Chapter 2285: Autumn Comes Late in Jincheng (38)_1

"Nothing could penetrate Stark Building on the eve of the end of the war, but that doesn't mean Pepper couldn't get hurt. Several explosions took place on the edge of the building at that time, causing the building to shake severely. Pepper was too fragile, she broke an arm and possibly two ribs," Stark narrated slowly.

"What's more concerning is her mental state. I don't think she was scared by the war, she is quite a strong person who has come through numerous disasters, and this time was no exception."

"I believe the problem always lay in our relationship." Stark became somewhat excited, hitting the railing with his other hand, "She couldn't believe that I chose to abandon Stark Building at the last moment. She started to get confused about who her real lover was, she didn't know whether to believe the evidence of crime announced by the media, her mind is tearing apart."

"I must be with her, but when everyone points their spears at me, I have to quell larger troubles, otherwise, she would not survive."

Stark closed his eyes in pain and said, "If I didn't go with them, or if I had escaped on my own, they would definitely accuse Pepper of harboring a criminal."

"I'm a Stark, they would adhere to the judicial procedures in respect of Stark Group, but Pepper is only my secretary, practically helpless without me. I can't imagine what they would do to Pepper in order to interrogate my whereabouts, even imprisonment would be unbearable given Pepper's state."

"You're completely wrong." Shiller exclaimed in a matter-of-factly tone, "If you're not a born cold-blooded madman, don't do something only a madman would do, and if you do, you'll have to be prepared to cut all ties."

"I don't need you to repeat all of this again." Stark roared, "Standing here and talking windy words after everything has happened has no meaning, is that all you have? Doctor?!"

"I'm not a psychologist." Shiller shook his head and said, "But I must frankly admit, some of my actions have led to your current situation, so I can offer you some useful advice."

"What is it?" Stark stared into Shiller's eyes, but he couldn't glean much from that scattered gaze.

"Pepper needs company, but you are unable to be with her. You know that she will not leave with you until she makes her final decision, and her physical condition won't support your coercive, nearly kidnappings."

Stark was silent, but he had to admit that Shiller's summary was very accurate. When it came to dealing with Pepper, he could see no way forward.

White Can wasn't a good man, but as long as he was driven by interest, he wasn't a pure madman, even though he often seemed like a ruthless villain who only cared about benefits.

What was reversed was his sense of good and evil, and only that. The abundant emotions that once roamed Stark's mind still trailed behind him, but this time they were all devoted to Pepper.

"What is your advice?" Stark stared into Shiller's eyes and asked.

"The only one who can accompany her is Stark. Since you can't, let another one do so."

Stark shook his head and said, "You think I haven't considered that? But he doesn't have a body, he's just an electronic consciousness, Stark Building is now sealed, and Pepper is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, they can't meet."

"If your backup consciousness can't go to the real world, then let Pepper become an electronic life."

Stark stared blankly at Shiller, he raised his voice in disbelief and said, "What?"

"You know how to backup your own consciousness, so you could upload Pepper's consciousness into the computer in the same way. This would let her evade investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and she could be with you."

"This… this won't work." Stark stuttered, "It's very dangerous, and, and what about her body?"

"Leave it to the superheroes, Captain America, Spider-Man, or even S.H.I.E.L.D Director Nick. When they know it's the injured body of a woman who has lost consciousness, and that any problems with the body may cause Pepper's death, they will definitely ensure the safety of the body."

Stark was stunned for a moment and then he got it, yes, that's what superheroes do. They pursue procedural justice, if a person is guilty, they must go to court to be tried, and cannot be killed privately.

Pepper's situation had become so severe that she had lost consciousness, and no matter what the Federal Bureau of Investigations intended to do, the superheroes would surely protect her. This involved what they pursued most, and they would surely go all out.

The look in Stark's eyes when he looked at Shiller was complicated, he said, "You use all of this psychological treatment you've done on the superheroes to do this, manipulate them, then take advantage of their loopholes?"

"As I said, I'm not a psychologist."

Stark took a deep breath, filling his chest, and turned his head away, "You know what I'm thinking now, you would laugh at my weakness, my hesitation, my indecisiveness."

"Not wanting to share a loved one with others is a common sentiment of people. But don't forget what gave you an upper hand in front of Pepper."

Shiller's words were blown into Stark's ears by the wind. Never had he hated the sound of the wind like he did today, because the noisy noise made it hard for Stark to distinguish whether this was a genuine suggestion or manipulation.

