mtl008 Chapter 3697 The Age of Mercury (7)
Chapter 3697 The Age of Mercury (7)
Chapter 3697 The Age of Mercury (Seventeen)
In the kitchen, Schiller cut up the duck and placed it on the island counter where Peter and Stark were. The two of them acted as if they had been punched by the aroma of roast duck and almost fell off their high chairs.
“That’s too much, Doctor.” Peter carefully picked up a piece of duck skin with his fork, dipped it in the sugar on the plate Schiller handed him, and the moment he put it in his mouth, he began frantically making the sign of the cross on his chest.
“My God, I wouldn’t care if Jesus were nailed to the cross right next to me and this stuff smelled so good!” Peter said.
Stark nudged him with his elbow, signaling him to tone it down. He then picked up his chopsticks with a practiced air, awkwardly picked up a piece of duck skin, dipped it in sugar, and popped it into his mouth.
"Okay, I thank Jesus for everything he did for humanity, but fucking! How can this stuff smell so good?!"
Stark's reaction was even more exaggerated than Peter's. Schiller smiled; he knew Stark actually really liked rich and greasy food, otherwise he wouldn't have loved cheeseburgers so much.
Many people have wondered about this question since they were young: Hamburgers contain meat, vegetables, and pasta, so why are they unhealthy?
However, American hamburgers are actually very unhealthy. The beef patties aren't like steaks; they're made by grinding beef into a paste, shaping it into a patty, and then frying it. The ground beef isn't entirely lean; it needs at least one-third to one-half fat to ensure the patty is tender and juicy. The juices in a hamburger patty aren't just water from the meat; they also contain a lot of fat. This fat intake is far beyond the recommended limits.
Then there's cheese, whose high calorie content needs no introduction. Besides the sliced cheese commonly found in burgers, many cheeseburgers also include cheese sauce, further increasing the calorie count. They also exceed the recommended sodium intake, and traditional American beef and cheese burgers don't include vegetables.
Some might argue that chicken burgers with vegetables are healthier, right? But the chicken patty in a chicken burger is fried, and it also contains mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is made from at least 80% whipped oil.
There's a reason why the obesity rate in the United States remains so high. Even a billionaire like Stark uses only the best ingredients in his cheeseburgers and doesn't dare to eat too many. Schiller remembers one time when Stark was so hungry after finishing his weight loss program that he ate two huge burgers at once, and the next day he couldn't fit into his Jaeger.
Stark and Peter ate voraciously. Schiller also tried the duck skin; it was actually quite good, the biggest problem being that it wasn't crispy enough, making the texture a bit lacking. Schiller ate two pieces and then stopped.
Although one duck wasn't much, it was quite fragrant, making it easy to get tired of. Stark and Peter shared one and finished it off, and were almost done eating. Schiller brought them some plum juice he had made to cleanse their palates. While they drank, he began to recount his connection with Hawkeye.
Many people's impression of Hawkeye comes from the movies, thinking he's about the same age as Iron Man, but in reality, they're not from the same generation at all. Tony Stark was in his thirties when he first became Iron Man, while Hawkeye was just a young man in his early twenties, having only recently arrived in New York and still learning how to be a street hero.
Clint Patton is from Iowa. His family ran a butcher shop for generations, which is why he makes Iowa's specialty dried bacon. However, after his parents passed away, he went to work in a circus, where he honed his exceptional marksmanship.
Later, due to some reasons, he fell out with the circus and ventured to New York alone. At that time, he was probably just an adult. Relying on his good shooting skills, he did things without paying attention to methods and was only so-so as a street hero.
He drifted along like this for a year or two, until he was mistaken for a robber by the police while stopping a jewelry store robbery. It was on his way to escape that he met Natasha.
At that time, Stark's personality couldn't be described as agreeable; he was universally disliked. Although he improved somewhat after returning from Afghanistan, his situation has only slightly improved to this day.
Natasha had a penchant for younger men, and Stark was definitely not her type. Plus, Stark at that time was pretentious and affected, driving Natasha crazy every day. Then, a young, strong, and handsome man got into her car while she was on the run. What could possibly happen next?
“I don’t think it’s accurate to say that Natasha seduced Clint Barton because she wanted to use him,” Schiller said frankly. “If you had already slept with her at that time, then it’s completely inaccurate. I think she was starving.”
Stark pursed his lips and glared at him, his face clearly saying, "Do you still want to hear what I have to say?"
Schiller could only nod perfunctorily and say, "Alright, alright, our Black Widow is just that dedicated. The moment she saw Clint, she was thinking of using him against you."
“I didn’t say that,” Stark continued to defend himself. “She may have been attracted to him at first sight, but once she calmed down, she came up with this plan.”
“Yes, at least she calmed down for a night,” Schiller said, nodding. “Then she realized she had violated the code of conduct for secret agents, and desperately tried to make amends by forcibly dragging him into the mission of monitoring you, to prove that she was not acting on impulse.”
Stark slammed his fist on the table. Schiller waved his hand and said, "Don't mention Natasha, we all know her too well, there's really nothing to say. Let's talk about Clint, how he got you hurt?"
