"No, no!"
"You useless trash! Tony built an Arc Reactor by hand in a cave."
"And look at you. How long has it been? How long?"
Obadiah Stane stood in the factory, furiously berating the group of researchers before him.
How long had it been since Tony returned?
Yet these useless fools still could not make an Arc Reactor. Did he really have to spend money to buy one? Trash, all of them were trash!!!
Without that thing, his army of armored suits was nothing but a pipe dream.
Could it be that he would ultimately have to act personally and spend money to buy peace?
As Obadiah Stane frowned in thought, he caught sight of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye.
That vampire had finally come!
"Haha, Mr. Obadiah, it's been a long time!"
The corners of Yu Xian's lips curled upward slightly as he walked over from afar.
"What are you here for? Did you get it?" Obadiah Stane glared at Yu Xian with undisguised hatred. "We agreed that once the first payment arrived, you would bring the Arc Reactor over!"
"Where is it???"
Yu Xian's smile did not change. He took a box from his chest. "Of course. As an old customer, I've been nothing but diligent and responsible. I went to great lengths to obtain this thing!!!"
As he spoke, Yu Xian handed over the box, opened it, and placed it before Obadiah Stane.
"This is the Arc Reactor?"
Obadiah Stane stared at the Arc Reactor inside with an obsessed expression.
With this prototype, no matter the cost, he would recreate it.
"Wait, what's inside this is..."
Obadiah Stane's expression changed as he looked at the item before him.
"Arc Reactor Schematics????"
"Bingo! Correct, but sadly, there's no prize!"
Yu Xian looked at him with a sly, foxlike smile.
Heh, he had not stayed in the Middle East for nothing. The Arc Reactor Schematics were another one of his gains.
Tony had no idea Yu Xian had seen and memorized his blueprints!
With this thing, even if Obadiah Stane's researchers had pig brains, they could still build it!
He refused to believe Obadiah Stane would not be tempted. The bait had been cast; now it depended on whether he would bite.
"Th-this, this..."
Obadiah Stane looked at the reactor within reach before him, his breathing growing rapid.
With this thing, the greatest problem plaguing him would be solved at once.
Obadiah Stane raised his head and looked at the composed Yu Xian, his emotions a tangled mess.
If anyone else had placed this thing before him and tried to negotiate terms—
He would have made sure that person never saw the next day's sun. But this black-haired young man before him...
Obadiah Stane thought of the young man's S.H.I.E.L.D. identity, as well as the magic-like abilities he had displayed that day, and his heart grew heavy.
"Th-this thing... what do you want?"
Obadiah Stane had worked with him once before and knew what kind of person he was. He did not ask unnecessary questions and immediately asked for his terms.
"Heh, you finally came around!"
"Then we'll follow the old rules. But the price has to go up!"
"Ten billion dollars, plus 13% of your shares!" Yu Xian finally bared his fangs, ready for another feast. "Of course, considering how pleasant our cooperation has been, I can round it down and deduct 3% of the shares!"
Obadiah Stane's expression changed drastically when he heard the price.
Heh, was that even something a human would say?
What did he mean by rounding it down?
This guy had viciously seized upon his bottom line!!!
Thinking of the mere 15% of shares he still held, Obadiah Stane felt a chill creep into his heart.
This guy had definitely dug up all his secrets and named a price he absolutely could not refuse.
Obadiah Stane's face alternated between black and pale as he remained silent for a long time.
Finally, as if he had made up his mind, the corners of his mouth twitched and he wore an expression of pain.
"Fine, deal!"
"Then, happy cooperation, Mr. Obadiah!"
[Detected that the host is in a pleasant mood. Pleasure Points +1000]
"Tony, you really are my lucky star!"
Yu Xian played with the wineglass in his hand. The amber liquid left faint trails along the glass as it swayed.
He was sitting on the upper deck of Tony's private yacht.
In the distance, the city's neon lights blended with the starry sky, while the sea breeze brushed across their faces with a faint salty scent.
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"How did I become your lucky star?"
"Thanks to you, my investments have multiplied several times over. And soon, we'll be family!"
