Marvel: The Alchemist Just Wants a Peaceful Life...

As for Obadiah?

Tony's feigned suspicion left Obadiah unsure whether Tony had actually fallen for him. However, more concerned than whether Tony suspected him, Obadiah was worried about whether his side business could continue.

Tony's decision to shut down the weapons manufacturing division was definitely not a good thing for Obadiah, even though Tony intended it as a warning to Obadiah to stop.

But when Sherlock watched Obadiah struggling to suppress his anger on TV, it was clear that Obadiah wouldn't appreciate it and might even resent Tony.

But thinking about it, it's understandable. After all, the cost of maintaining Obadiah's estate is far greater than that of Tony's small mansion.

Tony's decision to shut down the weapons division and forcibly cut off Obadiah's 'side business' was a significant blow to Obadiah.

If nothing unexpected happens, the conflict between Obadiah and Tony will soon escalate, and that will be the time when Obadiah, wearing the Iron Monger he picked up, fights Tony.

After watching the news on TV, Sherlock stopped paying attention to Tony's situation and quietly lay in the living room playing on his phone, occasionally responding to Zhao Weike and indirectly obtaining information about the Mainland Hotel from him.

Indeed, Sherlock never expected that what he did at the Continental Hotel would cause such a commotion throughout the entire Continental Hotel system.

After Laura reported the whole story to the High Table, almost every continental hotel on Earth was inspected by the Arbitrators, with the focus of the inspection being the information leak.

Sherlock didn't know how S.H.I.E.L.D. obtained the Continental Hotel's internal documents; he only knew that he had seemingly unintentionally harmed many people, and he was likely to be blacklisted by the Continental Hotel.

However, Sherlock didn't pay too much attention to it. After all, if it weren't for Zhao Weike, Sherlock, as a transmigrator, would probably never have had any interaction with the Continental Hotel in his life.

A full day has passed, and the outside world has been in complete chaos. Stark Industries' stock price has plummeted, and the entire Stark Industries is in a state of panic, with no one knowing whether they will be the next to be laid off.

Internal strife began to unfold among the top brass, gradually forming a "peace faction" led by Tony, who agreed to close the weapons manufacturing department and transform the entire Stark Industries, and a "military faction" led by Obadiah, who resolutely opposed Tony's willful actions.

Within just one day, the entire Stark Group began to undergo frequent and significant changes in shareholding.

Tony once again demonstrated his business acumen, which he hadn't shown in years, dominating the entire shareholders' meeting with the example of the reactor in his chest.

So much so that after sunset, Obadiah's gaze toward Tony was filled with resentment.

Of course, the mainland hotels weren't having an easy time either. Apart from the mainland hotels in Los Angeles, the remaining mainland hotels all faced review by the adjudicators, who discovered quite a few problems.

As a result, the entire hotel management system in mainland China is facing a major reshuffle, a process that will likely be fraught with bloodshed.

The same was true for the Continental Hotel in New York, but the good news was that Winston, that old fox, hid very well, and High Table basically didn't find any problems with the Continental Hotel in New York.

Of course, the Continental Hotel in Los Angeles was undoubtedly the one that suffered the most.

Upon the arrival of the adjudicator, the first thing he did was to shut down the entire Continental Hotel system in Los Angeles and conduct a rigorous review.

It's easy to imagine how bloody and brutal this process was.

When night fell again and the Continental Hotel in Los Angeles reopened, apart from Christine, who was the manager, the only other familiar faces in the entire hotel were Laura, who was the general manager.

However, both Christine and Laura looked incredibly pale while on duty, especially Laura, who seemed to have aged decades in a single day, with thick bandages on her hands.

Unlike the commotion outside, Sherlock stayed at home all day without leaving the house, and did not wait for any action from the Continental Hotel. He even slept soundly until dawn, and everything was incredibly peaceful. It was as if the entire Continental Hotel had forgotten about Sherlock.

It wasn't until the next day, when Sherlock had just woken up and was having breakfast, that the doorbell rang at the rented house.

