Chapter Thirty-Six: Falling to the Ground

Pepper did not initially want to indulge Tony’s whims, but since becoming Tony Stark’s assistant, this seemed to be the first time she had seen him so serious. Thus, she took the key Tony had given her and headed to Stark Tower.

Then, her phone rang.

"Hello? Agent Coulson? Ah, I’ve read your report. Yes, I understand what you mean, but to be honest, this matter has come as quite a shock to me. Frankly, I’m stunned."

"What? No, no, no. Tony obviously doesn't believe it. To be honest, we all think this is absolute nonsense."

"You have more evidence? The attack two days ago? I know, those ninjas. Fine, I’ll take another look, but if you don’t have any other evidence this time, don’t bother me again."

"Come wait for me at Stark Industries. There’s a lounge by my office, or you can sit wherever you like if you prefer."

Hanging up, Pepper sighed, looked at the key in her hand, left Tony’s villa, and headed toward Stark Tower.

—

"Three orders of fried chicken, to go."

"Give me two servings."

Business at Lynn’s fried chicken shop was significantly busier than the charity hospital upstairs. Relying on the crispy skin, tender meat, and a special blend of seasonings, it had attracted a large customer base. At the very least, it was quite popular in East Midtown.

The staff were busy, while Lynn supervised from the back kitchen to ensure those guys didn’t mess up such a simple task. His employees’ culinary talents could only be described as a tragedy; they were born to make bland, uninspired food.

After personally guiding his two employees through the simple steps, Lynn stepped out of the kitchen. The front counter was doing well—organized and running smoothly. He checked the time and scanned the shop.

Finally, he spotted Jessica.

"Jess, it’s about time."

Lynn nodded at Jessica. Under Lynn’s arrangement, Jessica had been leaving the Chronos Charity Hospital for Stark Tower every day during this period. After a week of combat training, her fighting skills had improved significantly; at the very least, she wouldn't be caught off guard by a lack of technique when facing ordinary people.

"Oh, I’m leaving right now."

Jessica quickly ran to the cloakroom to change out of her uniform, then walked out wearing the denim jacket Lynn had bought her.

"I’m heading out then, Lynn."

"Go on."

The cashier looked at Lynn and Jessica with curiosity and asked, "Boss, is that your daughter or sister? You two look about the same age."

"Daughter?" That was something Lynn hadn't considered. He pondered for a moment, then patted the employee on the shoulder. "Hurry up and deliver these two colas to the customer. I’m heading out, too."

"Oh... okay."

"Once you’ve served most of the customers, you can get ready to clock off, just like before. By the way, Holly, business is good. We might choose one of you three to open a branch soon."

Lynn glanced toward the kitchen. "The other two are a bit lazy; honestly, they aren't the first choice."

What happened next—how the female cashier made her two colleagues work harder—was not Lynn’s concern. There weren't many customers left; they could figure it out themselves.

Lynn returned to the top floor of the Chronos Charity Hospital. Letting Jessica go over was only part of the work. Besides, Tony had offended quite a few people in this world; judging by the previous situation, Lynn suspected that Hand ninjas might appear.

Tony had made many enemies in this world, and the Ten Rings organization here was not simple either. If someone really wanted to take Tony out, the time he was fighting Obadiah was clearly the best opportunity.

"Kara, any news on the Ten Rings?"

"I’ve been investigating the Ten Rings for the past two days, Doctor. I found that they are a massive power widely distributed across East Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe, engaged in various covert and overt criminal activities. They have a presence in Madripoor and Colombia, and according to my research, their leader has never shown his true face. He is a mystery, Doctor."

"Getting results to this extent is not bad. What about those ninjas? Any news?"

"They have no intelligence worth mentioning, Doctor. Although there are vague rumors in Hell’s Kitchen, most are just baseless folk legends. We haven't been able to track them so far."

"That can't be helped. How are the combatants doing?"

"They are ready, Doctor, and prepared to strike at any time."

"Good. Let’s go."

Lynn put on his signature overcoat and fedora. Psionic energy wrapped around his body, distorting his appearance and physique while also altering his voice. Kara, as always, wore her iconic black professional attire and veil.

—

When Pepper arrived at Obadiah’s office, he was not there. He had been very busy lately; neither Pepper nor Tony had been able to find him.

Pepper quickly found Obadiah’s computer and inserted the key Tony had given her. The so-called security measures on Obadiah’s computer were stripped away like a thin veil, losing all defensive functions and passwords.

Pepper moved the mouse and found Obadiah’s confidential files. Sure enough, there were all sorts of insider trading records and the secret weapons factories he had launched independently.

Obadiah naturally hadn't abandoned the arms industry. He was still running the factories, sending Stark Industries’ weapons to all corners of the globe. Pepper copied the intelligence into the key Tony had given her, but in the process, she seemed to see something else...

"Top Secret?"

Pepper opened the folder. It contained only two video files.

"We are changing the plan, Obadiah Stane..." What followed made Pepper’s eyes widen. She watched the video of Tony, and the Ten Rings behind him, with fear. The entire video revealed only one thing: Obadiah Stane had participated in the assassination of Tony. Initially, she had thought this impossible.

By now, Pepper had finished downloading the data. The shock was immense; Obadiah was actually involved with the Ten Rings? He had participated in Tony’s kidnapping?

Pepper felt flustered. She checked the time, pulled out the key, and walked into the outer secretary’s office.

