The live broadcast room fell silent again.
Everyone looked at Tony, and most of their gazes were filled with pity.
Little Wanda stood to the side and lightly bit her lip. Anger, hesitation, doubt, and many other emotions intertwined in her eyes.
By this point, everyone could already see that the person selling Stark Industries weapons to the armed militants was none other than Obadiah!
And little Wanda had only one thought at that moment:
"If what is being shown on the screen is true, then was it this same Obadiah who sold weapons to the rebels in Sokovia?"
If that was really the case, then Tony truly knew nothing about it.
Feeling everyone's gazes around him, Tony's expression became somewhat stiff.
He shrugged and tried to act as though he did not care, but in the end, only a stiff and bitter smile appeared on his face.
Seeing him like this, Peter Parker wanted to ask something, but in the end swallowed his words.
However, Loki had no such reservations.
A mocking smile appeared on his face as he slowly asked:
"Mortal, what is the relationship between you and that man named Obadiah?"
"After your death, could he obtain everything you own?"
Glancing toward Loki, Tony spread his hands and said:
"Unfortunately, Obadiah is not among the beneficiaries of my will."
"However, if I die, Obadiah could very easily take control of the entire board of directors of Stark Industries."
"Ha, I suppose you are talking about something like a council of elders."
Loki laughed:
"In that case, what is the difference between that and inheriting your property?"
Tony's eyes darkened slightly, and he did not answer.
Obadiah was an old friend of his father, Howard Stark. It could even be said that he had been Tony's mentor when it came to company affairs.
Tony could never have dreamed that such an old friend of the Stark family would cooperate with those armed militants and try to kill him!
If he could sell weapons to those militants, he could also sell other things, such as Tony's location!
It was very simple logic.
"Does Obadiah truly want me dead? I have never treated him badly."
Just as Tony began doubting everything he knew, the image on the screen started moving again.
[The image continues.]
[After learning that armed militants had attacked Yinsen's hometown, Tony decided to put on his newly developed Mark III armor and go fight them!]
Seeing Tony in the recording flying toward the sky in his armor, Stephen Strange frowned somewhat incomprehensibly and looked at Tony.
"What is happening? Have you still not noticed that Obadiah is connected to your kidnapping?"
Even Tony himself was somewhat confused. He watched himself on the screen leaving a white trail across the sky at supersonic speed, and his expression became stiff.
What is this?
I can understand that you want to do something for Yinsen.
But should you not investigate Obadiah first?
Those militants are very far away, while this bald guy is hiding right beside you.
Seeing this, little Wanda unhappily curled her lips.
"All he knows how to do all day is wear armor and show off. Does his brain only work properly when he is dealing with machines?"
Hearing Wanda's mockery, Tony coughed awkwardly.
"Hmm, I probably just decided to deal with those militants first. After all, the people in those towns are suffering."
"Once I finish with that, I will definitely deal with Obadiah! Yes, that is right. It must be that."
"Huh?"
Seeing Tony's somewhat unnatural expression and hearing his voice become quieter and quieter, little Wanda looked at him suspiciously. Obviously, she did not believe him at all.
[The image continues.]
[The image changed and showed a distant small town.]
[Armed militants were attacking the local population.]
[Just as the people were crying helplessly, steel armor suddenly fell from the sky.]
["Boom!"]
[Iron Man landed on the ground with a powerful impact and instantly shocked everyone around him.]
[As though he had just awakened from a dream, one militant raised his rifle and frantically fired at Iron Man.]
[His bullets could only create streams of sparks across the surface of the armor.]
[Iron Man silently rushed forward and punched him, sending the militant flying through the air straight into a wall.]
[Immediately afterward, the repulsors in Iron Man's palms opened fire at full power and blasted several militants away.]
[Seeing that this steel monster was almost indestructible and unbelievably powerful, the militants pointed their weapons at the civilians and took them hostage!]
[Seeing this, Iron Man slowly lowered his hands, but in secret he had already locked onto all the militants using a computer-controlled targeting system.]
["Da-da-da!"]
[In an instant, a series of tiny missiles launched from Iron Man's shoulders. Each one precisely struck its target and killed the militants on the spot without even slightly injuring a single civilian.]
[Seeing Iron Man take down all of his men, the militant leader became so frightened that he hid behind a wall. Trembling, he took out a satellite phone, obviously trying to call someone.]
[At that moment, a steel hand smashed through the wall with a "boom" and forcibly pulled the leader outside.]
["Do whatever you want with him."]
[After leaving those words to the citizens, the armor's jet engines activated, and Iron Man's body shot straight into the sky like an arrow and disappeared without a trace in an instant.]
Seeing Tony's series of clean and precise attacks, the live broadcast room fell silent again.
"Man..."
Peter Parker opened his mouth wide, and it took him quite a while to recover.
By now, the recordings shown in the live broadcast room had contained countless scenes of terrifying destruction.
Iron Man's first opponents were only ordinary armed militants, and he used only repulsors and firearms.
However, the rhythm of his attacks was unbelievably smooth, and the precise use of various high-tech systems left a very powerful and satisfying impression.
"This mortal is not simple."
Loki now looked at Tony extremely seriously.
The strength of the Mark III armor was nothing special in his eyes.
At least, it was certainly not enough to defeat him.
But this man's talent for creating weapons was truly clearly visible in that armor!
It could no longer be described with only the word "genius."
"You... no wonder! That is why you were truly able to injure Thanos in the future!"
Admiration could already be heard in Strange's voice.
But after saying that, his expression suddenly became somewhat heavier.
