💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch⏰ Resets Monday!
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Tony stiffly turned his head. Pupils instantly dilated.
A black-robed little girl sat on a broomstick. Flying parallel to him. Only a few feet away. Hem fluttering violently in the wind.
J.A.R.V.I.S. suddenly said: "Sir, just detected a heat source. On your right, a humanoid creature is—"
"I already see it!"
Tony said in a low voice.
"Sir, through analysis, this creature is what just touched your suit—"
"Alright, stop talking."
Tony felt tired. Still analyzing? Can see it with one glance, okay?
Even seeing with his own eyes, he still found it hard to believe.
An eleven or twelve-year-old girl. Dressed like a cosplay anime wizard. Riding a broomstick in the sky. And touched his armor?
And groped for ages. He never noticed the whole time!
Ridiculous!
"Hi!"
Hermione waved.
She's even greeting me!
Deep breath. Tony spent a full minute calming his chaotic mind. Asked: "Who are you?"
"Um…"
Hermione extended a finger. Poked her own cheek. Eyes looking up. Thinking pose.
"That's a hard question to answer."
"Do you want my name, or my identity, or why I'm here…"
I want to know all of it! Tony shouted internally.
"My name is Hermione Granger. I'm twelve years old. Live in London's northern suburbs. I'm a wizard. I attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Return to my dorm by 8 PM every day. Don't eat candy. Occasionally drink beverages. Go to bed at 11 PM. Guarantee eight hours of sleep. Drink warm milk before bed. Do twenty minutes of spell practice to warm up. The professors all say I'm very normal…"
Hermione began her self-introduction.
What nonsense is this? Tony was completely confused.
Hermione… that name sounds familiar. Heard it somewhere…
Also wizard…
Wait!
Isn't this the S.H.I.E.L.D. prophet Pepper mentioned?!
Watching Hermione flying casually beside him, Tony's worldview began shaking.
Could magic really exist?
Even a genius like him needed high-tech armor to fly. How did this little girl do it?
"No…" Tony shook his head. "Magic absolutely doesn't exist. Nothing science can't explain. I must be missing something!"
Gaze swept over Hermione's broomstick. His eyes suddenly brightened.
I see!
This broomstick must be some secretly developed high-tech flying device. Just disguised as a broomstick to fool people.
So that's the trick. Magic is all fake.
But still unexplainable—this was thousands of meters up. At least hundreds of kilometers per hour. How could this kid withstand such strong wind, still leisurely talk and breathe, and her voice so clear?
Also, what about the heat source shielding and invisibility tech earlier?
Watching Tony muttering to himself, going crazy, Hermione knew he'd started spiraling.
"Hey?"
Hermione waved her hand before Tony's eyes.
Tony snapped back. Looked at Hermione with scrutinizing eyes.
"Are you a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent trained since childhood? Modern government agencies are truly despicable. Making such a young child do dirty work."
Tony sighed. Said slowly: "You shouldn't be doing this at your age. Pepper often mentions you. Seems to really like you. Why not just quit that S.H.I.E.L.D.? Stark Industries will cover your future tuition. Find a school and study properly."
Hermione curled her lips. Disdainfully said: "S.H.I.E.L.D.? They can't afford me."
Tony was about to say more when long-offline J.A.R.V.I.S. suddenly came back.
"Sir, Colonel Rhodes is calling. Seems urgent."
Tony thought. Helplessly said: "Connect."
"Tony."
A voice came from the other end. His friend, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes.
"Rhodes."
"What are you doing? Why so noisy?"
"Driving a convertible. Get to the point."
"A terrorist base was destroyed. Only a few kilometers from where you were kidnapped. Any leads?"
"Looks like someone did your job for you."
On the other end, Rhodes vaguely sensed something wrong. Probed: "Really nothing I should know?"
"No. Why ask?"
"Because I'm looking at something that's about to get blown out of the sky."
As Rhodes finished, intense whistling sounds came from behind Tony.
"Sir, two F-22 fighter jets rapidly approaching from behind." J.A.R.V.I.S. timely reminded.
"Thanks for another late reminder!"
Tony's heart jumped. Quickly accelerated. Tried to shake the jets.
Next second, objects launched from both jets. Rapidly approaching his rear.
"Missile incoming!"
A huge red-glowing warning appeared on the suit's screen.
Tony was about to release decoy flares to detonate the missiles early. But suddenly remembered Hermione behind him. Immediately turned and flew backward. Prepared to lead the missiles away. Avoid affecting her.
Hermione watched supersonic Tony fly farther away. Puffed her cheeks. Felt frustrated.
Flying fast is so great?
Though the Nimbus 2000 was the latest model, max speed only two hundred kilometers per hour. Though quite fast, still huge gap compared to Iron Man suit.
Just as she raised her wand to trip Tony up, saw him suddenly return. Hand waving to the side. Signaling her to move.
Hermione immediately realized something was behind. Looked back—a rapidly approaching missile!
She didn't panic. Thought briefly. Immediately understood.
Seems Tony originally wanted to escape. But worried about my safety, came back.
Hmph, still has a conscience. For Pepper's sake, I'll help!
Hermione accelerated. Passed Tony. Came behind him.
Seeing Hermione safe, Tony prepared to leave. But discovered the missile was right there. About to hit and explode. Too late to dodge!
Damn, you little brat got me killed! Tony wailed internally.
With Mark III's defense, withstanding tank shells was the limit. Could barely handle missile explosion shockwaves at distance. Absolutely couldn't block a direct hit!
Screw it, going all in!
Just as Tony braced for impact, heard a shout from behind: "Protego!"
Tony whipped around. Saw Hermione right behind him. Wand tip glowing faintly. A translucent spherical shield instantly enveloped them both.
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