Chapter 17: One, two, three; four, five, six.

Within the Stark Group, a man wearing a duck-billed cap was busy hunched over his computer.

Outside, a micro-relay device was attached next to a wall-hanging painting, and a camera at the end of the corridor transmitted the footage outward through the relay.

Obadiah, filled with anger, entered through the main entrance and headed straight to the CEO's office.

"Bad news, Aidan. Obadiah has returned. Evacuate quickly!"

A voice came through his earpiece, and beads of sweat formed on the forehead under the duck-billed cap.

"The person who invented this defense system is slightly smarter than me, just slightly!"

His fingers flew swiftly as he hacked into the system.

"Hurry, there's no time!"

"Almost there..."

"Hurry, Obadiah is already heading upstairs!"

"Almost... done!"

As the final key was pressed, the system was successfully hacked.

"The virus has been implanted. Take the data and go, I'm getting out." He removed the USB drive.

"No, he's right outside. If you go now, you'll run into him face to face."

"Damn it!"

The man in the duck-billed cap surveyed his surroundings, seemingly without a place to hide.

"What if I knock him out?"

"Not a good idea!"

...

Obadiah stormed into the office, pouring himself a drink from the bar shelf.

Simultaneously, the lone computer screen in the office flickered and went into screensaver mode.

Outside, the micro-device above the painting continued its operation.

Inside a van further away, a bearded man held a laptop tightly, eagerly watching the progress bar.

At the moment the progress bar reached completion, he clapped excitedly.

"Three million secured!"

This job turned out to be easier than expected, although it had its moments of danger.

"Aidan, are you okay?"

"I'm not feeling great. Did Obadiah leave? Get him out of there quickly!"

...

Outside the office, below, Aidan Pearce hung suspended from the window. Due to the glass curtain wall, he had to hang even lower, concealed between two floors, in the narrow gap, to avoid detection by Obadiah.

However, even so, there was a flaw in his rope. If he were discovered, he would be left hanging without support, neither on earth nor in the sky, waiting to be caught.

"Quickly."

The bearded man hurriedly operated.

The micro-device attached to the corridor received a signal and sent erroneous commands to certain devices.

Ring, ring, ring...

Suddenly, a loud alarm rang outside, and Obadiah, who had intended to delete the data, furrowed his brow. He opened the door and caught hold of an employee, asking, "What's happening?"

"The fire alarm has been triggered. The building's defense system shows a fire on the first floor."

Obadiah felt something was amiss, but he followed along without hesitation. After all, he couldn't play games with his life.

...

A hand reached into the window, followed by Aidan flipping inside, removing the grappling hook.

"Don't forget to retrieve the relay device."

"I know."

Aidan opened the door, glanced outside cautiously.

Good, no one was there.

He then walked out confidently, taking the relay device stuck to the external wall.

"While their attention is drawn by the commotion I caused, quickly exit through the back door."

"Understood."

The man with the duck-billed cap entered the dim corner of the bar. Wade had never heard someone talk so much, and Warren's gaze wandered to Wade's gun, contemplating whether to silence this person permanently.

"Do you also like guns? I do, especially the smell of gunpowder after they've been fired. It's simply marvelous. The scent of humans after being shot, however, is not so delightful."

"... "

Just as Warren was contemplating how to put his thoughts into action, someone finally came to their rescue.

"Look who's here? Aidan, tell me you've done it."

"Yes."

He pulled out a USB drive.

Warren took it and plugged it into a laptop, examining the files.

Good, there was a video sent by the terrorists after Tony Stark's abduction.

"You didn't mention that the person you wanted dead was Tony Stark..." The terrorist in the video pointed a gun at Tony Stark's head while negotiating with Obadiah for more money.

In addition to this evidence, there were also numerous pieces of evidence regarding arms trafficking to terrorists, shipping lists, and financial transactions.

With this evidence, Obadiah Stane would be like a piece of fat on the chopping board.

The next step was to sever the connection between Stark and the terrorists, as they still needed them to make money in the future.

"Nevia, transfer the money." Immediately after confirming the evidence, Warren instructed his secretary to transfer the funds.

"Aidan, the money has arrived." Aidan also heard his companion's voice through the earpiece.

The voice carried excitement because this was the biggest deal they had taken on—three million!

"The money has arrived. I take my leave."

"Hey, won't you have a drink?" Wade extended a generous invitation.

Aidan waved and left.

"Don't mind him; that's just how he is. Otherwise, very few people can resist my charming invitations."

"... " Warren felt a bit nauseated.

"How did the person you sent him to find fare?"

"Pal, do those two people you're looking for even exist? I mean, besides their files, my people have been searching for a week and found no trace."

"They do exist. Remember, you have to bring them back intact, or you won't see a single penny." After saying that, Warren left directly, not wanting to stay any longer.

Anthony Vanco and Ivan Vanco, this father and son were also geniuses.

The former, together with Howard Stark, developed the Arc Reactor. The latter, after encountering Iron Man, managed to create a miniaturized version of the Arc Reactor and later participated in Hammer Industries' mech manufacturing.

Talented, without a doubt, but their character was questionable.

Nevertheless, they were useful.

"With the evidence in hand, the Iron Man dividend is practically secured—Objective One completed."

"No need to worry about the law enforcement equipment market—Objective Three completed."

"The two potions will be released after the news frenzy about Stark and the terrorists. They will dominate the headlines during the remaining two months before Tony Stark's return—Objective Two taken care of."

"It's time to set Objective Four."

What should Objective Four be?

Subduing Hydra? No, let's save that for later.

Objective Four should be...

Mutant dividends!

After Tony Stark's return, with sufficient promotion of the hair growth and hair dye potions among the public, Warren could start spreading this concept.

By demonstrating the healing potion and limb regeneration potion, even the staunchest anti-mutant individuals could be swayed into becoming mutant enthusiasts. However, implementing this would be quite challenging, requiring careful consideration of the details.

Of course, this endeavor would undoubtedly require the assistance of Hydra. In fact, without Hydra's help, this would be impossible. Frankly speaking, relying on those righteous organizations and individuals... there was no hope for this venture.

Hydra is truly useful.

Objective Four should begin after Tony Stark's return, with adjustments based on an important parameter called "luck."

"One epic card, a hundred rare cards. I hope I get a mind-controlling ability or an item, preferably something formidable."

May the Duel Monsters and the spirit of Yugi Muto be with me!

"Do I need this much gold for every card draw? Maybe I should open a bank instead?" Warren had a thought and quickly made up his mind.

If Batman could buy a bank for his beloved man, why couldn't I open a bank for the sake of my card-drawing business?

Decision made. Objective Six: Open a bank to camouflage my spending on card draws.

"Sooner or later, I'll surpass the Federal Reserve."

All the gold shall be mine, Warren!

Oh, I almost forgot, what happened to Objective Five?

Objective Five: Invest in Africa.

Their agriculture is underdeveloped, so we should support them, especially Wakanda... Hahaha!

Wakanda is a technologically advanced country, but it's well-hidden. Black Panther's plot won't have much significance, so we can twist it a bit.

Otherwise, we'd have to wait until Captain America 3 for Wakanda to consider contacting the outside world, and that would be too late.

They might be a bit stubborn right now, but it's okay. We'll take it slow. It's a long-term mission.

"Objectives One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six. My life is truly fulfilling... Nevia, is what I requested ready?"

"Apologies, sir, but the quantity you requested is quite large. It will take half a day."

"Alright, do it as quickly as possible."

That's why I said I should open a bank. It's too troublesome to mobilize gold otherwise.