12 Chapter 12 Ark Reactor

In the chairman's office of the Rebirth Group, Andrew and Howard are watching a live broadcast of Tony Stark's journey to the Middle East to sell Jericho missiles, only to be caught in an explosion caused by his own missiles.

Fortunately, Tony was wearing special body armor, so he survived but passed out.

Andrew looked at the gradually darkening magical light curtain and remarked, "From now on, Tony Stark's life will completely change."

Comparatively more nervous than Andrew, Howard asked, "Boss, Tony won't really die, will he?"

"Don't worry, he won't die," assured Andrew.

Andrew continued, "By the way, remember to inform Jameson about the attack on Tony Stark in the Middle East. We aim to make it headline news."

J. Jonah Jameson, the editor-in-chief of the Clarion Daily, happens to be Spider-Man's biggest fan.

"Boss, I was wrong before. You're no different from other supervillains," complained Howard. "You didn't save my son and are even using news of his serious injury to boost newspaper sales. Is this something a human can do?" [tl/n: Yes, this happens in real-life news and media.]

"I am originally a Demon King," shrugged Andrew. "What would you think if I told you that I established a company overseas and planned to make money by taking advantage of fluctuations in Stark Group's share price?"

"Boss, how can you do this?" Howard asked in anger. "You didn't even tell me about the opportunity to make money. By the way, we could also use this chance to organize a gambling round in the casino."

"What kind of father are you?" Andrew complained. "Let's not talk about this. By the way, how are your achievements in artificial intelligence? Can you develop an artificial intelligence system like Tony?"

Howard confidently replied, "Give me some time to catch up on my research. It's not a big problem. I already had ideas about most of the things Tony has developed years ago."

"Well, my negotiations with Twitter didn't go well. They weren't willing to give up control." [tl/n: Is that you, Musk?]

Andrew said, "So, I want to start a short video company, primarily focusing on mobile short videos. You will be responsible for researching software and its algorithms. I want to surpass Twitter and gain control over the opinions of everyone online." [tl/n: Chinese author exposing CCP]

"You don't have to worry about funding. Burn through as much as you can. I will provide you with unconditional and unlimited support," Andrew assured.

Howard agreed, saying, "Although my main business is making weapons, I can do this too."

Andrew replied, "If studying weapons is what you enjoy, work at the company during the day and study weapons in hell at night."

Howard complained, "Working twenty-four hours? You truly are the Demon."

...

Tony Stark's disappearance in the Middle East quickly caused a significant impact, and despite Stark Group's immediate denial of the allegations, stock prices sharply declined.

Susan, who was reading the news on her phone, sighed. The new secretary, Natasha, who happened to be by her side, asked, "Susan, did you invest in Stark Group's stock?"

Yesterday, Susan encountered a "thief," but fortunately, Natasha, who happened to be "passing by," came to her aid. After some conversation between the two women, Natasha successfully became Susan's secretary.

"I didn't, but I had a friend who bought it. He's very unlucky, as all his investments seem to fail, and it seems this time is no exception."

Susan shook her head. Who would have thought that the usually stable Stark Group would face such a major event?

"He really has bad luck," Natasha commented. She glanced at the chairman's office and remarked, "In contrast, our boss has much better luck. Some people even gave him shares for free."

Remembering what Andrew had said, Susan smiled and replied, "That's because he's a God's angel."

"A God's angel?" Natasha was stunned. How did this transform from a secret agent drama to a mythological one?

...

Tony Stark is an incredibly resilient man. Despite being seriously injured and captured by terrorists, he refuses to give up and manages to create something extraordinary using rudimentary tools in a cave—a miniaturized Arc reactor.

The Arc reactor is a controlled nuclear fusion reactor capable of releasing three billion joules of energy per second, and Andrew used his magic on Tony for this very purpose.

...

Rebirth Hell

Andrew watched as Tony Stark placed the glowing Arc reactor into his chest and asked Howard, "Howard, can you replicate it?"

"Of course. The Arc reactor was developed by me, and Tony simply made it smaller," replied Howard.

"Your Arc reactor is merely an exhibit, while your son has turned it into a groundbreaking invention," Andrew added.

Trask chimed in, "I have to admit, he truly is a genius."

Howard, still unconvinced, stated, "His reactor has a flaw—it causes palladium poisoning. However, I have already developed a new element to replace palladium, which is not only more efficient but also free of side effects."

"Quickly bring forth the new element. We will utilize the Arc Reactors to solve the power issue in hell," said Andrew.

"Trask, use these Arc reactors as an energy source and construct a robot for me," Andrew commanded.

"Boss, are you referring to a robot or an armor similar to Tony Stark's?" Trask asked. In the background, Tony Stark was seen studying with Ethan, working on the creation of an armored suit known as Mark One.

"Definitely a robot. I intend for the spirits of vengeance to possess these robots and control them in battle," Andrew replied.

Trask and Howard's eyes lit up simultaneously. "Attaching souls to robots? Is that achievable?" they asked in astonishment.

"Certainly. I just need to incorporate some magical runes into the robots," Andrew chuckled. "The souls of this hell will embark on their second life in the form of mechanical beings."

Despite being a demon king, Andrew despises demons due to their chaotic nature and unattractive appearances.

"Mechanical beings? Trask and Howard, both esteemed scientists, found this concept intriguing. The dwarf, Trask, pondered for a moment and sighed, "Mechanical life will be fairer than organic life. At the very least, there won't be any prejudices, nor birth defects."

"But that's a matter for later. For now, we're just at the beginning," Andrew shook his head and continued, "Build a batch of robots as soon as possible and ensure they are ready for use."

"Absolutely, no problem. I will create a powerful body for myself, at least three meters tall," Trask exclaimed with excitement.

Howard added, "I will personally design a top-of-the-line suit for myself. I want to use that suit to show Tony that I will always be his dad."

Andrew chuckled, "You can also let him know that you don't approve of his taste in men."

Howard's face filled with frustration. Some things just can't be erased.

A few days later, Tony Stark managed to escape from the terrorists' lair wearing a makeshift Mark One suit. However, his friend Ethan lost his life under the terrorists' gunfire, sacrificing himself to buy Tony more time.

Before Ethan's demise, he urged Tony to cherish life.

Tearfully, Tony responded, and at that moment, the superhero Iron Man was officially born.