Europe, especially those in high society, value the purity of their bloodline.
Justin Hammer knew that many old-school Europe nobles preferred to retreat to their castles and follow the oldest customs.
They looked down on the new nobles whose bloodlines were not pure, and even the Queen of the United Kingdom was among those they despised.
Many modern literary works and films about vampires use these old-fashioned characters as their premise.
It's that same group of people who control a vast amount of Europe's resources.
But Justin Hammer didn't care about any of that. He was an United States, and United States are practical and realistic.
To hell with bloodlines, but Ivan Vanko is Justin Hammer absolutely cannot give up.
The Miniature Arc Reactor —this is his only chance to turn the tables and ride on Tony Stark's head.
He put down his golf club, bowed slightly, and greeted this old-fashioned man from Europe with impeccable manners.
"As you know, our project has been going on for a long time. We have the best weaponry, sensor systems, and so on in the world. The only thing we're missing is that little glowing light on Stark's chest."
Senator Stern tapped his chest with one finger, making what he thought was a lame joke.
Then he pulled Justin Hammer and said...
" Francis is very interested in the armor. Of course, he has no ambition for the Ministry of Department of Defense's orders; he just wants some finished armor to arm his bodyguards. But there are many opportunities for cooperation later, such as in new energy. If you're interested, you know that nobles like them don't like to be in the limelight; it would seem inelegant!"
Justin Hammer was certainly interested; the application prospects of the Miniature Arc Reactor were simply too great, and it would be a disservice to this groundbreaking invention to only use it for military purposes.
Immediately, with Senator Stern's help, the two began a lively exchange.
Further cooperation will take place gradually in the future. Today, Francis's people will bring Ivan Vanko into Hammer Industries.
Of course, the technology of the Arc Reactor could not be shared. Francis's people would be on-site to prevent Justin Hammer from taking the reactor technology from Ivan Vanko.
Following this incident, Francis will invest in a new energy company in the United States, with Justin Hammer in charge, to create the world's largest new energy company.
Justin Hammer couldn't refuse these conditions, and after the conversation, he left in a hurry, as he needed to make preliminary preparations for Ivan Vanko's arrival.
As Justin Hammer hurriedly left, Francis spoke to Senator Stern.
"You've found a decent pawn, ambitious but not particularly bright. Putting him in the spotlight is a good choice. From now on, I'll be relying on you to take care of me here."
Stern laughed heartily, " Pierce's been searching the world for you. If he knew you were hiding right under his nose, he'd probably jump off his office building in anger!"
Francis laughed heartily, "He can't afford to get hurt now. Project Insight still needs him to push it forward. Dr. Zola is truly a genius. A plan that can control the lives of people all over the world should be in the hands of people like us, not conservatives like Pierce, shouldn't it?"
Francis's words made Stern grin so hard his back teeth were showing. Faced with the temptation of controlling the world, he did not hesitate to cooperate with Francis and betray Alexander Pierce.
However, he didn't notice that Francis, who was also laughing heartily behind him, was looking at him with the same eyes that he looked at an idiot.
Hydra's men have already delivered Ivan Vanko to Justin Hammer's company.
Qin Xiao and Tony are still searching frantically in Monaco.
Since Ivan Vanko appeared, or more precisely, since the second person who could build Miniature Arc Reactor came out.
The pressure from the United States government on Tony is mounting.
Initially, Tony chose not to hand over the technology, but he also declared that no one would be able to build the Arc Reactor for at least several years.
This eased the attitude of the government and military somewhat. At least in Tony Stark's hands, it was essentially in United States hands. Although the government didn't have it, at least Iron Man was United States, wasn't he?
But now a second one has appeared, especially since that person was rescued by someone who wasn't influential. The government won't be so easily fooled now.
What If...? the Russia were to acquire this technology, it would mean that the United States would be under threat from the Russians for many years to come.
(This is not a political issue; it's just that in the world of movies, the Russians are always portrayed as evil!)
Tony Stark receives several phone calls almost every day from Pepper Potts and Rhodey, relaying pressure from different sources.
" Tony, this can't go on. What do you plan to do?"
Qin Xiao slumped onto the hotel sofa and asked.
He's been busy these past few days looking for clues and searching for Ivan Vanko. He's already arranged for Jane, Thor, and Daisy to go back first.
Only he and Tony remained on Monaco's side.
"I didn't know that before, but now I have a new idea!"
Tony just hung up on Rhodey.
" Rhodey, he's with the military, I trust him. Giving him a suit of armor would not only keep the government from bothering me for the time being, but also ensure that the armor doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Most importantly, the Illuminati needs new members, and the two of us are far from enough. Right now, we can only rely on S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
"Your idea is good. Since we're just searching aimlessly here anyway, why don't we go back together? That way we'll actually have more resources!"
Qin Xiao sat up abruptly from the sofa and said.
"That's right, that's what I think too. Those guys took Ivan Vanko away; they can't keep him hidden forever. The armor is their real objective. I've already had JARVIS keep an eye on the market for all kinds of precious metals, including the raw materials for the Arc Reactor and the metals needed for the armor!"
"Unless those people own various metal mines and have mature extraction and smelting technologies, I will definitely find them once they start manufacturing battle armor!"
Tony Stark said confidently.