.

After less than five seconds, a somewhat stiff male voice came from the doorbell.

"Hello."

"Um, can you speak Chinese?" Zhou Chao asked awkwardly.

"Yes, sir," the stiff male voice replied in Chinese after a couple of seconds.

"Phew, finally, we can have a proper conversation," Zhou Chao sighed in relief, hearing the familiar Chinese.

"Hello, Jarvis, my name is Zhou Chao. I have something very important to discuss with Mr. Tony Stark. Is he at home?" Zhou Chao said, bracing himself and feeling nervous.

Indeed, the luxurious seaside villa in front of him belonged to Tony Stark, the famous playboy, head of Stark Industries, and Iron Man. Therefore, the world Zhou Chao had been transported to was the world of the Iron Man movies! Zhou Chao had been sent here because he had found and recorded this world while experimenting with another magic array, making it the coordinate for his activation of the time travel magic array.

It wasn't a world Zhou Chao had specifically chosen.

However, since he was already in this world and couldn't return for the time being, Zhou Chao didn't mind taking the opportunity to meet the famous Iron Man and gain some benefits from him.

For example, the AI Jarvis.

For example, Iron Man's suit.

For example, the Arc Reactor built by Tony Stark.

Especially the last one, Zhou Chao had even drawn a big circle around it in his mind, indicating that he must obtain it. After all, using it as an energy source for the time travel magic array was perfect. At least, Zhou Chao couldn't think of any other energy device that was both compact and powerful enough to surpass it!

"I'm sorry, sir, but Mr. Tony's visitor list does not include your name," Jarvis said.

"I know, but I really have something very important to discuss with Mr. Tony Stark," Zhou Chao said, steeling himself. "Could you please contact him for me, Jarvis?"

"Sure, please wait a moment," Jarvis replied.

"Thank you," Zhou Chao said gratefully, then waited anxiously and nervously for Jarvis's response.

...

Meanwhile, in a large house, a pleasant ringtone suddenly sounded. After a short while, a man about 1.75 meters tall, with a standard, healthy build, dressed neatly, and a small mustache around his lips, making him look particularly charming, walked over, bent down, and picked up the phone from the sofa, looking at the contact information on the screen.

This man was none other than the main character Zhou Chao wanted to meet, Iron Man—Tony Stark.

"Jarvis, what's up?" Tony asked, puzzled, putting the phone to his ear.

"Sir, there's a Mr. Zhou Chao at the estate who wants to see you. He says he has something very important to discuss," Jarvis's voice came from the phone.

"Very important? How important? Can it start a world war?" Tony laughed. "It's probably another self-important guy trying to sell his research. I don't have time for that, Jarvis. Send him away."

"Understood, sir," Jarvis replied.

"Oh, and by the way, ask him how he found out about my address," Tony added.

"Understood, sir."

Tony then hung up the phone.

"What's the matter?" At that moment, the door to the room where Tony was standing opened, and a tall, bald white man with a white beard walked in, asking Tony, who had just casually thrown the phone back onto the sofa.

"Nothing, just a minor issue," Tony said indifferently, tossing the phone back onto the sofa.

"Is that so? That's good to know. Remember, you're the star today, and I don't want you to miss the party," the bald man smiled.

"Who knows," Tony said with a shrug.

...

"I'm sorry, sir, but Mr. Tony has declined your request to meet," Jarvis's voice came from the electronic doorbell on the pillar of the villa gate at 110010 Malibu, the moment Tony hung up the phone.

Zhou Chao, standing in front of the gate and waiting for Jarvis's response, was taken aback, his mouth opening and closing, unsure of what to say.

Although Zhou Chao had known that this method of seeking an audience might not work, he had no other choice. He had come with a glimmer of hope, but the harsh reality had shattered that hope.

He then shook his head with a bitter smile and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble, Jarvis."

"You're welcome," Jarvis replied. "By the way, Mr. Zhou Chao, how did you find out about this place?"

"Would you believe me if I said Mr. Tony told me himself?" Zhou Chao stopped, looking at the electronic doorbell on the pillar, and smiled lightly. The response was a long silence.

"I'm telling the truth," Zhou Chao said, shaking his head.

With that, he turned and walked down the long slope, stopping at a distance from the villa gate, squatting down, and waiting quietly for Tony Stark's return.