C 113

"Actually, Shredder doesn't matter. What's important is the teleportation device," Anton said firmly. "In short, make sure Phil keeps an eye on it. Once the teleportation device is complete, don't use it recklessly—problems are bound to arise if we rush things."

"You mean the alien that dropped the teleportation device on Earth might return through it?" Eddie immediately grasped Anton's concern.

"Exactly." Anton nodded. "We need to take a long-term view on this matter."

"I'll make sure Phil handles it carefully," Eddie replied seriously.

Knock, knock, knock!

The door opened, and Natasha walked in, her red hair cascading as she sauntered inside with a confident sway.

"Anton, Stark Industries has sent an invitation," she announced. "In three days, Stark Industries and Ocktech will host a joint experiment for the artificial sun project. Obadiah Stane sent a special invitation, specifically requesting your presence. Oh..."

Her gaze shifted to Eddie. "They've also invited reporters from the Daily Bugle to cover the event."

"Is that so?" Anton raised an eyebrow.

Unbeknownst to most, the collaboration between Obadiah and Dr. Otto Octavius had reached its final stages. Anton wondered if this experiment would turn out the way he imagined: an accident at the site, casualties, and chaos.

Not that he cared about the experiment itself. What Anton cared about was justice—and it had been a while since the system had granted him any justice points.

'The landlord's coffers are empty!' he thought wryly. 'Not that I'm a landlord!'

The most frustrating part was that even after Arrow had taken down Hammer Industries' militants yesterday, the system hadn't awarded him a single point. Apparently, the system didn't believe he'd done any good.

At this point, Anton was genuinely confused about how the system judged justice. Still, he was confident that once Obadiah and Otto inevitably "darkened," dealing with them would bring in a significant amount of justice points.

Thinking about this, Anton, who hadn't seen "revenue" in ages, was already looking forward to the artificial sun experiment. He could hardly wait.

Across from him, Eddie wasn't surprised that the Daily Bugle had been invited. Given the Bugle's prominent status in New York, it would have been more unusual if Obadiah hadn't extended an invitation.

After all, the Daily Bugle was practically Batman's official media partner. Many readers eagerly awaited the day they'd see a Batman interview in its pages. Anton, however, was still deliberating on that particular point.

After delivering the message, Natasha left Anton's office. Her mind wandered to the report Coulson had sent the night before, immediately after the incident.

Arrow had appeared again.

This time, Arrow had come to Harry Osborn's aid, thwarting Hammer Industries and the military forces silently backing their operation.

That morning, during a board meeting, Harry had thrown a sack of severed fingers onto the conference table. The move filled the room with the stench of blood, as the fingers spilled across the table.

Hammer's face darkened like the bottom of a scorched pot.

The other directors exchanged glances, but none of them flinched. They were seasoned veterans of the corporate world, unfazed even by the gruesome sight before them.

However, they grasped one undeniable fact:

The precarious Harry Osborn, once teetering on the edge of the cliff, had completely turned the tables. Meanwhile, the once-aggressive Justin Hammer, who had been eyeing control of Osborn Industries, now sat silently, his face dark with anger and humiliation.

It was clear that Hammer had miscalculated the events of the previous night.

"Today and in the future, Osborn Industries is still mine," Harry declared.

He surveyed the room, his shark-like smile radiating confidence and menace. No one dared meet his gaze.

After this battle, everyone present realized how much they had underestimated Harry. The young man they once dismissed as inexperienced now loomed large in their minds, an indomitable force to be reckoned with.

"You can rest assured," Harry continued in a calm but commanding tone. "I will not interfere arbitrarily with the internal operations of Osborn Industries. However..."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"You must remember that I remain the major shareholder of this company. While I may not speak often, no one can deny my right to have a say."

His eyes locked on Hammer, who, seething with frustration, snorted disdainfully.

"Humph!"

Without another word, Hammer stood, waved dismissively, and stormed out of the boardroom.

The meeting concluded.

News of the outcome spread quickly.

Headlines flooded the internet:

Osborn's Internal Struggles Resolved—Winner: Osborn!

Osborn Industries Returns to Osborn Control!

Not a single article mentioned the sack of severed fingers Harry had dumped onto the conference table. Publicly, the narrative framed the incident as a straightforward corporate power struggle, free from violence or coercion.

Los Angeles, a seaside mansion.

Tony Stark skimmed through the invitation Obadiah Stane had sent him.

"Artificial sun..." Tony murmured as Jarvis briefed him on the experiment. His interest piqued.

Despite the growing rift between himself and Obadiah, Tony found the prospect intriguing.

An artificial sun—a man-made source of clean energy. It was an extraordinary innovation.

Though reluctant to admit it, Tony acknowledged the sheer ambition of the project. Even compared to his creation of the Arc Reactor in a cave, this technology was on another level of difficulty.

Dr. Otto Octavius was a renowned nuclear physicist, and Tony respected his expertise. While Tony prided himself on his bold creativity and unconventional inventions, Otto's meticulous, grounded approach was equally formidable.

This upcoming public experiment would showcase Otto's "artificial sun," a project that had transitioned from theoretical impossibility to tangible achievement. After over a decade of research, Otto was finally ready to unveil the fruits of his labor.

"Three days from now?" Tony glanced at the date. His eyes shifted to the Mark V armor prototype on his workbench—a sleeker, more portable version he'd developed after revisiting his earlier designs.

"Jarvis, remind me when it's time," he instructed.

"Of course, sir," Jarvis replied promptly.

Ever since Tony had returned from watching Cyborg, he'd made further optimizations to Jarvis. However, he'd left the AI's emotional learning module untouched.

'Perhaps', Tony mused privately, 'I've thought of Jarvis as a person for longer than I care to admit.'

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

New York, by the Hudson River.

A massive experimental platform had been temporarily set up, outfitted with power supply equipment and an array of cutting-edge instruments.

Click! Click!

Outside the venue, countless reporters crowded together, furiously snapping photos.

Anton arrived at the scene. Before the reporters had a chance to swarm him, he spotted a familiar figure approaching with a case in hand.

"Tony, it's rare to see you out and about these days," Anton said, stepping forward with a smile to greet him. His gaze flickered to the case Tony was carrying, a glimmer of surprise in his eyes.

'How long has it been?'

'Tony's already developed a portable Mark V suit?'

The timeline for Iron Man 1 hadn't even fully played out yet!

What Anton didn't know was that the emergence of Batman had significantly influenced Tony's progress in armor development. Seeing another genius hero with advanced tech had driven Tony to push his own limits.

Moreover, his traumatic experience in Afghanistan had heightened Tony's sense of vulnerability.

The Mark V—a portable suit of armor—was his answer to that lingering fear.

Quick to deploy, it was designed for use in everyday situations.

Though the Mark V had the weakest combat capabilities of Tony's existing suits, it gave him what he needed most in that moment: a sense of security.

And for now, that was enough.

….

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