"Professor! Professor!"
The sound of knocking on the door rang out just as Shiller had changed into his pajamas in the hotel room. He walked over to open the door and found Peter, who used to be the Amazing Spider Man, now known as Saint Peter.
"What's the matter, Peter?" Shiller furrowed his brow slightly. The Amazing Spider Man is much more mature than Spider Man from the Central Universe and wouldn't ordinarily come knocking so late.
"Pepper Potts has been kidnapped!" Peter spilled the news as if beans were pouring out, "At the time, Bruce... Spider Man, was getting acquainted with business at Wayne Enterprises when he heard a loud bang in the street nearby. By the time he arrived, he saw assassins intercepting the vehicle carrying Ms. Potts. He was busy chasing the killers, and somehow Ms. Potts and the agents protecting her disappeared..."
"Come in and talk," Shiller stepped aside to let him in, "Has the Rebirth Alliance been informed?"
"They knew already. The Security Department has sent someone to find Iron Man, hoping to get the coordinates from him, also worried he might act impulsively once he discovers the location..."
"He won't be impulsive," Shiller said, "Since the killers chose kidnapping, it proves Pepper has something they want."
"That's the issue," Peter said anxiously, "The feelings Iron Man has for Pepper now are unclear, but he definitely doesn't want her to reveal his secrets. Once he finds the location, he'll inevitably..."
"Pepper won't talk," Shiller said, "Iron Man knows Pepper won't talk. They're both clear-headed about this sort of thing. In fact, people who put interests above all, even seeming cold-blooded, can remain calm in such situations."
Peter opened his mouth but didn't know how to counter it. He thought for a moment—perhaps this is indeed the case. These two clearly aren't pure lovers; despite appearing deeply emotional at times, even neglecting the fate of the cosmos, they're actually very shrewd. If the cosmos were to be destroyed along with their wealth, they'd be the first to go mad.
"Who could have kidnapped her?" Peter said, alluding to his main purpose for coming, as the Rebirth Alliance didn't have a clear answer. Stark Group does have many enemies, but no reason to harm Pepper at this critical moment.
First off, those aware know the two have had a falling out. The best approach now is to try to win Pepper over with a gentle method, making her feel like she's got a future place elsewhere. If their relationship continues to deteriorate, not only would you gain a Head Steward for free, but you might also get some secrets of the Stark Group.
Kidnapping her instead would alert others and certainly provoke Iron Man. Not everyone knows what kind of people they are; looking at it from a normal perspective, Iron Man would madly pursue Pepper, who knows his secrets. If found, Iron Man might not believe Pepper didn't reveal anything, and the best course might be to kill the assassin.
This is why the Rebirth Alliance immediately sent people to Iron Man after the incident, worried that if he found the assassin and killed them, it might cause a bigger commotion.
Shiller truly considered this thoughtfully; he paced the living room while saying, "If motivation can't be deduced, perhaps reverse reasoning from the result could help. If considering the outcome, there should be two types of people: those confident Iron Man won't find them and those who aren't worried even if Iron Man does."
Peter suddenly understood, stood up from the sofa, and said, "Right, the kidnappers couldn't possibly have ignored the chance of Iron Man searching for them. Either they believe their hiding is perfect and won't be found, or they're ready to deal with Iron Man if he comes... though this latter possibility seems slim, right?"
"It's not completely impossible," Shiller said, "Many aren't afraid of Iron Man, but there's one issue. If someone's entirely unafraid of Iron Man, why would they care to know Iron Man's secrets? Like Thor, would he kidnap Pepper? What's the point?"
Peter nodded, saying, "Indeed. If someone could directly defeat Iron Man, his secrets wouldn't matter so much, whether it's mecha technology or the Extremis Virus. Spending effort probing it wouldn't be necessary. Even if those technologies could bring greater benefits, they'd just take them directly without such hassle."
Peter pondered and continued, "If someone believes they're well hidden and won't be found by Iron Man, they must have employed some methods, considering Iron Man would definitely keep tabs on Pepper, possibly equipping her with some location device. If trouble occurs, coordinates can be traced immediately. They must be capable of interfering with the positioning system."
Peter began pacing in front of the sofa, "From what I know, Iron Man's electronic information technology isn't very advanced. Though better than average hackers, it's not without flaws. Stark Group uses Iron Man's previous security system, but if he added tracking to Pepper, it's likely his own work, with room for intrusion and modification."
Peter spoke while pulling out his phone, clearly intending to call Iron Man and remind him. Once connected, he was about to speak but slowly furrowed his brow. Not long after, he hung up and looked at Shiller, saying, "We need to head to the Rebirth Alliance Headquarters."
