"You're Spider-Man?"
Skye practically shouted this sentence.
If it weren't for the fact that this SUV was specially made by S.H.I.E.L.D. with excellent soundproofing, the pedestrians outside would definitely have heard her.
Looking at her stunned expression, Ronan just smiled.
"He's your teammate for tonight."
"Haven't you always wanted to work with a superhero at least once?"
"I'm giving you that opportunity now."
Ronan patted Peter Parker on the shoulder and said with a smile.
The highest level of negotiation is making it seem like you're doing someone a favor by asking them to do something for you.
In this regard, Ronan had some experience.
"How did you know I wanted to work with a superhero?"
Skye looked at Ronan in surprise.
However, Ronan just smiled mysteriously and didn't answer her question.
How could a girl her age not dream of getting close to superheroes?
"Alright, I admit you're right."
"But the superhero I wanted to work with is... well, someone more... mature."
"You know what I mean."
Skye's expression was a bit strange, as if she wasn't too keen on working with Peter Parker.
Ronan understood her meaning perfectly.
Given Peter's age, if Skye wanted to have any kind of romantic involvement with him, it would be considered her taking advantage of a minor.
Plus, Skye's type wasn't someone like Peter anyway.
"You can't think of it that way."
"Let me put it this way: based on what you know about Spider-Man, do you think he could become a member of the Avengers in the future?"
Ronan began to appeal to her emotions and logic.
In simple terms, he was about to start PUA-ing Skye.
"His abilities are definitely up to par, and he's young, so there's room for growth."
As a hacker, Skye had naturally seen all sorts of rumors about Spider-Man online.
Whether it was his ability to swing between skyscrapers or his reaction speed and physical prowess when fighting criminals, he was a superhero among superheroes.
Even though Spider-Man wasn't yet a household name.
"In that case, if you become his teammate now, then when he joins the Avengers in the future, you, as a team member, will naturally join the Avengers too."
"More importantly, you'll get to meet all those Avengers you've been wanting to see."
"It's like investing in stocks. Everyone envies those who make money from stocks."
"But they never think about how, when a stock is at its lowest point, those envious people never even glance at it."
"The people who really make money from stocks either have insider information or just get lucky."
"Now, I'm giving you insider information on a high-quality stock."
"Whether you seize the opportunity is up to you."
Ronan looked at Skye with a smile, giving her a simpler analogy.
PUA? Isn't it just a matter of having a mouth?
Of course, in a way, this wasn't exactly PUA—it was more like a small intellectual victory.
And because of Ronan's words, Skye fell into silence.
Was Ronan's reasoning sound?
It actually made a lot of sense.
If she tried to approach those already famous superheroes now, it would be nearly impossible.
So, Ronan's words had pretty much convinced her.
"Sigh..."
"I admit you make a good point."
"But I still have a job at S.H.I.E.L.D., and I don't want to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. just yet."
This was the one thing Skye couldn't let go of.
Because within S.H.I.E.L.D., there were things she desperately wanted to know.
Of course, it was also her experiences at S.H.I.E.L.D. that turned her from a hacker into a mutant.
"The thing you most want to know at S.H.I.E.L.D. is your own origins."
"And right now, I know everything about your origins."
"So, apart from that, is there anything else keeping you at S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Ronan shrugged. This matter was very simple for him.
Although he had only watched the first few seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in his past life, he knew Skye's origins inside and out.
Not because the actress was beautiful, nor because of her livestreams... ahem.
Anyway, Ronan was quite clear about Skye's background.
"I..."
For a moment, Skye hesitated.
Yes, as Ronan had said, her biggest reason for joining S.H.I.E.L.D. was to uncover her origins.
Now that Ronan could tell her everything, and she even had the chance to join the Avengers in the future, what was there to hesitate about?
But when Ronan brought this up, she hesitated.
Having been at S.H.I.E.L.D. for so long and fought alongside so many teammates, it wasn't like she had no feelings for them.
