Stark Building

Pepper hurried to find a place to hide, but her expensive high heels made it difficult for her. Obadiah had also locked the door, making it impossible for her to escape.

The dialing tone from her phone only served to worsen her panic. She had seen that she accidentally called Fanny, but it was too late for her to call someone else. For now, she wanted to tell someone about her findings as soon as possible.

Obadiah approached Pepper, holding an auditory paralysis device that Tony had invented in his hands. The device was incredibly effective but had to be used up close. He had intended to sneak an attack between the conversation, but he missed his chance when Pepper suddenly made her move.

Kamar-Taj, early morning.

Fanny enjoyed the tranquil fresh air after finishing his training. This was the furthest place from the bustle of New York, and the atmosphere was peaceful.

"Hey, Mage Fanny, quickly give me two fried chicken rolls." A female mage approached Fanny with an impatient expression, breaking the calm atmosphere.

"Mage Tina, you make me feel like a peddler." Fanny sighed and turned at the female mage.

"You should come to Hong Kong and peddle fried chicken professionally. You could also experience the fabulous world of Chinese cuisine." Tina Minoru replied nonchalantly.

"Next time, definitely next time," Fanny refused with a smile. The delaying tactic had never failed him.

After that, several more people asked him for the fried chicken, and Fanny obliged them. With his ability, it wouldn't be a problem for him to supply the entire Kathmandu.

Fanny opened a portal back home to New York after finishing the morning study in Kamar-Taj. He was about to start his evening self-study at home when his phone suddenly rang.

Fanny looked at the unknown number, hesitant. It might be Tony, whose number was unknown to him.

Fanny curiously picked up the phone, and a panicked female voice came from the other side.

"Help, it's Oba…ah..."

The voice suddenly stopped, followed by a loud "thunk" as if the phone had suddenly fallen to the ground.

Fanny's face became serious. The person on the other side hadn't finished speaking, but she had revealed enough information—this was related to Tony, so her identity was unmistakable.

Tony's assistant, Pepper Potts. Fanny instantly guessed who the caller was. Although he did not know why Pepper called him for help, it was clear that the future had changed.

"Hey, where are you?" Fanny asked nervously. From her panicked voice, Pepper was clearly in danger. This was the most important woman in Tony's life. Without her, Fanny did not think Tony could still become the Iron Man he knew.

There was no answer from the other side of the line, and a few seconds later, the call was cut.

"Fuck!" Fanny couldn't stop himself from hurtling profanities. He obviously can't track someone with just a phone call. He wasn't Ultron, so he couldn't track the IP or something at a glance.

"The portal!"

Fanny quickly thought of a solution. No matter the reason, this matter must have something to do with Tony. Fortunately, he knew the address of Tony's house.

Without much thought, the portal opened.

However, just as he stepped through the portal, the floor under his feet suddenly dropped. A mechanical shackle appeared on his feet, and he heard a sound above him. He looked up and saw a large net falling rapidly.

Fanny had been ambushed.

Without any hesitation, Fanny used Sky Dance to quickly rise into the air, avoiding the shackles on his feet, and summoned 'Demon Armor Incursio.'

Fanny didn't summon the armor. He manifested the Ring of Raggadorr in one hand and used the key-sword of Incursio to cut the net. He was ready to equip the armor when he noticed Tony's shocked face.

"What's wrong with you?" Fanny asked with a frown.

"I just prepared some small gifts for the uninvited guests." Tony shrugged indifferently. He silently noted Fanny's abilities in his heart.

"You really have nothing to do, huh?" Fanny suppressed his anger and sneered. Then, he frowned and said, "A woman just called me; she seems to be panicking. She should be your assistant."

"Pepper!" Tony's expression instantly darkened. He immediately said loudly, "Jarvis, give Pepper a call!"

A few seconds later, Jarvis' voice sounded.

"Sir, Miss Potts' phone has been turned off. The call cannot be connected!"

"How could this happen?!" Tony paced back and forth in panic. He was extremely anxious. He angrily asked Fanny, "Why don't you save her?"

"Do you think I am God?"

Fanny was not in a good mood either. He was also anxious to save Pepper, but he was greeted with a childish ambush instead. Fortunately, he understood the severity of the matter. Now was not the time to be awkward. He immediately asked,

"Do you know where she is now? If she is in New York, I can open a portal basically anywhere," Fanny asked in a low voice. He was very familiar with New York, so it was not hard to open the portal within the state. However, it would be difficult if she was elsewhere—she wouldn't be in Kamar-Taj or the Sanctum, after all.

"Stark Building!" Tony calmed down. "I sent her for an errand in my office to find something. She must be there!"

"Then congratulations, she should have found it. She could barely say Obadiah's name through the call, so he should be the culprit. He was the one who got you kidnapped, after all."

Fanny obviously didn't care about the Iron Monger anymore; the most important thing was to save Pepper. He was worried that Tony would still trust Obadiah, so he revealed the truth directly.

Tony clenched his fists silently. He asked Pepper to go to the office, so the most suspicious person was indeed Obadiah.

"Portal!" Finding an empty place near Stark Building was difficult, but Fanny finally opened a portal. He looked at the anxious Tony and said, "I'll go and scout the place. What are you going to do?"

"I'll go with you!"

Pepper was currently the most important person in Tony's life, so he decided to go as soon as possible with Fanny. He felt like he needed to teach the old man Obadiah some lesson.

Fanny said nothing. He was not familiar with Stark Building at all, so it was more convenient to have Tony lead the way.

The portal led to a deserted alley. Fanny thought about it and decided to equip 'Demon Armor Incursio,' activating its stealth ability.

Walking around with Tony would catch too much attention. Tony was in a critical period right now, and if Fanny was seen with him, it would pique SHIELD and Hydra's attention.

He was now within the organization of the Masters of Mystic Arts. If there were someone who tried to stir up real trouble with him, he could call the Ancient One to beat them shitless; but it was still better to avoid problem from happening in the first place. Of course, the main reason was that it would be hard to convince Ancient One to help him.

"I'm right next to you, don't worry," Fanny said to Tony after turning invisible.

Tony was overcome by his worry for Pepper, so he didn't say anything. He simply rushed to the building, bypassing all the security guards—there was nobody in the building that would dare stop him after seeing his face.

Fanny looked around while following Tony straight through the building, gawking at the high-tech equipment.

On the other hand, Tony didn't have that kind of leisure. He went straight to his office and frowned when he found nobody. He said to Fanny,

"Let's split up to find them. I'll go ask someone if Obadiah has left the building!"