11: Tony Stark

"The approach does seem more fitting now," Trask chuckled. "Boss, after I died, Trask Industries should still be around. In the decades since, they've likely made significant improvements to the Sentinel robots. Could you help me obtain their research data?"

"No problem. I'm quite interested in Sentinel robots myself," Andrew replied. The Sentinels had nearly wiped out the mutants, so naturally, he was intrigued.

Trask was pleased but then thought of something else. He asked, "Boss, when will we build a power plant? Volcanic energy is too volatile to be used as a power source for the robots."

"No rush. A new type of energy is about to be developed," Andrew said with a smile. "This era has its share of geniuses too."

Trask, looking skeptical, replied, "Is that so? I'd like to see that for myself."

...

In the real world, after Andrew had dropped Susan off at her home, he called in Wind Demon and Howard. "I need you two to take a trip to Alcatraz in San Francisco. There's a lab there called Worthington Labs. I want you to steal all their research data and Leech's blood samples for me.

"Abigor, you're in charge of infiltration. Howard, you're in charge of the computer systems. Any issues?"

Abigor the wind demon quickly responded, "No problem, it's a piece of cake."

"Of course, no problem. I was once a top agent myself," Howard added.

Howard chuckled, and Andrew scoffed, "Self-proclaimed, I bet. Now go, and try not to cause a scene. After you've looted Worthington Labs, take a stroll through Trask Industries. Trask wants the latest research on the Sentinel robots."

"Got it," Abigor and Howard nodded in agreement and boarded a private plane to San Francisco.

Why didn't Andrew handle it personally? That's a joke, right? A Hell Lord doesn't personally handle every little task. Abigorcould turn into wind, capable of infiltrating anywhere, and Howard was a top-tier scientist.

With the two of them working together, they quickly retrieved what Andrew wanted, and he sent it all to Rebirth Hell. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for Trask's research to bear fruit.

Once the research was complete, Andrew stood to gain the souls of tens of thousands of failed mutants—a highly profitable venture.

...

Time flew by, and soon it was a sunny April day. The annual Apex Awards ceremony was about to take place, and this year's recipient was playboy Tony Stark.

At a street café near Stark Tower, Andrew sipped tea while browsing resumes on his laptop. Soon, he came across a familiar face.

"Natalie Rushman, huh," Andrew muttered, shaking his head. He promptly clicked 'Reject' and typed in the reason: "Looks too unprofessional, might negatively influence company culture."

Taking another sip of tea, Andrew thought to himself, 'I hope S.H.I.E.L.D. sends someone to arrest me soon. That way, my hell can gain a few more free employees.'

As he gazed at the nearby Stark Tower, Howard seemed a bit dazed. He turned to Andrew and asked, "Boss, why are we here drinking tea?"

"Thought I'd take you to see your son. He loves the cheeseburgers from the place downstairs—often comes down to buy one himself at lunchtime. Says it tastes better that way," Andrew said with a smile. Before he could finish his sentence, a mustached Tony Stark was already heading towards the burger joint with his chubby bodyguard, Happy.

Judging by Tony's vacant eyes and pale complexion, it was clear he'd had another long night.

Howard Stark glanced at Tony, scoffing, "What's there to see? Pathetic. Back in my day, I could handle five women in one night and still be fresh as a daisy the next morning."

"You're just as pathetic, you know that?" Andrew retorted, shaking his head. "Take a good look while you can; you might not get another chance."

"What?" Howard was taken aback, suddenly feeling a wave of concern. "What do you mean? Is Tony in danger?"

"And you say you don't care about your son?" Andrew chuckled. "Relax, it's nothing major. Just a missile hit, some terrorists kidnapping him, a big hole in his chest... but he'll survive."

"That's not 'nothing major'!" Howard exclaimed urgently. "Boss, if you know what's going to happen, we should stop it before it does."

"We can't stop it. This is a trial he has to go through. Don't worry, he'll be fine. The big players have their eyes on him; no one can touch him."

As Andrew spoke, he cast a monitoring spell on Tony—just a simple spell that allowed Andrew to see everything Tony saw.

"A trial? Big players?" Howard was puzzled, then looked at Tony Stark with a complex expression. "It sounds like my son is going to become someone significant?"

Andrew didn't elaborate much. "Maybe~"

"Honestly, I'd rather he live a normal life. The more brilliant a life is, the shorter it tends to be—just like Captain Rogers," Howard sighed. At that moment, Tony Stark noticed the 'fatherly' gaze from Howard, turned, and looked in their direction with a hint of displeasure.

He said something to Happy.

Happy nodded and walked over to Howard, saying coldly, "Mr. Stark asked me to tell you that your gaze is disgusting, and also, he doesn't like men."

"Doesn't like men?" Howard's face turned green, while Andrew burst into laughter.

This joke would probably keep Andrew laughing for ten years.

Howard snorted. "Tell your boss he's the most pathetic Stark I've ever seen. He's a disgrace to the Stark family."

Happy, displeased, responded, "Sir, that's not something I can just ignore."

Andrew stood up and said, "Ok Friend, let's go. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

Howard nodded, following Andrew out. Happy didn't stop them and returned to Tony, relaying Howard's previous words.

"The most pathetic Stark?" Tony's face darkened as he said, "Get me a personal trainer. Uh, make it a female one."

Happy quipped, "Are you sure you won't just get weaker?"

Tony shot Happy a glare—why did he have to be so brutally honest?

...

"Unprofessional appearance? What part of me looks unprofessional?" Black Widow Natasha was a bit exasperated after receiving the rejection letter from Rebirth Group.

Coulson glanced at her, silently thinking, "Everything about you."

Natasha turned to Coulson and said, "Coulson, let's just go capture this Andrew Evans!"

Coulson shook his head. "No, Andrew Evans' abilities are dangerous. I spoke to those board members, and the moment they heard his name, they were terrified. We can't act rashly until we understand his powers better."

After thinking for a moment, Coulson added, "Let's change our approach and get close to Susan Storm. She has a close relationship with Andrew Evans and probably knows a lot."

"Fine," Natasha agreed.

"Let's wrap this up quickly. Fury is planning a big operation, and I don't want to miss it. Hmph, once we catch Andrew Evans, I'm going to give him a good beating."

Coulson chuckled, "I'll pretend I didn't see it."