Sherlock seemed to have expected the doorbell to ring today. He quickly finished his sandwich before opening the door to his rented room.

A well-dressed, bald woman wearing a half-mask was standing at the door of Sherlock's rented room.

After seeing Sherlock open the door, the bald woman spoke to Sherlock in a hoarse voice that didn't match the half of her face.

"Good morning, Mr. Sherlock. I am the arbitrator from the High Table who has come down to negotiate with you."

Chapter 43 Three Solutions

To be honest, when Sherlock saw the bald woman who claimed to be the Arbiter appear at his doorstep, he was both surprised and not so surprised.

The reason he wasn't surprised was simple: the day before, Sherlock hadn't encountered any attacks from the Continental Hotel from morning till night, and that alone was enough for Sherlock to know the Continental Hotel's attitude.

The reason for his surprise was simple: in Sherlock's mind, the person sent by the Continental Hotel to negotiate with him should have been Laura, not this so-called arbitrator in front of him.

However, since he was already there, Sherlock did not refuse the so-called arbitrator in front of him. He immediately stepped aside to make way for the so-called arbitrator to enter.

The two sat down on the sofa in the living room. Then, under Sherlock's gaze, the adjudicator took out three documents from his bag and placed them on the coffee table before speaking to Sherlock.

“Mr. Sherlock, we have no intention of being your enemy, but the Continental Hotel has its own rules. Based on your request, the Continental Hotel has prepared three options.”

After saying that, the bald woman pointed to the first document on Sherlock's left and said to him.

"The first proposal is an invitation letter. In this document, there is an invitation letter from the High Table. As long as you sign this invitation letter, you will immediately obtain High Table status."

Of course, as a member of the High Table, you can access the documents you need at any time. However, while enjoying the rights of the High Table, you must also assume its obligations and responsibilities, the specific details of which are outlined in the documents.

Having said that, he pointed to the document in the very center and continued speaking to Sherlock.

"The second proposal is also an invitation, but the difference is that it is a VIP invitation to the High Table Hotel and the Mainland Hotel, with a VIP card included."

If you choose this option, you will become a VIP at Mainland Hotels, and Mainland Hotels promises that you and anyone associated with you will never appear on Mainland Hotels' bounty list again.

As a VIP, you can enjoy priority access to any services offered by hotels in mainland China, while the price remains unchanged.

Meanwhile, the information you requested will be delivered to you as a gift by the mainland hotels and the High Table.

After saying all that, the woman pointed to the third document and continued speaking to Sherlock.

"As for the third option, to be honest, I don't recommend you choose the third option. There is only one slip of paper in this document, which details the exact location of the information you want."

Once you select this document, the Mainland Hotel will relentlessly hunt down you and your friends and family until you obtain the document or are killed.

After introducing the three documents to Sherlock, the bald woman who called herself the Arbitrator fell silent, sitting quietly opposite Sherlock in the most proper posture, like a doll, waiting for Sherlock's choice.

After hearing the woman's introduction, Sherlock raised an eyebrow slightly, then put on a cryptic smile, looked up at the doll-like woman, and said irritably.

"Fine, fine, do you think the Mainland Hotel, or rather the High Table, really think I'm stupid? It seems like you've put forward three options, but actually, what you really want me to choose is the middle one, right?"

Becoming a member of the High Table would divide the power in your hands, and with my abilities, I would be the most powerful person in the High Table. As a fellow High Table member, I naturally do not want to choose this option, so I added clauses on responsibilities and obligations.

It's like putting a collar on a tiger. Even if it does join, it won't have much impact on the High Table or the elders at the top; it might even be beneficial.

At this point, Sherlock paused slightly, his gaze towards the woman growing increasingly mocking, before continuing.

"As for this so-called third option?"

Heh, where is the data stored? I have no doubt that the address in this file contains the data I want, so why should I go to such lengths?

If I'm not mistaken, right now, the information I need is definitely no more than a hundred meters away! Where is it? In the vehicle waiting for you outside? Or on your person?

Ah, so it was on you!

