98
Chapter 98: Pretend Failed
"What do you mean? Who are these people?"
Despite knowing the answer, Obadiah remained expressionless, refusing to admit anything. His demeanor suggested experience and composure, but he was clearly panicking, as evidenced by the green light flickering in his eyes...
"Since Mr. Odinson is not being sincere, I will take my leave."
Obadiah hurriedly departed...
Pepper Potts stepped forward and asked, "You're just letting him go? I thought you intended to make some sort of deal with him."
Thor chuckled. "A deal? No, he can't afford the price I'm asking. Besides, even an old fox like him, who has been scheming for decades, will always find ways to exploit any loopholes, even if he signs a binding contract."
"So, what is it you want?"
"All of his fortune."
On Earth, money still holds significant value.
In the future Avengers team, Captain America may be the nominal leader, but many heroes followed Stark during the civil war.
With just a handful of heroes' finances, they'd likely be struggling.
Thor had no patience to start his own company. He lacked both the inclination and the expertise, so securing a reliable source of income was crucial.
More importantly, new tasks were on the horizon.
"Mission Accepted: Strike it Rich—Become the Largest Shareholder of Stark Industries."
"Time Limit: Before the start of the Avengers storyline."
"Task Reward: Unlock a new system feature."
"Failure Penalty: This feature will remain permanently locked."
Stark Industries' stock prices continued to plummet, and major shareholders were in despair, wishing to expel Stark from the company or at least force him to reconsider.
An arc reactor? Please, this technology is far beyond Earth's current capabilities. Even if they were given a sample, they wouldn't be able to replicate it.
Unfortunately, as the largest shareholder, unless Obadiah and Thor combined their shares to surpass Stark, Stark's position was unshakable.
During this time, Stark entered a secluded mode, focusing on developing a new suit.
Within days, Mark II was born, marking the official debut of Iron Man. This experimental suit, created by Tony Stark using substantial resources and advanced technology, featured significantly improved performance.
It was also the first suit capable of sustained flight. Its hands and boots could emit arc pulses simultaneously, producing ultrasonic waves to achieve high-speed flight.
The only drawback was that due to material limitations, the suit would freeze at high altitudes, causing the entire system to collapse...
"Ouch! J.A.R.V.I.S, deploy the wings and slow down, we're icing up... we need to de-ice!"
Stark, in his armor, plummeted to the ground like a shooting star.
"Big Brother, what's that? It doesn't seem like a shooting star."
Kayla, sitting in the yard with her chin propped up, looked at the falling arc in the sky and asked Thor beside her, "Could it be that someone like me has fallen to Earth in this world too?"
Everything was very new and strange to her since she arrived, so Thor had been spending most of his time with her lately.
Thor couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, there's no Krypton in this world, and Kryptonite doesn't exist. Although the person up there isn't a Kryptonian, he possesses a super ability similar to Kryptonian powers."
"???"
With J.A.R.V.I.S's relentless efforts, Stark finally managed to restart the system, stabilize his descent, and avoid disaster.
Noticing the lights still on at Thor's manor from afar, Stark decided to pretend to be a fool and made his way there.
"Hey, clear the way, I'm landing!"
Stark shouted from a distance.
Thor hugged Kayla and moved aside, watching as Stark flew above the yard and wobbled to a stop.
"Power off."
"Yes, sir."
"Thud…."
During his first flight, Stark misjudged his landing and ended up in the small fountain in the yard, making a fool of himself...
Climbing out, drenched and disheveled, he removed the helmet and said, "Would you believe me if I said it was an accident?"
Noticing the cute little girl next to Thor, Stark couldn't help but whistle.
Kayla took a step back in disgust and asked, "Big Brother, who is he?"
"Oh, my nephew."
"Huh... Your nephew looks so old, older than you!"
Stark thought the little girl was far from cute. Besides, judging by the name, his seniority seemed somewhat off...
"Damn it, I'll be back once I fix the landing issue."
Fuming, Stark stood up and was about to leave when Thor stopped him.
"Do you want to know who is behind the attempt on your life?"