What Ronan didn't expect was that George Stacy's call wasn't about asking for his help.
Well, to be precise, it was about asking for help, but not regarding Dr. Connors.
It was about Gwen Stacy.
Over the phone, George Stacy used a mix of emotional appeals and the sound of a shotgun being loaded to tell Ronan that if his daughter suffered even the slightest bit of mistreatment at Ronan's place, he would definitely pay Ronan a visit with a "gift."
Even if Ronan had some unique superpowers.
If Ronan guessed correctly, George Stacy's "gift" would be that shotgun.
Would threats work on someone like Ronan?
Obviously not.
So, Ronan solemnly told George Stacy that such a thing would absolutely not happen!
Well, he was referring to George Stacy visiting him, of course.
But is Ronan the type to take a loss quietly?
After hanging up with George Stacy, Ronan immediately went to Gwen Stacy and subtly let her know about the conversation.
How do you deal with a future father-in-law who's trying to intimidate you?
You make sure his daughter is completely on your side.
As for how to win her over, that's where Ronan's skills come into play.
After class, Ronan returned to his apartment.
Tomorrow, he would pick up Gwen Stacy and take her to Kamar-Taj, since that place isn't exactly easy to find for ordinary people.
Ronan also received a text from Skye.
"Ronan, thank you for your help. I've finally learned about my origins."
"The Hydra agent we captured last time has helped us take down multiple Hydra bases."
"And we've already announced through various channels that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been monitoring him for a long time before making the arrest."
"So, you don't need to worry."
"Also, Phil wanted me to tell you that he'd like to meet with you."
"Do you have time?"
"And our last collaboration was very pleasant. If you need any help, please let me know."
Skye's message was long, but it followed the classic three-part structure.
First, she thanked Ronan for his previous help, subtly closing the distance between them.
Then, she informed Ronan that S.H.I.E.L.D. had already drawn Hydra's attention, so for now, Hydra wouldn't be focusing on Ronan.
Finally, she made their request: they wanted to meet with Ronan.
If an ordinary person received such a message, they'd probably agree to the request.
Because after reading it, most people would feel inclined to say yes.
This kind of psychological manipulation isn't something most people encounter daily, but it's everywhere in life.
But this kind of talk had no effect on Ronan.
Think about it—doesn't this sound like the same tricks your boss uses when they're trying to butter you up?
"You've been doing a great job, and you're among the top performers in the company."
"That difficult client you dealt with last time? I've already handled it. We won't be doing business with them anymore."
"So, could you transfer to XXX and help train some new hires?"
"After this batch, you'll have a chance to compete for the XX position."
Classic three-part structure.
First, praise. Then, remind you of what they've done for you to make you feel grateful.
Finally, reveal their true intentions.
This whole setup doesn't take long, but it works like a charm.
Unless you're a seasoned corporate veteran, most people would instinctively agree to their boss's request.
But Ronan simply replied, "I'm busy lately. I'll contact you when I'm free," and closed the chat app.
Did they really think such a cheap trick would fool Ronan? That's just ridiculous.
Although he didn't know what Phil Coulson's intentions were, he decided to refuse first.
People in the spy business usually don't have good intentions.
"Alright, Phil said to contact him whenever you're free."
Skye replied almost instantly.
Seeing this message, Ronan, who was about to turn off his phone, paused.
"Hmm, but how have you been lately?"
His fingers quickly tapped on the screen.
"Not bad, thanks for asking."
Skye replied with this line.
On the surface, this exchange seemed simple, but it wasn't.
Back when they first met, the two had set up a code.
When Ronan asked Skye, "How have you been lately?" it meant, "Are you alone? Is it safe to talk?"
If Skye replied, "I've been a bit of insomnia lately," it meant everything was fine, and they could talk freely.
If she said, "Not bad, just a bit insomnia," it meant she wasn't sure.
But if she said, "Not bad, thanks for asking," it meant the conversation was over, and someone was with her.
Ronan, who had wanted to ask about the Obelisk, decided to drop the idea for now.
It seemed Skye wasn't having an easy time either.
Leaving her team to contact Ronan alone had clearly drawn Phil Coulson's attention.
In other words, Phil Coulson was now focusing on "Ronan," not "Mr. Fantastic."
Had he figured out Ronan's identity?
Ronan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
At this point, Ronan wasn't too concerned about his identity being exposed.
But the fewer people who knew, the fewer problems he'd have.
As everyone knows, Ronan hates trouble.
But judging by the situation, Phil Coulson was only suspicious and didn't have any concrete evidence.
So Ronan decided not to worry about it.
Opening a game, Ronan prepared to dominate the battlefield.
He loved opponents who cursed and raged but couldn't do anything about him.
However, before he could enjoy the pure satisfaction of trash talk, a phone call interrupted his plans.
The caller ID showed an unknown number.
"Hello?"
Ronan answered the call.
Even though his game was interrupted, Ronan wasn't angry. It was just a phone call.
"Ronan, is that you?"
"This is Pepper Potts. We met at the party before."
The voice on the other end belonged to Pepper Potts.
Pepper Potts?
Why was she calling?
Although Ronan was puzzled, he didn't dwell on it.
"Pepper, it's you?"
"What's going on?"
Ronan had known Pepper Potts for a while now. While they weren't as close as he was with Tony Stark, they were still acquaintances.
But this was the first time she had called him.
And before this, they had never spoken on the phone.
"Ronan, are you free right now?"
