Then, Tony mentioned a location.
It was the intensive care unit of a hospital in Manhattan.
And in the hospital ward, it belonged to the level of a presidential suite.
Blaine wasn't too surprised. After all, this was Happy Hogan, someone Tony had known for decades. He was Tony's head of security, but more than that—he was family.
Blaine soon arrived at the large Manhattan hospital.
At the moment, because the incident had happened not long ago, many reporters didn't know the injured man was Stark Industries' head of security. Most of the press was still at the scene, and there weren't many people idling around the hospital yet.
However, there were plenty of doctors and nurses.
Blaine slipped into the hospital, using his shadow-stealth technique and teleportation to move silently from the outside in.
He saw Tony sitting in front of the hospital bed, bent forward, his face buried in his hands.
On the bed, Happy was seriously injured, his face bruised and swollen. Having just been rescued, his condition still looked dire, and Tony was visibly shaken.
"Tony."
Blaine slowly emerged from the shadows.
Tony, already consumed with worry for Happy, had expected Blaine to appear in his usual mysterious way—but the suddenness of it still startled him.
"Shit!"
Tony nearly jumped out of his seat, heart racing.
It was unnerving—someone suddenly appearing behind you and calling your name when your nerves were already shot.
But the moment he saw it was Blaine, he calmed himself.
Fortunately, after what had happened with Pepper the night before, Tony had immediately upgraded his sensors, reinforcing them to their maximum. That same breach wouldn't happen again.
"Whew…"
Tony exhaled and slumped back into the chair, wearing a helpless expression. "Mr. Hunter, when will your entrances be… less terrifying?"
He forced the words out after a long pause.
After all, he needed Blaine to help heal Happy, so snapping back wasn't an option.
Blaine only shrugged in response.
Tony gave a weary, expectant look. "Mr. Hunter, can you cure Happy? As long as you can, money isn't a problem. Name your price."
Blaine sighed. He would have asked for payment, but the system he relied on required an exact fee—it wasn't negotiable.
"Five billion… no, one billion!"
Tony corrected himself almost immediately.
One billion—for Happy.
"I'll take it."
Blaine clicked his tongue inwardly.
He hadn't expected Tony to pay that much for Happy, but it wasn't surprising either.
Their bond was immeasurable. Even knowing Happy would survive in the "plot," Tony would never gamble on fate. He was too cautious to leave something this important to chance.
Save him?
Blaine could.
He had learned minor healing techniques from Gali, but those could only treat moderate illnesses.
For someone like Happy, with internal injuries and external trauma, such techniques wouldn't do much.
So Blaine didn't bother trying.
Instead, he purchased directly from the system mall.
[Therapeutic Potion]: Price: 1,000,000. Restores a critically injured patient to minor injuries upon consumption.
One million.
Blaine didn't hesitate—he bought it immediately.
After all, Tony had offered one billion. Spending one million to secure that return was pure profit.
The potion came in a small reagent bottle, filled with a translucent green liquid.
"Have him drink this."
Since the potion was for internal use, Blaine handed it to Tony—he wasn't about to feed a grown man himself.
"Alright."
Tony carefully took the potion and brought it to Happy's lips, gently helping him swallow.
He didn't doubt Blaine.
If Blaine had wanted to harm Happy, even Tony's armor couldn't have stopped him. There was no reason for deception.
And sure enough, Tony's trust was rewarded.
As soon as Happy drank, the bruises on his face began to fade before their eyes. His weak breathing grew stronger, his chest rising and falling with renewed vitality.
"Jesus…"
Tony let out a long breath of relief.
Watching the miraculous recovery, his tension finally broke.
"Tony, I'm going after the Mandarin. Want me to take him out for you? No charge."
Blaine had been about to leave but asked casually as he turned.
Unexpectedly, Tony's expression hardened. "Mr. Hunter, not this time. I'll handle him myself. I'll make sure he learns what it means to cross Iron Man."
Tony's eyes carried a rare intensity.
Blaine had only seen that look once before—when Tony learned of the alien threat. It meant things were deadly serious.
Blaine nodded, then added, "I'll be teaching him a lesson too."
"What?"
Tony blinked, then smirked as another report came in about an attack. "Mr. Hunter, don't steal my thunder."
"Each according to his own strength."
Leaving that parting line, Blaine melted into the shadows and vanished.
When he was gone, Tony's playful mask dropped.
"The Mandarin…"
His jaw tightened.
"If you dare target the people I care about, don't blame me for being merciless. If I can't protect them, then what kind of Iron Man am I?"
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