“He didn’t let me get away with anything,” Stark said. “He just caused me a little trouble. He got some kind of acid arrow and shot one into my mech, melting half of my chest. I almost fell from thousands of meters in the air, but thankfully the emergency braking system worked and I survived.”
“His aim is really good,” Peter said. “When the Avengers were first formed, I sparred with him a couple of times. He could use one arrow to trigger my spider-sense, then use another to block my escape route, and finally pierce my chest with the last arrow. I’ve never seen a marksman as good as him.”
“Of course I know how capable he is,” Schiller said. “Anyone Nick recruits is a talent. Besides, he doesn’t do any administrative work; he just waits to go out on field missions. That’s a privilege that neither Natasha nor Coulson have.”
“Because he needs to keep his intuition sharp,” Peter said. “He spends several hours a day in a white noise room, feeling like he’s in prison. I think he’d be better off doing administrative work.”
"Then why did you say Natasha stayed because of him?" Schiller asked Stark again.
“It wasn’t entirely because of him, it felt like she just found an excuse,” Stark sighed. “At that time, Natasha was probably struggling with whether or not to stay, so she made a deal with Clint that they would fight a week later. If Clint won, she wouldn’t leave, she would say goodbye to her past life, and stay to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.”
“She probably didn’t want to stay, did she?” Schiller frowned slightly. “Clint was still very young at that time, and no matter how strong he was, he couldn’t possibly beat Black Widow. Natasha probably made this condition to make him back down.”
“Yes, that might be true,” Stark nodded. “But don’t underestimate the power of love. Clint’s archery improved by leaps and bounds in a week, and the last arrow pierced Natasha’s shoulder. He was one of the very few people to defeat Black Widow in a head-on confrontation.”
“That sounds kind of romantic,” Peter said. “'I love you, so I have to beat you.' Are you sure Natasha wasn’t holding back?”
“Nobody knows,” Stark said, spreading his hands. “But from what I know of her, even if she held back, she wouldn’t let herself get injured this badly. The arrow went straight through her shoulder, causing a comminuted fracture of her scapula. Even if she’s a cyborg, she’d have to stay in bed for at least a month.”
“But they eventually broke up,” Peter said. “Natasha stayed, but they didn’t seem to have any contact afterward. It’s really regrettable.”
“Clint certainly hasn’t given up,” Schiller said, putting an arm on the table. “He was too young when he met Natasha, and Natasha was too old. A young man in his twenties can’t move an older woman like Natasha, even if what he gives her is his most valuable thing—love—too many people have already given it to her.”
Schiller knew that Natasha was by no means a tragic figure. Throughout her long life, she had indeed experienced much misfortune, but she had never lacked love. At every stage of her life, she had been loved, loved with unwavering devotion and selflessness. She lacked neither family, romantic love, nor friendship. It was precisely this that made the greatest tragedy of her life—the shattering of her ideals—all the more poignant.
“But he hasn’t done anything,” Stark said. “They’ve been on field missions together several times, but I haven’t heard anything about it.”
“That was before,” Schiller said, tapping the table lightly with his fingers. “Back then, Natasha was single and didn’t have many suitors. Even if she did, it was short-lived, and they rarely had any real romantic relationships. But now Bucky is back, and they’ve had a real, heartfelt relationship. Now their old flame has reignited, and the old fire isn’t going to go out anytime soon. Do you think Clint will just stand by and do nothing?”
“Oh God,” Peter said, “the old flame problem hasn’t been solved yet, and a new one is already coming knocking. What is Natasha going to do?”
“This is karma,” Stark said irritably. “It made her spare no effort to smear me.”
“I just remembered something,” Schiller suddenly said, “Dr. Banner and Natasha…”
"What's going on between those two?" Peter asked, his eyes wide. "Isn't Dr. Banner's girlfriend Betty?"
“They broke up for a while,” Schiller said. “I think it was because of Betty’s dad. Anyway, it was complicated. Don’t S.H.I.E.L.D. agents take turns watching the Hulk? It seemed like it was Natasha’s turn at that time. You know she’s into that too.”
“Is there anything wrong with her?” Stark couldn’t help but ask.
Schiller and Peter both turned to look at him.
Stark let out an angry roar, got off the table, and went to the back garden to look at the flying car.
"How does it feel to regain the power of the spider?" Schiller asked Peter.
“Actually, it’s not bad.” Peter sighed. “I finally understand why you guys said I was a bit too noisy. After regaining my powers, I feel like my thinking speed has improved a lot.”
“You don’t need to feel like you’re wasting your energy,” Schiller said. “You’re not young anymore. If you just live like an ordinary person, your thinking and reaction speed will inevitably decline with age, and your brain will become less sharp. The weakness that comes with aging is unavoidable, which will also prevent you from coming up with anything new and delay your contributions to humanity. So it’s entirely worthwhile to use some of your energy to keep your brain active; it’s not a waste.”
Peter looked a little embarrassed and said, "You've already figured it out, Doctor? I mean..."
“That car has been parked in the yard for three or four days. Apart from tinkering with it every day, you haven’t really done anything. I knew you must have hit a roadblock. Considering you’ve been sleeping a lot lately, it’s probably due to overworking your brain, leading to lethargy. If you don’t go to see Nick yourself, I’m planning to go talk to him about it.”