And it was not just his investments. Before long, Tony would discover that even his company's shareholders had changed!
Yu Xian took a light sip of wine, a shrewd gleam flashing in his eyes.
"Every time you appear in the media and announce a new decision, I make a fortune."
Tony swirled his wineglass and glanced at him.
"Can't tell, but you're pretty good at investing."
"Hehe, it's all for survival!"
Yu Xian raised his wineglass.
"To you, Mr. Iron Man."
"Iron Man?"
Tony savored the words carefully.
"Good, what a good name!"
"Yu Xian, I like that title!"
"From today onward, call me Mr. Iron Man!"
Catalina walked over with a glass of juice and rolled her eyes.
"Captain, we still have the mission report tomorrow."
"Mission report?"
Yu Xian began playing dumb.
"What mission report? How come I don't know about it?"
"The one I spent an entire week writing!"
"Oh, that one."
Yu Xian put on a look of sudden realization and waved his hand.
"I trust you. Leave these matters to you!"
Catalina's eyes widened, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.
"Can't you help out at all?"
"I am helping you."
Yu Xian rubbed his fingers together with complete confidence.
"I've already helped you earn a huge amount of money. Isn't that far more important than those documents?"
Tony burst into laughter.
"I'm starting to like you more and more, Agent."
Just then, Tony's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, his expression changing slightly before he chose to ignore it.
Yu Xian's sharp eyes caught the name "Obadiah" on the screen, and a faint smile rose at the corners of his lips.
Poor Obadiah. He should be working day and night on building the Arc Reactor now, right?
As for the problems that might arise from giving him the Arc Reactor Schematics?
What did that have to do with Yu Xian?
He was not some saint. How could he possibly worry about that much?
The world would not face any problems just because of some Arc Reactor Schematics.
Even if Obadiah became a different kind of Obadiah through the Arc Reactor Schematics, what did that have to do with him?
If something went wrong, shouldn't they look for the person responsible?
Why blame him instead?
That would be a real double standard!
"What, your dear steward calling you?"
Yu Xian asked as if casually.
"It's nothing. Company business, not important."
Tony stuffed the phone back into his pocket.
"Come to think of it, do you want to try my new toy? I just built a brand-new race car."
"Oh?"
Yu Xian's eyes lit up. The useless skills the system had rewarded him with could finally come in handy.
"Tony, want to race? The winner gets their bar tab waived tonight."
"You'd better think this through. I've never lost a race."
"Heh." Yu Xian set down his glass. "You haven't even seen me drive, yet you're so sure you'll win?"
Catalina covered her face. "Captain, the last time you went street racing, we almost got caught by the traffic police!"
"That was because I was going easy on them. Otherwise, they wouldn't even have seen my taillights." Yu Xian was unconcerned.
Excitement gleamed in Tony's eyes. "Actually, we can add a wager to make this race more interesting."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"The loser has to teach the other their proudest skill."
"If I lose, I'll teach you the principles of the Arc Reactor. If you lose, you'll teach me that ice magic."
Oh, now this was interesting!
Tony was voluntarily proposing a technology exchange?
But Yu Xian was not interested in that thing. After all, he already had it!
"I don't want the technology. How about you custom-build me an armored suit instead?"
"Deal!" Tony agreed without hesitation upon hearing that.
Magic... that was not a world ordinary people could come into contact with!
Did he have a chance to touch it too?
Yu Xian looked at Catalina's expression of disdain, as though she was ashamed to be associated with him, and secretly laughed.
Heh, silly girl, did she think he was asking for it for himself?
Wasn't it all for her!!!
As the squad captain, he had really worried himself sick!
He had drunk with Tony and even slept with him before finally getting Iron Man's promise to custom-build an armored suit!
Yet he had only received his teammate's misunderstanding in return. Life truly was not worth living!!!
Obadiah's secret laboratory.
It was filled with exhausted engineers.
But before them, a towering Steel Body stood in the center, a new type of reactor in its chest continuously supplying it with power.
The new reactor had finally been successfully developed!
Before you continue