The Military

Obviously, owning a private jet, a luxury that burns through money, is far beyond the reach of ordinary working-class people.

As the heir to a military-industrial conglomerate, Miss Stark naturally had the means to purchase a private jet and hire an entire flight crew.

In the United States, given its vast and sparsely populated landscape, many families on the West Coast actually own personal, home-use private planes.

Some communities even offer homes with hangars, shared runways, and fuel stations dedicated to these planes.

The U.S. government allows its citizens to use airspace below 3,000 meters for personal aircraft, making it convenient for people to use their private planes.

Typically, low-altitude flights within 100 miles do not require reporting to local air traffic control.

But things were different for Miss Stark—her private jet wasn't a small civilian plane but a specially ordered one from Boeing.

The original model was a Boeing 737-BBJ, which had been heavily modified by the company's engineers, outfitted with Stark Industries' new engine technology.

However, no matter how you look at it, a large plane like the Boeing 737 could never fit into a small hangar.

Her private jet was always parked at a private terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, where she paid a hefty annual management fee.

Additionally, since she was about to fly across the entire U.S. mainland, her flight plan had to be filed with air traffic control.

Once again, in this materialistic capitalist society, having money truly allows you to do as you please.

When it comes to getting approval for a flight path for such a large private jet... well, as long as you're willing to pay, it can certainly be expedited.

However, since Stark Industries has always been a good partner to the U.S. military—and she was heading to discuss business with them—there was no reason for air traffic control to delay her. Therefore, Miss Stark's flight path was approved quickly.

That evening, her Boeing business jet landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York.

Strictly speaking, the Stark Industries headquarters was located in Washington, D.C., not New York.

The company's board of directors had arranged the business meeting with the U.S. military in New York because someone high up in the military requested it.

Once the plane broke through the clouds, Miss Stark noticed raindrops on the small window.

Although it was still summer, New York's weather remained as unpredictable as ever.

Her bodyguard thoughtfully brought her a thick beige trench coat, draping it over her shoulders.

"Thanks, Happy, you're so considerate. I didn't expect the weather to turn out like this."

The cabin temperature was automatically regulated by the air conditioning, but the sudden drop in temperature still brought a chill to her.

Miss Stark pulled the trench coat tighter around herself, a smile appearing on her face as she nodded slightly at Happy Hogan.

"I was so focused on picking out your outfit that I forgot to check New York's weather. My bad, Natasha."

Pepper looked a bit guilty, seemingly upset that she hadn't fulfilled her duties as a personal assistant properly.

"It's no big deal. My body is always full of energy, not as fragile as you think."

Miss Stark shrugged lightly, reassuring Pepper, then turned her gaze back to the window.

It was raining in New York—a weather condition that wasn't ideal for takeoff or landing, but the company had pushed her to arrive quickly.

A few minutes later, her private jet landed on an outer runway at Kennedy International Airport.

Raindrops fell on the plane's roof, the muffled sound of rain audible even inside the cabin.

Outside the jet, a black stretch Lincoln limousine was parked next to the airstair, with two bodyguards in black suits holding umbrellas by the car.

Standing at the top of the airstair, she surveyed the dimly lit airport and the distant city.

Happy Hogan stood beside her, holding a black umbrella over her as he escorted her down the airstair to the limousine.

Even as the rain soaked his back, he remained unfazed, ensuring both women were safely inside the limo.

Her high heels clicked lightly against the pavement as she stepped into the limousine. Settling into her seat, she glanced out at the rain-soaked tarmac. "Let's go—I'm curious to see what kind of game they plan to play with me."

Inside the black Lincoln limousine, the heater had already been turned on, pushing the cold air out of the cabin.

New York was always a city with unpredictable weather, something attributable to its geographical location.

Before landing, Kennedy Airport had actually refused her, as the private jet terminal was full.

However, under the financial influence of Stark Industries, the airport relented.

They allowed her jet to remain parked on the runway overnight and shut down the private jet takeoff and landing access.

After picking up the passengers, the black stretch limousine headed straight toward Manhattan's city center.

