Obadiah Stane's Invitation

Obadiah Stane toyed with the Pulse Pistol as he said to Luo Xia, "You're a smart man, Mr. Luo. You should understand what I mean. To Tony, your design is just a toy. To us, however, it's an excellent product that could bring in a great deal of profit."

Luo Xia didn't answer. Since Obadiah Stane had come to him with the Pulse Pistol, he must have already figured out that Luo Xia had made it. Whether Tony had let something slip or Stane had pieced it together from the clues, the fact that he was standing here meant he was confident enough in his conclusion.

If that was the case, denying it would be pointless.

"Mr. Stane thinks very highly of me. I don't see how this little gadget could mean much to Stark Industries," Luo Xia said, testing the waters.

"No, no. You're selling yourself short, and you think too highly of Tony. In my opinion, your inventions are nearly as good as his. And compared to Tony, I think Mr. Luo and I would have more in common," Obadiah Stane said confidently.

"What makes you say that?" Luo Xia asked.

"Do you know how I figured out that you designed this pistol?"

Without waiting for Luo Xia to answer, Obadiah Stane explained, "I noticed Tony taking the pistol apart to study it. If he had invented it in the cave, he wouldn't have needed to do that. He would've simply made an upgraded version with better materials. I know Tony. That's exactly what he would have done.

"So I concluded that Tony hadn't invented this pistol. Then who had? Clearly, of the people who survived in that cave, you were the most likely, Luo Xia.

"But that's not the point. The point is, after Tony studied your pistol, he started developing new weapons of his own based on its technology. He tossed your masterpiece aside, which is why it was so easy for me to get my hands on it. Do you understand what I mean now?"

Obadiah Stane spoke with great sincerity.

"Not really. Tony's a brilliant scientist. He'll always come up with unique weapons, so it's only natural that he wouldn't care about my invention," Luo Xia said with a shrug.

"You're right. Tony won't care about your invention, because he can always make something better. But he never stops to think that his better, more advanced weapons require more precise standards and cost far more to make. Mass production is out of the question.

"What you need for a weapon you can sell is something cheap, plentiful, and reliable. That's what makes a good product. Tony and his father, Howard, are both geniuses, but they're amateurs when it comes to business. I don't need some cutting-edge design. I just need something like this pistol—or even a simpler design. Luo Xia, we could make a lot of money. More than all of Stark Industries, even," Obadiah Stane said enticingly.

Only then did Luo Xia realize that Obadiah Stane was trying to poach him to design weapons.

Luo Xia was about to refuse, but then he thought about it. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

Obadiah Stane was Stark Industries' chief executive officer. Aside from Tony, he was also the company's largest shareholder. He had nearly as many resources at his disposal as Tony. The reason he wanted Tony dead was that Tony was constantly making a mess of the company.

That was probably a common affliction among super-geniuses. They liked to tinker with things that seemed impressive but had almost no practical applications. Tony wasted vast sums of Stark Industries' research and development budget that way. It wasn't that he couldn't invent something profitable; he simply couldn't be bothered.

He considered such inventions beneath him and dismissed them as lacking style.

Obadiah Stane had thought it over for a long time before deciding to kill Tony. It was less about seizing Tony's shares and more that he'd grown sick of Tony's reckless antics.

But after the assassination attempt failed, Obadiah Stane set his sights on Luo Xia. He figured Luo Xia might not be as smart as Tony, but he was far better than the researchers on Stane's payroll. And he didn't seem as frivolous as Tony, either.

If he could work with Luo Xia, Obadiah Stane could simply let Tony do whatever he wanted with Stark Industries.

He had already begun secretly siphoning off funds and planned to use his connections to start a new arms company, taking all the contracts Stark Industries left behind. Tony didn't want to make weapons anymore. After all the trouble he'd caused, Obadiah Stane had no reason to go easy on him.

If Luo Xia chose to work with him, he could gain access to a wealth of resources, at least in the short term. Unlike Tony, Obadiah Stane was a businessman who valued fair exchange. Luo Xia and Tony were more like friends, sharing technical ideas and inspiration, which made it awkward for Luo Xia to ask Tony for various resources.

He wouldn't have that problem with Obadiah Stane.

But after thinking it over, Luo Xia still refused. "Sorry, I'm not going to work with you. Not for now."

"I need a reason." Obadiah Stane's expression darkened.

"I can give you two. First, I'm not short on money. Second, I've never liked doing business with someone who threatens me," Luo Xia said calmly.

Actually, Luo Xia had another reason. Obadiah Stane's attempted assassination of Tony would come to light soon. If he worked with Stane now, the deal would fall apart in a few days. There was no point.

The metal bracelet hidden in Luo Xia's sleeve had begun to glow. It could assemble into the Sensor Glove at any moment.

If Obadiah Stane dared to have his men in black suits attack at this distance, Luo Xia would show him what it meant to be outnumbered by a nation within ten paces.

But Obadiah Stane seemed more composed than Luo Xia had expected. He didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "I forgot about that. Business requires sincerity. I'll show you mine."

"Do whatever you like," Luo Xia said indifferently. "But I don't think you have anything that could sway me."

"You'll see. But if I've shown you enough sincerity and you still refuse to work with me, then I'll make sure you understand how arms dealers differ from other businessmen," Obadiah Stane warned.

"I'll look forward to it," Luo Xia said. Then, without a care, he parted the crowd and walked out, as if he had no fear that Obadiah Stane might turn on him then and there.

Whatever sugar-coated bullets Obadiah Stane tried to tempt him with, Luo Xia had decided: he'd eat the sweet coating and throw the bullets right back.