This is a Trap

After Luo Xia transmigrated, he had once considered whether he would have any significant impact on the plot. Until just yesterday, Luo Xia discovered that his only influence was that Tony had not hammered out his Mark I in that mountain cave.

Without this prototype, Obadiah Stane's knock-off armor should not have been so easy to create.

But, that was all.

Tony remained in a state of sudden enlightenment, having halted Stark Industries' weapons production and burying himself head-first into the development of the Iron Armor.

And Obadiah Stane remained just as resentful, planning to continue stirring up trouble.

Regarding Tony's security measures, Luo Xia had already felt a sense of despair the moment Obadiah Stane produced the Pulse Pistol.

Regardless of when Tony's Iron Armor took shape, as long as Obadiah Stane continued to play the role of his "uncle" before that point, getting his hands on partial data to create a knock-off would be no problem at all.

The only difficulty, perhaps, was the Arc Reactor.

Therefore, Luo Xia had always felt that the plot of Iron Man 1 hadn't been changed much by him; instead, the inertia of history made Luo Xia feel that this world was "tough" enough to let him "toss and turn" at his own pace.

But when he heard Norman Osborn's deduction and learned that the AI Company had actually set its sights on Stark's orders, Luo Xia realized that in places unknown to him, significant changes had already been slowly taking place.

The Extremis Virus only appeared in Iron Man 3; even if this AI Company had been operating for a long time, it should have remained in a very low-profile state.

It wasn't until after the Chitauri invasion that Dr. Killian came out to cause trouble, planning to cooperate with Stark Industries on weapons products through Pepper.

If the kidnapping incident was a real plot point that didn't appear in the movie, it would be impossible for the AI Company to remain hidden for so long after causing such a massive problem before finally appearing in Iron Man 3. They should have been exposed by companies like Osborn and Hammer long ago—how else could they have created a fake Mandarin to confuse the public?

Now that this grudge existed, it was impossible for Osborn and Hammer not to go all-out against the AI Company. In a world where capital ruled everything like the United States, it wasn't hard to fool the President, but fooling a super-conglomerate like Osborn was no ordinary feat.

Therefore, this kidnapping was highly likely a chain reaction triggered by Luo Xia's appearance.

Of course, this was just Luo Xia's speculation, and he had no actual evidence for the time being. But this was enough to serve as a reminder: never assume he could remain a prophet forever.

If he followed the plot, he might be killed by this butterfly effect at any moment.

I must master my own power as soon as possible, Luo Xia reminded himself.

This power was not just combat strength. Admittedly, the energy of the AllSpark was formidable and could create many powerful mechanical creations. But to truly become a powerhouse, it wasn't just about being strong oneself.

In the Avengers, who lived the most comfortably? Without a doubt, it was Tony, followed by Thor. It wasn't just because they possessed great combat power; more importantly, one was a billionaire, and the other was the Crown Prince of Asgard.

With a business empire and a mythical kingdom as their backing, they could solve many problems with extreme ease. They wouldn't end up like Hulk, who, even if he could fight an army alone and punch his way through the world, was still hunted like a stray dog by General Ross.

If Dr. Banner possessed Tony's wealth, he could easily hire a top-tier legal team and use the media to cause trouble for the military; would General Ross still dare to chase him with tanks and helicopters?

Sometimes, beyond combat power, money was also a very powerful force. Especially in this country, having money really allowed one to do whatever they wanted.

Luo Xia didn't care much for personal luxury, but if he wanted to realize his grand ideal of grinding the Chitauri into the dirt and even leading humanity into the interstellar age, the utility of money was self-evident.

It was just that in this country, making money wasn't an easy task. Even though Luo Xia had decent products in his hands, making a profit was one thing, but becoming a billionaire like Tony was impossible for him to achieve alone.

"Ah, what a pity. If only I had a robot specialized in business. Maybe I should go to Wall Street and see; who knows, maybe activating the display for the stock index might have some miraculous effect," Luo Xia muttered.

However, this couldn't be rushed. There were still several years until the Chitauri invasion; he couldn't expect to become a fat man in one bite.

Just as he was comforting himself, Luo Xia's phone rang. He opened it to see that it was a call from Obadiah Stane.

Looking at the time, it was nearly eleven o'clock at night; he had no idea what this man wanted with him. Logically, the palladium had only been delivered half a day ago; Obadiah Stane couldn't possibly be forcing him to take a stance right now.

Luo Xia didn't intend to pretend he didn't hear it; Obadiah Stane didn't have many days left to jump around, so there was no need to be overly cautious.

The call connected, and before Luo Xia could speak, Obadiah Stane spoke first: "Luo Xia, what are your thoughts on the cooperation I mentioned to you?"

Such impatience was not the mark of a successful businessman. In business negotiations, if you let someone see your emotions and know what you desperately need, you will absolutely be in a passive position.

As the CEO of Stark Industries, Obadiah Stane shouldn't be acting like this.

With a hint of curiosity, Luo Xia probed: "Mr. Stane, what kind of cooperation do you need? The kind where I provide the technology and you give me money? Is it a per-transaction deal, or do you want to hire me for a long-term, high-paying position?"

"No, no, no. I've thought about it, and neither of those methods is appropriate. I have another suggestion. How do you feel about becoming the boss of a company? A company like Stark Industries," Obadiah Stane said.

"Mr. Stane, you must be joking. Where in this world is there a second Stark Industries?" Luo Xia replied.

"There will be soon. Stark Industries was built on arms production, but now Tony has forgotten his roots and thrown away the most critical part of Stark Industries. I won't let him destroy the life's work of Howard and myself. Therefore, I will re-establish a company to take over the share of these military orders. And you, if you are willing to join, I can give you a certain amount of shares—even more than fifty-one percent," Obadiah Stane said.

Hearing this, Luo Xia could swear that if Obadiah Stane wasn't trying to trap him, he would eat his old enlistment papers.