If she were to abandon them so decisively, Skye felt she couldn't live with herself.
"Of course, you can think about it further."
"After Peter gets what he needs, I'll keep my promise and tell you what you want to know."
"Whether you join or not is entirely up to you."
At this point, Ronan offered a compromise.
And when Skye heard this option, she agreed without hesitation.
She probably hadn't even considered that even if she didn't agree to help Ronan and Peter, according to their previous agreement, Ronan would still have to tell her about her origins.
Because they had already made that deal earlier.
"Alright, I agree."
"If there's a chance, I'll help out."
Skye nodded, having found a way to have the best of both worlds.
Ronan smiled slightly, gave her his number, and they agreed to meet at 10 PM that night.
Then he and Peter got out of the car.
After getting out of the car, Peter Parker wasn't as happy as one might expect.
Ronan had found him a great helper, but it seemed like Peter wasn't too keen on accepting this new partner.
"What's wrong? Don't like the arrangement?"
Ronan immediately noticed Peter's mood.
For a kid who wore his emotions on his sleeve, Ronan could guess what he was thinking with just a toe.
"No, it's not that it's bad. In fact, it's great."
"But I just feel like this is my thing, and I don't want others to get involved."
Peter shook his head. Ronan had already done enough for him.
Moreover, after his last conversation with Ronan, he had been trying to grow up quickly.
Not to reach Ronan's level anytime soon, but at least not to be a burden.
But now...
"Peter, I know what you're thinking."
Ronan looked at the somewhat dejected Peter and couldn't help but sigh.
He had just finished "CPU-ing" one person, and now he had to do it again.
Being a godfather was really too hard.
If it came to it, maybe Tony Stark should take over as godfather.
"You want to say that this is your business and you don't need anyone's help."
"Or that you don't want to drag others into it."
"But have you ever thought that even Iron Man and Captain America have something in common?"
Ronan continued his "CPU" mission.
"Something in common?"
"What do they have in common?"
When these names were mentioned, Peter immediately perked up.
After all, one was his idol, and the other was someone he had always admired.
Plus, he had always been striving to prove himself by following their examples!
"Even someone as strong as Captain America has excellent combat skills and the support of the entire Avengers team."
"If he's carrying out a mission, there are professionals who gather intel, plan the route, and find escape routes for him."
"Do you really think Captain America could win every battle on a battlefield filled with bullets all by himself?"
"Even when he infiltrated the enemy's rear during the war, he had the entire Howling Commandos backing him up."
"He wasn't alone."
Ronan looked at Peter and spoke calmly.
The world only saw Steve Rogers' ability to go toe-to-toe with anyone.
But no one paid attention to how his shield was made, how his armor was crafted, or how his combat skills were honed with the help of professionals.
Without all that, Steve Rogers would just be a brute with raw strength.
"And even Iron Man, who doesn't like team operations, has an AI named JARVIS in his suit."
"This AI helps him quickly locate enemies and assists him in piloting the Iron Man suit."
"Including gathering intel and such."
"To you, it might seem like JARVIS does all the Avengers' logistics."
"But the prerequisite is that Iron Man is a rich man."
Many people think Tony Stark is the pinnacle of individual heroism in Marvel.
Whether it's when he carried a nuclear missile into space during the Chitauri invasion of New York, or years later when he faced Thanos, snapped his fingers, and delivered the line that has defined Marvel from start to finish.
It must be acknowledged that without his genius, Iron Man would never have been born.
But at the same time, without JARVIS and Stark Industries backing him, he might not have been able to break through technological barriers and create more powerful armor every time.
Even without the new element his father, Howard Stark, discovered in the Tesseract, Tony Stark might have already died from palladium poisoning.
And there would have been no more Iron Man stories.
Even Ronan himself only became as strong as he is now after over a decade of training at Kamar-Taj.
