C308

"Anton, what are you doing here?"

Tony stared at Anton blankly, arms crossed over his chest, his expression cold and unwelcoming.

And for good reason.

Right now, Batman was Tony's self-declared enemy, and in secret, Tony was building his own Illuminati, with plans to oppose Batman if necessary.

As a Justice League member, Anton naturally wasn't a welcome guest.

"I need to talk to you."

Anton got straight to the point. Then, glancing at Pepper beside him and Dr. Otto Octavius next to Tony, he added:

"Alone."

Tony's frown deepened slightly.

He knew Anton well enough to tell this was serious. Whatever he wanted to discuss, it wasn't trivial.

"Leave us," Tony instructed.

Pepper shot him a worried look, but Otto left without hesitation, understanding he wasn't meant to be part of this conversation.

Soon, only Anton and Tony remained on the lab floor.

"So, what's this about?"

Tony met Anton's gaze for a long moment before suddenly asking:

"Nick Fury?"

Anton raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You already know?"

"I don't."

Tony shook his head with a faint smirk. "But the Men in Black's surveillance inside Stark Industries is about as subtle as a neon sign. It's like playing a game where the enemy has a bright red marker over their head—zero stealth."

He paused, then added, "I had Jarvis hack their network. I found Nick Fury's name… and some rather interesting information about the Skrulls."

Anton exhaled slowly. "So, using that, you figured out why I came here. Makes sense."

He wasn't surprised that Tony had spotted the Men in Black's surveillance.

With Jarvis, an AI at the peak of Earth's technological capabilities, keeping secrets inside Stark Industries was practically impossible.

Anton ignored Tony's mocking tone—he was used to it.

"Do you think the Nick Fury I saw was actually a Skrull in disguise?"

Tony lifted his chin slightly, his voice neutral. "Seems like there's a lot I still don't know."

Despite Jarvis's vast capabilities, there were still plenty of secrets Tony wasn't privy to—such as the disbanding of S.W.O.R.D., the arrest of its former director Maria Rambeau, and Nick Fury leaving Earth aboard a spaceship with the Skrulls.

That information was locked down tight, absent from the public internet, stored only in air-gapped military databases or the World Security Council's internal network.

Even Jarvis couldn't breach that level of security.

Anton didn't bother explaining further. "Long story short, based on my intel, Nick Fury left Earth and took the Skrulls with him."

Then, narrowing his eyes, he asked: "So tell me—was there anything off about the Nick Fury you saw?"

"I haven't seen him."

Tony shook his head. "I've been buried in research. Haven't had time for much else."

Anton frowned. "Then why the hell was he at Stark Industries?"

Tony shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe he was just taking a stroll."

Anton's patience snapped.

"Tony, I'm not in the mood for jokes."

His voice turned cold. "I'm the head of the Men in Black now. If I wanted, I could have you detained for crimes against humanity and thrown in a cell for a few months."

His eyes glinted with warning. "So unless you want me to make good on that, start talking."

"By the way, your reputation has taken a nosedive lately. A lot of people see you as a disgrace to humanity…"

Anton paused, watching Tony's expression before continuing, "If word got out that you were arrested for crimes against humanity, you can forget about ever restoring your public image. No one would ever see you as anything other than a criminal. So I suggest you cooperate."

Tony's face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. "Are you threatening me?"

The tension in the lab thickened, the air between them practically crackling.

"Not a threat. Just advice."

Anton's tone was firm. "I don't care what you're up to, and I don't care what your plans are. Because no matter how reckless you get, I know you're not a villain. As your opponent, I at least have that much faith in you."

His gaze sharpened. "But you know exactly how dangerous the Skrulls are. If they're secretly planning an invasion, we're already in the most critical stage. If we don't find them now, no one will be safe."

Anton let out a slow breath, his voice shifting into one of deep disappointment.

"And yet, you still disappoint me."

He shook his head. "If you had even the slightest sense of the bigger picture, you wouldn't be acting like this. You wouldn't be sitting here, arguing with me out of sheer stubbornness."

Each of Anton's words hit Tony like a relentless downpour.

Tony's expression grew darker.

He knew Anton was pushing his buttons on purpose, but he also knew—deep down—that Anton was right.

And there was no way to argue against it.

His posture eased slightly. "I haven't seen Nick Fury, and I don't know why he came to Stark Industries."

His tone was different now—more resigned. "But I can show you the security footage."

Turning toward the ceiling, he gave a command. "Jarvis, pull up the surveillance from that time."

"Right away, sir," Jarvis responded.

A projection flickered to life in mid-air, forming an ultra-realistic 3D reconstruction of the scene.

Anton watched as Nick Fury, wearing a peaked cap, entered Stark Industries. A few pairs of eyes tracked him as he walked, but for the most part, the bustling workday continued as usual.

Then, just as he turned a corner—

He vanished.

Tony exhaled sharply. "See? Your intel was wrong. He just walked in, looked around, and left."

Anton narrowed his eyes. "Walked in and left? That makes no sense. He knows he'd be exposing himself by doing that. Why would he risk it?"

Tony crossed his arms. "Either he made a mistake, or it was a diversion."

His expression hardened. "If I had to guess, I'd say he showed up here just to throw you off."

…

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