Tony Stark had already displayed the talent and ability that would allow him to become powerful in the future.
And what about him?
How long would it take him, Stephen Strange, to become the Sorcerer Supreme they had seen in the recording, capable even of disrupting the laws of the world?
"As expected of me. I can make such a beautiful armor."
Tony lightly nodded, and a trace of approval appeared in his eyes.
It seemed that the destructive power of the red-and-gold armor was not as important to him as its appearance.
After all, strength was something that could be increased over time, but appearance had to be good from the very beginning.
[The image continues.]
[Iron Man flew high into the sky and used long-range radar to lock onto the Jericho missiles located in the center of the city.]
[Seeing that such terrifying weapons had been sold into an area affected by frequent civil conflicts, Iron Man was obviously extremely angry.]
[But at that moment, a powerful "boom" sounded, and Iron Man looked as though he had been struck by some invisible giant. He instantly crashed to the ground.]
[It turned out that a rather old tank had shot him down with its cannon.]
"Are you kidding me?!"
Tony's eyes immediately widened.
"My armor flies so fast and is so small! How the hell did a tank manage to hit it?"
"Were that tank's fire-control system and targeting device made by aliens?"
"This is not scientific at all!!!"
Seeing Tony's excited and even somewhat frustrated face, little Wanda once again burst into laughter.
[After being knocked down by the tank shell, Iron Man finally got up from the ground.]
[The surface of the red-and-gold armor was covered in dust, but it had suffered no serious damage.]
[At that moment, the tank fired again, and Iron Man merely moved slightly to the side and avoided the shell.]
[Immediately afterward, Iron Man extended his right hand, from which a small missile flew out and struck the heavy tank.]
[Iron Man did not even look back. He simply turned around and began walking.]
[Just as he took his second step, a powerful "boom" sounded, and the entire tank turned into an enormous fireball.]
"This guy really knows how to show off."
Seeing how dramatically Iron Man delivered the finishing blow, even Natasha Romanoff could not stop herself from sighing.
"Only a playboy like this could create such a magnificent killing weapon."
[After destroying all the Jericho missiles and the remaining militants in the city, Iron Man once again flew toward the sky, preparing to return home.]
[But who would have expected that the American military air defense would detect him on radar again.]
[Tony's old friend, Colonel James Rhodes, sensed that something was wrong and immediately called Tony to ask what was happening, but Tony, inside the armor, immediately claimed that he had nothing to do with it.]
[Soon, the U.S. military sent two F-22 fighters to shoot down Iron Man!]
[Iron Man was forced to clash with the two F-22s.]
[Colonel Rhodes also noticed that something strange was happening and quickly called Tony again.]
["Tony! This is not a joke! You cannot bring your new equipment into restricted military airspace."]
[While two fighters chased him and while he sweated inside the armor, Tony breathed heavily and said:]
["This is not equipment. I am inside this armor. The person you are fighting is me!"]
["What?"]
[Colonel Rhodes trembled when he heard this. Completely stunned, he stood there holding the phone in his hand and could not say anything for a while.]
[Iron Man hid beneath the fuselage of one aircraft, hoping to avoid pursuit that way, but he was still discovered.]
[During the maneuvering, Iron Man lost control and struck the wing of one F-22 like a steel projectile, completely tearing it off.]
"Wahahahaha!"
While Iron Man on the screen was getting himself into awkward situations, little Wanda once again laughed without restraint.
This time, even Strange could not resist adding something.
"If I remember correctly, the price of a single F-22 is at least more than 150 million dollars."
Looking at Tony, whose face had completely darkened, Strange smiled and said:
"Your first appearance as Iron Man truly was impressive. You immediately shot down a combat aircraft worth more than 150 million dollars!"
Black lines almost appeared across Tony's face, but for a while he did not know how to respond. He could only curse inwardly:
"Damn it! The next time I develop combat armor, I will definitely add stealth and anti-radar capabilities!"
"And that damned U.S. military! Why were they not this efficient when fighting real enemies?"
[At that moment, a new change suddenly occurred on the screen.]
[In a distant camp, the bald leader who had previously kidnapped Tony was waiting for someone.]
[A convoy of vehicles entered the camp, and Obadiah Stane stepped out of one of the cars!]
Damn it!
Seeing that scene, Tony's eyes suddenly widened, and his teeth clenched tightly.
Obadiah, you truly betrayed me!
[Obadiah said to the bald leader: "If you had killed Tony immediately when you captured him, we would at least have preserved some dignity by now."]
[Then the bald leader took Obadiah to look at the parts of the Mark I armor they had managed to collect.]
[But Obadiah was ruthless. He used a special device and paralyzed the bald leader.]
[Obadiah did not only take the Mark I, but also ordered the complete destruction of all the militants in the camp, killing every last one of them.]
Seeing this, Tony's face became pale, and killing intent finally appeared in his eyes.
Obadiah, it turns out you truly want me dead. Then do not blame me.
[The image continues.]
[After obtaining the Mark I armor, Obadiah ordered his people to build their own combat armor based on it, while at the same time trying to find someone who could replicate Tony's miniature Arc Reactor.]
[However, what Tony had managed to create inside a cave could not be replicated by anyone else.]
[With no other way out, Obadiah secretly slipped into Tony's villa, used his special device to paralyze Tony, and forcibly removed the Arc Reactor from his chest.]
"What?"
Watching Obadiah smile, place the Arc Reactor inside a case, and leave, while his own version could only lie helplessly on the sofa and wait for death, Tony's face suddenly turned completely pale.
No way...
Was his version from that other universe truly going to die like this?
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