Obadiah Stane

"Xia, come over and look at this." Pepper Potts beckoned Xia over. Xia Yu already knew what it was, but he went over, took a look, and played along. "My God, Tony was right to be suspicious. It really was him."

"I need to preserve the evidence. I have to make a copy of all the files. Xia, could you keep an eye on the door for me?" Pepper said.

Before Xia Yu could answer, Obadiah Stane pushed the door open and came in. Pepper was visibly startled. Xia Yu resumed his deadpan expression, stepped over to block Obadiah, and said coldly, "Get out."

Obadiah Stane had been at Stark Industries for decades. Even when Tony was CEO, he had been the one actually in control of the company's affairs. He had long since come to regard Stark Industries as his own territory, so how could he let Xia Yu stand in his way? Ignoring Xia Yu's words, he tried to push his arm aside and enter.

His shove failed to move Xia Yu an inch. Unwilling to believe it, Obadiah tried again, then said, "What's the meaning of this? Are there places in this company I'm not allowed to go?"

"This is Mr. Stark's office, sir. No matter who you are, please leave unless you have Mr. Stark's permission," Xia Yu said coldly.

Afraid Obadiah would grow suspicious, Pepper said to Xia Yu, "He's one of the founders of Stark Industries, and Tony's uncle. Let him in."

Obadiah Stane glanced at Xia Yu without saying anything. Instead, he walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured two drinks. "Tony never runs short of good liquor here." With that, he started toward Pepper to give her a glass.

Anyone who had seen the movie knew that when Obadiah entered the office, Pepper's unnatural behavior made him suspicious. He used the drinks as a pretext to get close to her and look at the computer screen. Pepper had cleverly switched it to the screensaver, but Xia Yu didn't want to give him a chance to put on that awkward act. He darted in front of Obadiah Stane, blocking his path.

"I can hand Miss Potts her drink for you. You can just stay right there," Xia Yu said.

"Pepper, what's the meaning of this? Is Tony afraid I'll molest his secretary? This is the office I kept for Tony on the board!" Obadiah Stane shouted.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what this is about either. Let Mr. Stane in, Xia," Pepper said, pretending to be angry with Xia Yu.

"I'm very sorry, Miss Potts. Mr. Stark assigned me to keep all male creatures away from you. He said he didn't want his girlfriend smelling of any male hormones, except mine as her bodyguard," Xia Yu said with a perfectly straight face.

"Oh, my God, congratulations! When did this happen? You should have told me sooner. I'm happy for you both. You're a good woman, Pepper. What are you..." As Obadiah Stane spoke, he tried to go over and congratulate Pepper, but Xia Yu ruthlessly shoved him away with one hand. "I said, stay away from Miss Potts."

"You..." Xia Yu's shove sent Obadiah Stane stumbling back several steps. Humiliated, he was about to lose his temper when Pepper stood up and snapped at Xia Yu, "You'd better be more polite to Mr. Stane, Xia." As she spoke, she picked up the newspaper beside the computer and used the opportunity to pull out the USB drive. Xia Yu saw the whole thing and knew she had finished copying the files.

"I'm sorry, Miss Potts. This is my job. Please understand, as long as he doesn't come near you again," Xia Yu said.

"I'm sorry, Obadiah. I'll talk to Tony about the bodyguard when I get back. You know how Tony can be sometimes..." Pepper gave Obadiah Stane an apologetic look.

"I know. I'm just happy for you both. Tell Tony I'll be waiting for him to come back to the company. I'll talk to the board, provided he stops being so willful," Obadiah Stane said.

After the two exchanged a few more meaningless pleasantries, Xia Yu followed Pepper out. Xia Yu knew that, just as in the movie, Pepper had successfully copied the files and pulled out the USB drive, and Obadiah Stane must have seen the screen showing the copy was complete. The only difference from the movie was that with Xia Yu there, Pepper hadn't been as panicked, and Obadiah Stane hadn't taken the newspaper from her. Now all that remained was to wait for the boss fight. Sure enough, a system mission appeared.

System mission:

Follow Pepper Potts and help protect her. After Iron Monger and Iron Man begin fighting, assist Iron Man in defeating Iron Monger. Mission reward: 8,000 Points. Kill Iron Monger personally for an additional system lottery draw.

Xia Yu accepted the mission, thinking that he would have to compete with Tony for the kill this time. But judging by the reward, Iron Monger was just as he had been in the movie, with only average strength. If he hadn't stolen Tony's Arc Reactor and left the Mark 3 short on power, Tony would have finished him off long ago.

When they went out, they did indeed run into Agent Coulson, who was sitting in a chair waiting for Pepper with an honest, trustworthy look on his face. Apparently Tony hadn't met with him yet. Coulson was slightly taken aback to see Xia Yu there too, but immediately smiled and greeted them. "Xia, you're here too. Miss Potts, do you have a moment? We had an appointment."

Pepper hurried away with Coulson. She needed to give the evidence to someone in the government and bring people back to arrest Obadiah Stane. (There were no Avengers at this point, and the superheroes had yet to emerge, so when something happened, going to the police first instead of having an expert like Xia Yu subdue him on the spot was how a normal person would think.)

Xia Yu followed Pepper as she showed Agent Coulson all the documents and video evidence. In front of Pepper, Xia Yu called Tony.

"Tony, you guessed right. We found evidence that your uncle was in contact with terrorists. He was the one who had you kidnapped, and of course there are also documents showing he secretly sold weapons," Xia Yu said into the phone.

"I already know. That blond guy didn't know Obadiah, but I showed him a photo, and he recognized him as someone who had been to their base several times and supplied them with weapons. Are you coming over to my place now?" Tony said.

"No, Tony. We ran into Agent Coulson, and Pepper is giving him the evidence. Someone will arrest him shortly. You'd better stay put at home. I know you don't want to face him anyway." Xia Yu hung up after that.

Obadiah was no minor figure. Coulson couldn't just look at the evidence and find people to arrest him. He reported it to the agency, coordinated with several departments, and even notified an important government figure before he finally obtained the arrest documents.

Even if he were successfully arrested, as long as he had the technology for a miniature Arc Reactor, he would probably be released without a conviction. In struggles at that level, criminal charges were essentially optional.

Tony Stark was such a powerful figure. It wasn't apparent in the movie, but Xia Yu knew that Stark Industries made a staggering amount in political contributions every year. That was also why Tony Stark dared to publicly refuse the government's request and mock a senator. Even so, Tony ultimately found an excuse to give Colonel James Rhodes a suit of armor. That wasn't simply because Rhodes was his good friend; more importantly, it was a step toward compromise with the government, a compromise both sides could accept.

Only after Avengers: Infinity War did the Avengers gain the power to look down on everything. But this world now had Xia Yu, and especially after the change in his state of mind, things might turn out differently. No one knew exactly how. The system Xia Yu had, the Stan Lee he had met at the party—what was the truth of this world...?