The theater wasn't hosting any performance today. Uncle John went straight to the sofa in front of the TV right after waking up. Li Yue wasn't the kind to watch those boring TV shows, even if only to accompany Uncle John, so he told Uncle John that he was going out for a walk.
Of course, Li Yue couldn't just wander around outside. He still didn't know why he had arrived in the Marvel Universe, but more importantly, he didn't even have any identification. It would be troublesome if he met the police.
Thus, after leaving Uncle John's home, he sneaked into a deserted alleyway before teleporting away. Uncle John was obviously aware that Li Yue was penniless, so the theater master had given him several hundred dollars.
A few minutes after Li Yue teleported away, two people in black suits entered the deserted alleyway. Finding the alley to be empty, they carefully inspected the place for any other exit or hiding places. One of them spoke to their walkie-talkie before they both left the alley silently.
Li Yue did not know about these events. His sixth sense was only effective within ten meters, so he could not notice what had happened beyond that.
Li Yue had teleported to the forest that he had used to train his superpower back in his home universe. Due to the timezone difference, it was night here, but it didn't matter. The physical and mental reinforcement that Li Yue gained through the constant superpower training allowed him to see normally at night. It wasn't as clear as day, but it wouldn't be a problem if he just memorized the layout of the terrain. At least he wouldn't be bumping into trees. This inaccessibly remote forest was perfect for his superpower training.
Li Yue explored his superpower through experiments. He needed to imagine a location in his mind, and the ability would look for the place that matched his imagination before teleporting him there. The superpower didn't consume much if any, energy unless he used it to bring large objects along—thus, the limit of his mental strength determined the maximum weight he could bring.
Li Yue trained his superpower like he did on Earth for the rest of the day, although he stopped by a restaurant to get lunch in between his training. This superpower was truly convenient.
"The world-famous weapon developer and the current CEO of the Stark Industry, Tony Stark, was reported to be attacked by unknown terrorists on his way back from a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan. All of his escorts were killed, and Tony Stark himself was reported missing. Our reporters are currently pursuing the follow-up to this situation..."
The voice of a beautiful news anchor greeted Li Yue from the TV when he returned to Uncle John's home. It was the news about Tony Stark's kidnapping, the event that started Tony's transformation and signaled the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Li Yue was probably the only person who knew that Tony was safe and sound. Moreover, Tony would soon discover that he could use his genius not only as a weapons developer and the "Merchant of Death," but also as a superhero that protected the world.
"What the hell was that Tony Stark thinking? Why would he do a weapons demonstration in the middle of a warzone? Served him right to get attacked and go missing. He probably got kidnapped by a terrorist," Uncle John commented indignantly at the TV.
Uncle John clearly hated Tony Stark, the military arms dealer, but the news of the kidnapping still made him worried—though for a different reason. He was worried that Tony Stark would be forced to develop advanced weaponry for the terrorist. Such development would endanger the entire world. Despite being a debauched playboy, Tony Stark's genius was undeniable.
Li Yue smiled at Uncle John's worried expression. He knew that Tony Stark would return unharmed in three months, but that wouldn't be the same Tony Stark as before the kidnapping. Li Yue also knew that Tony Stark's Uncle, Obadiah Stane, planned this kidnapping. Knowing all the factors behind this event made Li Yue rather indifferent.
Although Li Yue didn't really care about this matter, other people obviously had different perspectives.
The military had received the news about Tony Stark's disappearance several hours prior. Colonel Rhodes also told Pepper Potts, Tony's aide.
Pepper was very worried about Tony's safety—she actually had a crush on Tony a long time ago, but she had repressed her feelings due to Tony's position as her boss and Tony's endless life of debauchery.
But that didn't matter right now. Pepper asked Rhodes to keep the matter of Tony's disappearance confidential; if the public were to know about this, the Stark Industry would suffer immeasurable losses.
"Colonel Rhodes, I hope that you will redouble the efforts to look for Tony. Tony must return safely, no matter the cost; you would know better than anyone what would happen if Tony falls into the hands of the terrorist." Pepper's voice carried a severe tone.
"Miss Potts, our military will definitely spare no effort to find Mr. Stark. Don't worry; I will bring him back." Rhodes was Tony's good friend, so he was also very concerned about Tony's safety. He had dispatched a search and rescue task force immediately after hearing the news of Tony's accident. He was also prepared to go look for Tony in Afghanistan himself; he only took a little time to explain the matter to Pepper directly.
Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division also received the news of Tony's disappearance. Nick Fury had no choice but to put off solving Li Yue's mystery and send Coulson to lead the team heading to Afghanistan. Their mission was to bring Tony Stark back and prevent the billionaire from falling into the hand of the terrorists. Nick Fury assigned another team of special agents to monitor Li Yue from afar.
Everyone who knew about Tony's disappearance had been ordered to keep it a secret, but things rarely go as planned. The news media caught wind of the disappearance just a few hours later.
The news caught everyone off-guard. Stark Industry's stock suddenly fell by several percent and continued to free-fall. The thought of terrorists armed with advanced weaponry spread panic and anxiety among the populace.
Of course, these things had nothing to do with Li Yue. He simply continued with his daily superpower training from early in the morning until late in the evening. He would occasionally perform in the theater, but the resident magician Peter had already returned. Peter's mother had recovered to the point that the magician could return to perform in the theater.
Peter was a handsome young man. When he met Li Yue, he began asking about Li Yue's experience in magic performances, but Li Yue could only evade the questions and quickly escape.
Li Yue found that his superpower had rapidly improved just with three months of training. He could now teleport objects within 20 meters radius, and his weight limit also almost doubled.
For some reason, his superpower had grown very quickly in the Marvel universe. But this was a good thing, so Li Yue did not think too much about it.
It had been three months since Tony Stark was kidnapped. The Mark I armor should be ready soon. Li Yue thought that this would be a chance to meet Tony Stark and gain the billionaire's favor. Besides, Tony was one of the major leaders of the Marvel universe, so Li Yue was curious to meet him.