13 Chapter 13 War
For 500 Collection.
===
Rebirth Hell
Emerging from the depths of hell, a radiant sphere of soul suddenly materialized in Andrew's hand—it was Ethan's soul.
When Ethan died, the latent magic within Tony's body had become a conduit to hell, transporting Ethan's soul to the realm of rebirth.
Andrew shook his head and tossed Ethan's soul to Trask. Rebirth Hell needed someone like Ethan.
"Superheroes."
...
In a particular Manhattan building, Dr. Reed, the future Mr. Fantastic, stared at the stock chart on his computer and nearly shed tears, unable to comprehend why the once stable Stark Group stocks were plummeting.
"I fear bankruptcy is looming again. Why did I say 'again'?"
Dr. Reed sighed secretly, while his best friend, the future stone-man known as The Thing—Ben Grimm—burst into the room, exclaiming in surprise, "Reed, Tony Stark has been rescued and is holding a press conference."
"Really? That's great."
Dr. Reed exclaimed with excitement, hastily turning on the TV to witness Tony sitting on the ground, addressing the press.
Tony's voice resonated from the TV's speakers, stating, "Effective immediately, we are permanently shutting down the Stark Group's weapons research and development center."
"What?"
Reed was dumbfounded and hesitantly asked Ben, "Did I hear him correctly? Did Stark just announce the closure of the weapons R&D center?"
Ben looked at Dr. Reed with pity and replied, "That's what he said."
"It's over. Stark Group's stock must have crashed."
Reed lamented and turned to Ben, saying, "Ben, I'm bankrupt once again."
"Hey, it's okay. It happens."
Ben consoled him.
Dr. Reed was taken aback by Ben's calm demeanor and couldn't help but inquire, "Why are you so composed?"
"Because you've gone bankrupt over a dozen times before. Plus, I received my salary for the next three months in advance before you invested."
Reed was speechless, thinking, 'Why is he so adept? And why am I so unlucky?'
As some people faced financial losses, others reaped profits. Andrew and Howard made a substantial amount of money, and the joint venture with TikTok was officially established, ready to commence operations with Howard's involvement, ensuring a promising future for TikTok.
"Now all that's left is to await the battle between Iron Man and Iron Monger. I hope their clash will be more intense than in the movie."
Andrew stood before a floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the Stark Group in the distance, contemplating how to exploit the upcoming disaster to collect souls.
...
"A peculiar humanoid UFO suddenly materialized in the Middle East battlefield, combating terrorists. Some claimed it to be a test of a secret weapon by the American military, while others believed it to be of extraterrestrial origin."
...
Observing the armored suit on the screen, Obadiah Stane, the director of the Stark Group, whom Tony regarded as a father figure, exhibited a greedy gleam in his eyes. He believed that if he could master this suit, he would become a god in America.
"Tony, oh Tony, you truly are Howard's son."
At that moment, his phone rang, and upon listening to the voice on the other end, he became excited and exclaimed, "I'll come to see you in person."
Soon, accompanied by his private bodyguards, Obadiah arrived at a camp in the Middle East. The owner of the camp was none other than the terrorist leader Raza, who had previously kidnapped Tony.
Raza personally emerged to greet him, saying, "Friend, we finally meet."
However, Raza had only abducted Tony on the orders of Obadiah, who had long desired to eliminate Tony's monopoly over the Stark Group.
Obadiah followed Raza into a tent, impatiently asking, "Where is it?"
"Here."
Raza pointed to the reassembled Mark One, a humanoid steel suit, in the corner and said, "It took my men days to recover it from the desert. Along with this, we have the drawings and video recordings from that time."
"I'll take a look."
Obadiah opened the video, which depicted Tony's process of constructing the Arc Reactor and Mark One. However, due to blurriness and Tony's deliberate obfuscation, many details remained indiscernible.
"And you thought he was helping you develop Jericho missiles?"
Obadiah pointed to Ethan in the footage and asked, "Where is this person?"
Raza responded with an ugly expression, "He's dead."
Obadiah inquired further, "What about the body?"
Raza was puzzled, saying, "I have it, but what's the use?"
"Just because you find it useless doesn't mean I'm without hope. I know a mutant who can communicate with the deceased."
Obadiah mentioned as the butterfly effect produced by the integration of the world officially appeared at this moment - as so many worlds fused, the future cannot be static.
Excitedly, Raza exclaimed, "Great, Obadiah! I can offer you anything, but you must manufacture a batch of battle suits for me. With them, I will conquer the world."
Hearing this, Obadiah couldn't help but laugh. Ten minutes later, all the terrorists at the base were neutralized by his personal bodyguards.
"A group of illiterate fools, aspiring to be masters of the world. I truly don't know what to say."
Obadiah smiled dismissively and returned to America with Ethan's body, the wreckage of Mark One, and the blueprints.
"It won't be long before my scientists successfully replicate the Arc Reactor, albeit a weaker version," Obadiah thought to himself.
...
That night, the Rebirth Group was bustling, mirroring the activity of previous months. Susan began doubting whether she had made the right decision in assuming the role of vice president. She found herself overly occupied, but fortunately, her boss accompanied her home every day, bringing happiness to her life, and their relationship flourished.
Natasha also harbored doubts. She questioned whether she joined this company to act as an undercover agent or to work twelve hours a day in an office, unable to switch off her mobile phone even after returning home. She pondered, "What kind of undercover work is this?"
"Should I report this company directly?"
Natasha contemplated privately. Suddenly, a loud explosion resounded in the distance.
Natasha's expression changed, barely registering that it was the sound of a missile detonation. The problem was, they were in Manhattan, not the Middle East.
Natasha hurried to the window and witnessed a blaze emanating from the Stark Tower in the distance, followed by a barrage of gunfire and explosions.
"What the hell is happening?"
Natasha furrowed her brow deeply.
Andrew was also taken aback. Utilizing his enhanced perception, he observed the Stark Building opposite and discovered that it had transformed into a battlefield—armored suits against the American military.
Andrew discreetly complained, "Although I wished for a grander spectacle, why are there so many suits? And why is the military involved?"
Let's rewind the clock a bit. Due to suspicions regarding the source of the terrorist weaponry, Tony sent his assistant and girlfriend, Pepper, to extract information from Obadiah's computer.
As a result, Pepper stumbled upon a video on Obadiah's computer, revealing terrorists blackmailingObadiah. Tony learned that he had been attacked because Obadiah wanted him dead.
Infuriated by this discovery, Tony donned his Mark III suit and headed to New York to confront Obadiah. Meanwhile, Pepper also rushed over with Coulson and others.
On Obadiah's computer, Pepper uncovered evidence that he possessed the knowledge to create the Arc Reactor and mass-produce the suits. Consequently, Coulson enlisted a substantial number of agents and sought military assistance. The military wasted no time and dispatched armored vehicles and helicopter gunships to aid them.
Obadiah, refusing to back down, triggered a violent explosion, turning the vicinity of the Stark Building into a full-blown battleground.
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