Assistant Lucy Brent sat helplessly on the high stool, looking rather resigned.
Tony Stark glanced at his watch and looked at Ronin.
"Mr. Ronin, you're three minutes late."
Ronin shrugged. "What, is Iron Man going to tear my building down?"
Stark grinned, stood up, and walked over, extending his right hand.
"Of course not. This is your company after all. I just hate waiting. You know how many people would kill for a meeting with me? And here I am, stuck waiting in this boring place."
Ronin shook his hand firmly.
"Alright, since you're already here, I'll give you ten minutes. Let's hope we can have a pleasant conversation in that time."
"Ten minutes?"
Stark raised an eyebrow. This was the first time someone had dared to put a time limit on him. This young CEO was actually interesting.
Lucy shook her head. Two arrogant men meeting each other… who knows what kind of sparks will fly.
"Fine, ten minutes it is. My purpose for coming is very simple." Stark jerked his chin toward the large Soldier: 76 poster on the wall.
"Mr. Stark, if you want to get the rights to make an Iron Man suit based on Soldier: 76, we could have handled that over the phone much more easily," Ronin said.
Stark curled his lip.
"No, that's not it. Let me be direct I want you to write a script for me. A Iron Man script."
"Soldier: 76 is a perfect movie, and you, Mr. Ronin, are currently America's most famous screenwriter. No one is more qualified than you to write an Iron Man movie. If it gets made, I guarantee it will be every bit as good as Soldier: 76."
"Bored out of my fucking mind…"
Ronin suddenly muttered in Chinese. Not only did Stark and Lucy look confused, even he himself was caught off guard. That sentence had come straight from the heart nothing else could describe how ridiculous this situation felt.
"What?" Stark looked completely lost.
"Ah… I've been really into Chinese lately," Ronin casually lied.
"I only know one thing about Chinese culture: 'kung fu.' What does that phrase you just said mean?"
Stark was always curious about new things, whether it was technology or culture.
After a brief hesitation, Ronin replied, "It means… 'very cool.'"
"Xián de dàn téng… xián de dàn téng…" Stark kept repeating the words with his terrible pronunciation, which somehow sounded strangely charming.
"Yeah, exactly. That's how I feel about this idea completely bored out of my mind."
Stark's eyes lit up. "So, Mr. Ronin, you agree? Wait, what's wrong with you?"
Ronin puffed out his cheeks, desperately trying not to laugh. Stark thought he was about to cough something up.
After taking a deep breath, Ronin finally managed to hold it in, though the tears in the corners of his eyes gave him away.
"It's a cool idea, but you need to understand something. Our company rebranded as Overwatch Pictures because we only make Overwatch films. Iron Man doesn't belong to the Overwatch universe, so… I'm sorry, but I can't help you."
Ronin had zero intention of exposing himself. Writing an Iron Man script? What a joke. Anything he wrote would probably only be watchable by elementary school kids…
From the very beginning, he wasn't a real screenwriter he was just a script transporter.
He had no confidence in creating another passionate, moving, and philosophically deep story like Soldier: 76. But if Tony wanted something simple and crude like Peppa Pig, maybe he could manage that with some effort.
"I'll pay ten billion dollars. I just want you to make an Iron Man movie at the same quality level as Soldier: 76."
Stark's eyes burned with intensity. He had been extremely bored lately. Ever since he revealed himself as Iron Man, crime in the area had dropped dramatically even regular cops could handle it.
In his boredom, he wanted to try his hand at being an actor and maybe cultivate some artistic taste.
"I don't think you understood what I said. Overwatch Pictures only makes movies related to Overwatch. We don't need the money either."
Ronin glanced at his watch. "Mr. Stark, you've already used up three extra minutes."
Stark spread his hands and took a deep breath.
"Give me a few more minutes. I think I understand now. From now on, you can call me… Overwatch's Iron Man!"
Lucy froze with her cup halfway to her mouth. She couldn't believe Iron Man had just sold himself to Overwatch Pictures so casually.
If Iron Man publicly declared he belonged to Overwatch, the company could make a fortune off it.
"I think you should really consider this carefully. You're basically handing over the rights to Iron Man to us. We could use your image for all kinds of commercial deals, and even you personally might never be able to separate yourself from us."
Ronin was genuinely shocked. Stark was even crazier and more impulsive than he expected.
"Do you think the world's top mechanical genius would make a decision without thinking it through? As long as you don't use my image for anything illegal or immoral, I won't cause you any trouble. Make as much money as you want. And if Overwatch Pictures ever runs into real danger… well, since you made a movie for me, I'll do everything in my power to help you."
Stark spoke calmly.
"Deal!"
After thinking for a second, Ronin agreed.
"After Winston premieres, I'll immediately start drafting the Iron Man script. But don't get your hopes too high creation needs inspiration. When I wrote Soldier: 76, it felt like I had entered that world myself. I could feel the despair of the civilians and Soldier: 76's conviction. That's how I made such a great film."
"To be honest, I already have a rough concept. You just need to turn it into an epic masterpiece," Stark said as he pulled out a notebook and handed it over.
Ronin read it. Ignoring the terrible handwriting, the plot was basically just "hero fights monster, saves the world."
Compared to that, Peppa Pig suddenly seemed much more interesting.
Asking him to turn this bare bones outline into an epic masterpiece… Ronin felt like even climbing Mount Shu would be easier.
It was like being handed two bricks and told to build a palace.
"Hmm, Mr. Stark's concept is quite… unique. I'll build on it and perfect it. Once the script is ready, I'll show it to you. If you like it, we'll shoot according to the script."
Ronin felt enormous pressure, but he also wanted to laugh.
"Then I'll leave it to you. Make sure to tell me when Winston premieres. Overwatch's Iron Man wants to watch it together with Mr. Ronin."
"No problem," Ronin said as he stood up.
"Miss Brent, thank you for your hospitality. See you next time!"
Before leaving, Stark couldn't resist flirting with the assistant, leaving Lucy embarrassed and able to only nod with a forced smile.
Ronin walked out of Overwatch Tower with Stark, and they were immediately surrounded by dozens of reporters.
"I am Tony Stark! You may know me better by my other name Iron Man!"
"I have explosive news for you all: Iron Man has officially joined the same organization as Soldier: 76 Overwatch! The Iron Man movie will be released this year, and it's going to be an absolute epic!"
After dropping that bombshell, Stark said goodbye to Ronin, got into his car, and left the stunned reporters behind.
This guy is still as high profile as ever… Ronin thought to himself.
What Tony Stark just said?
Iron Man had joined Overwatch? Meaning Iron Man and Overwatch Pictures had reached a cooperation deal, and he would appear on the big screen just like Soldier: 76?
This news was way too explosive!
"Well, Mr. Stark is right. Let me also share some news: Overwatch Pictures will release the second movie in the Overwatch series, Winston, at the end of this month. Compared to the law abiding hero Soldier: 76, Winston is an extremely intelligent but incredibly rage-filled gorilla."
Under the barrage of questions from reporters, Ronin had no choice but to confirm it and use the opportunity to hype up the new movie.
The reporters screamed in excitement. Security guards and passersby pulled out their phones, eager to share the breaking news with friends and family.
They were all die hard Overwatch fans. After waiting half a year, a new movie was finally coming at the end of the month. How could they not be thrilled?