Tony led Smith to sit beside him, and seeing this, the other shareholders all smiled warmly.
All the shareholders were welcoming of this new board member. His joining had pushed Stark Industries' stock price even higher. After all, superheroes in this new era were incredibly popular.
With everyone present, the board meeting officially began.
Before the meeting, Tony had somehow acquired all of Obadiah's shares, gaining full control of the company. And with Smith, the largest individual shareholder, backing him, Tony became the undisputed chairman of Stark Industries and restored his authority.
"Stark Industries has a new direction. The International Weapons Division will be permanently shut down!"
One of the shareholders raised a question:
"Tony, we support your return to power and your right to research what you love."
"But what about the battle armor from the news? Will that become the company's new core product?"
Tony, seeing the greedy looks on the shareholders' faces, firmly replied:
"I am Iron Man, and Iron Man is me. That suit is my personal property and won't be part of the company."
"But I have found a new direction for the company: large-scale clean energy supply."
"I believe that in the field of energy, Stark Industries will become a new titan, and the achievements will far exceed those from the weapons business."
"Not everyone needs weapons, but everyone and every country needs affordable clean energy."
Watching Tony speak with such confidence on stage, Smith fully supported his vision. He knew well that the benefits brought by the Arc Reactor far surpassed everything Stark Industries had made before combined.
And with the Mark series for protection, Tony had the ability to safeguard his own innovations.
As for Smith, he was just along for the ride—to profit. His real focus was on Capsule Corporation.
Instead of releasing the miniaturized Arc Reactor tech, Tony shared the large-scale version instead. Without miniaturization, it would be nearly impossible to weaponize. Even so, he didn't hand it over to the company for free.
Instead, he adopted a licensing model—Tony provided the technology, and the company had to pay extra to produce and distribute the Arc Reactor units for regional energy supply.
In this wave of company transformation, Tony had firmly established himself as the dominant force within Stark Industries. No one could shake his position anymore.
Smith couldn't help but admire Tony's growth—licensing the company to earn once, then earning again from energy sales. No wonder he could afford to build so many Mark suits later on just to shoot fireworks.
With Tony confirming the company's transformation, everyone's attention shifted to Smith Dole. One shareholder asked:
"Mr. Smith, do you have any plans to collaborate with Stark Industries on unlocking human potential? Perhaps restarting the Super Soldier Serum?"
"Speaking of the Super Soldier Serum, this product had deep ties to Tony's father."
Hearing this, Tony was undeniably curious. He'd had many guesses about Smith's powers, but he also understood what questions could be asked—and what things should remain unspoken unless the other party brought them up.
Smith shook his head:
"I joined Stark Industries and became a board member purely as a commercial investment."
"Right now, I see great promise in clean energy and have no intention of distracting Tony from that path."
Hearing Smith's refusal, the shareholders were a bit disappointed.
But Smith Dole would have to be out of his mind to co-develop Super Soldier Serum with Stark Industries. If he really wanted to pursue that, wouldn't it be better to do so independently with Capsule Corporation and Bulma?
It's not like he was short on people—or money.
…
After the Stark shareholders' meeting concluded, Smith didn't leave immediately. Instead, he was blocked by reporters at the press conference venue.
Seeing the crowd of reporters around him, Smith decided not to avoid them and walked straight into the press conference hall.
Inside, the scene was just as packed with reporters, and Smith's arrival stirred up even more excitement. Seeing this, Tony came over to join the fun as well.
After a quick introduction by the host, Smith took the stage.
A reporter asked:
"Mr. Smith, have you seen a video trending on YouTube?"
"A young man is showing off how he received compensation from the last battle and used it to buy a new car."
"Oh, and he claims to have the popcorn and soda you used—he sealed them in amber as collectibles and hopes to get your autograph."
The young man in question had been one of the bystanders during the fight with Iron Monger. Smith had handed him his leftover popcorn and soda, and the guy's unlucky car had been totaled during the battle.
Hearing this, Smith chuckled:
"If I get the chance, I'd be happy to sign it for him."
"Honestly, I thought that stuff was tossed in the trash already. His idea's pretty creative."
His response made the crowd of reporters laugh.
Smith continued:
"For the compensation this time, we have Tony Stark to thank—he's the one who paid for it."
"But I'd also like to announce that I've established a foundation for post-battle compensation."
"As you all know, I'm considered a 'superhero' by the public, though I don't exactly enjoy acting like a vigilante or fireman."
"Still, evil doesn't rest, and sometimes battle is unavoidable, which leads to property and civilian damage."
"Ordinary people already have it tough. I don't want them to go through a situation where Iron Monger grabs their car—still being paid off—and uses it to smash their house—also still being paid off."
"And in the end, no one takes responsibility."
"That's why I've created a foundation to compensate those whose property is damaged due to battles I'm involved in."
"Of course, this is strictly limited to damage related to me."
"Also, this is a humanitarian gesture—not an admission of guilt."
"My assistant Fox suggested I start an insurance company and launch a product called Superhero Property Damage Insurance."
"But since I don't own any insurance companies right now, I want to call on the major providers to develop this type of coverage."
…
(End of Chapter)
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