Chapter 42: Tony's Anger

Main City Road.

Tony was speeding in his R8, heading full throttle towards the charity gala.

Beside him, Yinsen sat in the passenger seat, instinctively gripping the door handle.

Suddenly, he regretted coming with Tony. He could have stayed home and researched other things.

"Relax. Trust me."

"Hahaha... Tony, watch the road! Watch the road!"

...

After half an hour of torture, the two finally arrived at the entrance of the charity gala.

Tony casually stepped out of the car.

Yinsen, on the other hand, looked miserable.

"Take care of him, I'll head in first."

Tony casually tossed his car keys to the valet and walked into the charity event alone.

Tony's arrival was like dropping a stone into calm waters—immediately, he became the center of attention.

People who knew him and even those who didn't rushed over to greet him.

Tony dealt with them all one by one.

At the bar, Tony picked up a glass of wine and took a small sip. The reason he came to this charity gala was simply to see who was using his name to host the event.

"Mr. Stark."

A voice sounded beside Tony—it was Coulson.

For some time now, Tony had been staying behind closed doors, and Coulson hadn't had the chance to approach him.

Now that he finally saw Tony, he appeared calm on the surface, but inside, he was quite nervous.

From what he knew, Tony was the typical arrogant and conceited type.

Rarely would he pay attention to strangers, especially strange men.

"And you are?"

"Agent Coulson."

Coulson didn't bother with any roundabout introductions. He directly revealed his identity as an agent.

He believed this was the only way to get Tony's attention.

After all, their organization only held an air of mystery for ordinary people.

To people at Tony's level, they were just slightly stronger regular folks.

"Right, right, you're that..."

In truth, Tony had no idea which department Coulson was from.

"We're from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

This was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s public-facing name.

"Oh, wow, that's a mouthful. You guys really need to work on the name."

"Yes, many people say the same thing when they hear it."

Coulson could clearly sense Tony's growing impatience, so he got straight to the point: "We sympathize with what you've gone through recently."

"But we hope you could spare some time to give us a debrief."

At that moment, Tony's attention was drawn to a stunning figure in the crowd. He immediately recognized her—it was Pepper.

And tonight, Pepper looked more beautiful and...

Sexy than ever before!

"Of course, I'll set something up. How about seven o'clock, five days from now? I have something to take care of with my assistant at the moment."

Tony shook Coulson's hand perfunctorily.

The five days from now was just something he said on the spot.

He'd probably forget about it soon enough.

With Coulson's resigned look following him, Tony headed towards the center of the party and started chatting with Pepper.

After the two danced, they left together.

Coulson could only wait for Tony to be alone.

After a while, he saw Tony walk back inside. Just as he was about to approach, he noticed a blonde woman heading toward Tony.

"Dammit, do rich people always have this much luck with women? And she's so beautiful too!"

With jealousy and envy practically radiating from his eyes, Coulson watched as the blonde woman started talking to Tony.

"Tony Stark, I didn't expect you to dare show up here."

Tony looked at her, feeling that she seemed familiar. But he couldn't quite recall when they had slept together.

"Carrie..."

Having forgotten her name, Tony just made one up.

"Christine..."

"Now I remember!"

Tony finally recalled her—she was the one he had spent a passionate night with before heading to the Middle East. It was also that night when he first saw the suit.

"I've realized that you're always a man who breaks his word."

Tony frowned. "I think I'm quite trustworthy."

Christine then pulled out a stack of photos. "This town is called Gulmira. Ever heard of it?"

She placed the photos on the bar.

When Tony saw what was in the pictures, his expression changed slightly.

The photos showed weapons—all of them made by Stark Industries. And these were from the batch he had personally ordered to be destroyed.

How did they end up here?

Tony suddenly had a possible explanation!

Grabbing the photos, he left the party.

At the entrance.

Obadiah was dealing with reporters who had come for interviews.

Tony walked up to him. "What's going on in Gulmira?"

"Tony, don't worry. I've already handled the board for you," Obadiah whispered to Tony while maintaining a friendly smile for the cameras.

"Tony, look over here. Let's take a photo together."

"You've been doing business behind my back on both sides?"

Obadiah, biting his cigar, responded quietly, "Don't be so naive. Who do you think organized this charity gala? And who do you think pushed you out of the company's decision-making?"

After that, Obadiah continued to deal with the reporters, leaving Tony standing there in a daze.

Tony had never imagined that ever since his parents' death, the man who had watched him rise step by step—his uncle—could be like this.

Though he was usually arrogant, cocky, and carefree, Tony had always treated Obadiah fairly.

Why would he do this?

"Hey, didn't you go inside? What are you doing here?"

Yinsen, who was about to enter the gala, saw Tony standing alone and asked curiously.

Tony clenched the photos in his hand. "Let's go. We're heading back."

Yinsen: "???"

I just threw up and finally started feeling better. Now you want me to ride in your car again?

But seeing Tony rushing off, Yinsen realized something must have happened.

Gritting his teeth, he followed. "Guess I'm just unlucky!"

In the car.

This time, Tony didn't drive as fast. He told Yinsen everything that had just happened.

Yinsen bowed his head in thought. "Gulmira..."

"You know that place?"

"Of course. The cave where we were imprisoned isn't far from there. That area is controlled by the Ten Rings."

The Ten Rings again!

They were the ones who had kidnapped him. Now they were the ones buying the weapons he had ordered destroyed.

Tony had a vague suspicion in his heart but didn't want to believe it. He hoped it was just a coincidence.

"What are you going to do now?"

"If I said those weapons had to be destroyed, then they must be destroyed."

Tony floored the gas pedal, and the roar of the engine echoed down the Main City Road...

...