World War II Spoils of War

"This is an antique car produced before World War II, right? But where did this car come from? And the emblem... I remember it's the Hydra, which appeared during World War II," Henry asked.

A frail old man, supported by a young man, appeared in the garage. He said, "Mr. Brown is not mistaken. The original owner of this car was John Schmidt, the Hydra Red Skull of Germany World War II."

"This was originally Colonel Phillips's trophy, but the master bought it. This vehicle contains technology that was unimaginable for that era."

"This is also why General Phillips, after his promotion, was willing to part with it. Because in the master's hands, this car can play a greater role."

The old man was none other than Edwin JARVIS, Howard Stark's close friend and butler. Henry, of course, wouldn't neglect such an elder, and greeted him politely, "Mr. JARVIS, it's been a long time."

"Oh, have we met before? Please forgive the old man's memory, which isn't as good as it used to be."

"At Mr. Howard Stark's funeral, I was accompanying Catherine Audrey Hepburn Hepburn assistant."

Arriving at the car, the old man, leaning on his cane and refusing to let the young man continue to support him, stood up and looked at the vehicle as a trophy, saying, "Sir, there's another reason why you kept this car, besides being curious about the technology inside."

"It is said that this was the last car Captain America Steve Rogers rode in, where he also kissed military intelligence officer, Ms. Carter. Peggy Carter. Based on this past friendship, the old man kept this car."

Henry looked longingly at the antique car with its imposing German style and said, "It seems this car has a story to tell."

Edwin JARVIS said, "Yes, so I hope its next owner will be someone who knows these stories, not a young person who would even be disgusted by them."

Tony Stark, feeling subtly envious, rubbed his nose and accepted it. He couldn't afford to offend this old man. He turned to the young man beside JARVIS and asked, "Eric, when do you plan to join Stark Industries?"

The young man replied, "My grandfather has already arranged a job for me. I'll work under a senior product manager at Stark Industries first, and then I'll lead projects independently after I've achieved some success."

Tony Stark nodded and said, "Yes, it's good to start from the basics. I need people with different perspectives to help me, rather than people who stay by my side and then go out on assignments. Do a good job."

Actually, Tony Stark wasn't much older than the young man. He just had a beard because his father was 53 when he was born, making him an older generation.

What left Henry speechless was that they actually thought this counted as starting from the bottom?

Forget it, discussing what the lower class means with these people born with a silver spoon in their mouths is just plain stupid. Even if they knew, so what?

Henry, already feeling utterly disheartened, made no attempt to hide his feelings. All he wanted now was to go back to his home in Los Angeles and get a good night's sleep.

Get some rest, time to get busy!

Perhaps his intention to leave was too obvious, for Tony Stark couldn't help but notice, even if he didn't want to. He first said to Edwin JARVIS, the elder in the family, "I'll give the car away, is that alright?"

"Young Master, this is your own property. I certainly won't object to how you decide to dispose of it." The old man's attitude was very calm, and he didn't interfere with this nephew's behavior just because Tony Stark respected him.

This young master wasn't really seeking the old butler's permission. He was just telling others to speak their minds if they had any opinions. After they said them, he would do whatever he wanted.

"So, where should this car take you? Tell Pepper Potts, and she'll handle it for you."

The new personal assistant, who had been standing by, finally stepped forward.

Henry glanced at the future mistress of Stark Industries. "Pepper Potts?"

Tony Stark chuckled. "Pepper, that's her name. Didn't she introduce herself? She's the kind of woman who, after being fired by her boss for discovering errors in financial reports and being ignored, dares to come directly to me to report it."

"Before the Happy' guys tried to take her away, she actually threatened them, saying she had pepper spray in her bag. Anyone who dared to touch her would be in trouble. I found it amusing, so I kept her with me."

"Oh, the mistake she found is true. As for those two idiots, they're on probation."

The female assistant muttered under her breath, "Virginia, not Pepper."

"Walter? What did you say?" Tony Stark shouted, not having heard him clearly.

"It's nothing. I meant, it's an honor to serve Mr. Brown."

Perhaps these two are still unaware of their own situation, but Heng, who has been reinstated as a single dog, has suddenly been force-fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), and now he wants to go home and cuddle his cat even more. He won't take the plane anymore; he'll fly home instead.

"Mr. Brown, would you like me to take your car to the Stark Studios parking lot in Los Angeles?" Virginia Potts asked.

Asking such a question clearly shows that she is well aware of Henry's situation; at the very least, she knows that old Gary's apartment building doesn't have a proper garage.

If you park this car on the street and it still has six tires left the next day, then the residents of Los Angeles are considered to have a conscience.

"No need, just leave the car here. The Stark Studios underground parking lot is an open space. It's not safe to leave an antique like this there."

Frowning, Tony Stark asked, "Why don't you move to a house with a garage? You're still renting that tiny apartment. With your current wealth, you can afford a house, can't you? Hasn't the Sony compensation arrived in full yet?"

"It's just a place to sleep, yet you've made it as big as your house. If I don't want to work myself to death, how many people would I have to hire to maintain it?"

"You told me yourself that money needs to circulate. So, have you spent the money you earned?"

Henry stated matter-of-factly, "From a macro perspective, your money isn't my money, so I support its circulation. If you don't spend it, how will others earn it?"

"But my money is my money. I'd rather keep it, let it rot, just in case. Is that wrong? Forget about the theory that money needs to circulate; that's just bullshit under capitalist control."

"Ugh, you... ouch." The young master's mood worsened again. He shouldn't have talked so much with this annoying guy.

Edwin JARVIS, the old butler, stepped in to smooth things over, changing the subject by asking, "Mr. Brown, will you be staying for lunch? I'll have the kitchen prepare an extra lunch for you."

"I'd never go wrong over food," Henry readily agreed, "Alright, then I'll trouble you for a meal."