Chapter 59: Another Possibility
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"Another possibility exists," Phil Coulson said again.
"What possibility?" Clint Barton asked.
"Because Ivan Vanko has previously attempted to assassinate Stark, we assume that if Ivan Vanko were to seize Stark's armor in the future, it would be Ivan Vanko acting on his own accord. But what if that's not the case?" Phil Coulson said.
"Coulson, why are you being so elusive in your speech?"
"What I mean is, could it be that after Ivan Vanko's escape, he didn't actually want to provoke Stark anymore and just wanted to escape and live out the rest of his life quietly, but someone else forced him to provoke Stark? For example, the person who helped him escape?" Phil Coulson explained.
"That's a possibility, considering Stark has too many enemies," Clint Barton pointed to the options. "We have a ready example right in front of us—Justin Hammer has the motive. If he rescued Ivan Vanko from prison and then made Ivan Vanko attack Stark, I wouldn't find it surprising at all."
"The problem lies here," Phil Coulson said. "If Justin Hammer had Ivan Vanko seize the armor, whose action does it count as? Is it Justin Hammer snatching Stark's armor, or is it Ivan Vanko?"
"Normally, both would be counted, but if we can only choose one," Clint Barton pondered, "then I choose Justin Hammer. The one who came up with the idea is the mastermind."
"Coulson, it seems like you've come up with a terrible idea," Thor interjected. "How can we determine whether Ivan Vanko acted on his own to seize the armor or if he was commanded by someone else?"
"It is indeed one line of thinking, but I don't agree with wasting time on it," Tony Stark didn't dwell on it at all. "First, this situation is impossible to deduce; we can only guess. Second, do you think if Justin Hammer wanted someone to snatch my armor, he wouldn't have any henchmen? Even if he truly had no capable people under his command, couldn't he just hire someone directly instead of going through the trouble of rescuing Ivan Vanko?"
"So," Tony Stark concluded, "regardless of who it is, whether Justin Hammer or someone else, their goal in rescuing Ivan Vanko must be for the technology he possesses, not to have Ivan Vanko deal with me."
"Well, Stark, I was overthinking it," Phil Coulson shrugged. "I have nothing more to say."
"I have no objections either," Clint Barton agreed.
"I..."
"I choose B, Ivan Vanko!" Without waiting for Thor to finish speaking, Tony Stark made his choice, infuriating Thor and making him want to swing his hammer.
"Answer incorrect! One year of life deducted!"
"Wrong?" Tony Stark felt quite surprised. "It's not Ivan Vanko, but Justin Hammer? What ability does this clown have to snatch the armor from my hands?"
"Did he hire someone skilled?" Clint Barton asked.
"No, perhaps he acquired some impressive equipment," Phil Coulson ventured into another theory. "He couldn't create it himself, but if he rescued Ivan Vanko from prison, Ivan Vanko might have developed something new. It was with the help of Ivan Vanko's invention that Justin Hammer successfully seized the armor from Stark."
"Why does Justin Hammer have to openly snatch it from Stark?" Thor raised another question. "Barton just listed some underhanded methods, such as kidnapping someone Stark cares about and forcing Stark to hand over the armor. Why do you make such assumptions about Ivan Vanko but completely disregard Justin Hammer?"
"To us, Justin Hammer is a clown, but on the surface, he is also a successful arms dealer, though incomparable to Stark. He is an enviable billionaire with connections in the business and political world," Phil Coulson slowly explained to Thor. "Indeed, someone like him is involved in some gray areas, and some big shots turn a blind eye to it. But kidnapping someone, especially Stark, goes beyond the bounds; it violates the rules of the game, and America will not tolerate such behavior. Unless he doesn't want to stay in America, he would never do such a thing."
"Ivan Vanko is different," Clint Barton added. "He has no industry or family in America. His sole purpose in coming to America was to kill Stark. He can do anything to achieve that and then leave America without returning. Justin Hammer cannot."
"I still can't believe Justin Hammer has the audacity to snatch the armor from me," Tony Stark shook his head, still skeptical of this answer. "Isn't he afraid of my retaliation, which would dismantle his entire Hammer Industries?"
"Stark, if Justin Hammer really managed to snatch the armor from you, I think many people would be delighted," Phil Coulson said. "There are too many people who covet your armor, but you, as Iron Man, are not easy to deal with. They can't get the armor from you. Your Iron Man identity also prevents them from using many means against you. But Justin Hammer is different; it would be much easier for them to obtain the armor from him."
"So you're saying if Justin Hammer or anyone else truly managed to snatch the armor from me, someone would stop me from retaliating? He might even gain appreciation from certain individuals because of it?" Tony Stark furrowed his brow, easily listing out a roster of such people in his mind.
"And you have a foul mouth; who knows how many people you've offended," Clint Barton said. "I think many would applaud such a situation."
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=>Sailing with Whitebeard: Starting with a Question
=>The day of studying in Hogwarts
.....
[END OF CHAPTER]