"Hello, do you know where Stane went?"

"Executive Stane? Let me check his schedule... Hmm, he cleared all his afternoon and evening plans, but he told me he would be back shortly. Would you like to wait here for him?"

"Ah, no need. You don't even need to notify him. I was just asking. If he’s not here, it’s fine." With that, Pepper left Obadiah’s office and ran into an old acquaintance she had recently met.

"Ms. Potts! Long time no see."

"Agent Coulson, do you have a secure location? I have something to show you. Also, I hope you can contact someone to find Tony immediately."

Coulson clearly understood the gravity of the situation. His professional smile vanished instantly. After a gesture to follow, he and Pepper left Stark Industries without delay.

However, they didn't know that Obadiah’s secretary was calling his employer at that very moment. After all, Obadiah had said that anyone entering his office had to be reported. The secretary had gone in to check Obadiah’s computer. After a little poking around, he discovered something terrible. When he rushed out, he saw Pepper leaving with Coulson...

—

Obadiah arrived at Tony’s villa, looking radiant and smug, as if he had encountered something good lately.

"Tony!"

"Hi, Obie."

Tony greeted Obadiah as usual, seemingly unaware that danger was approaching. He poured a drink for Obadiah as he always did, took two stemmed glasses, and sat on his sofa.

"Obie, what are you here for today? Trying to convince me to restart the weapons division again?"

"Tony, you said you wanted to shut them down, so naturally, I will support you fully. I’m not here for that today. I brought you a little surprise. Let’s take a look together."

"Honestly, I’m not really in the mood for surprises lately."

Tony Stark leaned in without a second thought, wanting to see what was in Obadiah’s case. Suddenly, he felt a sting in his back.

"Neuro-paralytic agent. It lasts about fifteen minutes. Tony, honestly, I felt some guilt at first, but your increasingly unbridled nonsense has worn me out. I’m tired of cleaning up after you and Howard. He gave away all sorts of patents and technology to the government, and you, you want to shut down the arms trade I’ve painstakingly built over these years."

"You really are a parasite living beside me. Howard was at least willing to share his technology with me, but Tony, you didn't inherit your old man’s generosity."

Obadiah opened the case he had brought.

"Do you know what I’ve brought you this time? I’ve brought you your destruction. Quite a big surprise, right?"

With that, Obadiah removed the Arc Reactor from Tony’s chest and placed it into a box he had meticulously prepared. He checked his watch.

"In fifteen minutes, Tony, you’ll probably be able to meet Howard. I hope you like this gift."

Just as Obadiah was about to leave, his phone rang.

"Who? What? Assistant Pepper was in my office? Damn it... don’t let her get away! Stop her! Damn it, I’m coming back immediately. Use my authorization to lock the basement lab doors!"

After the call, Obadiah glared at Tony’s ashen face. Tony looked as if he had been dealt a devastating blow, filled with a sense of hopelessness.

"Tony, it seems you’re going to get another innocent person killed. Your little assistant saw something she shouldn't have. I was originally going to send her to Hawaii or somewhere else to spare her life, but now it seems that won't be possible. Remember, it was you who killed her."

Obadiah thought this would bring Tony more torment, letting him wallow in the grief of losing a friend. However, he didn't notice when he left that after he finished speaking, Tony’s face—which had already accepted his fate—began to struggle. He used all his remaining strength to move his legs, crawling toward the basement like the worm he had described.

Obadiah used Tony’s helicopter to return to Stark Industries at top speed and arrived at the bottom-most laboratory. There, he saw his loyal secretary waiting for him.

"Find somewhere to hide, then get me a lawyer. Transfer my assets to Madripoor. Be quick."

"Yes, sir."

After delegating the task, Obadiah’s secretary hurried away. Obadiah used his own authorization to open the basement lab.

Carrying Tony’s reactor, he stood before the Iron Monger armor and installed it. As the reactor connected to the Iron Monger’s power system, the super-armor came to life like a giant beast finally receiving blood.

The hum of the activation echoed throughout the laboratory.

With this, he could go anywhere and make a comeback. All the blueprints and experimental materials were on his key. But for now, Obadiah intended to kill those he disliked and enjoy the benefits of technology to the fullest.

It was time to experience the feeling of being Tony and Howard!

However, he didn't notice that as he entered the lab, the space in a corner of the room distorted unnaturally, only to vanish quickly.

Jessica sat on a high experimental rack near Obadiah. The imaging organs of the prototype Guyver suit coldly captured his every move.

Jessica dangled her feet, watching Obadiah climb into the Iron Monger.

"Why did Lynn insist that I wait for him to climb in before I take him out? Couldn't I just take him out right here and get that thing? It looks like some kind of battery."

Jessica touched the armor on her chest. The core control metal hadn't been placed in her forehead by Lynn; this world had too many terrifying attack methods, so he had moved the control metal inside the Bio-Boosted Armor, protecting it with the external plating. The metal structure on her head was only for attacks.

"It doesn't seem much different from Lynn’s stuff."

The Iron Monger slowly started up. Through the Guyver’s life-detection function, Jessica also sensed several life signatures gathering outside the door. It seemed someone had come to capture Obadiah. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s response was much faster than before; they had arranged for agents to deal with Obadiah in ten minutes.

But they clearly didn't expect that Obadiah had already obtained the Arc Reactor and activated the Iron Monger.

A few agents with pea-shooters were not going to be enough.