Uninvited Guest

On the empty street, only Raiden was walking alone.

As he walked, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of loneliness. This feeling made Raiden heart grow restless, and amidst his restlessness, the voice that always appeared in the depths of the night once again echoed in his ears.

The voice was like a mosquito buzzing around his ear, but Raiden couldn't make out what it was saying—or perhaps, he simply didn't want to hear it clearly.

The road from Queens back to Manhattan was long, and it seemed unlikely he'd find a taxi around here. Plus, Raiden had no idea where the nearest subway station was. Driven by this growing irritation... Raiden decided to crash at Yinsen place for the night.

But when Raiden arrived at 26th Street, he immediately spotted Yinsen still standing outside, talking to a woman—a very beautiful woman. And beside her stood a small figure?

Oh, it was the kid from the pizza shop.

Seeing Yinsen and the woman chatting so happily, Raiden shook his head and turned away. He didn't want to interrupt Yinsen good time.

Beside May, Peter spotted a familiar figure from afar—it seemed like the man from the pizza shop. But just as Peter was about to call out to Raiden, he turned around and Raiden was gone.

After leaving 26th Street, Raiden kept his eyes peeled for a taxi but the night in Queens was nothing like New York. The streets were practically empty, let alone any taxis.

Luckily, Raiden fortune seemed to turn after walking for over ten minutes—he finally found a taxi. But when he got in and told the driver to take him to Manhattan, the driver informed him that he could only drop Raiden off at Essex Street the first street after crossing the Williamsburg Bridge the border between Queens and Manhattan.

The reason? Queens drivers weren't particularly familiar with Manhattan. In simple terms, he didn't know the way, so he could only take Raiden that far. Raiden didn't argue and nodded in agreement. After all, he was just grateful to have a ride back.

Once the driver dropped him off at Essex Street, Raiden hailed another taxi from Manhattan and finally made it home.

Back at home, Raiden first took a shower, then grabbed a bottle of brandy from the liquor cabinet and stood by the window, drinking alone. Raiden really hated drinking because, in the Marvel world, alcohol couldn't get him drunk.

But the incessant voice in his ear was so annoying that he had no choice but to use alcohol to distract himself. As it turned out, this method worked somewhat—at least it helped Raiden fall asleep without realizing it.

.....

By the time Raiden woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. This was a very literal statement because Raiden lived on a high floor, and his floor-to-ceiling windows faced east.

So, when the sun rose from the horizon, his room would be flooded with sunlight.

Awakened by the warm sunlight, Raiden first glanced at the time—it was almost nine o'clock. Then, he slowly got out of bed, brushing his teeth while calling Yinsen, as they had agreed to visit Tony today.

However, when Raiden called Yinsen, Yinsen informed him that he was already almost at Tony house.

Well, after hanging up, Raiden dialed Wayne number.

Ten minutes later, a helicopter landed on the rooftop of Raiden apartment, and the pilot was none other than Wayne.

This was one of the things Raiden liked about Wayne—this young man not only knew how to drive cars but could also pilot aircraft and boats. He was a very capable driver.

Raiden casually walked up to the rooftop, dressed not just casually but also quite homely—he was wearing a set of pajamas.

"Good morning, Mr. Akathos," Wayne greeted Raiden from the pilot's seat.

"Good morning, Wayne. Let's head to Tony place, the one on the East Coast," Raiden instructed.

"Got it, Mr. Akathos," Wayne replied.

Tony house on the East Coast was quite far from Manhattan. Driving there would take about two to three hours, not to mention the endless traffic and countless traffic lights in New York City.

So, to make it easier for Raiden to visit, Tony had even arranged a helicopter for him, complete with a pilot. But since Wayne said he could fly the helicopter, Raiden didn't need the extra pilot.

As for Yinsen, this dude always set off early in the morning whenever he went to Tony house.

After all, he had plenty of free time—a leisurely, sunset-style lifestyle.

The helicopter flew for nearly an hour before arriving at Tony house on the East Coast of New York. Wayne landed the helicopter on the helipad, and Raiden went inside to find Tony while Wayne waited in the helicopter.

Entering the house, Raiden saw that Yinsen had already arrived, sitting across from someone else—Pepper.

"Hi, good morning" Raiden greeted Yinsen and Pepper.

"Raiden, what's with the outfit? Did you sleep here last night?" Yinsen chuckled, looking at Raiden pajamas.

Raiden rolled his eyes at Yinsen and asked.

"Yinsen, when did you get here?" as he sat down beside Yinsen.

"A few minutes before you," Yinsen replied, glancing at Raiden.

"And you, Pepper? Did you stay here last night?" Raiden teased Pepper.

Pepper shook her head and said, "No, I just arrived a bit earlier than both of you."

"Where's Tony? What's he up to?" Raiden asked curiously.

"He's probably busy in his workshop. He was already there when I arrived this morning and hasn't come out since," Pepper said, pointing to the staircase leading downstairs.

"Oh, is that so? I'll go check on him," Raiden said, standing up and heading toward the stairs. But just as he reached the staircase, JARVIS voice echoed in the living room.

"Apologies, Mr. Akathos, Mr. Stark has refused entry to the workshop for anyone. Please wait in the living room."

Raiden turned around, bewildered, and looked at Yinsen and Pepper, who gave him a helpless look in return.

"Raiden, we've been wanting to go down and check, but clearly, Tony wants us to wait," Pepper said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Alright, alright," Raiden sighed helplessly as he walked back to the couch and sat down. Suddenly, he stood up again and asked Pepper

"Is there any more coffee? I'd like a cup too."

"Oh, this." Pepper quickly got up and walked to the coffee machine in the kitchen to get Raiden a cup.

"Thanks" Raiden said, taking a sip of the coffee. It was so bitter... He then continued sitting on the couch, bored out of his mind as he waited.

Fortunately, that heartless Tony didn't keep them waiting for too long—just over an hour! He finally emerged from his workshop, dragging his feet. But before Tony could exchange a few pleasantries with Raiden and the others, the doorbell rang.

After Jarvis informed Tony of the visitor, his expression turned grim. It was an unwelcome guest, at least as far as Tony was concerned.

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