12: Ark Reactor

Three days later, in the chairman's office of Rebirth Group, Andrew and Howard were watching a live broadcast—Tony Stark's infamous scene where he gets blown up by his own Jericho missile while selling them in the Middle East.

Fortunately, Tony was wearing a specially designed bulletproof vest, so he wasn't killed, only knocked unconscious.

As the magical screen gradually darkened, Andrew remarked, "Tony Stark's life has been completely changed from this moment on."

Howard, however, was extremely anxious. "BOSS, are you sure Tony won't die?"

"Relax, he won't," Andrew reassured him. "By the way, make sure to notify Jameson about Tony Stark's attack in the Middle East. We need to snag that headline."

J. Jonah Jameson, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Bugle, is infamous for his relentless smear campaigns against Spider-Man in the movies.

"BOSS, I take back what I said before. You're no different from other demons," Howard quipped. Not only was Andrew not rescuing his son, but he was also planning to boost newspaper sales with the news of his son's near-fatal incident. Did he have any humanity left?

"I am a devil~, after all," Andrew shrugged. He then added, "What would you think if I told you I've set up an offshore company and plan to make money off the fluctuations in Stark Industries' stock price?"

"BOSS, how could you do that?"

Howard was furious. "You found a money-making opportunity and didn't tell me? By the way, we could also set up a betting pool in Las Vegas based on this."

"Heh~ You really are his father," Andrew quipped. He then asked, "But on another note, how are you with artificial intelligence? Could you create an AI system like Tony's?"

Howard responded confidently, "Give me some time to brush up, and it shouldn't be a problem. Most of what Tony's developed is based on the groundwork I laid."

"Good to hear. My negotiations with Twitter haven't gone well—they're unwilling to give up control," Andrew said. "So, I want to start a short video company, focusing on mobile short videos. You'll be in charge of developing the software and algorithms. I want to use it to take down Twitter and gain control of online discourse."

"Oh, and don't worry about funding; burn as much as you need. I'll provide unlimited, unconditional support."

Howard agreed. "Even though my primary focus has been on weapons development, I can handle this too."

Andrew added, "It's fine if you like working on weapons. Just work at the company during the day and come back to Hell at night to continue your research."

Howard quipped, "Working 24/7? You really are a demon lord."

...

Tony Stark's disappearance in the Middle East quickly caused a massive stir. Although Stark Industries immediately denied the news, their stock price still plummeted.

Looking at the news on her phone, Susan sighed. Her new secretary, Natasha, asked, "Susan, did you buy Stark Industries stock?"

Yesterday, Susan encountered a thief, but fortunately, Natasha stepped in to help.

After a conversation between the two, Natasha smoothly became Susan's secretary.

"I didn't buy any, but I have a friend who did. He's got terrible luck; his investments always fail. Looks like this time is no different," Susan said, shaking her head. Who could have predicted that something so significant would happen to the usually stable Stark Industries?

"He's really unlucky," Natasha commented as she glanced toward the chairman's office. "In contrast, our boss seems to have much better luck. Some people even give him shares for free."

Susan recalled something Andrew had mentioned before and smiled. "Haha~ That's because he's God's angel, the Ghost Rider."

"God's angel, the Ghost Rider?" Natasha was taken aback. How did this go from a spy story to a mythological one?

...

Tony Stark was a remarkably resilient individual. Despite being gravely injured and imprisoned by terrorists, he didn't give up. In a cave, using rudimentary tools, he accomplished a miracle—miniaturizing the arc reactor.

The arc reactor is a controlled nuclear fusion reactor capable of releasing 3 billion joules of energy per second. The reason Andrew cast a spell on Tony was precisely for this.

In Hell of Rebirth, Andrew watched as Tony Stark placed the glowing arc reactor into his chest. He turned to Howard and asked, "Howard, can you replicate it?"

Howard replied, "Of course. The arc reactor was originally my research. All Tony did was miniaturize it."

"Your arc reactor was just a display piece. Your son managed to turn that display into a revolutionary invention," Trask sneered. "I have to admit, he's a genius."

Howard, unwilling to concede, retorted, "His reactor has flaws. It causes palladium poisoning. I once researched a new element that could replace palladium—not only more efficient but also without side effects."

"Hurry up and produce that new element. I want to use the arc reactor to solve Hell's electricity problem," Andrew instructed. "Trask, use the arc reactor as an energy source and build me robots."

"BOSS, do you want robots or something like Tony Stark's powered armor?" Trask inquired. In the projection, Tony Stark was working with Yinsen on designing the Mark I armor.

"Robots, of course. I'm planning to have spirits inhabit the robots, controlling them in battle," Andrew explained.

Both Trask and Howard's eyes lit up. "Spirits inhabiting robots—can that really be done?"

"Of course. It just requires constructing magical runes within the robots," Andrew said with a smile. "Souls that enter this Hell in the future will begin their second lives as mechanical beings."

Although Andrew was a demon lord, he wasn't fond of demons. They were too chaotic, bloodthirsty, and, frankly, too ugly.

"Mechanical life?" 

Trask and Howard, both top-tier scientists, were intrigued by the concept. The dwarf Trask mused aloud, "Mechanical life might be fairer than flesh and blood, at least. No dwarfs, no congenital disabilities."

"We'll see about that later. This is just the beginning," Andrew said, shaking his head. "Get a batch of robots built as soon as possible; they'll be needed soon."

Trask, excited, replied, "No problem. I'll make myself a powerful body—at least three meters tall."

"I'll stick with a suit of armor," Howard said. "I'm planning to design it myself—a top-of-the-line suit. I want to use it to remind Tony that his father will always be his father."

Andrew chuckled, "You can also remind him that you don't like men~"

Howard's face darkened. That embarrassing misunderstanding was never going to go away, was it?

...

A few days later, Tony Stark escaped from the terrorists' lair wearing a simple Mark I. His friend Yinsen died under the terrorists' random gunfire in order to buy him time.

Before dying, Yinsen told Tony to cherish life, and Tony agreed with tears in his eyes. The superhero Iron Man was officially born at this moment.