Drunkards, lechers, and a pile of idle chatter

Xiang Qian and Tony Stark were in the middle of a video call. In 2010, the hardware level of communication networks could barely support real-time transoceanic video calls, but for the deep-pocketed Tony Stark, this was not a problem at all.

This was a private satellite communication channel exclusive to Tony Stark, accessible to only a handful of people.

Xiang Qian projected the signal onto his computer; his shoulder was aching, and he couldn't be bothered to hold a phone.

"Yeah, big brother Tony helped a lot, but your press conference didn't mention my name at all." On the screen, Tony Stark was wearing only a long bathrobe, holding a glass of wine, his face full of the decadent exhaustion that follows a wild spree.

Xiang Qian rubbed his shoulder, wincing in pain. "Press conference? What press conference?"

"The Tajikistan military's press conference." Tony switched to the tone of a press spokesperson. "The joint operation was a major success, a large number of key members of the terrorist group were eliminated, the border mountain areas have returned to peace... blah, blah, blah—they took all the credit for themselves."

"Is that unusual?" Xiang Qian twisted his arm, feeling that his shoulder muscle was strained, possibly with a slight hairline fracture.

Tony, looking thoroughly drunk, grumbled, the smell of alcohol practically wafting through the screen. "They're so shameless! They didn't mention my satellite, nor did they mention your combat skills or magic... What happened to your shoulder?"

"Nothing. You can consider it the result of a failure in family moral education... You know about it, did that satellite record the battlefield footage at the time?"

The hazy, intoxicated Tony didn't dwell on the "family moral education" issue. He said triumphantly, "Of course. You have to understand, being a scientist, one is always full of curiosity."

"Understood, understood. Your curiosity isn't limited to the scientific field; you also use it for peeping. Have you ever installed a camera in Pepper's bathroom?"

Tony's face stiffened. "Of course not. Why would I do something like that?"

"Really? I remember when Pepper first started working at Stark Industries, we even had a serious discussion about how to get her measurements..."

Tony Stark's expression changed instantly. On the screen, he first glanced around warily before saying righteously, "I don't remember that happening. You must have remembered wrong. Perhaps we were looking at some other girl at the time."

"Impossible. I remember it very clearly. The next day, you designed a calculation program and swore to me that as long as you had a dynamic video of a person, you could accurately calculate all their physical data..."

"Okay, okay, okay! I remember, I remember, I've recalled it." Tony had been cornered. "I say, let's end this topic, okay? That's enough!"

"Oh, let me guess. Pepper is within twenty feet of you right now."

"Seventeen feet... ahem... I mean, your performance in the recording was so cool." Tony said with a straight face. "That moment you caught the explosion with your bare hands was amazing. It wasn't clear in the video, how did you do it? Some kind of equipment, or that thing you mentioned before... Kunlun—is that the name?"

"That's right, Kunlun. The power I used comes from Kunlun."

"Is there really magic in this world? Was that magic?"

Xiang Qian chuckled. "Of course not. It's a technique to stimulate one's own spiritual power to obtain extraordinary abilities. Many people have learned it—didn't I tell you that a long time ago?"

"Yes, but I've always been unable to understand things outside the scope of science. You said it was a spiritual power, right? To me, that falls under metaphysics, not my cup of tea."

"Exactly. One of Tony Stark's famous quotes: 'Equipment is more reliable than people!'" Xiang Qian teased. In truth, he disagreed with this statement; after all, in the country where he grew up, an elder once taught that people are the deciding factor in the outcome of a war.

Tony didn't know Xiang Qian's true thoughts. He opened his bleary, drunken eyes and raised his glass. "To Tony Stark's famous quote, cheers! Buddy, big brother Tony will soon let you know what the most reliable equipment really is."

"You've built new equipment again? I recall you only had one project recently—the Jericho missile has been finalized?"

"Yes! All performance metrics met the expected standards. A perfect masterpiece!"

"Congratulations!" Xiang Qian said insincerely. "So, starting tomorrow, the inventor Tony Stark is going to transition into the salesman Tony Stark?"

Tony's excitement visibly faded. "What can I do? Old Stane keeps nagging me about orders, orders, orders, or else it's stock prices, stock prices, stock prices."

"To the board of directors of Stark Industries, aren't those the only values of Tony Stark's existence?" Xiang Qian happily kicked him while he was down.

Tony pointed a finger at him, feigning severity, and through the screen, the two shared a knowing laugh.

"By the way, I also designed a sales pitch. Want to hear it?" Tony Stark pulled out a small slip of paper, completely ignoring Xiang Qian's refusal.

"Listen to this part, I think it's the most important part of the whole thing... Some say the best weapon is one you never have to use. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only need to fire once; that is my father's and all Americans' experience..."

Xiang Qian blinked. "I can pretend I didn't hear you mocking the Japanese, the only country in the world that has been nuked. I remember they are also big customers of Stark Industries."

Tony Stark laughed out loud. "So what? Anyway, for the past sixty years, they've never dared to name who dropped the atomic bomb."

"Fine, you're the boss."

"And there's more, this part... 'Find an opportunity to launch it (the Jericho missile) once, and I guarantee the terrorists will crawl back into their caves and never dare to show their heads again.'" Tony read with dramatic flair, trying hard to project an "everything is under control" posture, but the drunkenness on his face completely ruined his efforts.

Xiang Qian shrugged noncommittally. "Buddy, I have to tell you a fact: based on what I've seen and heard in Tajikistan, the biggest difficulty in clearing out terrorists is precisely that they hide in caves and refuse to show their heads."

"Really?" Tony looked at the paper with bleary eyes. "Looks like the last part needs to be changed."

"Where are you planning to use your sales pitch?"

"Don't know yet. Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel..." Tony acted like a hands-off manager. "Stane is still arranging it. These countries all have purchase intentions, and I'll only go to the first buyer. As long as someone uses it once, other buyers will come knocking on their own."

If Xiang Qian had known what was being discussed in the Spear Bureau director's office at that moment, he might have become immediately alert when he heard the names of those countries. Unfortunately, the asymmetry of information left him completely unaware of the danger.

At this moment, Pepper's voice seemed to come from outside the video frame, anxiously calling Tony Stark's name.

Tony turned his head to look at something, and under Xiang Qian's puzzled gaze, he remained silent for a long time. Then, with a complex expression, he asked Xiang Qian, "Buddy, you seem to have a lot of shares in Worthington Industries?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Xiang Qian was confused.

"You can't see the live broadcast there, but you'd better open a news page and take a look. That partner of yours just made a huge headline."