Chapter 94: What's the Matter, Buddy? Got Cooked?

Although Sharon Carter had already determined there were absolutely no secrets in Clark's office, playing the part meant retrieving the lipstick she had left there.

But she wasn't in a hurry.

After leisurely removing her makeup, changing her clothes, and enjoying a warm shower, she leisurely took the key and went to Clark's office.

Upon opening the door, she immediately found a pale-faced Tony, desperately clutching two wires like they were lifelines he couldn't pull.

Hmm, he's not dead yet!

"Tony Stark?" Seeing Tony looking like he might keel over any moment, Sharon couldn't help but ask in astonishment, "How did you end up here?"

Tony, on the brink of death, obviously didn't have the time to explain. Seeing Sharon, he urgently said, "Quick! Connect the electromagnet in my chest to a power source, I'm almost done for..."

Meanwhile, Clark was downstairs in the lobby, calmly answering questions from reporters.

"As the reporter guessed, Miss Sharon Carter is the first artist signed by our company," Clark said leisurely. "Also, the theme song for our upcoming movie 'Frozen,' to be released in the second half of the year, will be announced soon, with Miss Carter as the vocalist."

While engaging with the reporters, Clark felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, followed by the familiar tune of a popular Chinese song.

"Sorry, I need to take this call."

With that, Clark answered the phone in front of all the reporters, "Hello!"

After a greeting, Clark's expression turned solemn. After a moment, he put down the phone and said seriously to the reporters, "Dear friends from the press, I apologize, but I must deal with an urgent matter immediately. The press conference will be continued by our company's CEO, Ms. Nalan Bai."

After signaling to a curious Nalan Bai, he whispered to her, "Big trouble! I need to handle this immediately. Just manage things here, and if it gets too difficult, feel free to end the press conference early."

Nalan Bai gave Clark a look but confidently stepped to the center of the stage, smilingly said, "I will continue to answer your questions during the press conference. However, please don't ask about Clark's new book, as I know no more than you do."

Realizing that Nalan Bai, no longer the schoolgirl from nine years ago, was now far more experienced in dealing with the press than Clark was.

Returning to his office via the elevator, Clark first saw Tony Stark, back to normal but with a large hole in his chest and two wires sticking out, and Sharon Carter wiping grease from her hands with a tissue.

Seeing Clark, even the shameless Tony blushed.

"What's the matter, buddy? Got cooked?"

Receiving an impression score of +233 from Tony Stark!

Tony, feeling guilty, quickly recounted the whole incident to Clark.

After listening, Clark emotionlessly ordered Sharon, "Miss Carter, could you please run an errand and find a car battery?"

Once she left the office, Clark closed the door, turned furiously to Tony, and shouted, "Have you lost your mind? Before I started buying shares, I had nothing to do with Stark Industries. How did you come to suspect me in your kidnapping?"

Tony, resigned to his fate, replied, "Who else should I suspect when you're the biggest beneficiary of this situation?"

"You think you have the right to talk?" Clark looked at Tony as if he was disappointed, "Use that brain of yours, which is supposedly smarter than average. Becoming the biggest beneficiary of the incident, was it because you were kidnapped by terrorists?"

"No!"

Clark, not letting go of his point, angrily said, "It's because you were rescued and announced the shutdown of your weapons manufacturing at a press conference, which gave me the opportunity to act!"

"If I was behind your kidnapping, how could I possibly expect you to return alive and start manipulating the stock market months in advance?"

"Frankly, if not for you shutting down the weapons factory, even if the terrorists killed you and left your body in the Middle East, it wouldn't have caused much fluctuation in Stark Industries' stocks!"

Indeed, the world goes on without anyone.

Just as Apple Inc. wasn't significantly affected by Steve Jobs' death, Stark Industries would continue business as usual without Tony Stark. The stock market might fluctuate, but not by much.

The real turmoil was caused by Tony's announcement of ceasing weapons sales!

It was as if Apple announced it would stop dealing in electronics and start a fruit and vegetable supermarket, leading to a precipitous drop in their stock prices.

"How could I have known you would shut down the weapons factory immediately after escaping?"

Tony wanted to say he was also puzzled by this, but feeling guilty, he remained silent.

Clark, furious, lectured Tony nonstop. After all, Tony's condition didn't allow for any vigorous argument.

It's not often one gets the chance to scold a genius like this!

Well, as Clark continued, his motive for scolding became less pure.

The scolding session over Tony Stark's intelligence only ended when Sharon returned with a car battery.

After installing a new external heart, Tony could only smile wryly, "Could you guys drive me home? I can't drive myself in this condition."

"I'll drive you back," Clark, tough on the outside but soft on the inside, decided to take the matter into his own hands, "Just so no one tries to pin anything else on me if something happens to you on the way!"

And so, Clark, with Tony Stark holding a car battery like a wronged party, left the Nirvana Film Studios building under the flash of reporters' cameras.