MARVEL: THOSE YEARS I WAS UNDERCOVER IN S.H.I.E.LD

Faced with Tony Stark's request to conduct so-called "research" on him, Grimclaw responded firmly, "I heal men…!"

"I am who I am, and I'm not that kind of person!"

Hearing Grimclaw say this, Tony Stark quickly clarified that he was very normal.

"Well, who knows?"

Despite Tony's emphatic assurance, Grimclaw smirked and said, "I've heard that you rich folks are different from ordinary people. No one knows what you're really like behind closed doors."

"You have to understand, I've been with S.H.I.E.L.D. for years, and I've dealt with plenty of so-called elites—on the surface, they look respectable, but in reality… tsk tsk."

"Especially billionaires like you."

As Grimclaw shot him a knowing look, Tony Stark's face darkened.

"Don't lump me in with those bastards! Yeah, I'm rich, and sure, I can be arrogant, but I'm not that kind of scumbag!"

"Don't think I'm one of them."

As someone who frequently attended high-profile parties, Tony knew exactly what kind of people Grimclaw was referring to.

And being compared to that crowd? It made Tony feel sick to his stomach.

"I swear to God, I'm nothing like those lowlifes—ah, forget it. I'll just keep working on my damn Iron Man suit."

With that, Tony Stark grabbed the blueprint from the table and spread it out in front of Grimclaw.

"See this? This is what the greatest genius of the century is working on!"

Proudly pointing at the designs, Tony added, "I spend most of my time on my inventions, so I definitely don't have time to act like those degenerates…"

"Mr. Grimclaw, I'm showing you the greatest technological advancement of this century, and you're playing on your phone?"

Tony's enthusiasm quickly turned to disbelief as he saw Grimclaw completely ignoring the blueprints, casually playing a mobile game instead.

Tony was stunned. Is this guy seriously playing Snake right now?!

"Alright, go ahead and keep playing your damn game. I hope you never make it past the third piece of food!"

Flipping Grimclaw the middle finger in frustration, Tony turned around and walked to his workstation, ready to continue tweaking the power system on his boots.

As Tony walked away, Grimclaw's lips curled into a smirk.

A moment later, the watch on his wrist gleamed ever so slightly—just for an instant, like a reflection from the lab lights.

Even J.A.R.V.I.S. failed to detect it.

A few minutes later, Grimclaw's phone rang.

It was Natasha Romanoff.

Listening to her report, Grimclaw nodded. "If it's confirmed, don't make any moves yet. His case is… different."

"The most important thing is that there are too many complicated factors at play. I'll deal with it when I get back."

Hanging up, Grimclaw glanced at Tony, who was still working on his boots.

"I have something to take care of. I'm heading out."

Tony, who was adjusting the boot's power system, looked up in surprise.

"You're leaving? Didn't you say you were here to protect me?"

"I'm not as free as you think. Right now, the entire New York S.H.I.E.L.D. branch is under my command. If you're in danger, I'll be there before you even realize it."

With that, Grimclaw flicked his phone into the air, caught it effortlessly, and walked out.

Watching him leave without hesitation, Tony shrugged.

"Man… I even had a room ready for him."

"Well, I guess that's for the best. Not just anyone gets to stay at Tony Stark's house."

"Of course, this was mostly for my dad and Aunt Peggy's sake."

Muttering to himself, Tony turned back to his suit, fine-tuning the power system on his boots.

About ten minutes later—after confirming that Grimclaw had completely left—Tony spoke up.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., did you pick up anything… unusual about this Grimclaw guy?"

J.A.R.V.I.S. responded immediately.

"Sir, when you spread the blueprints on the table, Mr. Grimclaw neither took a picture nor even glanced at them."

"I have been monitoring his vitals. His heart rate remained completely steady."

Hearing this, Tony nodded thoughtfully.

"Huh. Interesting."

"I had a good feeling about the guy. Not bad… not bad at all."

"But, I have to admit—I do enjoy bickering with him."

"Well, maybe that's because, aside from you and Pepper, there's hardly anyone around me I can talk to anymore."

"At least he doesn't suck up to me just because I'm rich."

"Not bad."

With that, Tony Stark continued working on his suit.

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