With Stark's temper, how could he possibly put up with that? He immediately abandoned his experiments and machines, rushed back to Stark Tower, and spent the entire afternoon ranting to Pepper.
Pepper could not spare any attention for the issues between the two of them now. The direction the wind was blowing was obviously wrong.
There had indeed been friction in public opinion between the two countries before. Or rather, ever since the Soviet Union collapsed, both sides had regarded the other as their greatest hypothetical enemy. Since entering the age of space exploration, the situation had only grown worse.
People had all imagined that such a conflict might erupt in some form, but having it erupt over Mutants was simply too unwise.
Although Pepper had many Mutant friends, she knew that Mutants had no independent civilization and had always been drifting from place to place. That meant they had nothing to hold back for. If things erupted, the consequences would be unthinkable.
There was no benefit at all in clashing with China now. Too many technologies required cooperation, and giant corporations like Stark Industries and the Osborn Group had long been making eyes at the other side. Picking a fight at a time like this—wasn't that cutting off people's sources of income?
Obadiah was also deeply dissatisfied, and his methods were far more extreme than Pepper's. He directly announced that Stark Industries was withdrawing from the election and would no longer provide financial support to any political force.
Many believed they were trying to stay above the fray, but the politicians knew this was Obadiah expressing his dissatisfaction.
United States politics was like a communal platter. Even if you did not want to eat your fill from it, you still had to contribute food. Everyone had to put in