Phone Call Doubts

As the uncle and nephew discussed the plane crash, from the international situation to economic changes, Obadiah Stane's secretary received a phone call. He immediately relayed the message to his superior.

The young, balding man looked puzzled and gave a few instructions to his secretary. Tony Stark, curious, asked, "What's going on?"

"Rudy sent a request list to headquarters, hoping Stark Industries could provide the necessary supplies and operational personnel."

"Just give me whatever I need. I remember Stark Industries has a disaster relief budget and supplies reserves, right? Let the public relations department handle the arrangements."

These budgets were originally intended to provide immediate assistance to Stark Industries employees facing difficulties caused by natural disasters or man-made calamities. However, assistance may also be provided as appropriate for disasters unrelated to Stark Industries.

That's why Tony Stark said it so easily.

"I heard the items on the list are quite unusual. The public relations department couldn't decide, so they contacted me. I had them fax the list here."

"Special? How special?" Tony Stark was also slightly intrigued by the fact that the New York City government's disaster relief supplies were so different from those of ordinary people, and that they were likely donated voluntarily by individuals.

A moment later, Virginia Potts brought the fax machine and placed it on the table in front of the young boss. Tony Stark then picked it up and read it.

The first few items on the list are still within the normal range. Some items will have their uses specifically emphasized, such as masks and respirators, with the note that there are large amounts of toxic dust mixed into the air at the disaster site, so these types of supplies are needed.

However, when Tony Stark saw the specialized equipment on the later lists, he suddenly wondered if his patent portfolio and laboratory had been compromised.

Many of these projects weren't Stark Industries ' research projects, but rather things he initiated privately. For example, the coaxial multi-rotor aircraft was something he treated as a toy for fun; he only built a few prototypes in his backyard workshop.

There's also a terrain scanner paired with a multi-functional combat platform. Although it can be used for current disaster relief command tasks, this thing is genuine military equipment. Even the U.S. military doesn't have many sets; they're only found in the command centers of a few Special Forces.

In ordinary Army or Marine Corps, the frontline commanders rely entirely on their on-the-spot performance, while the generals in the rear rely entirely on maps and imagination to direct operations.

There are also many things where we just write down a concept or requirement and see if any large companies have products that meet that requirement. And just providing the product isn't enough; we also need to provide experienced operators.

Upon seeing this, Tony Stark considered a possibility. "Happy, my phone."

Happy Hogan, who had been waiting in the wings, placed Tony Stark's private phone in front of his boss and solemnly arranged it. The business phone was in Virginia Potts's possession.

Tony Stark picked up the phone and dialed a number on the first key, connecting to the cell phone of a man who was practically flying around with work. He put the phone on speakerphone, and the other person blurted out, "Hey Tony, I'm busy here, get to the point."

Henry on the other end of the phone seemed to lift the phone slightly, his voice becoming a little softer. Tony Stark heard him giving orders over the radio, directing the rescue efforts.

The Police Station's forward command headquarters has set up a map table. Although it uses a magnified map of the nearby streets, the visibility has been greatly improved for everyone.

The allocated manpower was clearly marked on the map using various temporary markers, based on records. Just like a war sand table, it allowed the command center to clearly know where the personnel were located.

Tony Stark said, "You were at the World Trade Center Twin Towers?"

"Yes. Don't come any closer! I'm saying it again, don't come and cause trouble."

Do I look like someone who likes to create trouble for themselves?

"Swear to God with your hand on your heart, you are not!"

"Damn it, mind your own business!" The stubborn young master wasn't going to do what anyone said. "I just want to ask you, was the list of demands that the New York City government submitted to Stark Industries your suggestion? Did you go through my patent database?"

The equally stubborn Kryptonian retorted, "Go through your patent library? Why would I do such a thing? I'm just a layman when it comes to fire protection; I don't know what standard equipment the fire department has."

"I felt that something with those functions might be useful, so I made the request. And I made the same request to all the companies that might have the capability to develop such products. I'd be thrilled if I could raise even one-tenth of the required quantity."

Tony Stark felt slighted and raised his voice, asking, "Who did you send these requests to?"

"In fact, when I submitted the list, I did include some suggested recipients. I don't know who the mayor, who was actually in charge, sent the list to. But I remember Oscorp, Lockheed Martin, your company, oh, and Hammer Industries were on it."

"Hammer Industries! You think they can make anything good?"

Henry exaggeratedly stated, "Right now, the question isn't whether there's a disaster relief site or not, but whether it's good or bad. Moreover, lives are at stake, and the window of opportunity for rescue is limited; with better equipment, more people can be saved."

"If dogs' noses were useful, I would also suggest that the mayor collect all the dogs in the country. Unfortunately, not every dog can be useful in this situation, and collecting dogs from all over the country would be too slow."

Henry would occasionally interrupt with a few unrelated remarks while he was speaking; in fact, he was switching to radio control. It was quite remarkable that he didn't misuse the frequency during the back-and-forth communication.

However, Henry also complained to Tony Stark, who was interrupting him on the phone, "So, you can probably tell we're pretty busy here."

"Right now, everything is being done manually, and we're severely understaffed. I don't have time to chat with you. Also, please don't come over; you'll only cause trouble for everyone."

"The air here is terrible. If you want to help, try to send over some medical masks or industrial respirators first. Just having one more healthy lung won't make the air here cleaner."

Tony Stark asked in confusion, "But the air problem was not mentioned in the news. How did you judge it?"

Henry exclaimed in surprise, "Fuck, young master! Two skyscrapers have collapsed, concrete blocks and dust are flying everywhere, and you're going to say that inhaling large amounts of dust is harmless to your health?"

"Believe it or not, I'll add another line to your epitaph: 'An idiot pretending to be a genius.' At least learn about silicosis; I don't even want to mention what else those two skyscrapers were built with."