Dealing with the bald man

The butler stood to one side, his eyes constantly watching everything at the dining table, a professional smile on his face throughout.

Only when they saw a satisfied smile on their new master Li Qi's face did their nerves, taut as bowstrings, gradually relax.

After finishing his meal, Li Qi rose gracefully, cupped his hands, and bowed slightly, thanking everyone for their hard work with the courtesy and sincerity of a distinctly Eastern gesture.

Then he turned slightly and beckoned to Pepper Potts, and the two returned to the master bedroom.

The villa's staff were immediately filled with delight, swiftly clearing the cups, plates, and bowls from the table and putting the dining room in perfect order.

They all privately counted themselves fortunate to have this handsome new Eastern master, for keeping their jobs meant keeping a stable source of income for the days ahead.

After taking Pepper Potts back to the bedroom, Li Qi strolled over to the soft sofa, leaned back, and settled into it comfortably.

He raised his right hand and lightly snapped his fingers, then motioned for Pepper Potts to come before him and pointed at his legs, signaling for her to massage them with her fists.

A moment later, the rich, resonant voice of the artificial intelligence JARVIS sounded in the air. "Obadiah Stane, vice president of Stark Industries, has come to visit. He has now entered the villa's main gate."

Because Obadiah Stane was extremely close to Tony, he had passed through the access controls for the villa and its grounds without difficulty.

Moments later, a projection in the air clearly showed Obadiah Stane's three black luxury bulletproof sedans slowly pulling to a stop outside the villa.

The door of the first car slowly opened, and Obadiah Stane's corpulent frame struggled out of the back seat.

Then the bloated vice president walked steadily through the villa's front door with heavy steps.

The artificial intelligence Jarvi also displayed thermal images of the interiors of all three cars, revealing the faint outlines of more than a dozen people sitting quietly inside. If they were merely personal bodyguards, this level of security seemed excessive.

One quick glance was enough for Li Qi to see through the fat bald man's intentions. It seemed he had not expected Tony to return safely and had come to sound things out. This was the perfect opportunity to deal with the potential threat posed by this bald vice president.

Li Qi had Pepper Potts straighten his shirt and jacket, then strode to the study door under JARVIS's precise guidance. The villa had three floors, with the study on the first and the master bedroom on the third. After coming downstairs, the two men happened to meet face-to-face.

The fat man had not expected to see an unfamiliar Eastern face in the villa. He stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as he froze for a moment, a trace of surprise flashing in his gaze.

Li Qi then calmly explained why he was there: he had already taken possession of almost all of Tony's assets, including his shares in Stark Industries.

So, at the study door, Li Qi told Obadiah Stane with a calm expression and a firm tone, "I'm now the company's chairman and president. Whether you accept it or not, you're my subordinate now."

There was a vast difference between the two men's stakes in the company. Tony had regarded the bald man as an elder and a close friend only because Obadiah Stane had founded the business alongside his father.

Li Qi had no regard whatsoever for those old ties. He knew Obadiah Stane had many harmful effects on Tony and Stark Industries and had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

The bald man was initially stunned by his words. He truly seemed not to have anticipated this sudden reversal.

According to his plan, Tony should have been imprisoned in some hidden cave in the mountains of Afghanistan, yet he had now returned safe and sound.

If Tony investigated further, his collusion with the Ten Rings and his illegal arms sales would inevitably come to light. That was why he had prepared to take a desperate risk and secretly kidnap this nephew of his from the villa.

The three cars carried more than a dozen elite bodyguards he had hired and Ten Rings death warriors. Finding no sign of Tony and seeing only an unfamiliar Eastern man left him somewhat surprised.

Then the bald man tried to take control of the situation, stepping forward and spreading his hands slightly as he said, "Brother, let's talk in the living room. As for the company shares, I've actually been preparing for this for a long time."

Li Qi knew full well that the bald man must have been secretly buying Stark Industries stock on the secondary market, hoping to increase the share of the company under his control.

Li Qi nodded slightly, turned, and gestured for the bald man to proceed. Then the two walked side by side into the living room.

The bald man truly acted as though he were the host, dropping his fat body straight onto a nearby sofa. The expensive sofa seemed unable to bear his weight and gave a sharp creak.

Then, seemingly confident of success, the bald man leaned forward slightly, folded his hands over his knees, and spoke to Li Qi.

"Listen, brother from the East. No matter how much company stock you hold, I'm here on behalf of the board to ask Tony a question. Our weapons program seems to be falling a little behind this year, and the next project still hasn't been developed. The board members are already getting rather dissatisfied."

The fat man adjusted his posture slightly, intending to raise an even more intimidating subject.

Li Qi sat composedly on the main sofa opposite him, watching him with a smile. He casually snapped his fingers, signaling JARVIS to project an image of the three cars outside the villa into the air.

Then he narrowed his eyes slightly and activated his superpower. Everyone inside the cars turned ashen and could no longer catch their breath.

Then Li Qi looked at the fat bald man before him with a smile. His smile vanished in an instant, and his gaze turned icy as he spoke coldly.

"Fatty, I'm warning you now. I've already brought the people you brought under my control. If you obey, hand over all your shares, and resign of your own accord, you can still have a chance to retire to your hometown and enjoy your remaining years in peace. Otherwise, prison will be the lightest punishment you get."

Naturally, the bald man was not about to be frightened so easily by a few words from Li Qi. His right hand, tucked inside his pocket, had already quietly pressed the button on the ultrasonic generator he had brought.

In an instant, a shrill, piercing ultrasonic sound rang through the living room, enough to paralyze an ordinary person immediately.

His plan in coming here had been to use it to subdue Tony, force him to sign a share transfer agreement, and secretly kidnap him.

But as a superpower-enhanced individual, Li Qi was completely unaffected by the ultrasound. Seeing that the fat man would not listen to reason at all, Li Qi's gaze hardened. With just a slight use of his power, an invisible force instantly enveloped the fat man, and his body involuntarily froze in place.

After stopping the ultrasound, Li Qi had Pepper Potts prepare an agreement for a share transfer and voluntary resignation. Then he snapped his fingers, and the fat man obediently signed his name like a marionette.

His 15% stake in the company was transferred to Li Qi free of charge, and he simultaneously relinquished every position he held at Stark Industries.

Afterward, Li Qi planned to assign this man, now under his control, to Stark Industries' logistics department. He could still use him to make contact with the Ten Rings when needed, so he would spare the fat man's life for now.