Tony in Crisis

With his life in danger, Obadiah could not think of any other solution for the moment. Calling the police and seeking their protection was clearly not a good idea, since his own record was far from clean. Even hiring elite mercenaries probably would not stop the Afghan terrorists who feared neither death nor destruction and carried bombs to take you down with them.

While Obadiah anxiously pondered how to face the coming storm, Tony also piloted his Iron Man Armor back from Afghanistan.

Tony had flown back and forth across most of the planet in a single day and was exceptionally exhausted. But afraid that his flash of inspiration might disappear, he hurried back to his laboratory, eager to bring his idea to life as soon as possible.

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

He had to find the person hiding within his own company. Otherwise, Tony would never sleep soundly again, not even in his dreams.

When Pepper arrived at Stark Tower carrying the USB drive Tony had given her, the irritated Obadiah had already gone to the weapons research department to ask how far the plan to duplicate the Iron Man Armor had progressed.

This time, Obadiah finally received the only good news: the duplication of the Iron Man Armor had been completed, and all the programs had been installed. They only needed to insert a power source before it could be activated.

Although the Iron Man Armor had already been duplicated, without a power source it was still nothing more than a heap of scrap metal. In his irritation, Obadiah suddenly thought of the Arc Reactor glowing white in Tony's chest. His gaze gradually turned cold, and no one knew what he was thinking.

The engineers also noticed that something was wrong with Obadiah. For a moment, no one dared make a sound, afraid of attracting his attention and bringing unnecessary trouble upon themselves.

After thinking for a while, Obadiah came back to his senses. Ignoring the engineers present, he walked toward his office. He had an idea and intended to return to consider carefully how to put it into practice.

When Obadiah returned to his office, he happened to see a woman sitting in his seat.

It was Pepper, Tony Stark's personal assistant. Obadiah was actually quite familiar with Pepper. After all, he was the one who spoke with her most of the time, while Tony only concerned himself with eating, drinking, and having fun.

Since everyone was close, Obadiah did not think much of it. He merely greeted Pepper from a distance.

The greeting startled Pepper. Seeing Obadiah smiling kindly as he greeted her, Pepper was frantic inside.

She had just seen the video of Obadiah communicating with the terrorists on the computer. She now knew that he was the one who had tried to bribe terrorists into ambushing and killing Tony.

Pepper had seen plenty of major situations before, so she returned to normal after only a brief moment of panic. In as calm a voice as possible, she said to Obadiah, "Tony has something to discuss with you. He asked me to notify you. When I saw that you hadn't returned, I waited here."

"Tony wants to see me..." Obadiah drawled. He did not know what Tony could want at a time like this. But he was still Tony's good uncle, after all, so he had to maintain the proper attitude.

Obadiah chuckled softly and said to Pepper, "All right, I understand. I'll go find him."

Pepper also gave an awkward laugh and was about to leave. Before going, however, she casually picked up the hat on the desk and said to Obadiah, "I haven't finished reading this newspaper. May I take it with me?"

Obadiah naturally paid no attention to such a detail. He merely waved his hand and let Pepper take it away.

The tense Pepper breathed a huge sigh of relief. The newspaper contained the evidence of Obadiah's crimes that she had copied.

Watching Pepper's back as she left, Obadiah stood dazed for a long time. He understood his good nephew less and less.

After a period of silence, Obadiah slowly walked to his chair, only to see the message on the screen indicating that the transfer had finished.

Obadiah understood immediately. He called the security department downstairs at once, trying to have them detain Pepper.

But Stark Industries had more than a thousand employees, and it was just after work. Catching someone who wanted to hide was easier said than done.

While the security personnel searched painstakingly for Pepper, she had already slipped into an unknown corner. The place was difficult to find, but it also had no signal at all, so Pepper could not contact anyone outside.

Pepper could only wait passively. Once the security department lowered its guard, she could leave and tell Tony Obadiah's true identity.

Before then, Pepper had no other choice.

When Obadiah discovered that Pepper had used his computer and copied something from it, he knew that his crimes were about to be exposed.

Obadiah had no time to hesitate. He immediately drove to Tony Stark's seaside villa, intending to take the Arc Reactor from Tony Stark's chest by force.

Once he had the Arc Reactor, Obadiah could power his Iron Man Armor. That would make him safer against the terrorists, and he could also have the Energy Department study the miniature Arc Reactor. Once it was replicated, he could make a fortune from the tiny reactor in the future. It truly served several purposes at once.

After an intense period of mental labor, Tony Stark had perfected the Iron Man Armor's design, but he was already extremely weak.

Tony was sprawled on the sofa resting. Obadiah also had authorization to enter the villa, so he walked inside and quietly approached Tony Stark as if nothing were wrong. Before Tony could react, he placed the Sonic Nerve Paralysis Device beside Tony's neck.

In an instant, Tony lost control of his body. The immense shock of the paralysis made him open his eyes wide, but he could not move a muscle.

Obadiah felt victory was already within reach and quietly stood before Tony. Looking into Tony's eyes, he said softly, "Tony, you know I watched you grow up. But you were never very obedient. I originally wanted to keep you around forever, but who can blame me when you discovered those things? Forget it. Let's end it here."

