A dispute that should have lasted several hours concluded in less than one hour under the pressure of a powerful dragon.
"Would you like to visit Stark Tower? At least I think it's much taller than your Atlas Corporation's office building!" After the meeting, Pepper suddenly stopped Fisher as he was leaving and invited him.
"Oh!" Fisher glanced at the corner behind him, where Stark was craning his neck to peek at their situation.
"Then I'd be honored!"
It must be said that even after closing an important department, Stark Industries remained a massive organization. The entire tower was 72 stories high, with the top six floors being Stark's private space, accessible only to Pepper Potts. However, Stark rarely visited the tower, only coming for shareholder meetings.
From the sixty-sixth floor downwards, there were dozens of departments and agencies, including Stark Industries' aerospace department, biotechnology department, pharmaceutical research and development, power systems, energy development, electronics industry, software development, and even insurance and banking services. That's right, Stark was also involved in banking, as it's impossible for a conglomerate in America not to engage in banking. It's well-known that keeping money in a bank isn't safe, but keeping it in your own bank is perfectly fine. Even the Boston Group has the First National Bank of Boston.
Along the way, Fisher visited Stark Industries' newly developed Pineapple 6s phone, Pineapple tablet computer, and new energy electric vehicles.
"This car can travel 700 kilometers on a single charge, but there aren't many charging stations outside the city. We're currently discussing with the federal government how to solve this problem!" Pepper said with some regret, pointing to a blue car about the size of a Mini parked in the lobby.
"Following American tradition, if you place charging stations outside the city without supervision, they'll disappear within three days!" Having lived in America for nearly thirty years, plus forty-some years in his previous life, he wasn't a master of American customs, but he was close enough. Even if the charging stations were useless, those black guys or drunks still wouldn't let them go.
"Uh, maybe we could try something like gas stations!"
"That wouldn't be a problem, but you won't recoup your costs for several years before these cars are widely put into operation!"
"Cost isn't what we're concerned about; we're more interested in leading the industry's development!" Stark, who had been hiding in some corner, suddenly popped out, holding a bag of chocolate chips.
"Uh, Pepper, it's almost noon. Shouldn't we invite these guests to lunch?" Seeing everyone in the room looking at him, Stark waved his hand, pretending he had just passed by.
"Okay, of course, let's go to the top floor!"
Perhaps to show off his love for food, Stark had Happy directly book his favorite Turkish kebab shop. The chefs and waiters were all brought to the rooftop terrace of the tower to prepare lunch on the spot. The meat was freshly air-freighted Australian wagyu, and Stark even opened a bottle of Royal Salute from his collection.
With sizzling, oily beef, carefully baked spices, crispy yet tender grilled beef ribs, and savory cheese beef pies, Fisher had to admit that Stark was indeed the number one gourmet in Marvel.
"Speaking of which, have you ever considered making a documentary called 'A Bite of America'? I think it would be a huge hit!" Fisher said, popping a tender piece of veal into his mouth, taking a sip of Royal Salute, and then wiping his mouth with a napkin, looking every bit the petty bourgeois.
"A Bite of America? Interesting, tell me more!" Stark's eyes lit up. He liked this show, just like the 'Playboy Magazine Collection' he sponsored before. All those beautiful women ended up in his bed, so these delicious foods would definitely end up in his stomach.
"It's like a food exploration show. For the fifty states of America, you first set a standard, for example, which states are good at making beef, and which are good at using lamb. Then you start introducing the most representative local delicacies, record the food preparation process, trace the ingredients needed for the food, and even introduce the general information about those cattle and sheep. For example, to make the meat more tender, farms give them red wine, massages, and music. And for vegetables, how much sunlight they need, what kind of humidity, etc. All these are the contents to be introduced in the show!"
"Also, besides making documentaries, we can also publish a series of magazines, feature articles, and even organize competitions!" Stark was now able to draw inferences from one instance.
"Pepper, contact National Geographic immediately, and put this on my agenda, prioritize its implementation!"
"???" Pepper looked at him as if to say, 'Are you kidding me?', but she also understood her boss's habit of making decisions on a whim, so she obediently took out her tablet and started recording.
With a topic established, the atmosphere at the dinner table opened up, and Stark and Fisher began to discuss their visions for the future.
"I've seen your mass accelerator blueprints. That thing needs at least four reactors. If built, it would cover an area half the size of the Great Lakes, and the personnel and supporting facilities needed would be enough to establish a new metropolis!"
"Then let's build it. As long as the funding for the EXO exoskeleton armor is in place, we can start construction! I plan to complete it in five years!"
"Fisher Adams, speaking of which, we've known each other for four or five years. I'm very curious, what's your real purpose in building this thing? Strictly speaking, a mass accelerator can also be used as an orbital weapon. I've calculated that if loaded with live ammunition, its strike range could even cover Africa!"
"Yes, and not only that, Atlas Corporation also plans to use it to launch sixty-four armed satellites. If possible, I even plan to build an orbital space station in Earth's high orbit!" Fisher took out his tablet and projected a blueprint onto the 3D projector in the center of the dining room.
"This?" Stark put down his knife and fork and walked over to the projector.
"JARVIS!"
"I'm here, sir!"
"Disassemble the 3D model of this thing!"
"Received!"
The triangular orbital space station was instantly disassembled into dozens of parts by JARVIS, and Stark began to examine each component.
"Crew quarters, research module, repair module, and a weapon module?" Looking at the three massive modules of the triangular space station, heavily encased in armor, Stark couldn't help but be stunned.