The meeting was arranged here because there was a Stark Industries landmark building in the heart of Manhattan.

That building belonged to the Stark family, inherited by Miss Stark from her father, Howard Stark.

Perhaps it was because Stark Industries was one of the world's top-tier enterprises that the Stark family's glory was built.

As soon as they entered the boundaries of Manhattan Island, Miss Stark noticed the building hidden among the skyscrapers.

That was the Stark Tower—a uniquely shaped, yet anything but low-key, landmark high-rise.

Following the design principle of a broader base and narrower top, the Stark Tower's exterior had a fully curved facade on one side.

The top six floors were a large, luxurious penthouse apartment villa, exclusively belonging to Miss Stark.

Simply constructing this landmark building cost Stark Industries more than a billion dollars.

Adding the costs of acquiring the surrounding land and the small park at the base of Stark Tower, the total expenses amounted to around five billion dollars.

Once again—having money allows you to do as you please, further proving the truth that money rules all.

In the United States, where the arms industry is legal, Stark Industries could be considered a company that truly built its fortune on war.

The economic crisis caused by the bubble economy forced the U.S. to shift its troubles through warfare.

Stark Industries began its growth during that period, developing by selling large quantities of weapons and Howard Stark's new technology.

As of this year, Stark Industries had a market value of five hundred billion dollars, making it an undisputed industry leader.

Compared to a five-hundred-billion-dollar asset, was the roughly five-billion-dollar price tag of Stark Tower really that much?

Is there a better way to promote your brand than with a landmark building in the heart of the world's largest city?

As everyone knows, the U.S. is a country that favors peacekeeping through military force—with corresponding strategic deployments around the world.

And the open capitalist market allows many arms companies to become good partners with the U.S. Department of Defense.

The U.S. Department of Defense even has a special bidding website, openly trading with arms companies worldwide.

However, Stark Industries stands apart from this process, being an old friend of the U.S. Department of Defense.

During Howard Stark's tenure, Stark Industries was already a loyal partner to the Department of Defense.

Even as time moved into the new millennium, the military's collaboration with Stark Industries never ceased.

In most cases, even when the Department of Defense placed large orders, it wasn't made public.

Usually, military procurement personnel would haggle with the Stark Industries board until an agreement was reached.

Of course, all the procurement contracts were sent to Miss Stark, though she rarely paid attention to them.

However, this time, the military specifically requested that she travel from the West Coast to the East Coast.

Stark Industries was involved in arms deals while also developing new military technology under Miss Stark's leadership.

New technology emerged every year, leading to annual exchanges between the Department of Defense and Stark Industries.

Some of this new technology was kept in-house for production, while some was sold off in exchange for patent royalties.

In past years, these new military technologies could easily generate an additional one to two billion dollars in revenue.

However—this time, she arrived a bit late, so the meeting with the Department of Defense was scheduled for the next day.

She spent the night in her penthouse apartment atop Stark Tower without giving it much thought.

The following day, she got up early and met with the Department of Defense officials in the building's dedicated conference hall.

The meeting wasn't much different from previous years, with the Department of Defense's weapons development department leading the way.

However, she did notice an interesting figure among the Department of Defense representatives—

"Welcome to Stark Industries, where the future is unfolding before you, Uncle Ross."

With a smile, Miss Stark walked up to the middle-aged man in the general's uniform.

He was a white man in his forties or fifties, with a stern expression and a small mustache.

His dark green general's uniform had no badges or shoulder insignia, making it difficult to determine his rank.

But given his authoritative presence among the officers, it was clear he was a leader not to be taken lightly.

Miss Stark knew him well—he was Thaddeus Ross, a sitting U.S. Army general.

"It's been a long time since we last met. Seeing you always reminds me of your father, Howard."

Despite his high rank, General Ross showed no typical military demeanor in front of Miss Stark.

The close relationship between her father, Howard, and General Ross was a significant factor in this.

"How have you been, young lady? Do you have any new creations to show off?"

"You've inherited Howard's intellect, so don't tell me you've got nothing to offer."

When Howard Stark was still around, General Ross often visited their home.