As Sherlock guessed the location of the document, he pointed disdainfully to his feet. The so-called Arbitrator sitting opposite Sherlock followed Sherlock's gaze and saw a huge transmutation circle flash before his eyes, filling the so-called Arbitrator's eyes with terror.

Sherlock Holmes's reputation as the Impaler was no secret at the High Table. After all, Hydra wasn't the only entity to have visited the battlefields in the Middle East; the Continental Hotel had also received intelligence about it afterward.

Although the adjudicators are all highly trained, as living beings and as human beings, no one is without fear of death.

This is especially true when facing Sherlock, a superhuman shrouded in mystery. No one knows how this young man will depict his own death.

Just when the so-called Arbitrator thought Sherlock was destined to choose the third path, Sherlock, after threatening the Arbitrator, picked up the second document that the Arbitrator, or rather the High Table, most wanted Sherlock to choose.

"However, I must say you are very lucky. I am a person who hates trouble, so both morally and logically, I will choose the second option as you wish."

As he said this, Sherlock stood up with the plan in his hand, looking at the adjudicator with a half-smile on his face. The next second, Sherlock's right hand suddenly grabbed the lower half of the adjudicator's mask.

"But the little tricks you guys play on me don't make me happy!"

As soon as he said this, the next second, scarlet lightning burst forth from Sherlock's hand that was gripping the Arbiter, and red light flashed in his eyes. With the Arbiter's scream and instinctive retreat, the half of the mask was left directly in Sherlock's hand.

Looking at the woman lying on the ground, Sherlock's eyes showed no emotion as he continued speaking.

"Now, leave the information in your bag, and get out of here! The alchemy I just performed is both payment for bringing you the information and a warning to the High Table!"

Go back and tell those people, I can restore your face to its original state, and I can also skin those gullible fools hiding in the shadows, thinking they're clever and safe!

After saying that, Sherlock fell silent, only staring coldly at the woman lying on the ground before him.

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, the Arbiter, who was lying on the ground, subconsciously touched the lower half of his face that was covered by the mask, but what he touched was tender flesh, not the hard, cold teeth that had been hidden beneath the mask.

Indeed, the reason why the so-called adjudicator who came this time was wearing a mask was very simple. The skin on the lower half of the bald woman's face had disappeared, leaving only her teeth and hideous scars exposed, which she had to cover with a mask.

But now Sherlock has actually regained his face?

This further heightened the arbitrator's awe of Sherlock. Upon hearing Sherlock's words, the arbitrator did not hesitate at all. He took out the documents he had prepared in advance from his bag, retrieved the two symbolic plans on the table, and fled Sherlock's house in a disheveled state.

Chapter 44 Obadiah's Thousand Layers of Schemes

Watching the so-called Arbitrator flee in a sorry state, Sherlock did not stop him. After all, having seen the movie, Sherlock knew that this so-called Arbitrator, though seemingly high and mighty, was actually nothing more than a puppet kept by the High Table.

Sherlock didn't need to say so much to a puppet; repairing the woman's face was just a warning to the High Table not to have any improper thoughts about him.

This is especially true for the people around him. Whether it's Zhao Weike or Tony, Sherlock doesn't want them to suffer anything they shouldn't have because of him.

Sherlock may be a laid-back person and like peace and quiet, but he doesn't want to be the only one enjoying peace while watching his friends and family get bogged down in trouble.

The last of the three options also served as a reminder to Sherlock that while he was indeed a superhuman and possessed the power of alchemy, not everyone around him possessed such power.

Especially Zhao Weike, although he carries the name of Night Demon, he is essentially just an ordinary person!

Sherlock didn't want Zhao Weike and Helen to encounter things they shouldn't have because of him!

After seeing off the so-called judge, Sherlock's expression gradually relaxed. He didn't rush to open the documents the judge had left on the coffee table, but instead opened the invitation in his hand first.

Although it's called an invitation, it's really just a metal electronic card. The card is very well made, about the size of a bank card, and has intricate patterns etched on its surface.

This thing should need to be activated at the mainland hotel, or rather, it should be activated with the help of the Judge, but because of Sherlock's threat just now, this matter has been forgotten.