Peter didn't specify the reason, but Shiller had an inkling. He returned to the bedroom to change clothes, and as he pushed open the hotel entrance downstairs, a wave of heat hit him. Peter had parked the car at the doorway.
Once the car was moving, hot night air squeezed in through the window crack. Peter drove while saying, "I thought the Civil War was the end, not expecting it to be the beginning."
"That depends on your standards for chaos," Shiller replied leisurely, "Pure conflicts of force have an end, but underlying currents never cease. Human society is like that, and so is the cosmos, like an endlessly revolving Ouroboros, indifferent to beginnings and endings."
When they arrived at the Recovery Alliance Headquarters, it was already brightly lit inside. The two of them were invited to the meeting room. Iron Man stood on the stage, Thor was next to him, along with a few other superheroes.
Natasha whispered to Shiller to explain the situation: "The tracking device Iron Man left on Pepper shows that she is still in Jotunheim. Iron Man wants to go in, but Thor disagrees."
"So it's time for mediation now?"
"Sort of. You were brought in because the agent kidnapped with Pepper is considered a family member, so we need to hear your opinion."
"Then you should go find the actual family members." Shiller's words were a bit offhand, but Natasha didn't seem to mind.
"I don't believe Pepper is in Jotunheim," Natasha said. "Reed has no reason to kidnap Pepper. What could he want from Iron Man? Reed never lacked money, and he might not even care for Stark's technology. They aren't even enemies. You might not believe it, but Reed Richards isn't a super villain. He wouldn't do something like kidnapping."
Shiller was willing to believe this. The Fantastic Four is a superhero organization that fights crime on Earth with notable success, also popular among fans, especially in New York. They don't fall from grace and aren't condemned by countless people like some other superheroes.
Mr. Fantastic is the backbone of this group, just like other superheroes, having done many good deeds and saved many people. Although he's not very socially adept, a bit abstract, and doesn't prioritize laboratory safety, saying he'd go around kidnapping others' family members like the Joker would indeed be a stretch.
Moreover, during the Civil War about the registration act, the two were close allies. Both were pro-registration and worked well together. Saying they were in cahoots might be a bit much, but it's close.
Their backgrounds, personalities, and temperaments are quite similar, not to the point of such a fallout. But what's more important is what Natasha said — there's no visible motive for Reed's actions. Others might be interested in Iron Man's technology, but Reed is among the few who can go toe-to-toe with Iron Man in that area.
"I don't think Iron Man doesn't know that," Shiller crossed his arms and said quietly to Natasha. "I feel he's just using this as a pretense to trouble Thor."
"I agree," Natasha lowered her voice. "But now he's the victim and has evidence. We can't be too biased."
"Can't let him in?" Shiller asked, "I don't think Reed would mess around with him."
"Thor also has a stubborn streak," Natasha glanced at Thor nearby and said, "convincing him won't be easy either."
"I'll give it a try," Shiller said. After learning that the agent was kidnapped together with Pepper, he knew it must involve Greed. But since he hadn't offended him recently, it wasn't aimed at troubling him, so giving it a push wouldn't hurt.
He walked over to Thor and whispered, "Do you think this has anything to do with Loki?"
Thor looked shocked, turning to him. Shiller said, "After you killed his clone, you haven't found him. Where do you think he would hide?"
Thor paused. Clearly, Shiller's question was pointed. Thor could control the entire Nine Major Kingdoms, but for not having found Loki yet, the answer was only one. Loki could only be hiding where even Thor couldn't fully control — in Reed Richards' lab in Jotunheim.
The shield Thor created has been controlled by Reed, who somehow used technology to turn the entire lab into a vacuum area that Thor couldn't fully manage. If Loki wanted to escape Thor's attention, he could only go there.
Thor heaved a long sigh. If that were true, then it would be troublesome. If he didn't allow Iron Man into the shielded area now, and it turned out to be related to Loki afterward, his credibility could be wiped out completely. Back during the press conference, he didn't follow the script, hinting favoritism towards Loki. If it happened again this time, he'd truly lose face with the Recovery Alliance.
"Are you sure?" Thor asked.
Shiller knew he was asking about the likelihood of Loki's involvement. Actually, Shiller wasn't entirely sure either; it was just that what Peter described about the two people "suddenly disappearing" didn't seem like ordinary means, possibly magic. It wasn't entirely slandering Loki; he was indeed a suspect.
So he nodded and said, "Better safe than sorry."
Thor pressed his eyes shut tightly and then said, "Alright. I can let you enter Jotunheim, but you can't stay long. If they're not there, come out quickly, understand?"