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Chapter 61: Early Winter Routine (I)

"I think there might be a bit of a misunderstanding..."

Natasha's voice came through the telephone on the other end. "No need to explain. Besides, S.H.I.E.L.D. actually provides health insurance for family members. I've mentioned before, our benefits are quite generous..."

"I didn't... Wait a minute, are you saying there's money involved? Nick's reporting 30% of the amount? That's so high? Captain America's bonus is only 18%..."

"Oh, yes, indeed. Thank you for your consolation. She's doing alright..."

Natasha continued on the telephone, "I heard that Stark wants to hire some neuroscientists for further modifications to his Mech armor. I hope you can remind him that even though Colonel Rhodes has resigned from his position, the military won't give up. Even without the Air Force, there's still the Army and Navy. This trouble is far from over..."

Schiller replied, "I understand. I believe Stark can handle these matters on his own now."

In fact, Schiller was right. Stark had to handle these matters on his own, and what made it even more troublesome was that he now had to learn to take care of himself.

Previously, Obadiah had been in charge of most of Stark's weapon manufacturing department and military industry department. But now, Obadiah was incapacitated due to serious injuries and advanced age, and he remained unconscious. Pepper was overwhelmed, wishing she could split into eight people to handle everything.

Originally, Pepper was just Stark's personal secretary, even if she helped him manage the company, it was mainly for HR and procurement matters. However, with Obadiah out of commission, Pepper had taken over the entire Stark Industries. She no longer had time to manage Stark's personal life.

It was widely known that Stark had virtually no self-sufficiency in his personal life. He used to have his good friend Rhodes to stay with, but now Rhodes was on vacation. Even though JARVIS was highly intelligent, he was still just an electronic life form and couldn't take care of Stark in every aspect.

Schiller and Stark stood on either side of the clinic's door, staring at each other. Stark knocked on the door and said, "Let me in! It's still daytime. Don't you open the door at this time?"

"You didn't have an appointment, so of course not."

"Damn it, why can they all come and go as they please, but not me?"

"As you said, they can come and go anytime. How long do you plan to stay here? Don't tell me it's a month."

"Well... not that long, it depends on how busy Pepper gets. I guess with her intelligence, she can take over Stark Industries in about three weeks."

"Three weeks??? I suggest you turn left to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Hey, you know I don't want to go there. There are two of Howard's old war buddies there." Stark bent two fingers to make air quotes.

"Having tea meetings every day, reminiscing about their World War II days, I can't stand that..."

As he spoke, Stark tried to push the door to enter, but Schiller pressed against it with his hand. He said, "Listen, I'm deeply touched that you stayed up all night studying neurology materials for me, but that doesn't mean you can stay here for a month..."

"That Spider-Kid can stay, why can't I?"

Schiller took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment. Stark outside the door stared at him. He wasn't wearing his Mech armor, and the wind outside was strong, so he was struggling to keep his scarf in place.

Well, he did look a bit pitiful.

Schiller hesitated for a moment, but what he regretted even more was still to come.

Iron Man was indeed a very loyal friend. If he appeared in front of you only once a month, you would think he was the best friend in the world—smart, wealthy, and loyal.

But when he showed up in front of you every day within a month, you would only see him as a pile of dog poop.

Stark was the epitome of "best observed from afar." Soon, Schiller understood why Rhodes had swiftly packed his bags and left for a vacation in Antarctica. He must have foreseen the current situation.

The next morning, Schiller hadn't even gotten out of bed when he heard noise downstairs. Stark, with his mouth wide open, tiptoed around the refrigerator. However, when he turned around, the cuff of his sweater brushed against the edge of the dining table. He muttered under his breath and pulled his sleeve up with two fingers, then quickly ran upstairs to change his clothes.

When he came back down, he kept complaining, "Damn it, I feel like the air here is filled with the smell of oil. Why can't you clean this place properly? My God, the dust on the armrest must have been there for ten years, and those picture frames are just breeding grounds for bacteria..."

"Oh, the kettle, and this kettle too, do you know that the steam it emits may carry various bacteria harmful to the respiratory tract..."

