Xiang Qian and Tony Stark were having a video call. In 2010, communications infrastructure could barely support real-time video calls across oceans, but that was no problem at all for the deep-pocketed Tony Stark.
This was a private satellite communications frequency reserved exclusively for Tony Stark, with only a handful of people allowed to use it.
Xiang Qian had routed the call to his computer. His shoulder was hurting, and he couldn't be bothered to hold up a phone.
"Yeah, Tony, you were a huge help, but they didn't even mention me at your press conference." On the screen, Tony Stark was wearing nothing but a bathrobe and holding a glass of wine. His face was exhausted and haggard, the aftermath of a night of debauchery.
Xiang Qian rubbed his shoulder, wincing in pain. "Press conference? What press conference?"
"The Tajikistan military's press conference." Tony adopted the tone of a news spokesperson. "The joint operation was a great success. Large numbers of key members of the terrorist group were eliminated, and peace has been restored to the mountainous border region... Blah, blah, blah—they took all the credit for themselves."
"What's so unusual about that?" Xiang Qian rolled his arm. He thought he'd strained a shoulder muscle, and might even have a small fracture.
Tony was visibly drunk, grumbling so much that Xiang Qian could almost smell the alcohol on his breath through the screen. "They're shameless! They didn't mention my satellite, or your fighting skills and magic... What happened to your shoulder?"
"Nothing. You can think of it as the result of a failed lesson in family values... You already know about it, so did that satellite record the battlefield?"
Tony, bleary with drink, didn't dwell on the "lesson in family values." He said smugly, "Of course. You have to understand, scientists are always curious."
"I understand, I understand. Your curiosity isn't limited to science. You use it to spy on people, too. Have you ever installed a camera in Pepper's bathroom?"
Tony's expression hardened. "Of course not. Why would I do that?"
"Really? I remember when Pepper first went to work at Stark Industries. We had a very serious discussion about how to find out her measurements..."
Tony Stark's expression changed instantly. He glanced warily to the side, then declared righteously, "I don't remember anything like that. You must be mistaken. Maybe we were looking at some other girl."
"No way. I remember clearly. The very next day, you designed a program to calculate them, and swore to me that all you needed was a video of someone in motion to work out their exact measurements..."
"Okay, okay, okay! I remember, I remember. It's coming back to me." Tony had been caught out. "I'm saying, let's end this conversation, okay? That's enough!"
"Oh-ho, let me guess. Pepper is less than twenty feet away from you right now."
"Seventeen feet... Ahem... I mean, you looked so cool in the footage." Tony put on a serious face. "Catching the explosion with your bare hands—that was incredible. It wasn't clear in the video. How did you do it? Some kind of device, or that... Kunlun you mentioned before—is that the name?"
"That's right, Kunlun. The power I used came from Kunlun."
"So magic really exists in this world? Was that magic?"
Xiang Qian laughed. "Of course not. It's a technique for awakening your own spiritual power and gaining extraordinary abilities. Quite a few people have learned it—I'm pretty sure I told you about it a long time ago."
"Yeah, but I just can't understand things outside the realm of science. You said it was a spiritual power, right? To me, that's metaphysics. Not my thing."
"Exactly. One of Tony Stark's famous sayings: 'Equipment is more reliable than people!'" Xiang Qian teased. He didn't actually agree with the saying. After all, in the country where he'd grown up, there was an old man who taught that people were the decisive factor in winning or losing a war.
Tony had no idea what Xiang Qian really thought. He raised his glass, eyes bleary with drink. "To one of Tony Stark's famous sayings—cheers! Buddy, Tony's going to show you what the most reliable equipment really is."
"You built something new? I thought you'd only been working on one project lately—the Jericho Missile. Is it ready?"
"Yes! It met every performance target. A perfect masterpiece!"
"Congratulations!" Xiang Qian said without much sincerity. "So starting tomorrow, inventor Tony Stark is turning into salesman Tony Stark?"
Tony's excitement visibly faded. "What can I do? Old Stane won't stop nagging me about orders, orders, orders, or stock prices, stock prices, stock prices."
"Isn't that the only thing Tony Stark is worth to the Stark Industries board?" Xiang Qian happily twisted the knife.
Tony feigned a stern expression and pointed at him. Through the screen, the two shared a laugh.
"By the way, I also wrote a sales pitch. Want to hear it?" Tony Stark pulled out a small piece of paper, completely ignoring Xiang Qian's protests.
"Listen to this part. I think it's the most important bit... Some people say the best weapon is one you never have to use. I disagree. I think the best weapon is one you only have to use once. That's what my father and all Americans have learned from experience..."
Xiang Qian blinked. "I can pretend I didn't notice you taking a shot at the Japanese, the only country in the world to suffer a nuclear bombing. I seem to remember they're one of Stark Industries' biggest customers, too."
Tony Stark burst out laughing. "So what? For more than sixty years, they've never dared name the country that dropped the atomic bombs."
"Fine, you win."
"And there's more. This part... 'Find a chance to fire one Jericho Missile, and I guarantee the terrorists will retreat into their caves and never show their faces again.'" Tony read with dramatic emphasis, trying hard to look like he had everything under control. Unfortunately, his drunken expression ruined the effect.
Xiang Qian shrugged without committing either way. "Buddy, I have to tell you the truth. From what I saw in Tajikistan, the hardest part of clearing out terrorists is precisely that they hide in caves and refuse to come out."
"Really?" Tony squinted at the paper. "Looks like I'll have to revise that last part."
"Where are you planning to use this sales pitch?"
"Not sure yet. Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel..." Tony shrugged as if it were none of his concern. "Stane is still making arrangements. All those countries are interested in buying. I'll only go to the first buyer. Once someone's used one, the rest will come looking for us."
If Xiang Qian had known what the director of the Spear Bureau was discussing in his office at that moment, hearing Tony mention those countries might have put him on alert. Unfortunately, the information gap meant he didn't realize the danger at all.
At that moment, Pepper's voice seemed to come from somewhere offscreen. She was urgently calling Tony Stark's name.
Tony turned to look at something. He fell silent for a long while under Xiang Qian's puzzled gaze, then asked him with a complicated expression, "Buddy, you seem to own a lot of shares in Worthington Industries?"
"Yeah. Why?" Xiang Qian asked, confused.
"You can't watch the live broadcast from where you are, but you should open a news site and take a look. Your business partner just made some big news."