With the arrival of the new year, the large Arc Reactor renovation and upgrade project at the Stark Industries Research Center was completed on schedule. As calculated, not only had its power generation efficiency increased substantially, but costs had also fallen considerably. It was now viable for commercial operation.
However, buying and selling facilities involving nuclear energy was not like picking up snacks and drinks at a supermarket for ninety-nine cents, something anyone from eight to eighty could casually purchase.
With a group of New York City councilors clamoring to revoke its operating license, even the Arc Reactor already in use was at risk. There was no way they could put it on Stark Industries' shelves as a product for sale.
If they wanted to persuade the councilors to change their stance through lobbying, it probably would not be settled merely by showing up with money. Who knew how many benefits they would have to surrender and how many connections they would need to pull? In the energy sector, Stark Industries was not a titan that could settle matters with a single word.
Tony Stark's goal had always been clear. He wanted to follow the military-industrial complex route and had no intention of transforming into, or branching out into, the energy industry. He might as well treat the Arc Reactor upgrade as fulfilling his promise to Otto Octavius, while making the power equipment at his own research center look a little more presentable. At least it was no longer entirely made up of things left behind by old men; it now bore the mark of many people.
Since Stark Industries had no plans to turn the Arc Reactor into a business, outside pressure would not fall on its shoulders. Could they really ban the U.S. military from purchasing the world's