Chapter 93: The Dagger Revealed at the End of the Map

As the singing transitioned from somber to spirited, even Tony couldn't help but feel his blood boil with excitement. "To think you made the book launch even cooler than a movie trailer, you really outdid yourself!"

Clark couldn't help but wear a proud smile upon hearing this.

Actually, deciding to base his second book on "Swallowing the Heavens" was a spur-of-the-moment decision for Clark.

As he had previously discussed with Mindy, his original plan was to adapt "Coiling Dragon," as it was closer to the magical setting familiar to Western audiences.

However, when he began outlining the story based on his memories from his past life, he encountered a significant issue.

The portrayal of the rebellious force, the Radiant Church, in the story was too similar in structure and description to the Western concept of a national church.

In America, this was absolutely politically incorrect!

And since this villainous force was a constant throughout the story, there was no avoiding it. Redefining the setting would be too much of a hassle.

Therefore, Clark changed his mind on a whim, switching the book from "Coiling Dragon" to "Swallowing the Heavens," because a story with a sci-fi background would also have a market in America.

As for the previously mentioned backdrop of an alien invasion...

Well, Clark admitted that was his own creative alteration.

He not only mapped the event of the Chitauri invasion into the background but also magically altered many character backgrounds to make them more Marvel-esque.

For example, the origin of the cosmic beasts remained the twelve zodiac gods, but he added a magical twist to their background: they were the only survivors of the last cosmic explosion, formed from the body of the most powerful cosmic devourer...

By the time Sharon Carter's singing had ignited the crowd, especially during the climax, her physically trained figure bending into a "7" shape, drew cheers from the audience.

Clark finally whispered to Tony at his side, "Since we're here, why not go up and say a few words?"

Clark certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to exploit Tony's remaining value.

"No problem!"

Tony was hoping to slip away while Clark was occupied with reporters. Going on stage early was certainly a good choice.

After all, once he had spoken, Clark wouldn't focus all his attention on Tony, an unexpected guest.

Tony's appearance once again caused a stir among the audience. The playboy was at ease in such a large setting, first boasting about himself, and then not forgetting to politely compliment Clark, before walking off to cheers.

"Pal, the stage is yours. I'll just be an ordinary spectator from here on."

Clark nodded and calmly took the stage.

As he passed by Sharon, who had just come down, she suddenly said, "Boss, when I went to your office to get my car keys yesterday, I think I accidentally left my lipstick there."

Clark casually took out a key from his pocket and handed it to her, then walked onto the stage with a smile, ready to tackle the reporters' myriad questions.

Seeing the office key in her hand, Sharon felt a sense of deflation.

The lipstick was deliberately left in Clark's office by her, to test his reactions.

From Clark's often "meaningful smiles," it was clear he was quite guarded. If there were any secrets in his office, his reaction to Sharon's words would have changed, and then he would have casually deflected.

If that had been the case, Sharon would have immediately sneaked into his office to see what unspeakable secrets he was hiding.

But Clark's nonchalant handing over of his office key suggested there was nothing of interest in his office.

Why rush to see nothing?

Time to remove her makeup!

Seeing Clark start to engage with the headline-seeking reporters, Tony seized the opportunity. He signaled to Obadiah Stane, and the two quietly made their way upstairs while Clark was busy with the reporters.

When it came to secret infiltration, Tony was completely out of his element, but he was a genius in science!

He hacked into the central control system of Nirvana Film Studios, silently altered the surveillance footage, and bypassed a few guards, making his way unobstructed to Clark's office.

It seemed Clark had underestimated the security of this place.

The security systems here, primarily based on video surveillance, were deemed sufficient for an office building.

After Clark's return, he didn't anticipate any issues.

After all, the core commercial secrets and movie-related materials were stored in a secure database, with nothing else of importance elsewhere.

However, what he never expected was that, with everyone's attention focused on the lobby, his office would attract Tony Stark, a technical thief.

Opening Clark's personal computer, Tony was greeted by an artist's contract, followed by some default programs.

There was nothing else, not even the criminal evidence Tony had imagined, not even a web browsing history.

After confirming there were no hidden files, Tony couldn't help but feel deflated. "Damn, that cunning guy didn't leave anything behind, it's practically a new computer!"

"No." Obadiah leaned in and whispered, "The evidence of his kidnapping you is right here on this computer."

"How could..."

Tony's words were cut short as he suddenly lost the ability to move or speak, his face contorting in pain, as if all sensation had instantly left his body. Now, apart from his eyes, he couldn't move any part of his body.

Tony was familiar with the symptoms, as it was a small weapon he had invented himself, the subsonic emitter!

His shocked gaze fell on Obadiah, who had taken out a USB drive and plugged it into Clark's personal computer. "The evidence you're looking for is right here, isn't it?"

Putting on gloves, Obadiah quickly transferred a video file from the USB to the computer's hard drive. As they waited for the file to load, he said to Tony, "I ordered them to kill you, but those idiots failed to do so. Then, Clark came along."

"That guy was much harder to deal with than you, but you gave me a chance to catch both of you in one go."

"In an hour, the police will find your body here, along with a video recorded by criminals. By then, he will spend the rest of his life in prison."

As he spoke, Obadiah took out a special device from his briefcase, aimed it at the arc reactor in Tony's chest. "Now, it's time for me to take your golden goose, leaving me with the last golden egg."

Thank you, reader "Mudao Ran," for the 100 starting coins gifted to the character "Hope"!