Lu Mingfei doesn't want to be a superhero

Damn it, that arrogant and narcissistic guy is out of danger now, he has plenty of time.

Moreover, faced with such a super genius who could handcraft a miniature arc reactor in a terrorist's cave base, Fury was unsure whether he could actually develop the new element that Howard had envisioned on his own.

Tony suddenly stood up and patted Fury on the shoulder: "By the way, what did my dad say back then? 'Only I have the resources and wisdom to break free from the shackles of technology and complete his original plan.' Hmm, although I'm not interested in his plan, no, I'm not interested in anything about him..."

“But he’s right, only I have that ability!” Tony stared at Fury’s one eye, raising an eyebrow. “So, my dad’s stuff is actually useless to you if it stays with you, right? Then why not sell it to me cheaper? Keeping a bunch of stuff that’s going to mold is less appealing than exchanging it for some dollars, don’t you think?”

Fury: ...

He specifically mentioned the things Howard left behind, not to sell them for money.

But he also realized that he had acted a little too hastily, while Tony, no longer threatened with death, was able to think calmly and might have already seen through some of his intentions.

Sure enough, the next second, Tony continued, "Of course, if you're not interested in dollars, we can talk about other terms."

Nick Fury cursed inwardly, "Fuck you."

He realized that Tony wasn't falling for his tricks anymore, and his plan to use Howard's belongings to lure Tony onto the warship was no longer working.

Conversely, Tony should have already guessed his purpose, and now Tony has a large part of the initiative in the negotiations.

In other words, he was turned the tables.

And all of this was because of the guy next to me who was playing Tetris on Jarvis's projection screen!

Nick Fury was even angrier when he noticed that Natasha was secretly glancing at the screen where Lu Mingfei was playing Tetris.

I planned to update three chapters today, each around 3,000 words long, totaling a little over 10,000 words. But I've only finished the first two chapters so far, and I'm still writing the third. *sobs*

Chapter 51. Rainy days, watermelon, fried chicken, and Fury go even better together!

In Tony's laboratory.

Tony and Fury sat together. Tony raised his eyebrows, his smugness practically written all over his face, while Fury's face was so dark it was almost reflective.

“So, let’s have a proper discussion about how to handle the things my dad left behind,” Tony said.

Fury took a deep breath: "Hopefully we'll get along well."

"Jarvis, get some blood pressure medication for Director Fury; he might need it later," Tony said, turning to Jarvis.

Fury felt that he didn't need to wait any longer; he already felt his blood pressure rising a bit.

“Let’s go, this isn’t the place to talk,” Tony said. “I think there are still a few rooms in my house that haven’t been destroyed.”

“There is food, but there’s none in those rooms,” Lu Mingfei complained.

"Didn't you say you had some fruit?" Tony asked.

“There are only two watermelons left,” Lu Mingfei said, turning off Tetris and getting up from his chair. “Never mind, I’ll go cut the watermelons. Something to eat is better than nothing.”

As he walked towards the door, Lu Mingfei turned around and asked, "Miss Natasha, Director Fury, would you like some watermelon?"

He asked the question casually, but the atmosphere suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

Nick Fury remained expressionless, Natalie awkwardly looked away where no one was around, and Tony glanced down at his watch.

"What the hell are you looking at? Didn't your watch stop working after being shaken during your fight with Colonel Rhodes?" Lu Mingfei thought to himself.

"Huh?" Lu Mingfei looked around at the group, puzzled. "Why aren't you guys saying anything? Don't you like watermelon?"

Tony's lips twitched twice.

Although Lu Mingfei had lived here for several months, he spent his time either eating, drinking, having fun, or being forced to study, so he didn't know much about American customs and taboos.

In the United States, watermelon and fried chicken become highly sensitive foods when associated with Black people.

In the era before the abolition of slavery, white slave owners would use watermelons as a reward for black slaves who worked hard—because watermelons were easy to grow, had a high yield, were inexpensive, and tasted good among fruits.

Therefore, this cheap and delicious fruit was considered by white slave owners to be the most suitable way to feed black slaves.

After the slaves were freed, watermelons became a symbol of racial discrimination. Giving a watermelon to a Black person was tantamount to discriminating against them.

Another similar food is fried chicken. Because it is inexpensive and high in calories, it was very suitable for black slaves who engaged in heavy physical labor to survive, ensuring that they would not die and could continue to work. Therefore, it became popular during the era of black slavery. Now, like watermelon, it has become a synonym for discrimination against black people.

