Starsea Studio's First Executive Meeting

At noon the next day, an impromptu press conference was underway.

Onstage... or rather, below the stage, Tony sat leaning against the podium with a hamburger in hand. Reporters who had rushed over at the news filled the space before him, their microphones and cameras, long guns and short cannons, all trained on him.

Tony's voice was somewhat low. "I never got the chance to say goodbye to my father... I wanted to ask him what he thought about manufacturing weapons... I saw young Americans being killed by the very weapons I had intended to build to protect them. I also realized... this system was perfectly comfortable with irresponsibility, and I had become part of it."

"I've completely woken up. I realized that what I should do for this world is contribute more, not just make weapons that explode."

As Tony spoke, he walked up onto the podium. His gaze swept across the reporters below, the military representatives, and Obadiah, whose expression had turned terrible as though he had realized something. "Therefore, I have decided to shut down Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing division, effective immediately, until I determine the company's new direction..."

"Boom—!"

Though Tony had a few more words to say, his statement had already exploded through the venue like a bombshell. The reporters sprang to their feet in a rush, and their noisy questions completely drowned out the rest of his speech.

Shut down the weapons manufacturing division? Stark Industries?

Obadiah stood up and forced a smile as he put an arm around Tony's shoulders. Pepper, seated behind the reporters, looked utterly stunned, while Rhodey, standing farther back, wore a somewhat grave expression.

Having seen Tony running through the desert half-naked, Rhodey understood his decision very well. But this decision would undoubtedly bring enormous negative consequences for both