"There's something I might need your help with."
Pepper's voice sounded urgent, but since she wasn't that close to Ronan, she was trying to hold back.
But from her tone, it seemed like something big had happened!
"I'm not busy right now. Don't worry."
"What's going on?"
If something could make Pepper Potts this anxious and prompt her to call Ronan for help, it had to be about Tony Stark.
After all, before this, without Tony Stark around, Ronan had barely spoken to Pepper Potts alone.
"Yes, it's about Tony. Lately, he's been acting... strange."
Pepper's tone was off.
It sounded like she wanted to say something but wasn't entirely sure.
Strange?
Hearing this, Ronan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"What exactly is strange? Is he sick, or did something happen?"
Everyone gets sick. At the end of the day, Iron Man is just a regular person. He's not immune to illness.
But it shouldn't be this serious, right?
After all, if something were wrong, Tony Stark has several private doctors on standby at all times.
So if it were just an illness, Ronan wouldn't need to get involved.
Could Tony have suffered an injury that modern medicine can't fix?
Something life-threatening?
Thinking this, Ronan also grew anxious.
After all, it's not easy to find a friend who's both generous and, well, a bit clueless.
"No, it's not an illness, and nothing's happened to him."
"It's... it's more like something's wrong with his mental state."
"For the past two weeks, every night after he falls asleep, he suddenly wakes up."
"At first, he would just sit up in bed, but later he started getting out of bed and even walking to the living room."
"Just now, after he fell asleep, he woke up again."
"He walked to the couch by himself and started muttering things I couldn't understand."
Pepper's voice grew more and more shaky, as if she had witnessed something terrifying.
After hearing Pepper's account, Ronan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
This condition sounded a lot like those who had been possessed by demons before.
People possessed by demons would also exhibit strange behaviors at night, including but not limited to sleepwalking.
"At first, we thought it was sleepwalking, so we called a few doctors."
"But the doctors said Tony wasn't sick. In fact, he's in perfect health."
"Once, I heard him mention you, saying you were good at exorcism."
"So, I'm wondering if Tony might have encountered something... unclean."
Pepper's voice came through again.
Exorcism?
Ronan couldn't help but roll his eyes.
I'm a sorcerer from Kamar-Taj, the next Sorcerer Supreme, and you're calling me an exorcist scammer?
Just how much has Tony Stark been badmouthing me behind my back?
"Don't worry. What's Tony doing right now?"
Ronan glanced at the time.
Hmm, 11:30 PM. It's not yet the demons' favorite time to act.
They prefer after midnight, around the witching hour, when it's easiest for them to manifest.
"Right now, Tony seems fine."
"Well, actually, earlier today, I caught him trying to inject something into himself."
"But when I confronted him, he told me it was some new nanobot he was testing, something that could analyze viruses in the body."
"But after I intervened, he gave up on the idea."
"And I know for a fact that it wasn't a nanobot."
"Combined with his recent strange behavior, I feel like something's really wrong."
Pepper spoke quickly, but Ronan understood her perfectly.
Basically, Tony Stark had been acting off lately, and today's incident was the final straw that made Pepper decide to ask Ronan for help.
Combined with what Ronan had observed before, Tony definitely had a problem.
"Alright, don't worry."
"Where are you now? Los Angeles or New York?"
Everyone knows Tony Stark has a massive mansion in Los Angeles.
Even though it was mostly destroyed last time, Tony had it restored to its original state.
"We're in New York, at Stark Tower."
Pepper quickly provided the address.
"Got it. Act like nothing's wrong. I'll be there soon."
With that, Ronan hung up the phone.
For some reason, Ronan felt like things weren't as simple as they seemed.
According to Pepper, Tony was trying to inject himself with something.
Whatever it was, it had to be a liquid.
And from Pepper's tone, it was clear that if this had happened before, she wouldn't have found it strange.
What was strange was that this was the first time Tony had used something like this.
Combining this with the fact that Tony had recently obtained Dr. Connors' research, Ronan had a strong suspicion that Tony was trying to use the Lizard Serum on himself.
Thinking this, Ronan's expression changed.
Because based on what he knew about Tony Stark, he would never use something like this on himself.
Even if his body was weak, Tony wouldn't resort to this.
After all, with his resources and wealth, if he wanted to become like Steve Rogers, he could have done it long ago.
His father's research and his own fortune could have easily allowed him to develop a super-soldier serum.
With how far technology has advanced, many things that couldn't be cracked back then might be solvable now.
So why wait until now to do this?
After some thought, Ronan decided to call Steve Rogers.
After explaining Tony's situation in detail, Steve Rogers also grew concerned.
Even though the two of them didn't always see eye to eye, Tony Stark was still the son of his old friend.
As someone in the "uncle" role, Steve felt it was his responsibility to look out for Tony.
"Don't worry, I'll head over as soon as possible."
"Maybe you could use your portal thing to bring me over?"
"It might be faster that way."
Steve expressed his thoughts.
He was definitely going.
Ronan couldn't help but roll his eyes. Faster?
That's just saving you gas money!
The Avengers' base isn't like the old Avengers Tower in New York, where you could just drive over.
The Avengers' base is up north somewhere in the U.S., and its exact location is classified.
For Steve to get here, he'd have to take a plane.
"Fine, just wait at home."
"We'll go together and see what kind of mess Tony's gotten himself into this time."
Though Ronan didn't say it out loud, his "consultation fee" was going to be expensive!