Tony Stark had also not been without his suspicions.
The true mastermind behind his kidnapping might be Harvey Anberaka.
That's why Harvey Anberaka knew he had already created the Ark Reactor.
However, according to the intelligence collected by Jarvis, Harvey Anberaka spent his days eating and drinking, and sometimes, when the mood struck, he would pick up some girls and spend the night with them.
Occasionally, he would buy some luxuriously decorated and valuable Villas.
Harvey Anberaka rarely left America; it could be said that he spent ninety-five percent of his time within America.
Harvey Anberaka usually drove himself, occasionally racing, and his driving skills seemed very good.
It seemed Harvey Anberaka perfectly fit the description of a young man who had gotten rich, felt he had a lot of time, and enjoyed indulging in pleasures and food everywhere.
Harvey Anberaka also never invited him to his parties or exhibitions.
Therefore, they had met for the first time today, and Harvey Anberaka had no reason or opportunity to hold a grudge against him.
Most importantly, his itinerary to Afghanistan was absolutely confidential.
After all, this was a collaboration with the Military to test-fire his latest developed weapon, so only his closest confidants, besides the Military, knew his itinerary.
This was also why, after reviewing Harvey Anberaka's entire history, he completely ruled out the possibility of him being the mastermind.
Thinking about the people who knew his itinerary, Tony Stark's eyes flickered.
Although he wasn't sure how Harvey Anberaka knew he had developed the Ark Reactor.
What he knew was what his most important task was now.
Tony Stark began to devote himself entirely to researching the new Ark Reactor.
Although he had created the Ark Reactor in Afghanistan, due to the urgent situation and harsh environment at the time, there were areas where the Ark Reactor could be improved.
Now, this light-bulb-like object was a matter of his life.
So Tony Stark had no sleepiness at all and began to work through the night.
The next afternoon, Stark Industries' stock price plummeted by over 30 points overnight, and this was not even its lowest limit.
It could be said that Stark Industries' market value directly evaporated by one-third, and countless shareholders who bought Stark Industries' stock suffered significant losses.
The news was all about Stark Industries making foolish decisions.
Many people were also denouncing Tony Stark, questioning why he was so foolish.
The playboy who was once admired by countless people in New York, merely because of one decision, caused many people in New York to have an extremely negative impression of him.
Tony Stark paid no attention to any of this; after improving the Ark Reactor and having Pepper help him install it.
Tony Stark immediately went to the U.S. Air Force Base to see Rhodes.
The only people he could trust now were Pepper and Rhodes.
However, Tony Stark was met with a cold shoulder; Rhodes did not agree to cooperate with him.
This left Tony Stark with no choice but to return home and begin secretly building Mark II.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Time passed quickly, in just eleven days.
Tony Stark successfully built and tested Mark II, and had already conducted a test flight.
After the test flight, Tony Stark had just decided on the color scheme for Mark III.
But at this moment, Tony Stark suddenly heard Jarvis report news other than about Mark II.
"Sir, I've detected a significant new development from Harvey Anberaka. Would you like a report?"
Because Tony Stark had been preoccupied with Mark II these past few days, his mind didn't immediately recall why Jarvis would suddenly mention this.
However, in just a few seconds, Tony Stark remembered his earlier instruction to Jarvis to keep a close eye on Harvey Anberaka.
"Report, what has he been doing recently?"
Tony Stark's inner joy from the successful test flight was considerably diluted, and he asked with some concern.
"Harvey Anberaka, during the day, mortgaged over half of his properties and land, raising three billion five hundred fifty million U.S. dollars, and purchased a large number of shares in Stark Industries."
"With the shares he currently holds, although he does not yet have decision-making power, Harvey Anberaka is fully qualified to attend Stark Industries' board meetings as an observer."
"He can listen to some of Stark Industries' future plans and directions."
"And he can also freely access some non-confidential areas of Stark Industries."
Jarvis said, responding to the query.
Upon hearing this news, although Tony Stark had somewhat anticipated it, discovering that Harvey Anberaka had actually done so left him both shocked and full of questions.
"What's this guy's reason for doing this now?"
Tony Stark clearly knew that Stark Industries was still in a period of turmoil.
Because of his decision, the stock had dropped by 40 points.
At this time, many people were scrambling to get out, although through the efforts of Obadiah and the board, it had temporarily stabilized around this level and wouldn't drop further.
However, to return to its previous peak, Stark Industries would need to make some major moves.
He also had an idea now, which was to transition into the energy industry.
If he could utilize the Ark Reactor well, it would undoubtedly be an industry no less profitable than armaments.
But before he could successfully transition Stark Industries, Harvey Anberaka seemed to have presciently made a large-scale purchase.
He seemed to be convinced that Stark Industries would drive the stock back up.
Because his previous kidnapping had some unresolved questions, Tony Stark intended to investigate whether the true culprit was someone close to him.
Therefore, Tony Stark's decision to transition into the energy industry currently existed only in his mind and had not been discussed with anyone.
Even Pepper, his closest confidante, didn't know what he planned to do next.
There was no possibility of a leak, so Tony Stark completely failed to understand Harvey Anberaka's logic.
When Stark Industries was at its peak and countless people were optimistic about it, Harvey Anberaka quietly chose to withdraw, earning a fortune.
Then, when Stark Industries was currently in a slump and countless outsiders were pessimistic, Harvey Anberaka directly used even more capital than before to purchase a large number of shares.
This gave Tony Stark the feeling that all his secrets seemed to have been seen through and manipulated by Harvey Anberaka.
This feeling made Tony Stark's mood inexplicably irritable.
Tony Stark suddenly saw the news: Stark Industries' annual charity gala was reporting on his issues, even saying he had a concussion.
"Harvey Anberaka, did he go to this charity gala?"
Tony Stark asked.
"Harvey Anberaka received an invitation, but it's unclear if he arrived at the venue, Sir."
Jarvis paused, speaking with some apology.
"You go ahead and finish the assembly for me. Don't wait for me, my dear."
Tony Stark, hearing that he couldn't retrieve the information, looked at the time, left a remark, and immediately drove out.
Third update delivered, please vote and continue reading, everyone!