"Damn it, stay away! You rat, I'm allergic to fur, go away. Has it been vaccinated? Does it carry any plague?!" Stark exclaimed, seemingly to himself.

After finishing breakfast, Stark lounged on the sofa in the living room. He spoke into the telephone, saying, "Oh, yes, yes... sweetheart, I've been quite busy lately. Magazine cover? Well, you'll have to ask that bald editor, you know, I'm busy with Hollywood too. Orlivi? No, no, she's not as beautiful as you, of course. I guess no one at that big fashion show could be sexier than you..."

Schiller, who was writing his thesis by the window, couldn't tolerate it any longer and smacked Stark on the back of his head with a ballpoint pen. Stark let out a surprised "ouch" and turned to look at Schiller.

After a while, Peter arrived, and the two of them started playing games together.

When these two met, it truly demonstrated the meaning of staying up all night and sleeping in the morning.

Stark's schedule in the laboratory was basically reversed, starting experiments around six or seven in the evening, continuing until eight or nine in the morning. According to him, nighttime was when his inspiration was at its peak.

Peter used to stay up late frequently, but due to home renovations, he stayed with Schiller for a while. Schiller had a healthy routine, going to bed and waking up early. To avoid inconveniencing Dr. Schiller, Peter adjusted his schedule as well, now going to sleep around midnight.

Pikachu, being a yellow-furred rat, was actually a nocturnal creature, most active between three and four in the morning.

So, when Stark arrived, the three and a half residents in the house lived according to different biological clocks.

The conflicting sleep schedules turned the whole house into chaos. When Schiller was getting ready for bed, Stark was just waking up. While Stark and Peter were engrossed in gaming, Peter would become drowsy. And when Stark and Pikachu were battling into the morning, ready to sleep in exhaustion, Schiller would already be awake.

Not to mention the two Superheroes flying around aimlessly over New York.

Iron Man typically saved the world during the daytime, sacrificing his daytime sleep. So, occasionally, he would jump out of bed like a zombie around ten or eleven in the morning to save the world, almost causing Pikachu to urinate in Stark's cup.

Good neighbor Spider-Man liked to go out at night, also sacrificing his nighttime sleep. Typically, he would leave or return when Schiller was sound asleep. For this reason, Peter was often hit on the back of his head by flying ballpoint pens and tea cups.

Steve and Stark, who occasionally dropped by, had irreconcilable conflicts. Every time Steve went for his morning run, Stark was still awake, and the tired Iron Man couldn't outwit Captain America. This infuriated Stark so much that he stayed awake, donned his Iron combat suit, and challenged Steve to a duel.

When the two finished their duel, it was usually around noon. Correct, Peter, who had stayed up half the night, would then wake up...

Natasha stood at the clinic's entrance, extremely puzzled, and asked Schiller, "Apart from your pets, there should be three people living here, but why do I always see only one of them?"

"My colleagues in the statistics department have given up on providing you with their schedules. Every time I come here looking for someone, it's like playing a lottery."

Schiller was also annoyed, saying, "This is my house, so naturally, their schedules revolve around mine. Besides, my routine is the healthiest: I go to bed at eight in the evening and wake up at five in the morning. Is there a more regular schedule than that?"

Stark also defended his schedule, saying, "No great scientist would work without staying up all night. Nighttime is when God has given humans the best time to unleash their genius. Come on, my inventions made at night can change the world. Why should I adjust?"

Peter complained as well, "Who goes to bed at nine o'clock nowadays? My classmates are all the same, and there are too many great games coming out recently. Why should I stay up? You should ask those game developers why they release all the fun games in the same month..."

Pikachu had the most reasonable argument, "I'm just a mouse! Do you really expect a mouse to adjust its schedule like a human?"

Even the symbiote felt aggrieved and said in Schiller's mind, "Their brains always smell particularly delicious in the middle of the night..."

Finally, one night, Schiller was awakened in the early hours, and the symbiote was desperately salivating in his mind. Stark burst into the room excitedly, shouting, "I know what's going on!!! Come and see! How do you like this structure? As a nanoneuron in the neural network... I'm a genius! This will definitely work!"

The next morning, Pepper found Stark outside the Psychological Clinic's door, bewildered and thrown out with his luggage.

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