I Have No Other Choice

Tony Stark, though undeniably a genius, was an expert in mechanics, not genetics.

After spending some time studying the tissue sample, he found himself more puzzled than before.

Of course, if he decided to learn, he could quickly grasp genetic knowledge. But even at his speed, it would take months. It seemed he needed to find a biologist.

"Tony, breakfast is ready," Pepper's voice called out from the door.

Tony had no choice but to pause his research and head outside.

Pepper, now dressed in a black, low-cut dress with her hair neatly pinned up, looked every bit the picture of a devoted wife as she carried a tray, searching for him.

On the tray was Tony's favorite food: a hamburger.

But as he got closer, he noticed that instead of fried chicken or a beef patty, the burger was filled with ham and lettuce.

Faced with a burger that lacked cheese and a beef patty, he didn't want to eat it. But seeing the hopeful look in Pepper's eyes, he silently picked it up and took a bite.

"Hmm, it's pretty good."

Seeing Tony devour the burger, Pepper smiled warmly, her heart filled with joy. Being praised for her cooking by the man she liked, any previous displeasure she felt melted away.

"Don't rush, take your time. If you like it, I can make you another."

At these words, Tony's hand paused slightly, "No need, I'm already full…"

This nearly vegetarian burger lacked the satisfaction that high-calorie food usually brought him, so he wasn't truly satisfied.

"Alright."

A while later, Pepper left with the tray.

"Jarvis, create a new file... Mark IV!"

Originally, Tony hadn't planned to retire the Mark III so quickly, but after last night's battle, he realized it was still too weak.

Whether it was the armor or the weaponry, it wasn't enough to deal with that monster. If the creature hadn't suddenly frozen, growing wings, he might have had no choice but to flee in disgrace.

And since he still hadn't found the weapons sold by Stark Industries, he needed a stronger suit to continue his mission.

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

As Tony was designing the Mark IV, Pepper approached him again.

"Tony, I think we need to have a serious talk. Where were you last night? Why were you so badly injured?"

After Tony stood her up last night, she had come to the villa to find him. But not finding him, she had returned again this morning.

But she never expected to find Tony in such a dire state, as if he had been through some horrific battle. While preparing breakfast, she had been thinking calmly and finally decided that they needed to talk.

If it didn't go well, she was prepared to leave Tony. She didn't want to wake up one day to find the man she loved lying in a pool of blood or vanished without a trace, dead somewhere unknown.

Tony closed the projection in front of him and turned to Pepper, "Pepper, I need you to do something for me."

"Tony, you can't just brush this off. We need to have an honest conversation."

"I will be honest with you, but right now, I need you to help me with something."

Seeing Tony's serious expression, Pepper eventually relented, "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to go to Stark Tower, hack into the main computer in my office, and retrieve all recent shipping manifests."

As he spoke, Tony handed her a USB drive the size of a thumb.

"Take this. You can use it to hack in. The shipping manifests might be in the administrative folder. If not, they could be in a hidden drive—just look for the smallest numbered files."

Taking the USB drive, Pepper asked hesitantly, "If I get these files, what are you planning to do?"

Relieved that Pepper had agreed, Tony resumed designing the Mark IV.

"Someone's been making secret deals. I have to stop them, find our weapons, and destroy them!"

He had barely finished speaking when he realized he had said too much.

Sure enough, Pepper's eyes welled up with tears upon hearing that it was such a dangerous mission.

"Tony, you know I'd do anything for you, but if you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to leave…"

She didn't need to be told that destroying these weapons wouldn't just involve talking; it would involve fighting, risking life and death.

Just like what she had seen this morning—next time, Tony might come back as a corpse. This filled her with deep pain and fear, and she decided to warn Tony by threatening to leave, hoping this would be the last time.

Tony immediately understood what Pepper meant, but his eyes remained resolute.

"I'm going to keep doing this. No more opening ceremonies, no more charity events, no more signing papers—just this! This is my mission and responsibility, nothing more!"

As he spoke, he walked over to Pepper.

Seeing the heartbreak in her eyes, a flash of doubt crossed his mind. But when he thought of Dr. Yinsen, who had sacrificed himself for him, and the civilians who had died under his weapons, his heart filled with a heavy sense of duty.

He had to stop all of this!

Pepper saw the determination in Tony's eyes and felt even more grief.

She didn't want him to take risks; she didn't want him to fight. She just wanted a man who was safe and sound, who wouldn't sacrifice himself one day.

After a while, she lowered her head, unable to hold back the tears any longer.

"I resign…"

She said, dropping the USB drive onto the nearby table, and then walked towards the door.

Watching Pepper leave with heavy footsteps, Tony felt a pang of pain in his heart.

"All these years, you've helped me sell weapons, profiting from the slaughter of innocent people... And now, when I want to atone, you're ready to wash your hands of it?"

Hearing this, Pepper turned back.

Killing innocent people? Profiting from blood money?

Because Tony had never shown her the photos of Gulmira, she didn't know that Stark Industries' weapons had been used to massacre civilians.

Of course, she wasn't entirely naive. A person in her position, for so long, couldn't be completely unaware. But since she had no concrete evidence, she had chosen to ignore it.

Now, with Tony laying it all out in the open, she found it hard to accept.

"What you're doing is suicide, Tony. I'm not going to die with you."

Seeing that Pepper knew more than she let on, Tony slumped into his chair, a self-mocking smile on his face as he said, "I should've committed suicide to atone a long time ago, unless I had a reason to live... "

"I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just understand now what I must do... I have no other choice…"

Thinking of the immense harm his weapons had done to the world, slaughtering countless civilians, his conscience gnawed at him like ants devouring his entire being.

After hearing everything, looking at the suddenly resolute man before her, Pepper finally caved.

"Sigh…"

She sighed deeply, then turned back to pick up the USB drive.

"Besides you, I have no other choice either."

Sometimes, love manages to hold sway over life.

__________________________

Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-

patreon.com/ShadySmuggler