However, Sherlock didn't care. After all, he probably wouldn't have any contact with the Continental Hotel anymore. Even if he did, he could just take the card and have Zhao Weike take him to the Continental Hotel in New York to activate it.

You can also visit some of the movie's locations and get to know Winston, that cunning old fox.

Sherlock casually put the metal VIP card into his wallet before opening the information left by the Arbiter to read it.

It turns out that sometimes people can actually laugh when they're speechless. The document details exactly how Obadiah hired the Continental Hotel to assassinate his parents, who the person who accepted the order was, and how the assassination was carried out.

Most importantly, this is almost entirely filled with Obadiah's outrageous antics, leaving Sherlock utterly speechless.

Well, Tony's investigation was correct. Obadiah did not come into contact with any suspicious persons, because Obadiah only contacted his subordinates!

It's just a small cleaning company belonging to Obadiah!

Furthermore, according to Tony's information, the purpose of this cleaning company is quite simple: to clean Obadiah's estate.

Of course, these are just the surface-level things. The truth is that this cleaning company is essentially a cleaning team affiliated with a hotel in mainland China.

Although there is also regular cleaning service, this part of the business is mostly just cleaning Obadiah's estate.

That's right, the one who took the order wasn't an assassin, but Obadiah's own scavenger team!

This scavenger team belonging to Obadiah was not only responsible for their own scavenging duties, but also secretly helped Obadiah collect 'evidence' so that he could 'threaten' those high-ranking officials or shareholders.

As for why all of them are Obadiah's own people, why they have to be seconded to the Continental Hotel, and why Obadiah specifically designated the cleaning team at the Continental Hotel to be assigned tasks by name.

It's simple: Obadiah needed to help his cleaning team gain a reputation within the Continental Hotel in this way, making it easier for him to gather intelligence! Coincidentally, the Continental Hotel actually condoned this.

As for intelligence gathering, it's important to understand that in the scavenger's domain, anything left at the scene is essentially extra income for the scavenger, which is a normal practice.

As for intelligence gathering, it's fair to say that this cleaner has a bad reputation, but it doesn't mean their business is bad. In fact, the opposite is true; their business is top-notch.

It can only be said that Obadiah had calculated everything and truly maximized his interests. He just never expected that these things would fall into the eyes of S.H.I.E.L.D., and even into the hands of Sherlock, his victim.

Without pausing to read the contents of the document, Sherlock immediately packed up, drove off, and left.

Now that they know who the other person is, Sherlock has no reason to let them live, does he?

They sped along the road and soon arrived at the cleaning company that the cleaners used to conceal their identities. After entering, Sherlock did not hesitate at all and immediately pulled out the black gun that Tony had made at his house, and decisively fired a few shots into the air.

As the gunshots rang out, the ordinary workers who were unaware of the company's true situation screamed and fled. Sherlock did not stop them at all. Although there might be some who slipped through the net, Sherlock himself was not particularly concerned.

Soon after all the ordinary people had left, Sherlock did not hesitate at all. He took out his Spear of Longinus and started playing 'Battle Royale' in the small cleaning company.

These ordinary people could hardly cause any harm to Sherlock, so anyone Sherlock discovered was basically strung up by him.

After walking and stopping along the way, Sherlock soon arrived at the door of a room with the door tightly closed. When Sherlock opened the door, he was immediately stunned by what he saw.

This is a filing cabinet; almost every time a cleaning task is successfully completed, the process and thought process are left here.

On the one hand, it serves as a record, and on the other hand, it also acts as a learning room for newcomers.

And it just so happens that Sherlock found his parents' files inside, finally learning how these guys had killed them.

It's ridiculous, and even seems incredibly simple.

All you need to do is mix some other liquid into the aviation kerosene!

After a plane takes off normally, changes in the environment at high altitude can alter the liquid, making it almost easy for the plane to lose power and crash.

Once a plane crashes, its liquid state makes it extremely difficult to detect in the surrounding environment, thus enabling the assassination to be carried out.