Trouble Beneath the Surface

"Catherine." Tony Stark rarely looked at someone so seriously, simply calling out her name.

They say old people are shrewd and experienced. With just a glance, Catherine casually stood up and said, "Oh dear, I've rested long enough. I'm going to go chat with the old folks. You young people continue." With that, she walked out of the lounge.

Henry wasn't necessarily going to follow. He noticed Tony giving him a knowing look and, after Catherine left, asked, "Don't you trust that one? Was it necessary to clear the area like this? Or should I leave too?"

"What If...? we want to rob a bank but don't want to drag anyone down with us, the right thing to do is not tell that person. It has nothing to do with trust. Even if we did tell them, that person would probably prefer not to have heard it."

"So, you want to rob a bank with me? You're Tony Stark, for goodness' sake. So the target should be something like the Federal Reserve, right? Okay, I'm in. A 50/50 split, not too much to ask, right?"

"No, the target might be worse." Tony Stark pulled a small pen-shaped device from his bespoke suit.

The object was thicker than a fountain pen. He pressed it against the cap, and it instantly emitted a high-frequency noise that was difficult for the average person to hear!

Of course, while most people couldn't hear it, it wasn't the case for Henry. He was so disturbed by the sudden noise that he almost lost control of his expression.

However, this shouldn't have caused him any physical discomfort. Henry pretended not to know and asked, "What is this?"

"A little gadget to prevent eavesdropping and recording," Tony said.

"Your gear is almost like that of a secret agent."

"I took it from the old man's inventory. It's an invention he made twenty years ago. I haven't had time to improve it yet, so I'm using it for now."

Seeing that Henry was still trying to change the subject, Tony had to interrupt him, saying, "That's enough. This twenty-year-old gadget is very power-consuming. We don't have much time to waste."

"To make a long story short, do you remember that gunfight we had at that villa? I'm planning to investigate who was behind those gunmen."

"I have people on the East Coast under my direct control, and I also need people on the West Coast. That's why I left Stark Studios, because Hollywood is the closest place to those people."

"These are words Catherine shouldn't hear. This isn't meant to be helpful; these are things that shouldn't be known by too many unrelated people. Even with you, I'll only reveal more if you agree to join."

"Heh." Henry's smile remained unchanged as he said, "Since I know this is trouble, why should I jump in? So you'd better not say anything."

"What If...? I could help you sort out the trouble with the FBI? Would that be enough to get your help?" Tony Stark asked, feigning mystery.

"Trouble with the FBI? How come I didn't know I was being watched by the FBI?"

"I didn't pay attention to the reasons; I only noticed you were on the list. Many lists, not just the FBI's. But for you, I think this is the most threatening list."

Well, this is very Stark Henry's exasperation. He spread his hands and said, "Let's not talk about my business. I just want to ask, that matter happened several years ago, is it really necessary to be so persistent and insist on getting to the bottom of it?"

After a moment's thought, Tony Stark said, "Do you remember how the old man and my mother died?"

"Car accident. Is there a problem?"

Nodding, Tony said, "The official explanation is that the car's braking system was Flaws, causing the accident and resulting in the deaths of both the driver and Passenger."

"So, you sued that brake manufacturing company and brought them down?"

"No, I bought them."

Tony's answer surprised Henry. The proud young master continued, "I told them that if they didn't sell to me, the exorbitant compensation I demanded would make them rather go bankrupt."

"In the end, I bought their company for half price, fixed the Flaws in the braking system, and then resold the entire company for about three times its market value. Part of my estate tax was covered by this company."

Henry clapped his hands and said, "Very good, very impressive. You're saying all this hoping I'll praise you, aren't you?"

"Shut up! That's not the point." Tony took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before continuing, "What I'm trying to say is that the old man can fly planes and has also driven race cars on the track."

"The car he was driving that day did have Flaws braking system, that's for sure. But with the old man's skill level, it shouldn't have caused such a serious accident."

"So, you suspect..." Henry said in a cooperative, reserved tone.

Tony said seriously, "I hadn't noticed before. But since becoming the CEO of Stark Industries, things that have happened around me have forced me to re-examine some things, including the old man's car accident."

Have you found any evidence?

Faced with Henry's question, Tony simply shook his head and said, "No, the forensic autopsy and the accident investigation were Flaws. But the modifications to the braking system made me notice a problem."

What's the problem?

"I didn't personally witness the autopsies of my parents. I only reviewed other people's reports and confirmed whether the individuals were their real parents."

The young master implied that he couldn't rule out the possibility that something had been tampered with.

Although it wasn't appropriate to directly state the "truth" from his memory—after all, Henry couldn't guarantee it was truly the truth of this world—he still offered advice. "Have you investigated the road surveillance footage? Who do you think might be the target?"

"There's no CCTV footage of the accident, at least that's what the agencies I contacted told me. As for who might have committed the act, I can only say that 1% of United States have a chance."

"Could it be... that 1%?" Henry pointed to the sky, alluding to the true power holders of the United States, those who controlled 99% of the country's wealth.

"It's that 1%." Tony nodded. He added, "But that only means they have a motive; it doesn't necessarily mean they actually did it, or that I can find evidence of their actions."

"Looks like you've had a pretty exciting year or two. You've hired a whole bunch of bodyguards," Henry said with a sneer.

"The Happy Hogan you met is from Brooklyn. He used to be a boxer, but he didn't achieve much. He saved me during a test drive accident and is now the head of my security team. Most of his men are people he recruited."

"You trust someone like that?" Henry asked curiously.

"Now, that kind of person is more trustworthy to me than someone with a spotless resume."

"So that's why they'd target someone like me with such an unknown background?"

"At least you've proven you're not someone who's easily bought. Being able to refuse me and the Mellon family, I don't think you'll so easily become someone else's man. And of all my bargaining chips, Stark Studios is the most attractive, isn't it?" Tony said confidently.