Tony Stark

The next day, Daisy pinned up her hair, put on a pair of black-rimmed glasses, and dressed in a suit, slacks, and high heels. Accompanied by James Wesley, who handled their public image, and Matsumoto Maki, who served as both maid and legal counsel, the three arrived at Stark Industries' Manhattan headquarters.

Expecting the other side to greet them at the entrance was unrealistic. Having confirmed the meeting time, they sat in the waiting area.

Daisy took out the tablet she carried with her, crossed her legs, and used several of her own programs to connect to Stark Industries' internal network.

Naturally, she knew J.A.R.V.I.S.'s reputation, but Stark would not connect an artificial intelligence to the corporation's systems. There were too many people and too many eyes in the company; he would never expose such cutting-edge technology.

Daisy's guess was correct. After cautiously probing around, she obtained department-head-level access.

After looking over the benefits, she had to admit that major corporations offered truly excellent packages. Though their selection criteria were stricter, countless people still fought desperately every day just to get in.

She downloaded the data at high speed. Ten minutes later, she nudged James Wesley with her elbow, signaling for him to look at what she had found.

"Software engineers, statistics experts—these people are all very talented, but they were rejected by the Stark Group. We can select some of them to strengthen our own company." Daisy handed her tablet to James.

In order to squeeze into major corporations, these applicants practically wrote down the histories of their ancestors for eight generations in their résumés. What they had done, what awards they had received, which companies they had worked for, where they lived, what their family situations were like—it was all written in great detail. Each applicant also had an evaluation from the Stark Group's HR department attached.

Their makeshift outfit currently had no real standards for evaluating talent. The scores Stark Industries gave rejected applicants could not serve as the final basis for a decision, but they were still an important reference. With comments from professionals at a major corporation, selecting talent became much easier.

The former mob strategist began reading without changing his expression. Several people had excellent résumés, and he planned to call them as soon as he got back.

A legitimate businessman certainly would not use such methods to obtain applicants' personal information. This was unquestionably illegal.

But neither of them cared.

After half an hour of waiting, the shapely Pepper Potts approached the three of them in high heels.

She was very friendly. As soon as she arrived, she shook Daisy's hand. "Mr. Stark worked very late yesterday, and he's on his way over now. Please come to the conference room first."

He had probably been up late rolling around in bed with women! Daisy had no favorable impression of playboys like him, but she remained perfectly polite and followed Pepper to the conference room.

She wondered what Pepper, as his assistant, thought about Tony changing women every day. Thinking of her own mission, Daisy casually asked, "What kind of person is Mr. Stark? Could you tell me, Miss Potts?"

It was actually quite rude to ask such a question, but Daisy was pretty enough that minor offenses could be forgiven!

Miss Potts thought for a moment. "Mr. Stark is very talented, a true genius. I believe he can change the world."

The group waited in the conference room for a while before Obadiah, the president, pushed open the door and entered.

Putting aside his villainous identity, Obadiah was a very refined and distinguished old man. His tall stature and eloquent manner added considerably to his appeal.

Unlike many elderly people, he did not like to throw his age around. He was neither stubborn nor arrogant; instead, he could humbly accept new things.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Daisy had a fairly good impression of the old man. This guy could not vibrate his own frequency; he relied entirely on his personal cultivation to maintain his poise.

But once they entered the substantive discussion, both sides' words finally became sharp.

"Data analysis? Can computers predict the course of human actions? I have my doubts." Obadiah completely seized control of the conversation. Tony's secretary and Daisy's maid could no longer get a word in.

Only the former mob strategist and Daisy could match his presence.

"We can collect data, learn what a target likes and what they pursue, then sell the goods they need most to the people who need them most." James was the first to refute Obadiah's doubts.

The old man was not so easily fooled. He shook his head. "You haven't answered my question. Not in any substantive way."

Daisy took over. "We live in a digital age. Our bank records, medical histories, emails, university test scores—this semi-public information can all serve as the basis for calculations. We use numbers to sketch a relatively vivid personal profile, then selectively market products to them."

As soon as Daisy finished speaking, she felt something was off. Those words had come out so naturally. Wasn't the first half of what she had said Project Insight's line...?

Obadiah was a very knowledgeable old man. Though he did not want to rule the world like Hydra, he did not lack vision. Daisy's words instantly showed him a new world.

"What if I wanted to acquire your company? What kind of offer would you accept?"

Daisy smiled. "This market is too vast. We can't swallow it, and neither can Stark Industries. When a weapon is in the hands of a small country, everyone is merely wary. But if it is in the hands of a major power, everyone will fight for their lives."

Obadiah considered it quickly. Though the reasoning was somewhat twisted, it was not without logic. Stark Industries had already reached the summit. It manufactured weapons, sold arms, and had dominated its position as industry leader for years. If it added data analysis and customized products for its clients, it would certainly provoke hostility.

Recently, the country's support for Justin Hammer had been almost undisguised. They simply wanted Hammer Industries to compete with Stark Industries.

Obadiah considered the reactions of all sides and ultimately abandoned the idea of a direct acquisition. However, he would not give up on the big data project. He planned to do it under his own name, separate from Stark Industries. It would be both discreet and save him a great deal of trouble. He just needed to see exactly how the analysis worked.

"Miss Johnson has excellent vision and great wisdom. Please forgive my rudeness. Let us continue discussing cooperation."

To let the other side witness Skye Data Analysis Company's capabilities firsthand, they were authorized to connect to the Stark Group's supercomputer on-site and conduct data analysis.

Daisy's algorithms were at least three to five years ahead of the current world, so she was not afraid of being surpassed anytime soon.

Based on Stark Industries' scale and revenue, they matched it against conflict zones around the world to identify the regions with the greatest supply-and-demand imbalance. Those would be new points of economic growth.

They waited for the results. Then, the conference room doors were abruptly thrown open.

Wearing a navy-blue suit, a checkered tie, and his distinctive little mustache, Tony Stark hurried inside.