Chapter 64: Iron Man (Part 1)

Kingpin and Madam Gao are the heads of the underground forces in New York's Hell's Kitchen and are major adversaries of Daredevil. These two are well-known figures in New York's underworld, especially Madam Gao, who even Kingpin dares not provoke too much.

Madam Gao is no ordinary character. Despite her frail appearance, she is a master martial artist connected to the mystical city of K'un-Lun and is over a hundred years old. She is deeply involved in the drug trade.

Daniel Davis had no intention of dealing with her unless necessary. American crime should be left to the government to handle. If their own government doesn't want to solve it, why should he interfere?

Unfortunately, Daredevil, Matt Murdock, is constantly fighting these evils in the shadows, but it's essentially futile. These criminal activities have deep roots. Without addressing the source, eliminating one head will only have another rise in its place.

In fact, fighting for the head position will lead to fierce internal conflicts. It might be better to maintain the status quo since it's just an underground force. If the government wants to, they can easily dismantle these seemingly enormous forces in an instant.

Even Hydra, which was immensely powerful and hidden for years, was quickly taken down once exposed.

Matt, as a lawyer, still believes in the country's laws, which Daniel finds hard to comprehend. American laws are entirely made for the wealthy. As long as it doesn't involve rich people, the law is relatively just. But once it involves the wealthy, justice disappears immediately.

Of course, Daniel's view is somewhat biased. No matter the country, some people remain loyal and believe the country is good and the laws are just, like Matt.

"What? Stark is missing?" One day, while Daniel was contemplating how to advance the technology in the Harry Potter world, Red Queen played an important news report for him.

"When did he go for an arms deal and not tell me?" Even though Daniel knew Stark's disappearance was the prelude to him becoming Iron Man, this was the real world. He couldn't be as calm as watching a movie. After all, he and Stark were friends, and this world wasn't purely the Marvel universe. Who knows what might happen?

Daniel had planned to protect Stark during his arms deal for the Jericho missile.

Going to Stark Industries, he couldn't just Apparate there, so he rarely opened his garage and drove one of the luxury cars Stark had given him.

Stark's disappearance was a big issue. By the time Daniel arrived at Stark Industries, the entrance was already crowded with reporters.

Luckily, he was familiar with the place and didn't need to enter through the main gate.

"No comment, no comment." In the lobby, Obadiah Stane kept repeating to the reporters.

"What happened? When did Tony go missing?" On the top floor of Stark Industries, Daniel found a worried Pepper Potts. Even though she used his research to stay energetic, she was visibly distressed.

"He's been missing for ten days." Pepper explained the situation to Daniel, including why they didn't inform him immediately.

It turned out Daniel had assumed too much. In the movies, he knew Stark was attacked and captured during the arms deal, but this was real life. Arms deals were highly confidential and not something publicly announced. Even if they were, it would be by the military.

American arms companies are legal, but this doesn't mean every weapon sold or deal made is reported in the news. Confidentiality is crucial.

News about Stark typically covered awards or his escapades with models, not the specifics of his arms deals.

America is a free country, where almost anything can be reported, including terrorist statements, but they do have news control.

Stark's disappearance during an arms deal was a significant event, and of course, it wouldn't be leaked casually. Those aware of it in the military were under strict orders to keep silent.

Even now, Pepper didn't know how the news got out. Normally, it wouldn't be disclosed until Stark was found, dead or alive.

With the news out, Stark Industries' stock was taking a major hit, and many were frantically selling their shares, including some company shareholders.

As shareholders, they received the news first and prepared accordingly. Many believed Stark's situation was dire, and without him, Stark Industries' value would plummet.

Only Obadiah Stane believed that Stark's disappearance would allow him to lead Stark Industries to greater heights.

Typically, arms companies dealing in smuggling arms are common. That's how most arms companies operate, including Justin's company. But Stark never allowed such practices in his company, only selling weapons to legitimate military forces.

Without major wars, the military wouldn't make large-scale purchases unless re-equipping. Even though Stark Industries' weapons were expensive and high-end, the profit was still less than other arms companies.

Obadiah Stane was very dissatisfied with this. To him, as long as it made money, he didn't care who he sold to, even terrorists. In fact, selling to terrorists was the most profitable.

This thinking is common among capitalists. Hank Pym's disciple even wanted to sell the Ant-Man suit to Hydra, despite Hydra's identity being exposed.

The arms trade isn't about morals, and that's what Stane ridiculed Stark for.

He didn't realize that if Stark was harmed, Stark Industries might profit in the short term but would definitely fail in the long run. Stark Industries' new weapons were all developed by Tony.

Moreover, S.H.I.E.L.D. was backing Stark. If something happened to Tony, and Nick Fury got angry, Stane wouldn't escape punishment.

