Ever since returning to Stark Tower after the Battle of New York, Tony Stark had been in a terrible mood.
He sat alone in his workshop, staring at the walls covered in armor suits.
The thought kept replaying in his mind.
He had never imagined that Theodore Vane—the same guy who couldn't even compete with him for magazine cover girls—would one day end up acting like his superior.
The humiliation still stung.
Almost immediately after the battle ended, Stark submitted his resignation from S.H.I.E.L.D.
The request went directly to the new acting director.
Phil Coulson.
Coulson visited Stark Tower three separate times, trying to change his mind.
But Tony refused every single time.
Still, Coulson's sincerity left an impression.
His calm words and genuine dedication to protecting the world actually moved Stark a little.
In the end, Tony reluctantly reached a compromise.
He was still willing to contribute to protecting Earth.
But joining S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Avengers again?
Absolutely not.
That idea was dead.
So the question became simple.
How exactly was he supposed to protect the planet?
Tony stood in the center of his workshop, arms folded, staring at the wall of armor.
Suddenly an idea appeared in his mind.
Why not build an Iron Legion?
An entire army of Iron Man suits.
But after thinking about it for a moment, Tony shook his head.
"No," he muttered.
"I can't trust humans."
He sighed irritably.
"Especially the ones who aren't as smart as me."
He began pacing back and forth across the room.
The more he thought about everything that had happened recently, the more restless he felt.
Aliens.
War.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Everything had changed.
The world was no longer the same place where a billionaire genius could fly around casually in armored suits and solve problems with money and technology.
The threats were bigger now.
Darker.
Stranger.
Suddenly Tony realized something.
He was anxious.
At that moment, the calm voice of his AI assistant echoed through the room.
"Sir," JARVIS said politely, "your current behavior indicates elevated anxiety levels. Please take care of your physical and mental health."
Tony frowned slightly.
"Anxiety?"
He paused.
After thinking about it for a moment, he realized JARVIS was probably right.
Everything that had happened over the past few days had shaken him.
The Battle of New York had forced him to confront something terrifying.
Earth was vulnerable.
And he could no longer rely on luck.
He needed a better system.
"Sir," JARVIS continued calmly, "excessive anxiety can negatively affect both physical and psychological health."
The AI paused briefly.
"I recommend increased rest, improved sleep cycles, and more physical activity. These methods have proven effective for relieving anxiety symptoms."
Tony suddenly stopped pacing.
His eyes lit up.
Wait a second.
If he had to list the things he trusted most in the world, the list would be very short.
Pepper Potts.
Happy Hogan.
And then…
His machines.
Machines didn't lie.
Programs didn't betray people.
Data was reliable.
Tony's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"I've got it."
"I'll build a high-level artificial intelligence."
He began speaking faster as his thoughts accelerated.
"The AI will command an entire network of robotic armor."
"All connected together through a global communication network."
His grin widened.
"They'll become the mechanical guardians of Earth."
Just as Tony was congratulating himself on his brilliant idea, his tablet suddenly rang.
A video call request appeared on the screen.
Caller: Happy Hogan.
Tony accepted the call.
Happy's large face immediately filled the screen.
"Boss!"
Tony leaned back slightly.
"What's wrong?"
Happy lowered his voice dramatically.
"I think you should come to the company."
Tony frowned.
"Why?"
"Pepper's meeting with a scientist."
Happy leaned closer to the camera.
"A handsome scientist."
"Rich."
"And someone she's known for a long time."
Tony's expression stiffened slightly.
Happy continued whispering conspiratorially.
"You know I'm great at recognizing people."
"We've met this guy before."
Tony frowned.
"Who?"
"Adrian Killian."
Happy nodded seriously.
"Back in 1999. That conference in Switzerland."
"You remember?"
Tony blinked.
Happy continued enthusiastically.
"You even tricked him that night."
"You told him to meet you on the rooftop balcony."
"Then you left him standing out there in the cold all night."
Happy widened his eyes dramatically.
"And the craziest part?"
"It was New Year's Eve."
"And the guy was disabled at the time!"
Tony looked genuinely shocked.
"What?"
He waved his hands immediately.
"No, no, no. I didn't trick him."
"I just forgot!"
Tony frowned.