But even if this was poison-laced honey, Stark had no other choice, because he knew that Shiller was right.

Before the final battle, Pepper had no doubts, she didn't admit White Can, this evil Iron Man, was Tony Stark, she believed something must've been masquerading as him, and never behaved nicely with him.

What really shook Pepper was that during the final battle, White Can abandoned the struggle for control of Stark Group with the electronic consciousness Stark in order to fend off the enemy. This made Pepper realize that the evil Stark was also Stark, and Stark loved her.

One could say that this was the root cause of Pepper's poor mental state -- accepting the love of the wicked Iron Man left her with a sense of guilt, but she couldn't deny this affection, and this was the most torturous part of her inner struggle.

Stark understood that only by stepping back in this way could Pepper see his love more clearly, and the most robust string to manipulate a person was not gratitude, but guilt.

"You've already done well." Shiller began to speak again. He took a small step forward, leaving Stark with barely any space to stand. Shiller's overwhelming presence made it impossible for Stark to ignore his words.

"You accepted your arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for Pepper. She certainly noticed this and probably became more inclined towards you in her heart."

"Is it a good thing that she can't connect with the electronic consciousness? Perhaps not always, as having a point of comparison often results in a firm choice."

"What do you think your backup consciousness would tell her? Do you expect her to be grateful to you? Of course not. It would only chastise you in front of her for your sensibility in giving up, and state that you deserve to be arrested."

"However, if human emotions could always stand firmly on the side of justice, there wouldn't be so much chaos. When a person's thoughts all originate from emotions, overly discussing justice with her would only push her further away."

Stark's grip tightened, and he could feel sweat bursting out onto his palm, his arm stiffened.

"You believe I should do this?"

"Definitely. And most importantly, once Pepper makes her choice, our hero Stark will not cling to her like you do. Instead, it's more likely that he would break down and then disappear."

Stark pressed his lips together, staring at Shiller's eyes, "You are more despicable than I thought, Shiller. I can't even begin to describe it."

"You will never find the right words to describe me. Neither in the past nor in the future. You will always encounter a new me. How does that make you feel?"

Stark tilted his head back in pain, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. He moved his head to the side, propping his arms wider, and pressed his body against the railing.

"The whole world should witness your manipulative tactics. This way, they wll no longer call me the puppet master." Stark gritted his teeth, "You damn psycho."

"Like I've said, do not easily define me, because you will always learn something new about me through certain things."

Shiller took a step back, finally leaving a path to the room. Stark looked like a body suddenly falling off the cross – in a disheveled state, his movements were staggering.

He knew that his mind was suddenly in chaos. His stress was not entirely due to the ongoing wars, court cases, fatigue, but more due to Shiller's oppression.

The Shiller he encountered today was different from the one he knew before. Shiller was too experienced in using everything possible to suppress others.

When this speciality was turned into a skill, and then perfected into an instinct, almost no creature with intelligence could resist it.

Stark braced himself against the doorframe and walked into the bedroom, then made his way across the room back to the corridor. His whole body was soaked, as if he had just fallen into an ice hole and then was pulled back out, so he didn't want to look back and see Shiller standing by the door.

At the corner of the stairs, he still couldn't help but look back. Shiller was standing in the shadow of the door, his silhouette against the light exuded a wicked and divine aura, instilling a sense of the need to flee as well as the urge to knee and worship.

"That is rare. Shiller actually gave such useful advice." Pamela commented after retracting her vines.

When she turned her head to look at Natasha, she found that Natasha's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. So out of curiosity, she asked, "What's wrong? Ma'am, what's bothering you?"

"The stupidity of these damn fools." Natasha kept glancing at Pamela, with an implied meaning written all over her face.

Pamela looked at her questioningly.

Natasha sighed heavily, "Why can't you understand that when Shiller says it's over, it's just the beginning."

"Payment first, then goods or goods first, then payment. The essence is always the trick of deceiving. No one can take anything from him without paying a price. Some prices are clearly marked by Shiller, while others are pushed to a dead end and then taken as he pleases."

"Is it really that scary?"

"Do you really think it's over?" Natasha countered Pamela, "He sought help from Shiller in his most vulnerable moment, Shiller kindly offered light at the end of the tunnel, they parted and may never meet again?"

Pamela slightly knitted her brows.

"You mean things are not so simple?"

Natasha nodded, resigned.