"Those two finally left."
Watching Chen Long and Old Man disappear into the distance, the security captain let out a sigh of relief. He recalled the incessant chatter of the old man, whom he declared the most talkative person he'd ever encountered in his years as a security captain. He'd met all sorts of people, but none could match that old man's gift of gab.
The incident had even drawn the attention of the chairman. Fortunately, the chairman was in a good mood, or the captain might have been packing his bags with just a couple of words.
However, he was unaware that Chen Long had no intention of giving up. His departure was merely a prelude to his return.
Through a series of clever maneuvers, Chen Long managed to knock out a security guard heading home after his shift and swap uniforms. He then effortlessly infiltrated the building during the security handover, unnoticed by a single guard.
Inside, Chen Long discreetly retrieved Old Man's devil tracker and followed the compass's guidance upwards.
As Chen Long searched floor by floor, a voice called out from behind him.
"Hey, you!"
Chen Long's heart leaped, and he cursed inwardly. Yet, he forced himself to remain as relaxed as possible and slowly turned around.
The one who called out to Chen Long was a man in a suit and tie, seemingly an office worker, holding a cup of hot coffee.
The man showed no suspicion upon seeing Chen Long. He approached and said, "The toilet in the second stall is clogged. I haven't seen any cleaners around. If you could help me fix it, or at least contact a cleaner, that would be great."
Hearing that he was being asked to unblock a toilet, Chen Long's anxious heart finally settled.
He flashed a bright smile and replied, "Of course, I'll go right away."
Without a moment's delay, he turned and left, fearing that any second longer might lead to him being recognized.
What Chen Long didn't notice was the sinister smile that appeared on the man's face as he turned away, his hand discreetly reaching into his pocket.
"Tony Stark, prepare to pay the price for your arrogance."
To avoid suspicion, Chen Long followed the man's instructions and went to the nearby restroom. Just as he reached for the door of the second stall, his hand on the handle, he stopped.
Chen Long was alone in the restroom. As he slowed his movements, he heard a faint dripping sound echoing within.
At first, Chen Long assumed it was water dripping. However, as he was about to open the stall door, he sensed something was amiss.
The dripping sound was too regular, and it seemed to be coming from the second stall.
Sensing danger, Chen Long quickly retreated from the restroom, but it was too late.
With a boom, an explosion swept through the entire restroom with lightning speed. The resulting blast wave threw Chen Long, who hadn't fully exited, two meters away.
Immediately, a piercing alarm blared throughout the building.
A swarm of security personnel rushed towards the explosion site, carrying fire extinguishers. The security captain was the first to arrive at the scene.
"You guys, check if anyone's injured. The rest of you, help me put out the fire. Also, seal all building exits and prevent anyone from leaving."
Sweat beaded on the security captain's forehead.
A restroom was not a laboratory or a factory workshop, and there should be no flammable or explosive materials stored there. An explosion like this could only be man-made, possibly a retaliatory terrorist attack against Stark Industries.
Stark Industries had, after all, made its fortune in weaponry. Previously, over ninety percent of the US military's equipment was supplied by them. Even though Tony had announced the closure of all weapons research and production projects upon his return, it couldn't be denied that many people harbored resentment towards Stark Industries over the years.
Consequently, security had prepared numerous contingency plans for such incidents. Sealing all exits was a tactic to trap the perpetrator.
"Captain, we've found a suspicious individual. He's wearing our security uniform, but I can assure you, there's no one by that description among our personnel."
As he spoke, the man gestured, and two security guards dragged the unconscious Chen Long before the security captain.
Upon seeing Chen Long's face, the security captain recognized him instantly. Wasn't this one of the two fanatical magic worshippers who had caused such a scene earlier? And he was wearing a security uniform.
The security captain wasn't the only one who recognized Chen Long; many other security personnel had witnessed the dispute between the two men and the captain.
Now, with the restroom explosion and Chen Long appearing here, the immediate reaction of many was that Chen Long had planted the bomb. As for why he was also caught in the blast?
The reasons were already being fabricated by other security personnel in hushed tones. It was likely that the explosives he made were unstable, and they detonated prematurely before he could escape. And the reason for planting the bomb? That was obvious: he believed there was a demon in the building and wanted to collapse the entire structure, burying both the demon and everyone inside.
Although this theory seemed riddled with flaws to outsiders, the situation was urgent, and everyone's nerves were frayed by the explosion. Without much thought, they accepted it. Besides, from a country that relied on drinking disinfectant to kill viruses, what kind of brilliant deductions could be expected?
Before the security captain could fully process his initial reaction, several of his subordinates sprang into action. They tied Chen Long to a chair with ropes and then doused his face with a bucket of cold water.
While the method of splashing cold water on the face might have been cliché, it was undeniably effective.
With a basin of cold water, the unconscious Chen Long instantly regained consciousness.
"Ah! Where am I?"
"Why am I tied up!"
Waking up to find himself bound to a chair, Chen Long tried to twist his body to break free, but his struggles only earned him punches from the two security guards in front of him.
One guard, apparently having learned a few moves from television, pulled out a high-intensity flashlight from his belt and shone it directly into Chen Long's eyes, saying, "Speak! Why did you plant a bomb in the restroom? Are there any more in other parts of the building?"
"Huh? What bomb?"
Chen Long had just woken up and was then beaten. Following that with the flashlight in his eyes, the barrage of actions left his already groggy head even more disoriented, and he couldn't understand what they were saying.
However, seeing that they were about to strike again, Chen Long, in a moment of desperation, quickly explained, "No, I didn't plant any bombs. A man told me the toilet was clogged and asked me to come and unblock it."
Chen Long's words were entirely truthful, but no one believed him. An outsider, somehow acquiring a security uniform and sneaking into Stark Industries, all to unblock a toilet? That was a story meant to fool ghosts.