Back then, Howard had her call him "Uncle," so technically, there was a familial connection.

"That's a weak attempt at goading me, Uncle. But yes, I do have a few interesting projects this year."

Hearing his words, Miss Stark rolled her eyes but reached out to turn on the projector on the table.

The conference room naturally had dedicated projection equipment connected to Stark Industries' database.

She pulled out her tablet, connected it to the conference room screen, and projected the interface onto the wall.

The people in the room, thinking the meeting was about to start, quickly found their seats and watched her presentation.

"Um... hold on a second. Let me find where I put those files..."

Her fingers moved swiftly across the tablet screen, so quickly that most people could only catch a few words before she swiped past them.

After about half a minute, she finally found what she was looking for in the database.

"Orbital strike technology and electromagnetic rail acceleration technology. What do you think?"

She pointed to the file names on the projection screen, introducing them to General Ross.

However, Miss Stark seemed to have overestimated the understanding and intelligence of the military bigwigs present.

Even General Ross beside her looked at the screen with a blank expression, somewhat dazed.

He was a seasoned soldier, after all—how could he possibly grasp such high-tech concepts?

"So, before you sell it, could you explain it to us?"

"Basically, electromagnetic rail acceleration technology is the foundation of railguns."

"But currently, there isn't enough power to support it, so let's forget about it."

With just a few words, she dismissed the railgun project—it was too far-fetched.

Until she mastered the arc reactor, she didn't plan to introduce such advanced technology.

"As for orbital strike technology, it's the foundation for space-based ground attack systems..."

"I don't think you could even afford my technology, even if you built an orbital space station, so NO."

She smiled at the U.S. Department of Defense delegation, playfully winking as she easily dismissed her own proposals.

"Maybe these overly violent toys aren't suitable for you. Perhaps I should offer something different."

Soon, the screen displayed an automatic rifle that looked similar to an M16 but had entirely different details.

"A modular rail automatic rifle, perfect for you guys on the battlefield—comprehensive technology."

Looking at the automatic rifle on the screen, General Ross remained silent, instead conferring with the staff he had brought along.

About half a minute later, Miss Stark, still smiling, watched them without interrupting.

"From what I understand, our Army already has a similar experimental weapon?"

"Yes, but your project failed due to inadequate craftsmanship, and I completed it."

Strictly speaking, the development of a new weapon requires a long process of testing.

From project initiation, manufacturing, completion, testing, small-scale deployment, to large-scale deployment.

Miss Stark's weapon technology was novel, but it hadn't undergone professional, systematic testing.

So—as the leader of the Department of Defense and the main negotiator for this meeting, would General Ross buy in?

Of course, he wouldn't place a large order right away, but General Ross eventually gave his answer.

Leaning on the excellent relationships and personal charm of Howard Stark, General Ross decided to trust her.

They would prioritize a small initial order for testing. If it performed well, more orders would naturally follow.

But if it didn't meet expectations, they'd want a refund—yes, a refund, and the weapons wouldn't be returned.

After the military leadership left, the Stark Industries board called Miss Stark in for a closed-door meeting.

"Miss, isn't the price you set a bit too high?"

"Too high? The technology in these weapons alone is valued at seven thousand dollars."

Hearing the director's words, Miss Stark shook her head helplessly, indicating that she was powerless to change it.

Because it was a small-scale order, she couldn't offer much of a price reduction.

However, before General Ross left, Miss Stark did suggest that a discount could be considered for a large-scale order.

But... ultimately, how much to discount was up to Miss Stark herself—she wouldn't give the board a say.

"Of course, if you plan to settle it differently, I have an interesting idea."

"For instance, the weapon itself could be provided for free, but they'd have to pay for the modular accessories they need."

"Come to think of it, this approach—selling accessories while giving away the weapon—sounds pretty interesting."

"In any case, the modular rail rifle is a good product. They won't be able to resist."

"After each rifle is sold, I want a thirty percent commission to fund my next research project—it's going to be quite expensive."

Seeing the directors around her visibly react, Miss Stark quickly added this clause, which somewhat eased their expressions.