Tony in Crisis

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, Obadiah couldn't think of any other solution for the moment. Calling the police for protection was obviously not a good idea, as his own hands weren't exactly clean. Even hiring elite mercenaries probably wouldn't be enough to stop terrorists in Afghanistan who feared no death and carried bombs, wanting to take you down with them.

While Obadiah anxiously pondered how to deal with the approaching storm, Tony was also returning from Afghanistan in his Iron Man Armor.

Having flown halfway around the world and back in a single day, Tony was extremely exhausted. But fearing he might lose the spark of inspiration he had at that moment, Tony couldn't wait to return to his laboratory to bring his ideas to life as soon as possible.

At the same time, Tony also gave his assistant, Little Pepper, his authorization to investigate Stark Industries to find out who had sold weapons to the terrorists.

He had to find this person hidden within his own company, otherwise, Tony wouldn't be able to sleep soundly, even in his dreams.

When Pepper arrived at the Stark Industries building with the USB drive Tony had given her, the agitated Obadiah was already in the weapons research department, inquiring about the progress of the Iron Man Armor replication project.

This time, Obadiah finally heard some good news: the Iron Man Armor replication was complete, all the programs were installed, and it only needed an energy source to be activated.

Even though an Iron Man Armor had been replicated, it was still just a pile of scrap metal without power. In his frustration, Obadiah's mind suddenly flashed to the glowing white Arc Reactor on Tony's chest. Then, Obadiah's eyes gradually turned cold, and no one knew what he was thinking.

The engineers also noticed Obadiah's abnormality, and for a moment, no one dared to make a sound, fearing they might attract Obadiah's attention and bring unnecessary trouble upon themselves.

After a moment of thought, Obadiah snapped back to reality. Ignoring the engineers present, he walked towards his office, having an idea he intended to consider carefully on how to implement.

When Obadiah returned to his office, he saw a woman sitting in his chair.

It was Pepper, Tony Stark's personal assistant. Obadiah was actually quite familiar with Pepper, as he was the one who communicated with her most of the time, while Tony only focused on eating, drinking, and having fun.

Since everyone had a close relationship, Obadiah didn't think much of it and simply greeted Pepper from a distance.

That greeting startled Pepper. Seeing Obadiah smiling kindly and greeting her, Pepper felt a surge of panic.

Just moments ago, she had seen a video on the computer of Obadiah contacting terrorists and knew that this was the person who had tried to bribe terrorists to hijack and kill Tony.

Pepper was no stranger to high-pressure situations, and after a brief moment of panic, she regained her composure. In a calm voice, she said to Obadiah, "Tony needs to see you about something and asked me to let you know. I waited here since you weren't back."

"Tony needs to see me..." Obadiah's voice drew out. He didn't know why Tony would want to see him at this time. But after all, he was still Tony's good uncle, and he had to maintain the proper attitude.

With a light chuckle, Obadiah said to Pepper, "Alright, I understand. I'll go see him."

Pepper gave an awkward smile and was about to get up and leave. But before leaving, she casually picked up her hat from the table and said to Obadiah, "I haven't finished reading this newspaper yet. Can I take it with me?"

Obadiah naturally didn't care about such minor details. He simply waved his hand, allowing Pepper to take it and leave.

The relieved Pepper let out a huge sigh of relief. This newspaper contained the evidence of Obadiah's crimes that she had copied.

Watching Pepper's retreating figure, Obadiah stood lost in thought for a long time. He increasingly didn't understand his good nephew.

After a moment of silence, Obadiah slowly walked to his chair, his gaze falling on the completed transfer notification message on the screen.

In an instant, Obadiah understood everything. He immediately called the security department downstairs, attempting to have them apprehend Pepper.

But Stark Industries building had thousands of employees, and it was just after work hours. It was incredibly difficult to catch someone who wanted to hide.

While the security personnel were struggling to find Pepper, she had already secretly hidden herself in an unknown location. Although this place was hard to find, it had no signal at all, so Pepper couldn't contact anyone outside at the moment.

Pepper could only wait passively, waiting for the security department to lower their guard before she could go out and inform Tony of Obadiah's true nature.

But before that, Pepper had no other choice.

When Obadiah discovered that his computer had been used by Pepper and that something had been copied, he knew his actions were about to be exposed.

There was no time for Obadiah to hesitate. He immediately drove to Tony's seaside villa, intending to snatch the Arc Reactor from Tony Stark's chest.

Once he obtained the Arc Reactor, Obadiah could power his Iron Man Armor. This would not only increase his safety against the terrorists but also allow the energy department to study the small Arc Reactor. Once they could replicate it, they could make a fortune from this small reactor in the future, killing several birds with one stone.

Meanwhile, after a period of intense mental labor, Tony, though he had perfected the Iron Man Armor's design, was already extremely weak.

Tony was slumped on the sofa, resting. Obadiah, who had access to the villa, entered the house like nothing was wrong and quietly approached Tony Stark. Before Tony could react, he placed the Sonic Nerve Paralysis Device next to Tony's neck.

In an instant, Tony lost control of his body. Under the immense stimulation of paralysis, Tony's eyes widened immediately, but his body couldn't move an inch.

Feeling victory within his grasp, Obadiah stood quietly in front of Tony. Looking into Tony's eyes, Obadiah said softly, "Tony, you know, I watched you grow up, but you were never very obedient. I wanted to keep you around, but who told you to discover those things? Oh well, let it be."

After speaking, Obadiah shook his head with a sigh and prepared to remove the Arc Reactor from Tony Stark's chest.