So, in Ronan's view, all these superheroes aren't just individuals.
They're teams.
"I think I understand what you mean."
Peter looked up at Ronan, a hint of gratitude in his eyes.
He knew that Ronan was telling him all this because they were good friends.
"Every superhero actually has a team behind them."
"And you, trying to solve all your problems alone, is unrealistic."
"Leave specialized tasks to specialized people. That's always been my philosophy."
"So, don't be so resistant to teamwork. If you want to reach their level, you can't do it alone."
This was Ronan's genuine belief.
In fact, Ronan believed that if Peter Parker were given the same resources and support as Steve Rogers,
Peter's strength would definitely surpass Steve Rogers'.
Of course, this only refers to combat ability. The more abstract and elusive "spiritual attributes" don't count.
Because if we're only talking about spiritual attributes, Steve Rogers is practically invincible.
Even Ronan would have to respectfully call him "big bro."
"Sorry, I was wrong."
"I always thought I could handle everything on my own."
"But after hearing what you said today, I realize I was really mistaken."
One of Peter Parker's greatest strengths was that he quickly admitted his mistakes.
And after realizing his mistakes, he didn't just acknowledge them—he actually changed.
This was one of the reasons Ronan wanted to help him.
Compared to certain "failed men" who clearly knew their mistakes but refused to change, this Peter Parker was undoubtedly much more endearing.
"It's fine. There's an Eastern saying: 'Recognizing and correcting your mistakes is the best thing you can do.'"
"So take it slow, no rush."
Ronan patted Peter on the shoulder, signaling him to relax.
He didn't know where Peter got all this pressure to grow up so fast.
Was it because Ronan's presence was putting too much pressure on him?
If that was the case, Ronan would have to find a way to help him release some of that pressure.
——
After parting ways, Ronan rode his bike to Stark Industries.
Once again, he began his slacking-off routine.
Because he had mysteriously disappeared for a month, the heartless capitalist Tony Stark had docked a month's worth of his internship pay.
So, after interning at Stark Industries for so long, Ronan hadn't earned a single cent and had even lost money.
He was practically the first person to take out a loan to work.
When he arrived at Stark Industries, it was the same old routine.
Clock in, sign in, then take the elevator to the floor regular employees couldn't access.
Every time someone shared the elevator with him and saw Ronan press the button for that floor, they would give him a look that said, "Should we call security?"
But when Ronan swiped his card and the floor lit up, that look immediately disappeared.
They would act like nothing had happened.
So, Ronan never encountered any situations at the company where he had to play the fool.
After all, everyone was an adult and knew when to keep their mouths shut.
When he reached his workspace, as usual, the entire office area was empty.
Not even the janitors came here.
This floor, along with the ones above it, were cleaned by robots.
Ronan turned on the lights, illuminating the entire office area, then went to his workstation and began slacking off—no, working.
His specific tasks included turning on the computer, opening communication software, and then opening a直播软件 (直播软件 means直播软件, but since you asked to translate everything, I'll use "livestreaming app"), searching for a certain streamer.
If that streamer wasn't live, Ronan would find some generous older sisters and freeload in their streams.
Even though these sisters were already poor, with clothes full of holes that barely covered the essentials,
Ronan still adhered to the principle of freeloading, focusing on companionship.
And when the rich guys donated, these sisters would use their soft movements and dances to conquer every tissue—no, male viewer in front of their computers.
For Ronan, it was purely appreciation, nothing more.
After about forty minutes of appreciation, with just over an hour left before getting off work, Ronan finally felt a bit tired.
So, he decided to get up and change positions.
But just then, the private elevator from upstairs dinged again.
Ronan rolled his eyes. Without thinking, he knew it was Tony Stark.
"Respected Chairman Stark, don't we have any social activities around here?"
"Why is it that every time I come, I run into you?"
Ronan glanced at Tony Stark walking over and quietly closed the stream of the very poor older sister.
