"What else do you want? What else do you want now? I tried to work with these clowns!"
"Fuck you~~ Mr. Stark~~ Fuck you~~"
On the screen, Tony Stark stood in the hearing chamber in a flamboyant suit, grandly holding forth before the crowd. Meanwhile, the Hydra congressman cursed profusely as he watched Tony Stark leave in helpless frustration.
"Hahaha, no matter how many times I watch it, our Playboy has incredible charisma. Though his ability to get along with people is a real pain in the ass, he certainly knows how to draw attention. The United States media must absolutely love him."
Watching Tony's hearing broadcast, Wang Khan felt as though he were watching a reality show. At the same time, he knew that the timeline had entered Iron Man 2. Before long, Whiplash, that Polar Bear, would arrive to teach Iron Man a lesson.
"Guardian, I don't know whether this Iron Man has charisma, but I can tell he isn't a very good partner."
"Don't worry. I never intended to cooperate with him. This is merely a transaction, each side taking what it needs. Besides, it can deal a blow to S.H.I.E.L.D. as well. Killing two birds with one stone."
Wang Khan clapped his hands and rose to his feet.
"Pull up the subsidiary technology for researching Artificial Vibranium. Prepare the materials on this list. Our energy problem will depend on it being solved."
"Please rest assured, Guardian. We can gather everything within three days. Shall I arrange an appointment with Tony Stark now?"
"No. That guy is in full idiot mode right now. Even if we make an appointment, he won't see us. Wait a little longer. He isn't the one we need to meet."
A few days later, Stark Industries underwent a major personnel shakeup. Tony Stark resigned as the company's chief executive officer and appointed his personal assistant, Pepper Potts, as the new chief executive officer of Stark Industries. Public opinion immediately erupted, and even the company's stock fluctuated.
However, with Tony Stark, Iron Man himself, still around, and with the Stark Expo still drawing massive attention, the company's share price stabilized after several days of volatility and even rose slightly.
Two days later, explosive news came from the Monaco Grand Prix. A burly Polar Bear man attacked Tony Stark. The electric whips in his hands sliced through several Formula cars as easily as chopping vegetables, including Tony Stark's own.
Although Iron Man made a dazzling appearance in the end and defeated him, the Iron Man suit, which had been unmatched and basking in glory for the past half year, was severely damaged. God had bled!
For a time, all of Tony's enemies sprang out as if injected with adrenaline and began besieging him through the media.
The military applied pressure once more, demanding that Tony share Iron Man suit technology with them. In short, the battle in Monaco had put Tony Stark in an unprecedentedly unfavorable position. On top of that, his Palladium Poisoning was worsening by the day, and he was beginning to crack.
Seeing this, Wang Khan knew the time had come.
"Red Queen, arrange a meeting with Ms. Potts. Tell her I have a major deal to discuss with her, one that can resolve Stark Industries' current predicament."
"Understood, Guardian."
One day later, Wang Khan arrived as promised at the chief executive officer's office in Stark Tower, where he met this modern-day Cinderella.
"Ms. Potts, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm truly honored to see you."
"President Wang, it is we who are honored that you wish to work with us at a time like this. Please, have a seat."
After both sides sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries, Potts spoke first.
"May I ask what kind of business President Wang wishes to discuss? Although Stark Industries no longer deals in weapons, we have achieved excellent results in machinery manufacturing and biomedicine. You..."
Wang Khan waved a hand.
"I have no interest in machinery manufacturing or biomedicine. What interests me most is your new energy project. To be more specific, I have my eye on your Arc Reactor technology and would like to pursue deeper cooperation in that area."
At those words, the smile on Potts' face faded. Since taking over the company, she had heard far too many similar proposals.
If it concerned downstream component processing or raw material supply, there was still room for discussion.
But every company that came to discuss cooperation with her was after Arc Reactor technology. Many of them were even shell companies for the military. Leaving aside Tony Stark's vow to never again engage in weapons research, Potts herself would never allow Arc Reactor technology to be used in war.
"I'm sorry, President Wang, but our company has no plans to cooperate with others regarding Arc Reactor technology. You..."
Before Potts could finish, Wang Khan interrupted her.
"Please rest assured, Ms. Potts. Once I obtain Arc Reactor technology, I will absolutely not use it for war."
Potts smiled. She had heard that sort of thing too many times to believe it.
Wang Khan was only saying it anyway. Not using something like that for weapons would be an utter waste.
Seeing that Potts was about to serve tea and send him on his way, Wang Khan stopped wasting time with pleasantries.
"Ms. Potts, has Mr. Stark's Palladium Poisoning been resolved? Having that highly toxic substance embedded in his body for so long can cause enormous harm."
"What Palladium Poisoning? What do you mean?"
"Hm? Does Ms. Potts not know? While I don't know much about Arc Reactors, I have done some research. If I'm not mistaken, the reactor's core should use palladium. Without effective protection, that substance can cause considerable harm to the human body."
With that, Wang Khan stood and straightened his collar.
"How about this? Let's end today's meeting here. Ms. Potts, when you return, you should confirm this with Mr. Stark. After you do, please tell him that Umbrella Corporation has a way to solve his problem. I look forward to meeting him. Goodbye."
Wang Khan took his leave. Pepper immediately went online to look up palladium. When she saw that the element was highly toxic and could even be fatal, her expression changed at once.
Thinking of Tony's self-destructive behavior lately, Pepper, being intelligent herself, immediately pieced together the whole story.
She abandoned her work as chief executive officer on the spot, hurriedly drove back to Tony's villa, and gave him an earful.
Only after both of them had finally calmed down did Pepper relay Wang Khan's words to Tony. Tony's first reaction was disbelief. After all, he considered himself Marvel's greatest genius. If even he could not solve the problem, he did not believe anyone else could.
But this concerned his own life. What if Wang Khan really had a solution? Thus, Tony Stark, Iron Man, decided to speak with Wang Khan.
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