Chapter 47: Mutual Support

The final stage of cleaning up the battlefield began, and the surviving terrorists, who had surrendered and dropped their weapons, were exposed one by one under Heat Eye's detection and then dragged out.

In fact, surrendering was still an option, at least for those who had laid down their weapons. They could truly live on.

The bald leader, who had been thrown to the ground, smiled when he saw Tony Stark's face inside the armor, with a sense of self-abandonment.

"You've made improvements."

"That's right. But I heard that you sold my prototype to Norman Osborn."

"I was originally planning to sell it to Obadiah Stane, but unfortunately, he exited the stage too early."

"That's a shame. But you'll be exiting soon too."

"Yeah..."

He reached into his clothes, and everyone became alert.

Bang!

The pistol fell from his powerless hand, and he fell to the ground.

Warren approached and checked. "A heart-stopping strike. No chance of survival."

The others didn't think much of it, except that Tony was a little annoyed, but he didn't know where to direct his anger.

"Oh, it seems like I'm a little late." Nightmare finally came down at this moment.

"Should we take advantage of the situation? Maybe we can use him."

Nightmare waved his hands repeatedly, retreating with a frightened expression. "I'd rather not."

...

The U.S. military stationed personnel arrived, and helicopters and armored vehicles entered the area.

The surrendered terrorists, the last ones to lay down their weapons, were handed over to them. The remaining weapons at the scene were a sore sight for a colonel.

Jericho missiles and micro-drones—this wasn't burning weapons, it was burning money!

If only they were all spoils of war.

－－－－－－

Sitting in the office, Warren watched as Garrett, representing Overwatch, and a military spokesperson made a joint statement in front of the media about the strike against the Ten Rings terrorists who had once kidnapped Tony Stark. They shared the credit amicably and engaged in mutual praise.

At the same time, the military emphasized the power and importance of Overwatch in this new era. The future was promising, and there was no doubt about its significance.

For ordinary people, they might think these mutants were amazing, but for those with foresight, they should also realize the power of the Overwatch Special Forces. It was likely to spark a trend of establishing mutant teams in the future.

However, regardless of the situation, currently the most resounding name was Overwatch. Warren believed that with his well-thought-out plan, he had successfully promoted the reputation of Overwatch far and wide. When mutants thought about joining an organization, the first one that would come to mind would be Overwatch—unless they had a criminal record.

From the beginning, Warren had the idea of making the most of everything. Even if the talent pool of mutants was left unused and gathering dust, he couldn't give it to others, especially not to enemies. So, when mutants came to apply for Overwatch, as long as they didn't have a criminal record, they were basically approved after passing the screening and were then assigned to training.

For this purpose, he even borrowed people from S.H.I.E.L.D. and the X-Men. After several months of training, it was just the right time for the first batch of Overwatch trainees to graduate. With a little thought, Warren understood that this would be the time to strike against terrorists, boosting Overwatch's reputation and immediately deploying the freshly trained agents to their positions, expanding the organization.

The impending trend of mutant teams resulting from this event had already been covered by Overwatch's vast network. Others could only salvage what remained.

So, when Jason sent him intelligence, Warren took advantage of the opportunity to eradicate these terrorists, and also to get acquainted with the future Iron Man, after all, he was a shareholder.

From assisting in the strike against terrorists, supporting him at the shareholders' meeting, and now discussing the future plans of Stark Industries, it was unlikely that Howard Stark's son would view Warren as an enemy. The previous fleece was purely a business move, and a glass of wine could drown their enmity.

"Hey."

Tony Stark suddenly appeared at Warren's office door.

"Are you here for a walk?"

"Well, my walk was a little far, then."

Tony casually sat down and said, "I came here to talk to you about the future plans for Stark Industries. After all, you're a major shareholder. If you support me at the shareholders' meeting, things will be much easier."

"That depends on your plans."

"Well, how about real estate?"

"Huh???"

"Just kidding. Take a look at this."

He placed his phone on the table, projecting a model of a building.

"A new skyscraper?"

"The focus isn't on the new building, although it will become one of New York's landmarks in the future. The key is this."

Tony enlarged the projection, isolating a device at the base of the building.

"The Ark Reactor, cold fusion. I did it, as you know."

"Is that the thing in your chest?"

"Yes, but this one is much larger. It can supply energy to the entire building and will undoubtedly become a benchmark for clean renewable energy in the future."

"Hmm..." Warren pondered for a moment and said, "I'll support you at the shareholders' meeting."

"That's great."

"But I have one condition: build one for me too. No, two!"

"If you pay for it. But why do you need two?"

"The future Worthington Tower and the Overwatch headquarters."

"You seem to value Overwatch a lot. Honestly, how did you come up with the idea of establishing such an organization?"

Tony was curious.

"Because I had no childhood. As the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, my father never took his strange son out. Every day, I could only stay in a big mansion, where the servants were respectful but distant."

"It seems like my father was strict, but he wasn't bad."

It sounded so pitiful.

"But that's nothing, Tony. If you're willing to explore, there's so much more that will open your eyes."

Warren smiled and then asked, "Do you feel compassion when you see refugee children whose parents were killed by terrorists?"

"Of course."

"But do you know what's in the sewers of New York?"

"What?"

Tony couldn't quite connect these two questions.

"In the sewers of New York, there are mutant children who are homeless. They huddle together for warmth, calling the filthy and foul-smelling sewer their home. Refugee children are heart-wrenching because they've lost their parents, but what about mutant children who were driven out of their homes by their own loved ones, treated like monsters? Tony, how should we treat them?"

Warren spoke plainly, but Tony felt suffocated, imagining the scenes Warren described.

"I..."

He tried to speak several times but couldn't find the words.

When loved ones died, at least someone cared for them, at least they would be mourned. But what about mutant children who were cast out by their dearest family members as if they were monsters? They had no one to love them, and nobody even knew they existed.

"To create a peaceful and nurturing world for mutant children, that's my answer to you. Overwatch is the bridge connecting humans and mutants."

Tony nodded, his voice trembling. "I understand. I support you. But since Overwatch is a bridge, perhaps you shouldn't recruit only mutant agents."

Warren extended his hand. "Looks like Overwatch needs a human advisor. And then we can recruit human agents as well."

"I rarely act as an advisor, and my fee is quite high. But this time..."

Tony reached out and shook his hand.

"I'll do it for 10 dollars."

"Aren't you still owe me 10 dollars for the pilot?" Warren laughed.

"You know, I'm busy. So, you can pay him for me."

Without giving Warren a chance to tease him further, Tony turned and left.

"That settles it, mutual support."

"Good, mutual support."

Human and mutant supporting each other?

"I find myself looking forward to the day when Thanos arrives."