"Yes, this is the biggest thing Atlas Corporation can currently produce: a MAC cannon. According to Atlas Corporation's current technology, this thing can accelerate a 600-kilogram shell to 0.04c and fire it!"
"Who are you guarding against? Aliens? Does anyone really believe in aliens these days? No way, no way!" Stark said, carefully observing the MAC cannon's structure.
"What, does anyone really believe there are no aliens these days? No way, no way?" Fisher remembered Stark's father researching the Tesseract for so long, and Stark knew nothing about it?
"But how do you know aliens coming to Earth aren't to befriend us, but for war? What resources on Earth would they be interested in? Humans, or seawater!"
"When humans domesticated animals into pets, they didn't think pets had any resources, did they? Maybe some aliens think there are too many people on Earth and are here to help us with family planning?"
"Family planning, what is that word?" Stark now wondered if Fisher was being so aggressive because he had developed a victim complex from his time in the military.
"Anything is possible, Mr. Stark. If they really come, what do we do?"
"Then I'll come up with weapons to counter them myself. I'm Tony Stark!"
"Yes, you are Tony Stark, but only on Earth are you Tony Stark!" Fisher remembered Rocket Raccoon saying this to Stark. Perhaps Stark was a once-in-a-century genius among humans, but in the universe, in those great empires like the Kree Empire and the Nova Corps, there were many like Stark. After all, compared to them, humanity's foundation was still too shallow.
After hearing Fisher's words, Stark initially wanted to snort twice to show his disdain, but he was now someone who could listen to reason. He paused for a few seconds to consider what Fisher had said.
"I think we should stop this topic. This food is delicious, isn't it?" Seeing the tension between the two growing, Pepper quickly jumped in to mediate.
"Of course, Ms. Potts!"
After returning to their seats, Pepper steered the conversation at the dinner table back to business. Fisher's Atlas Corporation had taken over nearly seventy percent of global shipping in recent years, and many of Stark Industries' products relied on Atlas Corporation's ships to reach other continents. Therefore, Pepper and Fisher had much in common to discuss in this regard. In fact, even the food and clothing donated by Stark's charitable activities over the years, when passing through the Somali waters, had encountered pirates and were only rescued by Atlas Corporation's patrol gunboats in the local waters.
"I heard that you've been frantically acquiring all the vibranium on the market these past few years. Is that true?" While eating, Stark suddenly remembered this matter.
"Why do you know about this?" Fisher was a bit surprised. To avoid attracting too much attention, Fisher had set up seventeen or eighteen shell companies, with agents ranging from Asian to African descent. But it seemed these methods were not very effective after all.
"No, your method of using shell companies and agents is very clever. Most people wouldn't think of Atlas Corporation, but you still made one mistake!" Stark picked up his wine glass with a triumphant look.
"Due to its special properties, vibranium requires special transport vehicles, and these vehicles have a very distinctive appearance. As far as I know, Atlas Corporation currently has about forty of these special trucks. All other countries in the world combined don't have even half as many as you do!"
"Thanks for the reminder!" Fisher nodded. He would inform them to change the appearance of the vehicles once he returned.
In short, after this meal, Stark's contempt for Fisher lessened. He used to think this guy was a relatively low-key Tesla oligarch, but now, in Stark's eyes, Fisher had become a radical explorer of humanity's future.
In fact, besides the topics discussed earlier, Stark also proposed his plasma anti-gravity system to Fisher and, based on that, suggested the development of an anti-gravity car. This could be considered a joint development project between the two companies. However, because Stark's current technology wasn't mature enough, and Fisher hadn't fully grasped the things he brought back from COD13, this project would likely remain superficial for a long time to come.
However, Fisher didn't expect to convince Stark in just one meal. And because of some of Stark's quirks, he couldn't even try to brainwash Stark or anything like that. Otherwise, if Stark were to become a human supremacist, that image would surely be beautiful.
"Thank you so much for your help today, Mr. Fisher. Next time you're in New York, you can come find me or Tony again!" To show his regard for Fisher, Pepper even personally escorted Fisher to the parking lot after dinner. The scene of them shaking hands and saying goodbye was also captured by tabloid reporters.
"Alright, and by the way, Pepper, Stark is actually a good match for you!" After saying that, Fisher got in his car and left, leaving Pepper to ponder in place... "BOSS, where are we going now?"
"First, home. Also, tell the European side to get ready; we're going there next week!" Fisher leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.
"Understood!" John took note of the instructions and continued, "Should I deploy the Ghost Team there?"
"No, let them continue operations in Iraq, clear out the opposition there. That's their top priority. Inform Cormac to send three teams from the Sons of Truth to the branch office there. Have them enter disguised, don't cluster together, and change all their identity information to various places around the world! Also, have Dr. Samuel Hayden find a way to send a scientific expedition to the Arctic, focusing on surveying the waters beneath the Arctic ice cap. Money is not an issue, just the sooner the better!"
"Understood!" Although he didn't know what the McLaren Group had done to upset the BOSS, John knew that this company was now on Fisher's blacklist. After all, the last ones to receive such arrangements from Fisher were the local opposition armed forces in Iraq, but now they had gone to enjoy seventy-two raisins.
Another four thousand words, brothers and sisters! Tomorrow is Children's Day, June 1st. Can you spare this starving, struggling writer 298 for food? I don't know what Night City is, nor do I know what Cyberpunk 2077 is. All I know is that all the big brothers who read my book are handsome and dashing, and the big sisters are beautiful and charming. Drink more hot water.