The Mastermind

"Obadiah Stane..." Potts whispered the name. Obadiah was one of the founding members of Stark Industries and a close friend and business partner of Howard during his lifetime.

After Howard's death, Obadiah mentored the young Tony, helping Stark Industries flourish.

On the surface, Tony was the CEO of Stark Industries, but in reality, he was a hands-off boss. He spent his days drinking and having fun, rarely visiting the company, leaving Obadiah to manage and maintain the company's operations himself.

Of course, Tony was incredibly brilliant; he personally participated in the manufacturing of many of Stark Industries' weapons, such as the Jericho Missile that had nearly cost him his life.

This made Obadiah extremely jealous, for with Tony around, no one noticed his existence, and no one cared about his contributions. He would forever live in Tony's shadow.

Potts hurriedly copied the files onto Tony's decryption chip. Just then, someone coughed outside the door, and she was startled—it was none other than Obadiah Stane!

"You know, I watched Tony grow up," Obadiah said, holding an empty glass.

Potts' expression stiffened, her breathing heavy with tension. The file copy was still in progress, and various data and images flashed rapidly across the screen.

If Obadiah walked over, she would be discovered!

"I'm relieved he was able to escape the jaws of death this time." Obadiah poured himself a drink and walked toward Potts. Just as he reached the computer, the copy finished, and only a scrolling screensaver remained on the screen.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Potts hurried away with the USB drive. Obadiah walked to the computer and pulled up his documents, only to find that the data inside had vanished.

You have to wonder about Potts—why did she choose to cut the files instead of just copying them?

Last night, after seeing news reports on television about a mid-air training crash and the unrest in Afghanistan, Obadiah began to suspect it had something to do with Tony.

He rushed to Afghanistan overnight, eliminated the terrorists he had been working with, and prepared to start building his Iron Armor.

Today, it suddenly occurred to him that the Iron Armor and some important files were still on the office mainframe, and he wanted to delete them. He hadn't expected Potts to be sitting in the office.

The moment he entered, Obadiah sensed something was wrong. When Potts saw him, she looked as if she had seen a ghost; her expression was rigid, and her eyes kept darting toward the computer screen. Now that the data was gone, it was clear his conspiracy had been exposed.

Obadiah's face turned incredibly grim. His secrets could not be known; this woman had to die!

Two men sat on the waiting chairs in the lobby of Stark Industries. They were dressed in suits; one sat with his legs crossed, looking quite relaxed, while the other sat bolt upright, eyes darting around as if searching for someone.

"William, we've been waiting here for three days," Coulson said helplessly. "Will Ms. Potts really come?"

William straightened his brand-new suit and smiled. "Agent Coulson, be patient."

The suit he was wearing now was no longer borrowed from other agents; it had been custom-made by S.H.I.E.L.D., complete with a S.H.I.E.L.D. pin on the lapel.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man. Today, he had styled his blonde hair with mousse into a slicked-back look, and with a pair of black sunglasses, he actually looked a bit like an agent.

William remembered the plot of the movie: Obadiah's mysterious conspiracy was gradually surfacing, and all they lacked was concrete evidence. That evidence was hidden in the computer in Tony's office. Now, they just had to wait for Potts to deliver it herself.

However, William didn't know exactly which day it would happen, as the movie hadn't made it clear. With no other choice, he and Coulson could only wait for the rabbit to hit the tree, waiting for Potts to appear.

A flurry of footsteps echoed from the stairs nearby—the sound of high heels. William looked up to see a blonde beauty in a black dress walking down with a nervous expression. Coulson saw her too and immediately stood up.

"Ms. Potts, I'm Agent Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D. Do you remember me?"

To his surprise, Potts grabbed his arm as if it were a lifeline. "Yes, come with me quickly! I have something to tell you. Let's go to your office—it's something you'll never forget!"

Coulson was instantly bewildered. Potts' expression looked as if a monster were chasing her. He quickly looked back and saw the burly Obadiah standing on the second floor, staring at them coldly.

Just then, William, who had been sitting in the chair, stood up. He turned around, made a finger-gun gesture, and a faint smile played on his lips. "Pew!"

"Old fox, we'll meet again."

The panicked Potts didn't regain her composure until she was in the car. She pulled out the decryption chip and said urgently, "Obadiah Stane has lost his mind! He hired people to kidnap Tony; he wants Tony dead. This is the evidence of his crimes. Aren't you S.H.I.E.L.D.? Send someone to arrest him!"

"Don't worry, ma'am. Take a deep breath and relax," William comforted her. Coulson inserted the decryption chip into the computer, and immediately, various data and files appeared, including the video of Tony's kidnapping and a plan for a giant iron robot.

"Section 16 Project," William said in a low voice. "Once something like this is built, it will be extremely dangerous. However, Obadiah shouldn't be as smart as Tony. He certainly couldn't build the core to power the armor on his own."

"According to our investigation, Stark Industries has many brilliant engineers," Coulson noted. "He might have already successfully developed the core."

"That's one possibility," William smiled, guiding him along. "If that Obadiah can't successfully develop the energy core, and he still wants to activate his armor, what would he do?"

Coulson froze for a moment, and a moment later, he reached a terrifying conclusion. "Steal it! He might steal the core from Tony's chest and kill him to silence him!"

"Hmm, you're quite smart yourself," William patted him on the shoulder.

Potts had heard the entire conversation. She didn't understand everything, but she understood that Tony was in danger. If Obadiah really intended to steal Tony's core, he would likely die.

No! She had to warn him!

"Tony, are you listening?" Potts hurriedly dialed Tony's number. To her surprise, the moment she spoke, he hung up. When she tried to call again, the line wouldn't connect at all.

Anxious, Potts quickly called Tony's good friend Rhodey, asking him to check if something had happened to Tony. Coulson also immediately reported to his superiors; S.H.I.E.L.D. would send agents to protect Tony.

"It seems Obadiah has already made his move," William knew a great battle was about to break out. "Ms. Potts, do you know where that Section 16 is located?"