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american comcis _ tales of caltiveter _chapter_0164_part_01
Chapter 298
chapter 0164 part 1
Chapter 164: Ghost Rider's Past
There were many small bars in the Motels along the Federation Interstate Highway that served as rest stops for Passengers.
Calling it a Bar was generous; it was more of a small tavern with a simple Bar Counter, a busy bartender who also mixed drinks, and seven or eight tables. Passengers who didn't know each other squeezed together at tables, sharing stories from their journeys after downing a few large beers.
The sounds of drinking, finger-guessing games, and boisterous arm wrestling bets added to the lively atmosphere inside the small tavern.
Tony Stark glanced around the bar. The tables throughout the small bar were already full of people.
He quickly spotted his target person drinking alone in the Corner, but he didn't immediately walk over to strike up a conversation.
Instead, he took off his sunglasses, tucked them into his suit pocket, walked up to the Bar Counter, placed his briefcase at his feet, and tapped the counter in front of the old bartender.
"A bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Whiskey! And two glasses!"
The old bartender recognized the man in a suit before him. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, a little excited and a little flustered, saying, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Stark, it's a pleasure to have you visit us. This is just a small bar, we don't have that kind of drink!"
"How about Black Label then?" Tony Stark said, settling for the next best thing.
The old bartender regretfully replied, "We don't have that either!"
"Alright, what's your best-selling drink here?"
Tony Stark looked at the labels on the bottles on the liquor rack behind the bartender. He didn't recognize most of them.
"My own brewed beer, the Passengers traveling on this Highway love it. Would you like to try some?" The old bartender looked at Tony Stark expectantly, introducing it excitedly. In the decades since his small bar opened, he had never had a celebrity like Tony Stark visit.
Tony Stark glanced at the oak beer barrel behind the old bartender, pulled a US dollar bill from his wallet, and placed it on the Bar Counter.
"I'll have one!"
A large, clear beer glass held golden beer with a few white bubbles. Tony Stark had never really drunk this kind of cheap civilian homebrew beer before.
He took a sip.
It had a faint bitterness with a strong malt aroma, and the taste was surprisingly good.
"It tastes good!" Tony Stark commented under the old bartender's expectant gaze.
Seeing that Tony Stark was satisfied with the drink, the old bartender rubbed his hands together and awkwardly spoke:
"Mr. Stark, could I possibly take a photo with you? My grandson is a big fan of yours! He's always admired you—"
Tony Stark sat on the seat at the Bar Counter, holding the beer glass in his hand. After taking a large gulp, he looked at the somewhat nervous old bartender and said with a smile:
"If you don't mind, you might have to wait a bit. I need to take care of some matters first!"
"No problem, no problem, you go ahead and take care of your business, I won't bother you!"
The old bartender said hurriedly, walked to the oak beer barrel, took a beer glass he had wiped repeatedly, filled it up with beer again, and brought it to the Bar Counter in front of Tony Stark.
Then he moved aside, sat in the Corner of the Bar Counter, and continued wiping the steamed beer glasses with a hot towel.
Tony Stark sat at the Bar Counter, drinking beer and observing the man drinking alone and sullenly in the Corner of the bar.
He took out his mobile phone and swiped his finger.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., find data on Johnny Blaze!"
"Yes, Sir!" came the voice of the artificial intelligence J.A.R.V.I.S. from the mobile phone.
Soon, J.A.R.V.I.S. found a large amount of information about Johnny Blaze.
The most outstanding motorcycle stunt performer, a wandering motorcycle traveler... Tony Stark looked at the pictures J.A.R.V.I.S. found, the performance videos, and the youthful face of Johnny Blaze riding a motorcycle in the photos.
Then he looked at the man nearby, full of the ravages of time. Tony Stark found it hard to believe they were the same person.
"Is that all?"
Tony Stark sifted through the data but didn't find anything extraordinary about this former motorcycle stunt performer.
"Sir, some of the data has been encrypted!"
"Access the S.H.I.E.L.D. database. I recall we have Agent Phil's clearance!"
Back on the plane from Afghanistan to New York, Tony Stark had borrowed Phil Coulson's computer.
Out of distrust and curiosity towards this kind of Agent Organization, Tony Stark had installed some backdoor programs on Phil Coulson's computer.
J.A.R.V.I.S. had previously stolen his clearance through this.
With an order from Tony Stark, his mobile phone, after a brief connection, quickly accessed an encrypted webpage.
A webpage interface with a black and white eagle as the background image. J.A.R.V.I.S. logged in using Phil Coulson's clearance password.
