Finally!"
"The Military is going to award Shi Da Ke the Extremis Prize; this crucial moment has finally arrived!"
"Is Shi Da Ke finally going to be kidnapped?!"
"This is a good day, worth celebrating."
"Should I go out for a good meal?"
As Zhou Cheng thought, the corresponding words began to appear on the diary with a whoosh.
Between the lines, Zhou Cheng's most sincere excitement and simplest anticipation overflowed.
Stark Tower.
Tony Stark, in his luxurious office, immediately began to darken.
The corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch twice.
What the hell.
The Playboy really wanted to find Zhou Cheng and beat him up.
His kidnapping, was it really such a joyous occasion?
And he wanted to go out and celebrate?
Listen, is that what a human would say?
"However, contacting an agent to sell my house now is really true."
"The time is almost right!"
"Shi Da Ke was kidnapped for more than two months, neither seen alive nor found dead."
"The mainstream view generally believes that this damn guy is already dead!"
"Stark Group's stock price has experienced its first sharp decline!"
Tony Stark's eyebrows raised slightly.
So this was Zhou Cheng's plan?
The other party had always intended to make a big deal out of his kidnapping to reap a good profit.
Even his kidnapping was seen by the other party as an opportunity to change his life.
That's why the other party had always been so preoccupied with his kidnapping.
But in the end, it was just to manipulate stocks?
Tony Stark's lips curled into a sneer.
Zhou Cheng's ambition was just that.
He could only be limited to the level of mere financial manipulation.
But… the first sharp decline?
Tony Stark keenly noticed this point.
If there was a first wave, it meant that Stark Group's stock price would experience a second sharp decline.
Why would this happen?
Was there any news that would be worse and more severe than his death?
After everyone generally believed he was dead, what else happened to Stark Group?
"And when Shi Da Ke escapes and returns, and announces the permanent closure of the weapon manufacturing department, Stark Group's stock price will experience a second sharp decline!"
"No, it should even be called a bloodbath!"
"By then, it will be the best time for me to act."
"I can buy Stark Group shares at rock-bottom prices."
"Haha, how clever I am!"
What the hell?
Close the weapon manufacturing department?
Tony Stark was utterly dumbfounded.
Stark Group was a weapon manufacturer, even the most formidable weapon manufacturer in America.
How could he close the weapon manufacturing department in the future?
Was he crazy?!
What was wrong with him to make such an absurd and inexplicable decision?
What a joke!
No wonder the group's stock price would plummet a second time.
If a weapon manufacturing company no longer manufactured weapons, who else would fall if not them?
"What exactly happened during the time I was kidnapped?"
Tony Stark's gaze deepened, and he began to seriously ponder this question.
Without a doubt.
The other him in that parallel Universe, the reason he made such an abnormal decision, must have been because of that kidnapping.
It was that kidnapping that caused such a change in him!
Didn't the diary also say that the kidnapping was the beginning of his, Tony's, transformation?
So~
What exactly was that damned kidnapping about?
Not only that.
Zhou Cheng choosing to buy Stark Group's stock at this time, intending to make a huge profit.
That indicated that Stark Group's stock price would still experience a reversal at some point in the future!
Tony Stark was truly curious.
Even after closing the weapon manufacturing department, what could Stark Group do to achieve a reversal?
"And then, I just need to wait for Shi Da Ke's performance!"
"When Shi Da Ke says the famous line 'I am Iron Man' at the press conference."
"After admitting another identity in front of everyone, Stark Group's stock price will surge again."
"By then, if I sell, won't I make a fortune?"
"A beautiful tomorrow is beckoning to me!"
???
Tony Stark fell into deep thought again.
Why would Stark Group's stock price surge again after he announced he was Iron Man?
Could the identity, or rather, the concept of "Iron Man"?
Could it offset the impact of closing the weapon manufacturing department?
So what exactly was Iron Man?
All along, Tony Stark had subconsciously assumed "Iron Man" described a type of ability.
Just like what the diary mentioned about Witch, magic users, and so on, a kind of transcendent power.
But now it seemed that wasn't the case.
If it were merely this kind of ability, it wouldn't cause Stark Group's stock to surge again.
After all, people are profit-driven; without tangible benefits, who would put out real money?
The only reason for Stark Group's stock price to surge could only be that investors and shareholders once again saw Stark Group's immense commercial value.
Why would announcing himself as Iron Man bring immense commercial value?
There was only one answer.
"Iron Man" was a product!
This also matched and corresponded with Tony Stark's identity as a scientist.
In other words.
Although Stark Group no longer produced weapons, Tony had developed other, more extraordinary products.
Only then could everything make sense.
"If that's the case…"
Tony Stark's eyes lit up, feeling a sudden enlightenment.
What product could allow him to become "Iron Man"?
Tony Stark only thought of one logical product: the Iron Man Armor!
"So, this is the truth of 'Iron Man'?"
Tony Stark's gaze was profound, with brilliant light flickering within.
It made sense!
Everything made sense!
No wonder the diary previously mentioned him swinging a sledgehammer in a cave.
At the time, Tony Stark was completely bewildered.
But now it seemed, swinging a sledgehammer, wasn't that secretly building the Iron Man Armor?
And this time.
The diary said he "escaped and returned."
He was just a Playboy rich second-generation; what ability did he have to escape from an international terrorist organization like the Ten Rings Gang, which had hundreds of years of history?
Of course, it was the Iron Man Armor!
Finally!
After Zhou Cheng "spoiled" so many fragments, the puzzle regarding that kidnapping gradually began to complete itself.
The truth was that he built an Iron Man Armor during his kidnapping and escaped to freedom!
Perhaps this was also the reason why Zhou Cheng repeatedly emphasized how important the kidnapping was to him?
It made sense, everything made sense!
Tony Stark's eyes were clear.
Actually, the Iron Man Armor wasn't a new concept; many capitalists had even ventured into this field.
Even within Stark Group, there were many similar proposals.
But how to put it.
This thing was only new in concept, but the relevant technology hadn't developed to a matching degree.
So it wasn't very cost-effective.
More often, people just used it to hype up some gimmicks and boost their prestige.
But what if it was personally researched by him, Tony Stark?
He was Tony Stark!