Under the envious stares of the salarymen, Daniel swaggered toward the private elevator. Wearing Obadiah Stane's face (literally, thanks to a high-end mask), the security guards didn't dare breathe a word. He swiped the card and rode straight to the top floor like he owned the place.
Tony's office was empty. Daniel dropped into the leather chair, booted the computer, and jammed in the silver USB Tony had given him.
Screen: Cracking Stark Industries firewall…
Screen: Success. Accessing hidden partition…
A flood of classified files opened. One video stood out: crystal-clear footage of Stane ordering the ambush that kidnapped Tony in Afghanistan. Arms deals, backroom handshakes with terrorists—everything signed in Stane's own handwriting.
"American office politics are wild," Daniel muttered, scrolling faster.
Then he hit the jackpot: Project Iron Monger. Stane had salvaged the wrecked Mark I from the cave, locked Stark Industries' best engineers in a black-site lab, and was weeks away from finishing his own hulking war suit.
Daniel snapped photos with his phone and sent everything to Nick Fury.
Fury's reply came in seconds: "That tech cannot leave our sight. Coulson's team is wheels-up. We're seizing the facility tonight."
Translation: S.H.I.E.L.D. was about to "protect" the Iron Monger blueprints whether Stane liked it or not.
Daniel copied the files twice, yanked the drive, and headed for the door.
A stunning woman in a pencil skirt blocked his path. "Mr. Stane! Perfect timing. I need your signature on a fifty-million-dollar emergency fund transfer for the special project."
Daniel took the form, glanced at the amount, and cleared his throat importantly.
"Project suspended. Redirect every cent to this account instead. Higher priority."
He scribbled his own offshore bank number and handed it back.
She blinked. "Suspended? Sir, the board—"
"Hair regrowth research," Daniel said gravely, rubbing his shiny bald head. "Critical company morale issue."
The assistant stared at the dome, then nodded slowly. "Of course, sir… Oh, and tonight? You promised me dinner."
She leaned in, lips glossy, eyes promising dessert before the entrée.
Daniel felt cold sweat. These Stark Industries executives really did have a type.
"Rain check. My wife's flying in tonight."
"Liar," she purred. "Mom's in Maui until Sunday."
Daniel: "???"
Your family tree is a wreath, lady.
After a heroic struggle, he finally escaped Stane's daughter/assistant and fled to Tony's Malibu cliffside mansion.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., open up!"
Silence.
Bad sign.
Daniel pulled the Diamond Pickaxe from his inventory and punched a perfectly square hole through the reinforced wall like it was drywall. He crawled through and froze.
A pale, blood-drained figure was dragging itself across the dark living room floor, chest cavity glowing faintly, face half-dead.
"Kayako is that you?" Daniel yelped.
The corpse croaked, "…It's me… reactor… lab… hurry…"
"Tony? Hang on!"
Daniel smashed straight down through the floor, dropped into the workshop, grabbed the original arc reactor off its display stand, and vaulted back up.
"Here!"
Tony caught it with trembling fingers and slammed it home. Blue light flared; color returned to his face. He collapsed, gasping.
"You beautiful bald lunatic… you just saved my life. Again."
"No biggie." Daniel waved it off. "By the way—what happened to your new reactor?"
Tony's eyes turned arctic. "Stane. He paralyzed me with some sonic gadget, ripped it out of my chest, and left me to die."
Daniel whistled. "And you weren't suited up because…?"
"I was in my bathrobe, okay?!" Tony snapped, embarrassed. "Note to self: invent armor that deploys from my bones."
"Speaking of which—mission accomplished." Daniel tossed him the USB. "Your uncle ordered the kidnapping, sold weapons under the table, and he's about to finish his own suit. Everything's on there."
System ping!
[Side Quest "Corporate Traitor" complete!]
Rewards: 500 EXP, Tony Favorability +10, Item: Honesty Bun (forces truth for 60 seconds after eating)
"That son of a bitch," Tony growled. He rebooted J.A.R.V.I.S., staggered to his feet, and headed for the lab. "Time to suit up. Mark III's about to get a field test."
At that exact moment, the system voice rang loud and clear in Daniel's ears.
⚠️ Player Alert: BOSS Event now live!
Target: Iron Monger — Obadiah Stane
Rewards scaled by damage contribution — hurt him a lot, get paid a lot!
Daniel's eyes practically sparkled.
"A real BOSS fight?!"
He cracked his knuckles, grinning like a kid on Christmas.
All those months of grinding trash mobs… finally, the main event.