With that, Obadiah shook his head regretfully and prepared to remove the Arc Reactor from Tony Stark's chest.

After using tools to remove the Arc Reactor from Tony's chest, Obadiah looked at Tony, who was struggling to breathe, and showed a trace of reluctance. But for the sake of his own life, Obadiah still left cruelly.

Before leaving, Obadiah turned back and said, "Tony, I originally didn't want to send Pepper down to accompany you. But you dragged her into this, so what choice did I have? Don't worry. You won't leave this world alone."

Without sparing another glance at Tony, who lay on the sofa gasping for breath, Obadiah turned and left.

Obadiah knew Tony would not survive. The moment Tony had returned from the terrorists' base, he had gone to the hospital for a full examination, and Obadiah had seen the results.

The results showed that without the magnet in his chest holding the shrapnel back, it would soon slip into his heart. By then, Tony would die.

Obadiah intended to make Tony's death look like a sudden illness. That way, he could take over everything Tony owned more easily.

On the way back to the company, Obadiah received a call from the police. They told him that unknown assailants had attacked his mansion in the New York suburbs, causing a fire.

Obadiah had originally planned to return and assess his losses, but when he remembered the Ten Rings' recent warnings and the fact that he had just killed Tony Stark, he immediately changed his mind. After telling the police that he was not in New York, Obadiah drove back to Stark Tower.

The Ten Rings had already begun its operation. At the moment, Stark Tower might be the safest place. It held the Iron Man Armor he longed for, and with its protection, Obadiah felt he would fear no terrorist threat.

After Obadiah returned to Stark Tower, two men rushed out from the roadside before he had time to do anything else. They tore off their shirts as they charged toward him.

When he saw what was strapped to their chests, Obadiah was horrified. He sprinted toward Stark Tower like a madman, shouting for help as he ran.

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

As the US Military's designated weapons supplier, Stark Industries also bore corresponding responsibilities. Many veterans worked there, and the security department had been staffed with numerous retired soldiers.

Civilians were allowed to carry guns in the United States, so these guards were armed while on duty. They only carried pistols, but they were still highly intimidating.

The guards noticed Obadiah's cries and immediately drew their pistols and rushed over. The terrorists paid no attention and continued chasing Obadiah like madmen.

Obadiah did not dare stop. He sprinted forward and left the two terrorists far behind. As he ran, he shouted to the guards, "You! Shoot them and kill them! They're terrorists!"

But the guards did not dare fire casually. This was a society ruled by law, and anyone who fired a gun had to bear the corresponding legal responsibility. While the guards looked at one another, Obadiah reached them, snatched a pistol from one of them, turned around, and opened fire.

Obadiah's marksmanship was truly mediocre. After several shots, he failed to hit a single terrorist. However, his decisive gunfire frightened the terrorists. One of the terrorists in the rear suddenly detonated the bomb on his body.

A tremendous explosion sent thick smoke billowing into the air. Everyone inside Stark Tower and the buildings farther away heard the enormous blast.

For a time, people in the surrounding buildings all looked toward the site, apparently trying to see what had happened.

The explosion finally made the guards believe Obadiah. These people really were terrorists.

The guards immediately raised their weapons and opened fire. The veterans were no amateurs. Several guards fired together, instantly turning the terrorist running toward them into a bloody sieve.

Before dying, the terrorist detonated the bomb he was carrying. Another mushroom cloud rose, yet no one was injured.

Leaving several guards to deal with the scene, Obadiah quickly turned and left, still shaken. He did not dare expose himself in front of so many people. Who could guarantee that another terrorist carrying a bomb would not suddenly emerge from the shadows?

He could not stay there any longer. Obadiah immediately went to the weapons production department and ordered them to finish assembling the Iron Man Armor. Then he personally installed the Arc Reactor taken from Tony Stark's chest.

Without letting anyone else try piloting it, Obadiah climbed straight inside. The Iron Man Armor was enormous, and its interior was spacious enough that even Obadiah had plenty of room to move.

Moreover, the display system inside the Iron Man Armor lacked Tony's futuristic technological style. Instead, it had the heavy aesthetic of aircraft from the previous century.

Obadiah had specifically ordered the researchers to alter it. He had once spent some time piloting the most advanced fighter aircraft of that era, and he felt that this kind of display would help him adapt to and operate the armor more quickly.

The commotion caused by the terrorists detonating their bombs finally gave Pepper a chance to slip out of Stark Tower.

The moment she escaped Stark Tower, Pepper did not contact Tony first. Instead, she contacted Agent Coulson, whom she had met once before. Coulson had said that if Tony ever encountered trouble, she should contact him first, and he would help Tony resolve every problem. That was the benefit of her father knowing someone important in S.H.I.E.L.D.

It was not that Pepper had any other motive. In her eyes, compared with the playboy Tony Stark, Agent Coulson—dressed in a suit and appearing highly professional—was clearly more trustworthy. She believed Tony would be safe under Coulson's protection.

After ending the call with Coulson, Pepper tried to contact Tony, only to hear a long, unbroken tone. This terrified Pepper, because she felt that Tony was probably already in grave danger.