"Mr. Tony, what is this?"
Peter asked, utterly bewildered.
Tony leaned back on the living room sofa, watching him calmly.
"What? Did you think I was messing with you?"
"I've already given you the power. Take a moment to feel it."
At that, Peter frowned and focused on sensing it. With his powerful Spider-Sense, he soon noticed something unusual.
There seemed to be a strange new power inside him, one that filled him with an inexplicable fear.
The next second, he tried drawing on that power. Black figures immediately appeared around him, watching him with scarlet eyes.
Peter's heart lurched at the sight, and he instinctively backed away a few steps. Soon, however, he sensed a special connection between himself and these Shadow Ninjas. He could control them.
With that realization, Peter turned toward Tony on the sofa and swallowed hard. "This is the power you gave me?"
"Yes." Tony smiled and nodded.
Peter instantly grew excited. He still remembered how these Shadow Ninjas had beaten him into a helpless wreck.
He had never imagined that he would one day command them himself. With their help, what threat could Norman possibly pose?
As he thought about it, Peter excitedly began controlling the Shadow Ninjas, having the time of his life.
Tony quietly watched, his eyes betraying no emotion.
As the master of the Shadow Ninjas, Tony could plant a Shadow Mark on anyone, allowing them to command the Shadowkhan.
Of course, ultimate control still belonged to Tony. Peter was merely borrowing them. Whenever Tony wished, the Shadowkhan would slip out of Peter's control in an instant.
This not only strengthened the Dark Alliance but also placed Peter completely under Tony's surveillance. Perfect.
"All right, go. Remember to bring Norman back to me. Don't keep me waiting too long."
"Yes, Mr. Tony."
Peter nodded excitedly, then left the villa.
Once Peter was gone, Tony did not linger at the villa either. He contacted a few girls and went off to have some fun with them.
After being busy for so long, he needed to unwind properly.
Meanwhile, in a S.H.I.E.L.D. conference room, Pierce sat at the head of the table, with the agency's elite personnel seated along either side.
Everyone was looking down at the documents in their hands. The spacious conference room was silent except for the rustle of turning pages.
After a long while, Pierce tapped the table and cleared his throat. "You've all finished reading, I take it. What do you think of Tony Stark?"
"Mysterious."
"Extremely dangerous."
"Anti-government tendencies cannot be ruled out."
The S.H.I.E.L.D. elites spoke up one after another.
These were the conclusions they had reached after reviewing the documents.
Ever since the Obadiah incident, Pierce had been keeping an eye on Tony and had launched an investigation into him.
Besides sending Natasha to infiltrate Stark Industries, he had assigned substantial resources to watching Tony around the clock.
In an age of ubiquitous surveillance networks, monitoring one person was hardly a challenge for S.H.I.E.L.D.
Under that close surveillance, almost everything Tony had done lately had been laid bare before S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eyes.
Both his use of the Shadowkhan and his contact with Peter were documented in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files.
That alone might have been manageable, but S.H.I.E.L.D. had also witnessed Tony taking Bruce away.
Naturally, S.H.I.E.L.D. could not ignore something like Hulk rampaging through New York.
After witnessing the power Hulk had displayed, no one could remain unmoved.
That included both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra!
Pierce, who was both the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a Hydra spy, had taken an immediate interest.
That was what had led to today's meeting.
"It seems you're all well aware of how dangerous Tony is. In that case, let's hear your thoughts. Do we arrest him outright, or do you have another approach?"
Pierce spoke unhurriedly, but the S.H.I.E.L.D. elites seated before him fell silent, hesitation written across their faces.
Tony was not some superhuman with no backing. Behind him stood Stark Industries. As one of the United States' foremost corporate conglomerates, its power went far beyond what it showed on the surface.
Stark Industries had the support of at least a double-digit number of members of Congress, and its ties to the military could hardly have been closer.
Rumor had it that the current president of the United States had risen to office with funding from Stark Industries.
Making a move against Tony was therefore not a decision they could make on a whim. The ramifications were enormous, and even S.H.I.E.L.D. might not withstand retaliation from Stark Industries.
Seeing their silence, Pierce understood their concerns.
He tapped the table again. "Tony is Tony, and Stark Industries is Stark Industries. Our target isn't Stark Industries. It's Tony."
"As long as we can arrest Tony before Stark Industries reacts, I believe the powers behind the company will be reluctant to make a major confrontation out of it and fight us to the bitter end."
"After all, what they need is Stark Industries, not Tony."
At those words, a spark appeared in everyone's eyes. They all understood what Pierce meant.
Arresting Tony with great fanfare would obviously never work. The resistance from Stark Industries alone would stop them in their tracks.
But if they arrested him in secret, the powers behind Stark Industries might not fight S.H.I.E.L.D. to the bitter end once it was a done deal.
After all, even without Tony, Stark Industries would keep operating as usual and continue providing them with support.
Just then, a burly Black man stood up in the conference room. "That alone isn't enough."
"Once this gets out, S.H.I.E.L.D. might not be able to withstand the pressure from above on its own. Tony currently owns one hundred percent of Stark Industries' shares, after all. The people at the top won't simply let something happen to him."
"Even if we arrest him, we'll have to let him go."
Everyone immediately realized the problem. Stark Industries was now a company under one man's absolute control.
Pierce frowned as well. "Then what do you suggest, Nick?"
"Find someone to join the operation!" Nick Fury said gravely.
As the future Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he considered matters more thoroughly.
"Bruce is wanted by the military."
"General Ross has been trying to capture Bruce all this time. If we give him the information, he certainly won't pass up this opportunity."
"If we work with the military, they'll share some of the pressure even if the people above come down on us afterward."
Pierce instantly frowned at the suggestion. The very reason he was moving against Tony was to obtain Bruce's power.
If the military got involved, things could become complicated.
But seeing how tempted everyone looked, he could hardly object. He could only nod. "In that case, we'll conduct a covert operation together with the military. This must remain absolutely confidential."
"Until the operation is over, no one is allowed to leak a word. Otherwise, don't expect any mercy from me!"
Before you continue