He entered Johnny Blaze's name into the search page.
A line of review information appeared on the page: "Data Access Clearance Level 4 or higher required. Clearance Review in progress. Review Approved!
Welcome, Agent Phil!"
The page loaded and jumped. A Knight riding a motorcycle appeared on the page, a cool motorcycle burning with fierce flames, and a Knight with a flaming skull for a head.
Tony Stark subconsciously turned his head to look at the downcast man in the Corner, then lowered his head to look at the photos on his mobile phone.
Apart from the black trench coat, he couldn't see any resemblance between this flaming skull Knight and Johnny Blaze.
Johnny Blaze, Codename: Ghost Rider! Suspected Superhuman who acquired Hellfire. Sample collection results show 90% similarity in the essence of his strength to Carter Slade.
According to preliminary investigation, he possesses the Eye of Judgment and is suspected of being involved in multiple Federation Gang annihilation cases.
Danger Level A+.
Tony Stark clicked on a video in the interface below.
The video was a piece of surveillance footage. The quality was very blurry, but he could vaguely make things out.
The location was a bar. A Knight with a flaming skull for a head, holding a chain wrapped in flames, was carrying out a massacre against a group of Gang Gunmen armed with firearms.
The fight was over quickly. The guy with the flaming skull head didn't fear the weapons in the hands of these Gang thugs. Bullets hitting his body didn't even break his leather jacket.
Instead, with a swing of the chain in his hand, he would bind a Gunman, and the flames burning on the chain could instantly turn the person into a pile of ash.
The more Tony Stark watched, the more serious his complexion became. He didn't think his Iron Suit could withstand the force of these flames.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., note down these flames. We need to conduct spectroscopic analysis when we get back. It looks like we need to make a few Anti-Ghost Rider Suits!"
Tony Stark instructed J.A.R.V.I.S. while watching the video.
"Stop!"
When he saw the flaming skull figure lift a Big Beard into the air, he subconsciously told J.A.R.V.I.S. to pause the video.
"What is he saying?"
"Sir, he's telling this person to look into his eyes!"
J.A.R.V.I.S. was lip-reading for Tony Stark, interpreting what the Ghost Rider was saying.
Although the Ghost Rider was just a skull wrapped in flames, the artificial intelligence's precise comparison allowed J.A.R.V.I.S. to still interpret his words.
Chapter 164: Ghost Rider's Past
There were many small bars in the Motels along the Federation Interstate Highway that served as rest stops for Passengers.
Calling it a Bar was generous; it was more of a small tavern with a simple Bar Counter, a busy bartender who also mixed drinks, and seven or eight tables. Passengers who didn't know each other squeezed together at tables, sharing stories from their journeys after downing a few large beers.
The sounds of drinking, finger-guessing games, and boisterous arm wrestling bets added to the lively atmosphere inside the small tavern.
Tony Stark glanced around the bar. The tables throughout the small bar were already full of people.
He quickly spotted his target person drinking alone in the Corner, but he didn't immediately walk over to strike up a conversation.
Instead, he took off his sunglasses, tucked them into his suit pocket, walked up to the Bar Counter, placed his briefcase at his feet, and tapped the counter in front of the old bartender.
"A bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Whiskey! And two glasses!"
The old bartender recognized the man in a suit before him. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, a little excited and a little flustered, saying, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Stark, it's a pleasure to have you visit us. This is just a small bar, we don't have that kind of drink!"
"How about Black Label then?" Tony Stark said, settling for the next best thing.
The old bartender regretfully replied, "We don't have that either!"
"Alright, what's your best-selling drink here?"
Tony Stark looked at the labels on the bottles on the liquor rack behind the bartender. He didn't recognize most of them.
"My own brewed beer, the Passengers traveling on this Highway love it. Would you like to try some?" The old bartender looked at Tony Stark expectantly, introducing it excitedly. In the decades since his small bar opened, he had never had a celebrity like Tony Stark visit.
Tony Stark glanced at the oak beer barrel behind the old bartender, pulled a US dollar bill from his wallet, and placed it on the Bar Counter.
"I'll have one!"
A large, clear beer glass held golden beer with a few white bubbles. Tony Stark had never really drunk this kind of cheap civilian homebrew beer before.
He took a sip.
It had a faint bitterness with a strong malt aroma, and the taste was surprisingly good.
"It tastes good!" Tony Stark commented under the old bartender's expectant gaze.