"Why would you think I'd do something like that?"
Happy looked confused.
"So you didn't think he was annoying and deliberately prank him because he kept interrupting your flirting?"
Tony blinked again.
"I'm not that kind of person!"
Happy shrugged.
"Okay."
"If you say so."
Tony frowned at the screen.
"What kind of attitude is that?"
He pointed at himself indignantly.
"I planned to deal with him five minutes after I went into the room with that girl."
Tony sighed dramatically.
"But then we started discussing her research project."
"It got interesting."
"And then she liked me."
"And then she blackmailed me into staying the whole night."
Tony rubbed his forehead.
"So yes, I completely forgot."
Happy shrugged again.
"You don't need to explain that much to me."
"I was just saying."
He pointed the tablet camera toward another room.
"Look."
On the screen, Pepper Potts and Aldrich Killian were standing together.
At first they appeared to be discussing business.
But the distance between them had grown… suspiciously close.
Killian was showing Pepper a holographic projection of a human brain.
The two of them were leaning toward the same display.
From Happy's perspective, they were practically touching.
Happy whispered urgently.
"Pepper didn't even object."
"This is an emergency."
"You need to get here immediately."
Tony stared silently at the screen.
A cold smile slowly appeared on his face.
Hmph.
This man actually wanted to cooperate with Stark Industries?
Not happening.
Even if Pepper agreed…
Tony definitely wouldn't.
And Pepper herself…
Tony narrowed his eyes.
Getting that close to another man?
Dangerous game.
However, when he spoke to Happy again, his voice sounded calm.
"Relax, Happy."
"Your job is to protect Pepper's safety."
"Not monitor her every move."
Tony leaned back in his chair.
"I trust Pepper."
"I'm not a jealous man."
"This is her career."
"And I support it."
Happy ended the call angrily.
"Hmph."
He muttered to himself.
"This guy definitely has something going on."
"Just wait until I find proof."
…
Meanwhile, Ethan Voss had finished merging with the Eternal Flame.
Inside the divine kingdom, he calmly tested his current strength.
The results were impressive.
At the moment, his power was roughly equivalent to 3,800 Wolverines.
That level of strength might already be approaching the legendary Heavenly Father tier.
But Ethan had no interest in testing that theory.
Fighting someone like Odin or the Ancient One just to measure his power would be incredibly foolish.
Instead, he continued focusing on his work.
Unexpectedly, he soon received another message.
Dr. Arnim Zola had contacted him again.
"Mr. Voss," Zola said through the communicator, "I heard you successfully acquired Hammer Industries."
"Yes," Ethan replied.
"Dr. Zola."
"Then you must also possess the ability to manufacture robotic bodies now?"
"Yes."
Zola's voice became excited.
"Excellent."
"Then our cooperation can finally begin."
Ethan smiled slightly.
"I'm very interested."
"Please tell me more."
Zola responded enthusiastically.
"I want to cooperate with you in two ways."
"The first is obvious."
"Robots."
His voice carried an unusual intensity.
"I want to walk under the sunlight again."
"So I need you to build a special robotic body for me."
"I'll provide the complete design."
"You handle the manufacturing."
Ethan nodded.
"No problem."
Zola sounded delighted.
"Wonderful."
"This will become a very large project."
"I'll eventually need tens of thousands of robots."
Ethan responded politely, praising the idea.
But internally he was already thinking carefully.
Why would Zola need that many robotic bodies?
For war?
Then Zola revealed the second part of his proposal.
"The other project," Zola said, "involves developing a VR game."
Ethan blinked.
"A game?"
The conversation had taken a very strange turn.
Sensing his confusion, Zola explained immediately.
"It's a financial project."
"After becoming digital consciousness, I discovered something interesting."
"I have exceptional talent inside the virtual world."
"So I began developing advanced VR technology."
"And I created a game."
His tone grew enthusiastic.
"With this technology and this game, we can make enormous profits."
He paused.
"The robot project might even be funded entirely through this platform."
Ethan's voice carried excitement.
"That sounds incredible."
"VR technology is amazing."
"I'm sure it will succeed."
But inside his mind, Ethan had a completely different thought.
There is definitely something suspicious here.
He smiled quietly to himself.
Go ahead.
Let's see what you're really planning.
.....
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