Distrust

"Pepper, pour our guest a drink, the one from my collection." Tony Stark dismissed Pepper Potts, casually tapping the air, and a virtual screen appeared in front of him, listing various information about Wei Xiuming.

"This is information gathered by Obadiah, the Worms in disguise, through corporate espionage. I don't understand why you treat him as an enemy. Kent Clark, a genius, an extremely disciplined genius, in some ways I am ashamed of myself... except in some ways he is full of wicked humor."

The young master still remembers the cold sweat that broke out when he woke up after falling into a coma, his mind still foggy, upon hearing Wei Xiuming say, "The sex reassignment surgery was a success."

"There's no need to look at this information. It was deliberately leaked. Although the content is all true, it's very one-sided. Looking at only this part will only be misleading."

Nick Fury stated, "I listed Kent Clark as a dangerous individual because he was too mysterious. His background and identity were entirely his own words, and while his claims could be verified through limited means, that itself speaks volumes."

"Furthermore, he possesses too much intelligence but refuses to reveal it. On the surface, he appears to be on our side, and his mental model has been fully formed. Through his detailed behavior, I can grasp his general psychological activities. However, recently his thinking has exceeded the scope of that mental model, indicating that his initial appearance was a facade."

"Why did you come to me? Is it because I'm the only one who can rival him in terms of intelligence?" Tony Stark said jokingly. Through Pepper Potts's account of what happened during his coma over the past few days, he roughly understood that his company hadn't been divided up by other shareholders because S.H.I.E.L.D.. had mediated between the various forces. That's why he was so patiently chatting with Black Eggplant here.

Nick Fury said, "The world is bigger than you think, and what you know is just the tip of the iceberg—but among the people I can trust, you're the only one with that ability."

The advancement of science is making the world's development increasingly uncontrollable. A down-on-his-luck scientist holed up in a basement or abandoned warehouse, using experimental equipment from a high school science class, could potentially cause a devastating disaster.

The most dangerous one among them is Wei Xiuming. He is not only rich and powerful but also technologically advanced. Compared to other scientists who conduct research with a specific purpose, Wei Xiuming has access to advanced intelligence, making it impossible to grasp his thoughts. Even though he always stands on the side of justice and the two sides seem to cooperate seamlessly on the surface, Black Eggplant has never let down his guard against him.

Even with the body tissue samples provided by Wei Xiuming, Black Eggplant attempted to clone his replicants in order to study their specific gene sequences. However, without exception, all the experiments failed, and all that was cultivated were twisted and grotesque chunks of flesh. Even many well-informed researchers were terrified, and the project was eventually abandoned.

The only problem is finding someone to use as a means to control Wei Xiuming. Black Eggplant hasn't found a good target yet. Bruce. Dr. Banner is a good candidate, but he has already disappeared. Hulk is also an unstable factor. Then there's Tony Stark. The information provided by Coulson in the parallel world is deviating more and more from his own world. For example, the next president in that world is white, while the candidate with the highest vote rate in his own world is black.

Tony Stark is the same. Although they are both geniuses, the young master of that world has an extremely high sense of the big picture. Although he is occasionally a troublemaker and a bit of a rascal, he is a very reliable person at crucial moments. Pushing a mushroom bomb into a portal is not something that ordinary people can do.

As for the man in front of him... Nick Fury didn't really trust him. Without the life-and-death experience in the Imperial Graveyard described in the materials, the young master was still a playboy at heart and not someone who could be called Iron Man.

Even the name "Iron Man" didn't appear.

Black Eggplant's visit to Tony Stark today was purely impromptu. Wei Xiuming's displayed power had exceeded his expectations. Black Eggplant had initially been skeptical of Wei Xiuming's claim that he came to this era as a warrior, but today's events shattered that notion. Furthermore, Wei Xiuming's attitude towards that country across the ocean surprised him. Was this usually inscrutable guy genuinely angry because of United States's own self-destructive actions?

Nick Fury recalled a joke he had made years ago: that in the future, communism might have already been realized, and that Wei Xiuming had been sent to accelerate this process. This thought had only flashed through Black Eggplant's mind for a moment back then, but now he had dug it up from the depths of his memory.

If he hadn't witnessed Captain Marvel single-handedly taking on an entire fleet, and the legendary gods of the future, he would have been astonished by that power. But those were all distant beings; what was truly needed now was someone whose wisdom and abilities could rival Wei Xiuming's. Out of trust in Howard Stark, Tony Stark became Black Eggplant's choice.

At least Tony Stark's background is traceable, and his capitalist stance wouldn't allow him to do anything treacherous.

"I will send your father's belongings and detailed information about Kent Clark together. This includes information about your upgraded Arc Reactor and S. H. I. E. L. D., the S.H.I.E.L.D. into." Nick Fury: "Son of Howard, don't let me down."

After saying that, Black Eggplant hurriedly left again.

As the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.., he has a lot of work to do every day. After cleaning up Hydra within the organization, his tasks have become even heavier, such as the addition of routine inquiries with the World Security Council.

After he left, Pepper Potts came over with two glasses of wine. "What were you talking about?"

Tony Stark took the glass from her and said, "Nothing much, just some discussions about world security... I'm planning to hold another press conference in a couple of days."

"My God! Do you know how much the company's stock price dropped after your last press conference?" Pepper Potts was a little frantic. As Tony Stark's assistant, she was basically in charge of running the company. Compared to the young master who couldn't even remember his social security number, she had much more to worry about.

"Don't say that! You have to have faith in me. I'm Tony Stark!" The young master chuckled and took a sip of his drink. "Iron Man, what do you think of that title?"

"Tony, what are you up to now!" Pepper Potts, whose train of thought had already stalled, took a swig of her drink in frustration—it truly lived up to Tony's reputation for quality, the taste was really good.

"At the press conference, I will appear in my Iron Man suit and begin with the line, 'I am Iron Man.'"

Tony Stark responded to Pepper Potts with a smile, then glanced at Wei Xiuming wearing a gas mask on the virtual screen, and turned it off.