Return

In early August, Zhang Shuren, having completed his first semester, abandoned his original plan to go home for summer break.

On one hand, the Benevolence Society had entered a critical phase of development, requiring his professional expertise to coordinate many specialized matters.

On the other hand, Zhang had genuinely fallen in love with this work—it aligned perfectly with his field of study.

His advisor was even considering sending graduate students for internships and planning to launch a new environmental organization research model based on the Benevolence Society next semester.

If the project went smoothly, the lab could obtain firsthand real-world data, while the Benevolence Society could quickly address its shortcomings and gain full academic support.

Environmental science is a comprehensive field, drawing on geography, physics, chemistry, biology, economics, law, and social sciences.

Zhang himself, for instance, focused on sustainable development—an area where the country was most lacking. Beyond his core research, he had also taken elective courses in management, economics, and even policy analysis and formulation.

When Oaks first returned, he earned another wave of admiration from the true academic powerhouse Zhang—Stark Industries' stock had been sold off at nearly its peak just before Oaks left.

But ever since Tony was kidnapped, it had been in steady decline. By the time he returned in May and announced the closure of the weapons division, it had taken a nosedive, and now it had been falling intermittently for over three months.

This time, as soon as Oaks was back and had assessed the situation, he told Zhang to start raising funds—because this winter, Stark Industries' stock was about to mount a comeback.

Over the past six months, the Benevolence Society had operated a monopoly. The miraculous Drink Acorn had captured the entire New York market.

Their public welfare efforts had accelerated New York's greening plan by over 30%, drawing massive media and public attention and praise.

Stark Industries noticed this trend. To offset the negative impact of Tony's decision, they ramped up promotion of the environmental Foundation Tony funded and the Benevolence Society's charitable work.

This move was their way of sidestepping their own troubles while drawing even more public attention to the fledgling Benevolence Society.

Meanwhile, with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tacit approval, various departments quickly issued inspection reports, certifying Drink Acorn as a "true green food"—a perfect fusion of biotechnology and environmental philosophy.

It was entirely composed of organic matter. The Benevolence Society even had a recycling program for the shells, hauling them back to Little Rainforest, where they were processed by the highly efficient degrading moss Oaks had developed and used as fertilizer, causing zero environmental pollution.

So, despite running a nonprofit, they were far from short on funds—in fact, they had made a tidy profit.

After Oaks returned, it took him less than a month to funnel all the recovered capital into buying Stark Industries stock at its historic low.

Though it was a drop in the bucket compared to Stark Industries' troubles, his support undoubtedly earned him the board's praise and increased backing.

Melinda seemed to have used her work with the Benevolence Society to steady her mood. As a liaison, she was now practically a full-fledged employee of the organization...

Oaks had just finalized the Benevolence Society's next development plan when a haggard Tony showed up at his door.

Obsessed with his armor research, Tony had only finished a key model before Jarvis reminded him that Oaks was back and had invested in Stark Industries.

"Hey, buddy, this is really important—you've got to help me!"

As soon as he walked in, Tony threw himself onto the sofa, rubbed his face with both hands, and then flashed a barely concealed sneer:

"Ha! The best hospital, and they can't even cure him—it's ridiculous. I have to just let those idiot doctors treat my savior like a specimen in a display case, poking and prodding him without ever waking him up!

Oaks, I can't crack your tech, and those morons sure can't either—Yinsen was already dying, so I crushed the acorn to save him, but it was too late.

I dragged him through the desert for two days before we were rescued, and by then, Yinsen's condition had worsened again!"

He lifted his head, eyes bloodshot, like a cornered beast going all in:

"Buddy, without him, I was ready to give up on my own life... You have to save him!"

"...How long has it been since you slept?"

Oaks frowned and tossed Tony another Acorn Bracelet:

"In this state, by the time your savior wakes up, you'll already be losing your mind.

Put it on, get some sleep. When you wake up, you can drive me to see him yourself."

"...Thanks."

Tony let out a long, relieved sigh, took the bracelet, and slipped it on. Instantly, his whole body relaxed, and he fell asleep right there on the sofa.

"This guy..."

Oaks shrugged helplessly, had someone fetch a blanket to cover him, then closed the door.

Tony had come alone, without bringing anyone. Now, he was a target at Stark Industries—even Pepper didn't fully understand his choices, though she still trusted him as always.

The Acorn Bracelet was Oaks' small attempt to meddle with fate. And as he had expected, Dr. Yinsen had survived, but though he was out of immediate danger, he still hadn't regained consciousness.

So, the efforts of the past six months finally had their first test subject.

Tony probably hadn't finished the Mark II Armor yet, but he had already told Obadiah about the miniature reactor. That meant...

"As the only person besides Tony who might know about the miniature Arc Reactor technology—even if only part of it—Dr. Yinsen has become a hot commodity."

The U.S. military didn't yet know about the miniature Arc Reactor, but they were already deeply unhappy with Tony's decision to shut down the weapons division—Colonel Rhodes included.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was also in the dark about the details of Tony's escape. Coulson had tried to approach Tony but clearly hadn't found an opening yet, though he had apparently come to the Benevolence Society looking for Melinda.

But Obadiah should know all of this.

That meant, if Dr. Yinsen woke up, once Tony revealed the power of the armor, one of its core technologies—the miniature Arc Reactor—would inevitably make all three parties target Dr. Yinsen.

This was something Tony hadn't even considered yet.

"Looks like I need to sort out Dr. Yinsen's situation before Tony lets the cat out of the bag."

When Tony woke up, refreshed and clear-headed, he found S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Coulson waiting for him—having rushed over after learning Tony was at the Benevolence Society.

"Mr. Stark, I'm Melinda's colleague, Coulson."

As an excellent field agent, Coulson seemed to have no shame in using the connections of "desk" agent Melinda to get the job done.

"Colleagues? S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Tony's mind was now razor-sharp. He touched the bracelet on his wrist and looked Coulson up and down.

"I don't want to talk about how I escaped right now."

"But as for what you're trying to do, I can offer some help."

Coulson glanced at Oaks beside him, who gave Tony a slight nod. Tony spread his hands.

"Alright, follow me."