Tony Stark

"Hey," Tony Stark caught up unexpectedly. "Kid... Okay, Mr. Zod!" The sharp-tongued Iron Man raised his hands. "Your, I mean your partner, your partner is truly eye-opening..."

He looked at the Smart Terminal, about 20 centimeters in diameter, adorning the Kryptonian's shoulder, and said, "I wonder which is more advanced, yours or my J.A.R.V.I.S... Uh, I mean, Mr. Zod, the stealth coating technology and advanced propulsion you provided are indeed decades ahead of ours on Earth, but..."

Iron Man said confidently, "I don't think this is all you have up your sleeve. Listen, Stark Industries is the most famous military contractor in the industry. I've shut it down, I mean, in terms of energy application and development capabilities, Stark Industries can provide everything you need. I wonder if there's a chance for cooperation? Mr. Zod..."

Aeo smiled.

He felt that as the CEO of a super-corporation worth hundreds of billions, with industries spanning finance, technology, military, and metals, Tony Stark couldn't possibly be as useless as portrayed in movies, aside from being a womanizer, sharp-tongued, and arrogant. Well, he was still a genius in the movies.

As a successful businessman, when Aeo deliberately revealed a series of Kryptonian technologies to gain S.H.I.E.L.D.'s support, Stark immediately realized how immense the value contained within Aeo, a cosmic wanderer, was. Just a tiny bit revealed was enough for Earth to digest for some time.

Therefore, our Iron Man, disregarding his worries about the alien visitor, decisively cast his vote of approval. This led to Aeo looking at the series of identification documents and smiling as described above.

In this regard, Aeo was quite grateful to Tony, so when he proposed the intention of 'cooperation,' he agreed without hesitation.

"We will, Mr. Stark. The Empire welcomes all friendly allies," he said meaningfully.

Iron Man looked at Batman, then at the young man before him, and hesitantly nodded, high-fiving him. "Then it's settled!"

Aeo, who had been watching the entire time, finally showed a slight change in expression. "Okay, since you two have settled your 'business,' can we go now?" he said to Aeo.

Aeo shrugged.

"I mean," Tony hesitated for a moment, then made an unexpected invitation, "Since you two are here in Washington D.C., Bruce, would you be interested in watching a play with me? A farce..."

Bruce and Aeo exchanged glances.

"No..." Although surprised by his 'old friend's' warm invitation, after a moment of stunned silence, Bruce refused without hesitation.

"Uh, what farce are you talking about?" Aeo interrupted him first, "Here?"

Bruce had to swallow his words and looked coldly at the other playboy, his rival. "What do you want now, Tony?"

Stark, having settled matters, returned to his usual style, coolly putting on his sunglasses and saying arrogantly, "Just follow me!"

A red Bugatti supercar stopped in front of the three of them.

"Okay, but there are three of us, and this car..." Aeo's interest was piqued. He looked at Bruce.

Seeing that the situation was irreversible, Bruce could only sigh slightly and pull out a device. "No need to worry about it!" A white Maybach stopped in front of him.

"See, human technology still has its merits," Stark shrugged.

Damn it, rich people are so willful...

And so, the three superheroes swaggered out of the Trident headquarters, chatting and laughing.

Nick Fury and Melinda watched this with grim expressions. "Sir, are we just going to let them leave like this?" Agent Melinda asked.

The one-eyed man gritted his teeth. "What else can we do? That guy," he pointed at Aeo Zod, "has successfully exploited the superheroes' distrust and concerns about us. If we suppress them by force, we will inevitably face strong resistance, which may not be a good thing for S.H.I.E.L.D., or for us!"

"Besides," he said, looking at the white USB in his hand with a complex expression, "He's not wrong. We really need the technology he has..."

"You mean..." Agent Melinda gasped.

Director Fury clenched his fist, his single eye shining brightly. "Give the order, Project 'Sky' is officially launched! We need to be prepared before things develop for the worse..."

"Prepare for war!"

They traveled quickly, and Aeo and the others arrived at Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.

With the endorsement of the renowned Stark Industries' leader and Gotham City's most powerful financial magnate, Aeo easily entered one of the core areas of this great American empire.

Along the way, Aeo's casual attire (everyone else was in suits or uniforms, so the reborn individual in ordinary clothes was naturally categorized as improperly dressed) attracted countless curious and scrutinizing glances. However, Aeo, who vaguely sensed the truth of the matter, paid no mind to the stares of these bored individuals. He followed Stark and Bruce Wayne into a press conference hall in Capitol Building with a half-smile.

"Click."

Stark, who pushed the door open, flamboyantly blew kisses and waved to the numerous media outlets, influential figures, and representatives present.

"Sorry, traffic was bad, I'm a little late. Did I miss anything? Hey, isn't that Mr. Norman from the Osborn Group? What are you doing here? Sightseeing in Washington? Hmm, unique taste..."

"Look, look who I found? Dr. Hank Pym? You've always been my idol in science and business. I thought you were dead... Sorry."

"Uh, General Colton, what are you doing here? Aren't you retired? At least, that's what the Pentagon says..."

"Hey, Justin!" Seeing Iron Man flamboyantly exposing some of the known and unknown big shots and representatives from the world's many dangerous forces, Aeo's heart was filled with turmoil. He knew this world wasn't that simple...

"How come I didn't know Hammer Industries was qualified to enter this hall? Just kidding." Iron Man, whose trash-talking skills were comparable to Spider-Man and Deadpool. "Welcome!"

"..."

Aeo almost couldn't help but feel sorry for the minor boss, the backer of Whiplash in Iron Man 2, Justin Hammer, who was thoroughly humiliated by Stark. Knowing that Tony had a big mouth and dared to provoke anyone, and yet he delivered himself to be scolded, was truly... Should I call you brainless? Or lacking in intelligence, making a rash decision?

Others had clearly heard of Stark's big mouth long ago, so whether it was the Green Goblin or Ant-Man, they all smiled indifferently. What they cared about was...

"Isn't that Bruce Wayne? The heir to Wayne Enterprises in Gotham City..."

"That's right! What's he doing here?"

"A descendant of an old friend! This is truly a joyous occasion..."

"Dr. Pym, I didn't know you had a past with the Wayne family..."

"That was a long time ago, Mr. Norman! However, that's not why we're here today, is it?"

"You're right!"

"...Bruce Wayne! Huh, who's that kid behind him?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, it seems today's show is getting more and more exciting..."