As a native-born American, Tony was well aware of this.

But Lu Mingfei didn't know that.

In this situation, he couldn't explain these things to Lu Mingfei, so... the atmosphere became awkward.

Fortunately, Fury spoke up at this moment: "No need, I don't eat watermelon."

Tony breathed a sigh of relief—although he always felt that Fury seemed to be gritting his teeth when he said that.

Natasha, standing to the side, also breathed a sigh of relief, after all, Fury was her boss.

“You don’t want watermelon? That’s okay,” Lu Mingfei thought for a moment and said, “My takeout should be here soon.”

Tony paused for a moment, then started thinking—what did this guy order again? He startled me when he came over; I didn't listen carefully, but it seemed like he ordered… something like…

"You guys shouldn't have any aversion to fried chicken, right?" Lu Mingfei asked.

Tony: ...

Fury's temples were bulging with veins... even dark veins.

Natasha's eye twitched, and she silently took two steps back to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"What's wrong?" Lu Mingfei asked, completely bewildered.

“I’m not hungry,” Fury said, taking a deep breath and emphasizing each word.

"If you're not hungry, you're not hungry. Why are you acting like you're allergic to fried chicken?" Lu Mingfei muttered to himself.

Natasha's lips twitched slightly, but she quickly suppressed it.

Fury felt like his blood vessels were about to burst.

……

In one of the surviving rooms of Tony's house.

Tony and Fury were talking about something in another room. For some reason, this time Tony didn't bring Lu Mingfei with him to "broaden his horizons," but left him outside.

Only Lu Mingfei and Natasha remained in the room.

Lu Mingfei nestled on the single sofa, holding up a slice of watermelon: "Want a slice?"

Natasha took the watermelon and sat on the armrest of Lu Mingfei's sofa. Her long, slender legs were crossed and stretched out in front of her, like a graceful mermaid or a beautiful snake. The faint fragrance of her hair wafted into Lu Mingfei's nostrils.

Lu Mingfei felt a little embarrassed and coughed lightly twice.

Natasha felt she had won back a point.

“Um…” Lu Mingfei said somewhat awkwardly, “Natasha, your legs will block the screen.”

“…Oh.” Natasha put her legs down.

Jarvis projected a screen in front of the sofa.

Tony's TV also broke down, so they'll have to make do with this for now.

Lu Mingfei originally wanted to open Plants vs. Zombies, but after thinking about it, he remembered that there was someone next to him, hesitated for a moment, and turned to ask, "Want to play together?"

Lu Mingfei was also one of Natasha's targets for contact. After thinking for a moment, she nodded decisively.

“But you have to go over there, this place is too small.” Lu Mingfei pointed to another sofa not far away.

Natasha silently walked over and sat down, with a screen projected in front of her sofa.

"Do you know how to play StarCraft?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"I know a little," Natasha said with a confident smile.

During her free time, she would occasionally play games to relax. She had also played StarCraft, and perhaps because she was very talented in this area, her skills were quite good.

Moreover, as a highly skilled military commander, Natasha was confident that her combat awareness was a game-changer for Lu Mingfei.

It's time to teach this annoying brat a lesson.

……

ten minutes later.

Lu Mingfei rested his chin on one hand, while casually swiping across the screen with the other.

Natasha's hands flew across the screen as if she were playing the piano piece "Flight of the Bumblebee," before finally lowering them amidst an explosion at her base.

"Ha..." Lu Mingfei yawned and praised, "Not bad, excellent combat awareness, precise operation, and it's rare to be able to remain calm throughout."

Hearing Lu Mingfei's praise, Natasha was not happy at all.

She did have a superior combat awareness, but Lu Mingfei saw through every tactic she used.

She was indeed precise in her operations, but each of Lu Mingfei's combat units seemed to have its own thoughts, displaying a flexibility almost like that of a true elite soldier.

She did remain calm throughout, but Lu Mingfei didn't seem to take it seriously at all.

"Another round?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"Come again!"

Nine minutes later, Natasha's base exploded.

……

“One more round!” Natasha said.

Eight minutes later, Natasha's base exploded.

“Again…” Natasha stared at the screen in front of her.

"I'm not coming," Lu Mingfei said.

"Why!" Natasha, her eyes bloodshot from losing, suddenly looked up at Lu Mingfei.

"Because your boss is behind you," Lu Mingfei said quietly.

Natasha was startled, turned her head, and everything went black.

This was a sudden blackout in a physical sense, because she saw a very dark face behind the sofa.

"Chief..."