Tony finished his hamburger in a few bites, brushed off the crumbs, and took a deep breath.
"I know you have a lot of questions. But before you ask them, I have a few important things to announce."
His expression turned serious, and his words carried through the hall over the microphone.
"Over these past two months, I've seen many people lose their lives to weapons made by Stark Industries. I've seen my creations fall into the hands of people who should never have had them."
At those words, the reporters in the audience began to stir.
Everyone thought Tony's conscience had finally caught up with him and that he was about to announce the closure of the weapons division.
That was huge news!!
Even Obadiah, seated in the front row, seemed to anticipate what was coming, and his face turned grim.
Damn it, what was he going to do?!
However.
What Tony said next left everyone stunned.
"So!" Tony sprang to his feet, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room.
"After careful consideration, Luca and I have decided that Stark Industries will absolutely not be shutting down its weapons division!"
An uproar swept through the hall.
"Instead, we're going to carry out an unprecedented, comprehensive restructuring! Starting today, we're suspending large-scale arms sales to outside buyers."
"We'll devote all of the company's funds and resources to an entirely new field: the research and development of individual soldier defense and attack systems!"
"If someone uses our weapons against us, then we'll build even stronger weapons to destroy them. I'm going to make the Stark name a nightmare for our enemies. That's my decision."
The moment Tony finished speaking, the press hall erupted.
Reporters frantically raised their hands to ask questions, and camera flashes were so bright that people could barely keep their eyes open.
"Mr. Stark! What do you mean by an individual soldier system?"
"With arms sales suspended, how will Stark Industries ensure its profits?"
The smile froze on Obadiah's face.
Damn it!
Tony had not only suspended weapons orders, but was also going to develop some kind of individual soldier system.
That cut off the money he made laundering funds through weapons smuggling.
As the reporters frantically asked their questions.
Luca, who had been standing silently to the side, gently tapped the microphone.
"Tap, tap."
The crisp sound quieted the crowd.
Everyone turned their attention to the second young master of the Stark Family.
Luca straightened his suit, a meaningful smile on his face.
"Friends in the media, there's no need to rush. Besides the strategic restructuring Tony announced, I have a small internal company matter to announce as Stark Industries' second-largest shareholder."
Luca deliberately slowed his speech, his gaze seemingly drifting over Obadiah in the audience.
"While we were vacationing in the desert, we discovered that some filthy little rats seemed to have gotten into our home. These rats secretly sold information about our itinerary to someone else."
The entire room was stunned.
This was as good as a direct public admission that a high-ranking insider at Stark Industries had taken part in the kidnapping.
Ignoring the reporters' shock, Luca continued loudly.
"The Stark Family hates rats more than anything."
"So, starting tomorrow, Stark Industries will hire a top independent auditing team to conduct a review."
"It will include, but not be limited to, a comprehensive internal investigation of the personal financial accounts of senior members of the board, their offshore accounts, and all internal flows of funds."
"If any rat has taken money he shouldn't have, we'll find him!"
When Luca finished, he made a throat-slitting gesture at the cameras.
Brazen, arrogant, and utterly unrestrained.
That was Luca's usual style.
By now, Obadiah's aging face had gone deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
His heart began to race.
All because he had transferred the money paid to have them killed to that bald leader through his own encrypted account.
Although he believed he had covered his tracks perfectly.
If the Stark brothers really stopped all business at any cost to thoroughly investigate the flow of funds,
Then it was only a matter of time before the trail led to him.
Obadiah panicked.
He had to erase every trace of the transactions and move those illicit funds before the auditing team arrived.
At that moment, the prey bit the hook Luca had cast.
The press conference ended amid chaos and shock.
Tony and Luca came out through a side door of the hall, escorted by Happy and the other security guards.
Just then, a middle-aged man with a severely receding hairline and a kindly face stepped into their path.
"Hello, gentlemen."
The man held out a business card with a professional smile.
"I'm Agent Phil Coulson."
"I represent the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. I'd like a little of your time to learn the details of your escape from the Afghan desert. Particularly... about the massive explosion that took place there."
Coulson's gaze lingered on Luca for a few seconds, seemingly by chance.
In fact, after they escaped, S.H.I.E.L.D. had used military satellites to discover the wreckage of the destroyed terrorist base.
The satellites had also detected an unidentified high-energy reading there before the explosion.
Director Nick Fury had keenly sensed that this might have something to do with the Stark brothers, especially Luca, who should have been physically helpless.
Luca and Tony were stunned.
They had no idea who the man before them was, nor did they have any idea what the hell his agency was.
But when he heard the long name the man had given, Luca rolled his eyes.
"What the hell?! Strategic Homeland What-the-Hell Logistics Division? God, is that the name of a sewer repair company? Is your department in charge of unclogging toilets at the Pentagon?"
Luca casually handed the business card to Happy beside him.
"Sorry, Agent Hairline. We don't have time to answer your survey. We have a luxury yacht party to get to."
"If you want to know what we did in the desert, go buy tomorrow's paper and read it yourself."
With that, Luca unceremoniously shoved Coulson aside and got into the car with Tony.
Coulson stood there, watching the car drive away, and sighed helplessly.
He pressed the communicator at his ear and reported in a low voice.
"Director, initial contact failed. The two brothers are even more difficult and arrogant than the rumors suggest. Especially Luca Stark. His physical condition is nothing like someone who's been held captive for two months. We need to assign people to keep them under close surveillance."
Nick Fury's cold voice came through the communicator.
"Keep watching. After causing such a commotion, they must be hiding something."