"To stabilize the stock price, use my company's money to buy back shares. We'll discuss further once Tony returns." To stabilize the stock, they needed a lot of cash, and Daniel had plenty since he didn't spend as recklessly as Stark or need to buy a lot of experimental materials. He usually borrowed them.

"Thank you." Pepper's expression eased a bit. Her priority was to ensure Stark Industries didn't suffer massive losses before Tony's return.

As for the possibility that Tony might never return, Pepper didn't dare think about it.

"Arrange for me to visit where Tony went missing." After authorizing Pepper to use his funds, Daniel said.

"That's not necessary. It's very dangerous, and many soldiers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are already searching for Tony." Pepper, grateful for Daniel's financial support, didn't want him to risk himself.

"Don't worry. If I go there, I might find Tony quickly. I forgot to tell you," Daniel said, pulling out his wand and waving it, causing a nearby sofa to levitate. "I'm a wizard. I can use magic to find Tony."

"A wizard?" Pepper gaped at the levitating sofa, then quickly grabbed her smartphone. "Happy, arrange a private jet."

No matter how magical, Tony's safety was more important.

"We must find Tony."

"Don't worry."

Led by Happy, Daniel quickly reached a military airfield and boarded Tony's private jet. Thanks to Stark Industries' good relationship with the military, his jet was stored at a military base.

This was why Daniel didn't want a private jet. Without his own airfield, the yearly storage fees alone would be hundreds of thousands of dollars, not to mention the crew and other costs. Even without flying, a private jet costs at least a million dollars annually.

Despite being very wealthy now, Daniel wouldn't waste money like that. He wasn't born into wealth and understood the value of money. If he had stayed in his previous life, a million dollars was something he could only dream of.

"Long time no see." As he disembarked, Daniel saw a familiar face: Coulson, along with his partner, Melinda May, and surprisingly, Captain America.

On second thought, it made sense. With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s connection to Howard Stark and Cap's relationship with Howard, their presence was expected.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon," Daniel greeted the trio.

"Pepper said you have a way to find Tony." After some pleasantries, Coulson got straight to the point. Apparently, Pepper had informed him during Daniel's flight.

"Yes. First, take me to where Tony disappeared. I hope we can still find some clues. Why didn't you inform me earlier?" Daniel complained in the jeep.

"Sorry, this matter is quite sensitive, so..." Coulson trailed off, but Daniel understood.

Tony's arms deal was highly confidential, as was the route he took back. The terrorists ambushed him along his route, indicating an inside job. S.H.I.E.L.D. was investigating everyone who knew Tony's whereabouts, including his only friend in the military, Colonel James Rhodes. Obadiah Stane was also under scrutiny.

"So, what have you found?"

"Sorry, that's classified."

S.H.I.E.L.D. undoubtedly found something, but they couldn't disclose it to Daniel.

"We're here." The jeep arrived at the site where Stark was attacked. There were still traces of the battle.

After disembarking, Cap and Melinda took up positions to watch for any threats.

"So, how do you plan to search? I must admit, I'm curious about a wizard's methods." Coulson asked after scanning the surroundings.

After Stark's disappearance, S.H.I.E.L.D. and military experts had thoroughly searched the area but found no clues.

"Wait a moment. I need to check something." Daniel said, pulling a tablet from his backpack to Coulson's surprise.

"Search for tracking spells." He began searching through the tablet, which contained most of his magical knowledge, just like his time at Kamar-Taj. This preparation prevented him from being helpless in the current situation.

Fortunately, he was in the Harry Potter world. If it were any other world, he might not have a solution.

"Got it." After reviewing the spell description, Daniel put away the tablet, took out his wand, and

 planted it in the ground.

"Revelio Traces." With a burst of white light from his wand, ghostly images of past events appeared like a hologram.

"Rewind faster." At Daniel's command, the images sped up. After about half an hour, Stark's figure appeared.

Fortunately, this was a deserted area. In a crowded place, it would have been much harder to use magic like this. Magic wasn't omnipotent.

Cap and Melinda, seeing this, approached as well.

"He's alive, taken away." As Stark's figure was dragged away by two figures, the image vanished.

"Amazing," Coulson marveled, then quickly called his team, directing them to search in the direction Stark was taken. They finally had a lead instead of blindly searching.

While Coulson made calls, Daniel moved to the crater left by the missile, carefully searching it. Under a rock, he found a piece of fabric.

"Tracking spell." He touched the fabric with his wand, and it floated up, drifting in a specific direction.

"Wait a moment. I'll call for backup." Coulson quickly understood the spell's purpose.

"You guys stay here. I'll check it out first." Daniel said, pulling a long broomstick from his backpack, and flew off after the fabric.

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