After using a tool to remove the Arc Reactor from Tony's chest, Obadiah looked at Tony, who was struggling to breathe, with a hint of reluctance in his eyes. But for his own life, Obadiah cruelly left.

Before leaving, Obadiah turned back and said, "Tony, I didn't want Pepper to go down there with you, but who told you to drag her into this? Don't worry, you won't be leaving alone."

Without another glance at Tony, who was gasping for air on the sofa, Obadiah turned and left.

Obadiah knew Tony wouldn't survive. The moment Tony escaped from the terrorist base, he went to the hospital for a full-body check-up, and Obadiah had seen the results.

The results showed that without the magnetic attraction of the device on his chest, the shrapnel would quickly slide into his heart, and Tony would die then.

Obadiah intended to fake Tony's death as a sudden illness, which would allow him to better inherit everything Tony owned.

On the drive back to the company, Obadiah received a call from the police. The police informed him that his mansion in the suburbs of New York had been attacked by unknown assailants, resulting in a fire.

Obadiah was about to return to assess his losses, but considering the recent warnings from the Ten Rings and the fact that he had just killed Tony Stark, Obadiah immediately changed his mind. After making excuses to the police that he wasn't in New York, he drove back to Stark Industries building.

The Ten Rings had already begun their operation. At this moment, Stark Industries building might be the safest place. Because it housed the Iron Man Armor he longed for, with the protection of the Iron Man Armor, Obadiah felt he had nothing to fear from any terrorist threat.

As soon as Obadiah got out of the car upon returning to Stark Industries building, before he could make any other move, two people rushed out from the roadside, tearing off their shirts as they charged towards Obadiah.

Seeing what they had strapped to their chests, Obadiah's blood ran cold. He frantically sprinted towards the Stark Industries building, shouting for help as he ran.

Obadiah's cries for help attracted the attention of the Stark Industries security guards.

As a prime arms supplier for the US Military, Stark Industries also bore corresponding responsibilities. A large number of retired soldiers worked at Stark Industries, and the security department was staffed with many veterans.

In America, civilians are allowed to own firearms, so these security guards were armed on duty. Although they only carried handguns, they were still quite intimidating.

The security guards noticed Obadiah's cries for help and immediately drew the handguns from their holsters, rushing over. The terrorists, however, paid them no mind and continued to chase Obadiah as if they were mad.

Obadiah dared not stop, and as he fled, he managed to put significant distance between himself and the two terrorists behind him. As he ran, Obadiah shouted to the guards, "You, shoot them dead quickly! They are terrorists!"

But the security guards didn't dare to fire casually. This was a society governed by law, and firing a weapon would incur corresponding legal responsibilities. While the guards exchanged uncertain glances, Obadiah had already reached them. He casually snatched a handgun from one of the guards, turned, and fired.

However, Obadiah's marksmanship was mediocre at best. After firing several shots, he failed to hit a single terrorist. Nevertheless, Obadiah's decisive action of firing did startle the pursuing terrorists. One of the terrorists in the back actually detonated the bomb strapped to his body.

A violent explosion erupted, kicking up thick clouds of smoke. Everyone, whether in the Stark Industries building or in buildings further away, heard the tremendous blast.

For a moment, people in various buildings looked towards the source of the sound, seemingly trying to ascertain what had happened.

The explosion finally convinced the security guards that Obadiah was telling the truth and that these people were indeed terrorists.

Immediately, the security guards raised their guns and opened fire. The quality of these ex-servicemen was undeniable. With several guards firing in unison, the terrorist who was still running towards them was instantly riddled with bullets.

Before dying, this terrorist also detonated the bomb he was carrying, and another mushroom cloud rose into the air, though it didn't injure anyone.

With a few guards left to handle the scene, Obadiah, still shaken, quickly turned and left. He absolutely did not dare to expose himself to public view at this moment. Who could guarantee that another terrorist with a bomb wouldn't emerge from the shadows?

He couldn't stay here any longer. Obadiah immediately went to the weapons production department. After having the Iron Man Armor assembled, he personally installed the Arc Reactor that he had taken from Tony Stark's chest.

Without letting anyone else try to pilot it, Obadiah climbed inside. The Iron Man Armor was massive, and the internal space was ample, providing plenty of room for Obadiah to move around.

Moreover, the display system inside the Iron Man Armor wasn't filled with the high-tech aesthetic that Tony preferred. Instead, it had a strong vintage feel, reminiscent of fighter jets from the last century.

This was something Obadiah had specifically requested the researchers to modify. Because Obadiah had piloted the most advanced fighter jets of that era for a period in the past, he felt that this type of cockpit display would allow him to adapt and operate the armor more quickly.

The chaos caused by the terrorists detonating their bombs finally gave Pepper an opportunity to slip out of the Stark Industries building.

The first thing Pepper did upon escaping Stark Industries was not to contact Tony. Instead, she reached out to Agent Coulson, whom she had met once before. Coulson had told her that if Tony ever got into trouble, she should contact him first, and he would help Tony resolve any issues. (This was the benefit of her father knowing a big shot in S.H.I.E.L.D.)

It wasn't that Pepper had any ulterior motives. Rather, in her opinion, compared to the playboy Tony Stark, Agent Coulson, with his suit and tie and professional demeanor, was clearly more trustworthy. She believed that under Coulson's protection, Tony would surely be safe.

After ending her call with Coulson, as Pepper tried to contact Tony, she was met with a long, dead dial tone. This sent a shiver down her spine, as Pepper felt that Tony was likely in grave danger.