"If I had to handle everything myself, what's the point of hiring so many people?"
Tony Stark walked up to Ronan, spun the office chair around with flair, and sat down.
Seeing this move, Ronan knew something was up!
"Alright, what do you need me for this time?"
Ronan changed his posture.
"Nothing major. I just heard that a big lizard has been spotted in New York recently."
"It fought Spider-Man at one point."
Tony Stark looked at Ronan and brought up the topic of Dr. Connors.
Ronan raised an eyebrow.
Why was Tony Stark, of all people, interested in something like this?
"I want to know if your Spider-Man friend has any research data on that big lizard."
"Rumor has it, it's something similar to the Super Soldier Serum."
"I'd like to study it."
Tony Stark stated his purpose.
Ronan wasn't too surprised that Tony knew he was friends with Spider-Man.
In fact, Peter Parker's identity wasn't much of a secret to many people.
"Why the sudden interest in that stuff?"
"Weren't you focused on building an Iron Legion?"
Ronan looked at him in surprise.
As far as he knew, Tony Stark should have had no interest in such things.
Otherwise, he would have made some progress in this area by now.
"Just a passing interest. If there's nothing, then forget it."
"If your friend can get the data, I'm willing to make sure he never has to worry about tuition for high school or college."
"So..."
Tony shrugged, still not explaining why he was interested.
Ronan looked at him. His intelligence told him that Tony's actions definitely had some hidden motive.
However, Ronan wasn't the type to pry into others' secrets.
"I'll ask him for you."
"I'm not sure what he can find, but whatever he gets, I'll pass it on to you."
"But as for the money, I think you should find a smarter way to give it to him."
"After all, his family doesn't know about his identity yet."
Ronan thought about it. While he didn't need the money, that didn't mean Peter didn't.
One of Ronan's strengths was that he never made decisions for others.
When it came to Peter's own matters, it was best to let him decide.
"That's simple. Stark Industries has a dedicated charity organization. Every year, we find a group of academically excellent kids to support."
"Other kids have to repay the money after graduation or work for the organization for a while."
"But he won't need to do that."
Tony nodded. He had a solution for this.
Since Tony had already thought it through, Ronan had nothing more to say.
It was Peter's decision to make, so he could figure it out himself.
"Alright, I'll reluctantly help you out."
"But he might have some other requests, since he's stealing that data for his own reasons."
Ronan gave Tony a heads-up.
After all, Peter's goal was to help Dr. Connors return to human form.
"As long as it's not too excessive, I can agree."
Tony nodded again.
Hearing this, Ronan's interest grew.
After all, Tony Stark wasn't someone who compromised easily.
What was going on today?
Had his personality changed, or was this data really that important to him?
This piqued Ronan's curiosity.
However, Tony didn't explain his motives. After saying this, he bid Ronan farewell and left.
Ronan was even more surprised by how quickly Tony left.
After all, Tony usually pestered Ronan for information about magic.
Why hadn't he asked today?
Also, Ronan had promised to take Tony to see where the sorcerers trained.
But it had been days, and Tony hadn't contacted him, as if he had lost interest.
This was very unlike Tony Stark.
Ronan stroked his chin. His instincts told him there was definitely something going on.
Tony Stark was definitely hiding something.
What was he hiding?
Although he was curious, Ronan didn't take any action.
He didn't like others prying into his privacy, so he didn't like prying into others' privacy either.
While he was a bit of a hypocrite in some situations, he still had some morals in other areas.
So, no matter what Tony was hiding, Ronan decided to leave it alone.
Who knew what kind of trouble he might bring upon himself if he started digging?
As someone who hated trouble, Ronan didn't want to invite disaster.
After some thought, Ronan made a decision.
Whatever Tony was hiding, let him hide it.
As for Peter Parker's decision, let him figure it out himself.
And Ronan?
He would just relax and continue being a salary thief, enjoying the company of those generous older sisters.