Camouflage in the Jungle

To change the subject, and also out of my own curiosity.

Henry asked, "I thought playboy Tony Stark would have a bunch of pretty female secretaries around him just for easy access to resources. But now they all look like resentful women. Haven't they been properly groomed?"

Tony wore the same mournful expression. "When you're dealing with a constant stream of petty tricks, the sight of anyone makes you want to sweep everything away with your M61 Vulcan cannon. You won't have the mood to fuck women."

"Besides, I hire them to get things done, not just as women. I keep them in those positions because I value their abilities; ordinary sluts aren't worth my money."

Looking back at the news and newspapers over the past few years, it's true that there's been very little content related to Tony Stark. He wasn't the kind of playboy who frequently appeared in the entertainment section, with a constantly changing string of female rumored lovers.

But he's not some lauded young entrepreneur. I've never seen any news about him, not even controversies or comparisons to Old Man Stark. It's as if all news about him is deliberately downplayed.

"Have you ever thought about this?" Henry suddenly brought up a topic.

Tony, feigning nonchalance, took out the jammer again and turned it on. "Tell me."

"A person without weaknesses is not trustworthy. Because people don't understand what you're doing or what you want to achieve, that's why you're in this situation today."

"Okay, continue."

I poured myself a glass of wine Henry moisten my throat. "I must first state that I don't know your current situation, nor do I know what other people think. I'm just speaking my mind, so please take it with a grain of salt."

"It's like soldiers wearing white gear in the snow; brown desert camouflage in the desert; and dark green camouflage in the jungle. Wouldn't you get into trouble because you're too conspicuous?"

"Are you trying to persuade me to join those people in their corrupt practices?"

"What If...? you can't keep your distance from that circle and are already in it, you'll need some necessary disguise. Otherwise, everyone will worry that you're here to cause trouble. Do you know what's called a ' Pledge of Allegiance ' in Eastern culture?"

What is that?

Henry used the classic Chinese novel * Water Margin * as an example to explain, "In short, if you want to enter certain circles, whether it's through Pledge of Allegiance or some kind of ceremony, the main purpose is to tell the people in the circle that you are one of them."

"Moreover, you have to show an attitude of 'if one suffers, all suffer; if one prospers, all prosper,' then people won't worry that you joined the circle to break the rules, or even dig out who in there and expose them to the public. The deeper the collusion, the more disgusting the things they might do."

"Of course, this doesn't mean you should collude with those people. It means choosing things you can accept, creating weaknesses in the eyes of outsiders, so they think they can use this approach to buy you off or get rid of you."

"Another advantage of doing this is that it lets the enemy know they are targeting your weaknesses, rather than probing you from all sides. This way, you also know what your most important defensive points are."

Instead of being clueless and suspecting the other person of wanting to harm you no matter what you see.

Tony tapped his fingers lightly on the table. He suddenly asked, "Is this also your own attitude?"

"I usually choose to stay away from that circle. I can't see him, and he can't see me, so everyone's happy. Partly it's because I have no need for that circle, so there's no need to make things so complicated. It's best to stay far away."

Tony tilted his head and suddenly asked, "Have you ever trusted anyone?"

"If trust were so easily given away, I would have become a guinea pig for the U.S. military long ago. You're not going to tell me that the U.S. military is kind and wouldn't use special individuals for experiments, are you?"

Tony was speechless. Based on the information he had received, he really couldn't bring himself to say it, unless he was lying.

"But you have a need today." The hidden message is, "You've gained another weakness."

Tony abruptly steered the conversation back to its original direction, looking at the man in front of him.

Henry readily admitted, "Yes. But I also need to consider whether the benefits outweigh the costs. After all, it's not exactly a necessity; I can't live without it."

Tony didn't dwell on himself, but instead brought up the old issue again, proposing a new condition. "Becoming the CEO of Stark Studios doesn't require you to investigate anything."

"Anyway, from that height, some things will naturally be seen and heard by you. You just need to be my eyes and ears and help me record them. I'll do the intelligence analysis myself."

"After all, What If...? that incident really wasn't an accident, I don't think it was a conspiracy by the Legion. Actively seeking information might attract unnecessary attention and could even lead us astray."

"Other benefits and terms remain unchanged. The contract period is tentatively set at three or five years, and can be extended. You can leave at any time if you wish, without any penalty for breach of contract or non-compete clause. Similarly, What If...? I feel that you are no longer needed, I can also ask you to leave at any time."

Henry nodded. "Hmm, that makes sense, I can accept it."

Rather than focusing on benefits or security, Tony accurately grasped Henry's true need: the right to be able to leave at any time.

Giving a soldier the right to desert in the face of battle might seem strange. But if you think of him as a spy infiltrated into enemy territory, then the right to make independent decisions in the moment becomes crucial for survival.

The so-called "Steel Body" is not, in the eyes of these people, an invincible ability. It's just that no one is giving it their all to conduct research right now.

What If...? this consensus, the name "Henry Brown" wouldn't be on so many lists.

Tony was quite surprised that Henry agreed so easily. "You just nodded like that?"

"I have one more question. Was this a trap deliberately set for you? Do you understand that?"

"It shouldn't be."

"Your tone doesn't sound very certain. Otherwise, you wouldn't have used 'should'."

Tony replied, "The person who told me this is a trustworthy friend of our family. But I can't place that same trust in the organization behind them. After all, I only learned about that organization after the old man died."

He shouldn't have asked at all, but Henry couldn't resist asking anyway, "That organization... do you know its name?"

"I didn't ask for details, and they didn't say either. It's probably something like my husband participated back in World War II. Although they did mention that I should take his place, I refused."

Henry looked at the young master with curiosity.

Tony's skin wasn't thick enough to withstand such a piercing gaze, so he explained, "They're comrades-in-arms with the old man, but to me they're just a bunch of old uncles and aunts, I might not even know them all. Once you're in there, you'll be acting like a grandson to everyone, are you happy with that?"

Well, this is a case of the second generation not knowing the hardships of the first.

They've already paved the way for you, and you're still not happy? Do you expect them to carry you there in a sedan chair?

Forget it. Isn't it normal for someone born with a silver spoon in their mouth to discard silver or iron spoons like trash? Blame it on my poor fate for treasuring even an iron spoon.