Chapter 84: Tony
The next day at noon, inside the Amazing News building.
At this moment, Ron, Peter, Jessica, and Ron's assistant Tina were all gathered in front of a TV, watching a live broadcast.
The content of the broadcast was related to the explosion at Stark Industries the previous night. Colonel Rhodes, a representative of the military, was explaining the cause of the incident to the reporters and on television, trying to clarify the matter.
"We have all received the official statement regarding the incident that occurred at Stark Industries building yesterday. Unconfirmed reports state that a robot prototype malfunctioned and damaged Stark Industries' large arc reactor. Fortunately, one of Tony Stark's personal bodyguards intervened in time and stopped the incident…"
Seeing Colonel Rhodes begin his speech, Ron handed a USB drive to Jessica, who was standing beside him, and said, "Jessica, you can take this to the news department now."
"Alright, boss!" Jessica was as obedient as ever. After taking the USB drive, she ran out like the wind, overjoyed.
"Boss, if you do this, won't Tony Stark send a lawyer's letter directly?" Peter asked Ron with some concern after seeing Jessica leave.
Ron smiled, "Even if I don't announce his identity, that arrogant guy will announce it himself. Peter, don't worry."
Hearing Ron and Peter's conversation, Tina, who was completely unaware of the matter, became curious. She had only come to deliver documents to Ron, and seeing Ron, Peter, and Jessica gathered in front of the TV, she couldn't resist joining them.
After watching for a while, she had no idea what Ron was up to, nor what Peter was worried about, looking utterly bewildered.
Tina knew about the Stark Industries building incident. She had even urged Ron to report on that 'Iron Man,' but Ron had told her to wait and not rush.
However, news reporting was all about timeliness! It was already noon, and other newspapers had long since been released. If Amazing News only started reporting now, how could they get any traffic?
Looking at Ron, who had a 'cunning smile' on his face, lost in thought, Tina pouted her small mouth and didn't ask anything, quietly sitting to the side.
She knew that even if she asked, it probably wouldn't make a difference. It was better to wait quietly; in time, she would surely find out what exactly had happened… Meanwhile, in the lounge of the Stark Industries building, Tony Stark was sitting on a sofa, having Pepper carefully remove small bandages from his face, while looking at a newspaper with Iron Man on the cover.
"The name 'Iron Man' is quite catchy and cool, but from a technical standpoint, it's not entirely accurate, as it's made of gold-titanium alloy. But no matter what, the name is indeed very appealing…" Tony finished reading the newspaper with a smile, feeling a unique sense of satisfaction.
Although he had been in countless newspapers before, it was always under the titles of 'playboy,' 'controller of Stark Industries,' or 'super genius.' This was the first time he had been featured in a newspaper as a superhero: Iron Man. This feeling made him feel very comfortable and secure, completely different from his previous experiences of being in the news.
At this moment, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson walked over and handed Tony a note, saying.
"This is your alibi. At the time, you were vacationing on Avalon Island. We've already handled your customs documents and the testimonies of 50 tourists."
Tony took the note, glanced at it, and mischievously said, "I thought I'd say it was just Pepper and me alone on that island…"
After reading for a while longer, Tony asked, "Agent Coulson, why isn't Obadiah mentioned here?"
"We've already taken care of it. At the time, he was on a private jet, preparing to go on vacation. You know, private jets are very prone to accidents," Coulson replied to Tony with a smile.
"Hmm…" Tony shrugged and then said, "Oh, and is it really okay to say the robot is my bodyguard? That sounds too fake, doesn't it, Coulson?"
"This isn't the first time I've handled something like this, Mr. Stark. As long as you insist it's true, your involvement will soon be over," Coulson explained, also demonstrating the power of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Mr. Stark, you have 90 seconds. Please hurry," Coulson said, giving his final instruction before leaving.
After Coulson left, Tony, with Pepper's help, put on his suit. After a few intimate words with Pepper, he turned and went to the front desk, taking over Colonel Rhodes's position.
Looking at the numerous media and cameras in front of him, Tony pulled out the note and, somewhat uncomfortably, said, "Uh, it's been a while since I've seen everyone. I guess I'll just read from the card again…"
"Some people say I was involved in the violent incident at the Stark Industries building and nearby roads. What I want to say is…"
"Excuse me, Mr. Stark, do you really expect us to believe that the red robot 'Iron Man' last night was a personal bodyguard? Its appearance was too coincidental…"
From the audience, a female reporter named Carly Christine suddenly interrupted Tony. She and Tony had some ambiguous history, but unfortunately, Tony was a playboy, so this time, she had to make Tony suffer.
"I know it's confusing, questioning official statements and so on. What I want to say is, I'm really not some superhero 'Iron Man.' That robot is indeed one of my bodyguards…" Looking at the words on the note, Tony subconsciously recited the official explanation.
Seeing Tony's actions, Carly shrugged, somewhat helpless.
She knew Tony would never admit to being Iron Man. She wanted to expose Tony, but she had no evidence. What could she do?
At this moment, Carly's phone suddenly vibrated. Carly pulled out her phone in confusion and found that a news outlet she followed, called Amazing News, had published a new story.
Amazing News was a new media outlet Carly had discovered yesterday noon. After seeing Amazing News publish the Kingpin incident, Carly immediately became interested in Amazing News and saved the news outlet right away, wanting to see what interesting news it would publish next.
Seeing the headline, 'Shocking: Superhero Iron Man is actually Tony Stark! Is this a distortion of human nature or a degradation of morality? Click to find out!' Carly didn't hesitate and immediately clicked on the details page, seeing the full news article.
At this moment, Tony was getting annoyed by the countless reporters. He thought for a moment, then directly threw the note aside, his eyes firm, and said to all the reporters, "The truth is, I am Iron…"
Meanwhile, Carly, seeing the clear photos of Tony Stark wearing the Iron Man suit, smiled happily. She immediately interrupted Tony again, stood up, and aimed her phone at Tony at the podium, shouting, "Hey, Tony, look at this!"
"Uh…" Interrupted by Carly, Tony was a bit annoyed. However, he still subconsciously looked at Carly's phone.
Seeing the incredibly clear 'Iron Man' photos on the phone, Tony's mouth dropped open. The satisfaction he had just felt, wanting to announce himself as Iron Man and shock everyone, instantly vanished, leaving him feeling as miserable as if he had eaten a pile of shit.
After a long while, Tony finally uttered a word he had never even heard before, feeling utterly depressed.
"MMP…"