Seeing that Tony Stark was satisfied with the drink, the old bartender rubbed his hands together and awkwardly spoke:
"Mr. Stark, could I possibly take a photo with you? My grandson is a big fan of yours! He's always admired you—"
Tony Stark sat on the seat at the Bar Counter, holding the beer glass in his hand. After taking a large gulp, he looked at the somewhat nervous old bartender and said with a smile:
"If you don't mind, you might have to wait a bit. I need to take care of some matters first!"
"No problem, no problem, you go ahead and take care of your business, I won't bother you!"
The old bartender said hurriedly, walked to the oak beer barrel, took a beer glass he had wiped repeatedly, filled it up with beer again, and brought it to the Bar Counter in front of Tony Stark.
Then he moved aside, sat in the Corner of the Bar Counter, and continued wiping the steamed beer glasses with a hot towel.
Tony Stark sat at the Bar Counter, drinking beer and observing the man drinking alone and sullenly in the Corner of the bar.
He took out his mobile phone and swiped his finger.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., find data on Johnny Blaze!"
"Yes, Sir!" came the voice of the artificial intelligence J.A.R.V.I.S. from the mobile phone.
Soon, J.A.R.V.I.S. found a large amount of information about Johnny Blaze.
The most outstanding motorcycle stunt performer, a wandering motorcycle traveler... Tony Stark looked at the pictures J.A.R.V.I.S. found, the performance videos, and the youthful face of Johnny Blaze riding a motorcycle in the photos.
Then he looked at the man nearby, full of the ravages of time. Tony Stark found it hard to believe they were the same person.
"Is that all?"
Tony Stark sifted through the data but didn't find anything extraordinary about this former motorcycle stunt performer.
"Sir, some of the data has been encrypted!"
"Access the S.H.I.E.L.D. database. I recall we have Agent Phil's clearance!"
Back on the plane from Afghanistan to New York, Tony Stark had borrowed Phil Coulson's computer.
Out of distrust and curiosity towards this kind of Agent Organization, Tony Stark had installed some backdoor programs on Phil Coulson's computer.
J.A.R.V.I.S. had previously stolen his clearance through this.
With an order from Tony Stark, his mobile phone, after a brief connection, quickly accessed an encrypted webpage.
A webpage interface with a black and white eagle as the background image. J.A.R.V.I.S. logged in using Phil Coulson's clearance password.
He entered Johnny Blaze's name into the search page.
A line of review information appeared on the page: "Data Access Clearance Level 4 or higher required. Clearance Review in progress. Review Approved!
Welcome, Agent Phil!"
The page loaded and jumped. A Knight riding a motorcycle appeared on the page, a cool motorcycle burning with fierce flames, and a Knight with a flaming skull for a head.
Tony Stark subconsciously turned his head to look at the downcast man in the Corner, then lowered his head to look at the photos on his mobile phone.
Apart from the black trench coat, he couldn't see any resemblance between this flaming skull Knight and Johnny Blaze.
Johnny Blaze, Codename: Ghost Rider! Suspected Superhuman who acquired Hellfire. Sample collection results show 90% similarity in the essence of his strength to Carter Slade.
According to preliminary investigation, he possesses the Eye of Judgment and is suspected of being involved in multiple Federation Gang annihilation cases.
Danger Level A+.
Tony Stark clicked on a video in the interface below.
The video was a piece of surveillance footage. The quality was very blurry, but he could vaguely make things out.
The location was a bar. A Knight with a flaming skull for a head, holding a chain wrapped in flames, was carrying out a massacre against a group of Gang Gunmen armed with firearms.
The fight was over quickly. The guy with the flaming skull head didn't fear the weapons in the hands of these Gang thugs. Bullets hitting his body didn't even break his leather jacket.
Instead, with a swing of the chain in his hand, he would bind a Gunman, and the flames burning on the chain could instantly turn the person into a pile of ash.
The more Tony Stark watched, the more serious his complexion became. He didn't think his Iron Suit could withstand the force of these flames.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., note down these flames. We need to conduct spectroscopic analysis when we get back. It looks like we need to make a few Anti-Ghost Rider Suits!"
Tony Stark instructed J.A.R.V.I.S. while watching the video.
"Stop!"
When he saw the flaming skull figure lift a Big Beard into the air, he subconsciously told J.A.R.V.I.S. to pause the video.
"What is he saying?"
"Sir, he's telling this person to look into his eyes!"
J.A.R.V.I.S. was lip-reading for Tony Stark, interpreting what the Ghost Rider was saying.
Although the Ghost Rider was just a skull wrapped in flames, the artificial intelligence's precise comparison allowed J.A.R.V.I.S. to still interpret his words.
