An hour later, at the Stark Industries press conference venue.
Flashbulbs illuminated the entire hall, making it as bright as day. Media from all over the world gathered here, like sharks smelling blood, waiting to hear the astonishing words that the long-missing Tony Stark and Henry Stark would utter.
Tony and Henry walked onto the stage side by side. Tony was in a sharp Armani suit, his hair neatly styled, but no amount of expensive makeup could hide the fatigue in his eyes. Henry was wearing the black combat suit from under his Armor, minus the cloak.
The form-fitting suit perfectly outlined his exaggeratedly muscular physique, making him look like Superman walked out of a DC movie.
The moment the two brothers appeared, the atmosphere in the venue instantly erupted.
"Mr. Stark! Welcome back! Could you tell us what you and your brother experienced during your time missing?"
"Mr. Henry! There are rumours that you were kidnapped by a terrorist organization. Is that true?"
"Tony! You look much thinner. Was the food in Afghanistan not good?"
Tony walked to the podium. Facing the countless cameras and the noisy questions from the crowd, he didn't show any sign of nervousness; instead, he seemed to be enjoying the attention. He loved being the centre of the world, whether at a party or a press conference.
He glanced at the stack of standardized speeches prepared for him by the PR team, and then, to everyone's surprise, he chuckled and casually tossed the thick stack of papers aside.
Pepper, in the audience, felt her heart leap into her throat. She knew Tony was about to go off-script again.
Tony looked around, enjoying the momentary silence in the room. He cleared his throat and leaned into the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Americans, and my fans watching the live stream online."
He began, his tone a mix of lazy and arrogant. "I know you have many questions. For example, did I get this slightly darker tan in Hawaii? The answer is no; I prefer Bali. And did I find any new creative inspiration in Afghanistan? The answer is yes."
His gaze deepened, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared.
"I saw firsthand where the weapons I manufactured were being used, and on whom. I saw what they brought—nothing but death and destruction. I saw that the foundation of the weapons empire I built with half my life's work was piled up with the blood and bones of countless innocent people."
He paused. The entire hall was dead silent. Everyone was stunned by his sudden, weighty statement.
"So, I made a decision after I returned." He looked up, his eyes firmer than ever before.
"I have decided that Stark Industries will permanently shut down its weapons manufacturing division, effective immediately."
BOOM!
The statement was like an exploded bomb, instantly sending the entire press conference into an uproar! Reporters went crazy, pushing forward desperately, thrusting microphones toward Tony and shouting questions.
The Stark Industries board members in the audience were also dumbfounded. Obadiah's face was the most unpleasant, his iconic bald head instantly slick with cold sweat.
Damn Tony! What kind of delusion was he suffering from?!
Amidst the chaos, Henry slowly walked up to Tony, familiarly put his arm around his shoulder, took another microphone, and spoke in a casual tone:
"That's right, just like my brother said. We decided to quit. We've been thinking about what Stark Industries can leave for the world. After much thought, we realized that manufacturing things that go boom is too tacky and boring. So, we've decided to pivot and enter the high-end home appliance market. For example, developing a toaster that can perfectly toast bread at Mach 3 speed. That's much cooler than a missile, isn't it?"
His words caused a momentary pause in the chaos. Everyone looked at the brothers like they were insane.
One quick-thinking reporter immediately seized on the new breaking point and shouted, "Mr. Stark! Mr. Henry! Just a while ago, the two of you were seen wearing two suits of what appeared to be individual combat Armor in Los Angeles, causing quite a disturbance. Are these Stark Industries' latest weapons? Doesn't this contradict your decision to close the weapons division?"
"Oh, good question!" Tony immediately livened up, taking the lead.
"I was just about to address that. First, I must clarify: they are not weapons. Weapons? Come on, that word is too crude, too last century. We are pacifists."
All the reporters internally screamed in disbelief. The world's biggest arms dealer claims to be a pacifist?
"As for those two suits..." Tony deliberately drew out his words, a mysterious smile on his face. "You can think of them as our company's latest multifunctional, highly intelligent assistive tools."
"Exactly," Henry immediately added.
"Their main function is... well, high-efficiency express delivery service. Imagine you order a pizza online, and five minutes later, a handsome gentleman in cool Armor flies to your window at supersonic speed to deliver a piping hot pizza. Isn't that an amazing experience? Of course, the pizza might be crushed into a dough ball due to the immense G-force, but those details are still being optimized."
The two brothers, speaking one after the other, casually dismissed the two groundbreaking suits of Armor that could overturn the world's military landscape as mere tools for delivering takeout. Their casual tone left everyone wondering whether to believe them or not.
Obadiah in the audience could no longer sit still. He knew that if he didn't stop these two lunatics, Stark Industries' stock would plummet tomorrow!
He abruptly stood up, pushed through the crowd, rushed onto the stage, and grabbed a microphone. He forced a look of immense sorrow and concern onto his face.
"Everyone! Everyone! Please calm down!" he shouted.
"Tony... he has just experienced a terrifying ordeal, and his mental state is not very stable! What he's saying is just the incoherent ramblings of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder! Please don't take it seriously! Regarding the company's future direction, our board of directors will conduct a careful discussion and will absolutely not make such a rash decision!"
Pepper, watching the farce on stage, was also completely bewildered. She had no idea what had happened in that short hour.
Meanwhile, the instigators, Tony and Henry, watched Obadiah's frantic antics like they were watching a clown show. They exchanged a look, both seeing mockery in the other's eyes. Then, they turned around simultaneously and leisurely walked off the stage amidst the chaos.