Chapter 15: The Clever Ones

When Jason returned to the company, he ran into Nyvia, who seemed to be waiting for him.

"Waiting for me?" he had a strong premonition.

"No, I just happened to be passing by," she replied.

"Warren is a confident person," he suddenly remarked, calmly looking at Nyvia.

Nyvia was taken aback, feeling nervous inside. She thought, perhaps this is the end of my mission. "Stark's actions are powerless against him. There is insufficient evidence."

"I know," Jason nodded, then suddenly chuckled, leaving Nyvia puzzled.

...

"What?" Obadiah Stane was surprised by the news of Jason's resignation from Stark Industries.

At a crucial moment when Warren Worthington, the Chairman of Worthington Group, was under investigation, Jason Fox decided to resign? Was he planning to be a shareholder who could sit back and watch his luck unfold?

...

Osborn Industries, Norman Osborn was also surprised.

"What did Warren Worthington do?" He immediately suspected that Warren had done something, otherwise, why would Jason Fox, who was doing well, resign?

The only explanation was that Jason had something on Warren, but Warren had something even more deadly that threatened the old man Jason Fox.

"Find out if Jason Fox's family has gone missing," Norman Osborn ordered.

He thought it was a good opportunity and there was a good chance to bring Jason to his side.

...

Unexpectedly, the first thing Jason did after resigning was to meet Warren.

Johnathan, the classmate, maintained a professional smile.

The entertainment industry is really, really messy!

"I've resigned," Jason said directly.

Warren was taken aback for a moment and then exclaimed, "Wow, Uncle Jason, you're truly courageous."

"Because you're too formidable, and because I want to avoid trouble," Jason was genuinely afraid that Obadiah Stane and Norman Osborn might do something strange.

Listening to the two talking in riddles, Johnathan couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Now, things are better. I can use $500 million from the company to buy whatever I like without any resistance," Warren smiled.

"Of course, the two formulas and the web shooter are enough to shut everyone up. R&D requires funding too."

Jason nodded, thinking he understood the situation.

Warren Worthington had a team of mutants, and $500 million was the cost of maintaining that team. From this perspective, Warren was much smarter than Magneto, even though Magneto seemed more formidable.

Just think about the abilities of those mutants. Warren had researched them before. So, Jason knew more than the average person and could understand the potential benefits of Warren's mutant team in the future.

That's why Warren had marginalized him. It was true that, putting himself in Warren's shoes, Jason, as a minority shareholder, was indeed a big trouble because he needed to allocate a large amount of funds without a suitable reason.

It made sense.

Suddenly, he understood. A month ago, when Warren spent $5 million to buy gold, that move was completely inexplicable. Why would a CEO with a net worth of billions buy gold? To play with mud?

Now, the destination of that money became clear. Jason was indeed blocking Warren's path.

But it didn't matter. As long as there was a reasonable excuse, he could use the money however he wanted. After all, he was good at making money.

Without mentioning how much Jason imagined, Warren couldn't bear to let him go. "You've even thought of the reasons for me, hmph, I'm starting to feel reluctant for you to leave now."

"In that case, I won't leave. I'll change positions. As long as you don't do anything too outrageous, I can still help you handle the shareholders' meeting," Jason said nonchalantly.

"Of course, there's a position that suits you perfectly!" Warren didn't want to let go of such a clever person. It's more fun to make money together.

Are you the gacha assistant sent to me by the heavens?

"But you'll have to wait two more months."

"What is it?" Jason thought of Warren mentioning a three-month deadline a month ago, when Warren would reveal a product capable of securing a Department of Defense contract.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"You should be, alright, tell Investigator Johnathan everything you know. I feel like he's about to scratch the walls." Warren smiled.

Johnathan rolled his eyes. Did you two ever consider my feelings while you were here talking in riddles!

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay." Although he didn't know what Warren was up to, Jason found it interesting and smiled.

So, he held a meeting that day, where Warren said they should target Stark Industries, and they opposed it, saying it could only happen if something unexpected happened to Stark Industries. Then...

Then, Warren whispered in his ear, "What if something unexpected happened to Stark?"

"Wait, are you sure?! Are you sure he said that? This is admissible testimony, Mr. Fox!" Investigator Johnathan was bewildered.

This testimony seemed to strongly implicate Warren, so why did Warren specifically instruct Jason to say it to him?

Why?

What conspiracy do you have?

"If you want to know why, you'll find out in court. Remember, don't tell anyone that Jason and I met," Warren calmly said, causing Johnathan to worry for Stark and Osborn for a moment.

This young man seemed even more cunning than an old fox.

Because of Warren's non-cooperation, the time for him to cooperate with the investigation was extended.

On the other hand, the federal court completed the material collection process in an unprecedented speed and held the trial within two days.

Obadiah Stane was a bit surprised. Even if he considered his and Norman Osborn's face, it was still too fast, wasn't it?

What he didn't know was that Senator Stern had mobilized his "friends" to expedite the process, leading to the rapid trial of this nationally shocking case.

Stark Industries and Osborn Industries sued Warren Worthington III for using unfair means in business competition and potentially colluding with terrorists to kidnap Tony Stark, the Chairman of Stark Industries.

After two days of fermenting, the disappearance of Tony Stark became associated with Warren Worthington, who had recently gained much attention.

One was a renowned genius inventor, playboy, and dominant figure in the arms industry.

The other was a rising business genius with extraordinary diplomatic skills, but now facing charges of unfair competition, kidnapping, and colluding with terrorists.

Especially the last charge, once proven, would spell the end for Warren Worthington.

"Boss."

The employees in the legal department had dark circles under their eyes, indicating they hadn't slept well these past two days.

Warren laughed, "I don't want people saying I mistreat my employees."

He remained confident, considering that his physical condition was good, combined with his mutant abilities. When he smiled with confidence, it felt as if an illusion of sunlight could be seen.

But the employees in the legal department couldn't find it amusing.

"In fact, regarding the accusations against you by Stark Industries, we are in a very disadvantageous position."

"But we don't need to worry about Stark at all; we only need to worry about Osborn."

"No, no, no, there's no need to worry about Osborn," Attorney White explained. "Osborn's accusations are weak."

"That's good, perhaps you should take a look at this," Warren said, pulling out a few photos. Attorney White's eyes lit up, and he adjusted his glasses.

"What is this?"

"Stark Industries has been supplying weapons to terrorists. These are some photos taken by mercenaries and journalists risking their lives. I had to spend a large sum of money to obtain them," Warren said, giving a smile to Senator Stern, who was looking at him.

Look how efficient Hydra is in getting things done.

Maybe I can replace Alexander Pierce if I can find a mutant with mind-reading or hypnotic abilities.

Of course, drawing cards with similar abilities would work too. Having access to Hydra's resources could help him draw cards more effectively.

After all, drawing cards was the priority. That's why he wanted to keep the clever Jason around and assign him to the yet-to-be-established Worthington Energy Department. Once he found Ivan Vanko and Anton Vanko, acquired the plans for the Arc Reactor, then Jason could continue to shine.

And on the Hydra side...

Warren was truly tempted. Initially, he had only wanted to use his gacha ability to develop his business, making it more convenient for him to draw cards.

But now, he hadn't changed his mind, but he saw the convenience of Hydra. He had a certain idea.

As a transmigrator standing at the height of the plot, can I turn Hydra into my own power?

The answer was...

Yes!

And the success rate was high!

This idea took hold and couldn't be dismissed. Something seemed to be about to sprout.