Bab 49: Chapter 49
"That man Hammer is going to showcase his Iron soldiers and iron armor at my Stark Industry Expo? What the f*ck is this guy? How can he create these things with his crooked melons and cracked dates?"
Tony looked at Pepper with disbelief.
At this point, he had already handed the Mark II to Rhodey. Compared to the original plot, the transition had been very smooth this time. Rhodey had long been interested in the Iron armor, so there was no reason for him to refuse it.
However, historical inertia existed everywhere. For instance, Rodriguez originally planned to let the military make certain modifications to the armor, but he never thought they would hand it over to Hammer Industries. Even if Rhodey disliked Hammer Industries, he wouldn't object due to personal feelings because it was the military industry company that had the closest cooperation with the military.
Rhodey had fully informed Tony about this matter, which made Tony quite unhappy.
Although he had known for some time that the blank Mark II would inevitably be modified by the military, he hadn't expected them to turn to Hammer Industries for the transformation. The thought of the steel armor he made himself being used by those guys from Hammer Industries gave Tony the feeling of sending his child into a tiger's mouth.
He had almost forgotten about this issue over the past few days, but just when he was about to forget it completely, Pepper mentioned that Hammer Industries was going to hold an exhibition at the Stark Industry Expo to showcase their Iron soldiers and Iron Armor. With new and old grievances combined, Tony was extremely unhappy.
"Pepper, do you really want that guy Hammer to showcase these things at my Stark Industry Expo?"
Pepper shrugged and replied earnestly, "The Stark Industry Expo invites high-tech companies from around the world to participate. This was the original intention of our expo. We can't exclude Hammer Industries; otherwise, it could cause many problems."
With a helpless curl of his lip, Tony nodded. "Okay, okay, let's do this your way. After all, you're the president of Stark Industries now, and you have full power to determine the future of the company. Besides, when will Hammer and the others be exhibiting?"
"Saturday in two weeks. The central booth is reserved."
"What? The central booth on Saturday?" Tony looked at Pepper in disbelief. "You really agreed?"
With a sigh, Pepper sat beside Tony and explained, "Tony, this incident was pushed forward by the military. We could refuse, but we shouldn't make our relationship with them too rigid.
Your past behavior really put a freeze on the relationship between Stark Industries and the military. We need to ease that relationship; otherwise, if they target Stark Industries, it could become very troublesome."
Looking at Pepper, Tony noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the tired expression on her face. The dissatisfaction and frustration he felt transformed into pity and guilt. He nodded and said, "Of course. I know I've caused you a lot of trouble. Let this matter be handled according to your wishes; I agree."
Pepper nodded, a hint of emotion in her voice. "Thank you for your understanding."
"There's no need to thank me. I—"
Before Tony could finish, his phone rang suddenly. He looked helplessly at Pepper. Reaching out, he pressed the wireless headset to his ear to answer the call.
This was his private number, known to very few people. Anyone who had this number required careful consideration. Naturally, he wouldn't ignore the call.
"Hey?"
"Tony, it's me!"
"Abel?"
Tony leaned back, and as soon as he mentioned Abel's name, Pepper's demeanor changed. Natasha, Pepper's assistant, perked up her ears.
The current S.H.I.E.L.D. agents no longer doubted Abel's identity. However, because of his reluctance to associate with S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury had requested that they not disturb him for the time being.
But while it was one thing to avoid contact, it was another to continue investigating. Given the recent issues with Abel and Tony growing closer, Fury had instructed Natasha to observe and protect Tony while also investigating Abel's situation and reasons for contacting him.
"Tony, I should have told you I'm a practitioner of the principle of equivalent exchange. I helped you prepare the blood poison medicine as part of a deal, and now I've thought about what I need. I'm here to seek your help."
"Of course, I've been eagerly awaiting this! You know I've never liked the feeling of being in debt. Although I don't owe you money, it feels somewhat the same."
"Now that you're ready, I won't waste time with pleasantries. While preparing the blood poison potions, I discovered the effect of artificial intelligence on the restoration of ancient potion prescriptions. My own power is too weak; I need assistance to restore all the potions.
So, I hope you can invest a sum of money to build a laboratory that provides a certain level of artificial intelligence to help me research the restoration of potions.
Of course, this laboratory can also produce some mass-produced potions for commercial purposes. Since my potions require magical power, it's nearly impossible for the outside world to replicate them.
Additionally, this laboratory can also sell high-end drugs in the future. What do you think?"
"Abel, even if you hadn't said so much, I would still help you. For me, just investing could yield your—" Tony glanced at Pepper and cleared his throat. "I think I'd get a better bargain out of this deal, so I'll go ahead with it.
The two of us are merging into one company. I'll provide everything you need, including the highest level of artificial intelligence. You'll be responsible for research and manufacturing. This arrangement minimizes your worries, and of course, you can rest assured. Based on this, what do you think?"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone