Marvel's Venom, starting with a Hydra undercover agent.

Once she had listed all the necessary items, the Quinjet was about to return to base.

......

"Therefore, I have decided to shut down Stark Enterprises Weapons Division, effective immediately!"

"Until I find a new goal for the company and other directions that I believe are right and aligned with the highest interests of the country!"

The television was broadcasting a live press conference held by Tony Stark after his return. Tony Stark first said something inexplicable, and then directly said the news that made everyone present instantly explode.

Everyone was waiting for Tony Stark to reveal some inside information about his kidnapping, but instead, they got this shocking revelation.

Upon hearing that Stark Industries was going to close its weapons manufacturing division, not only did the reporters gathered at the scene go wild, but viewers in front of their televisions were also instantly stunned and wide-eyed.

If it weren't for the fact that everyone around them was equally astonished, they would have doubted whether there was something wrong with their eyes or ears.

As the world's largest and best weapons manufacturer, is Stark Industries really going to hand over its most profitable business to someone else?

This is practically forcing the cake you've painstakingly created into other people's mouths; such selfless behavior is practically like doing charity.

Anyone who heard Tony Stark's words would think that he had suffered some kind of torment recently, causing him to have some mental problems. Otherwise, how could he have such crazy ideas and make such an unbelievable decision?

The same scene was playing on the big screen in the Imperial University cafeteria, showing Gwen Stacy sitting at a table with her mouth wide open, forgetting to put the spoon full of beans into her mouth.

"My God! Has Tony Stark gone mad?! No wonder Holm said Stark Industries' stock price was going to plummet..."

Although the live broadcast on television had ended, Gwen Stacy and the others in the restaurant were still reeling from the crazy news.

When Holm called her to tell her it was time to sell her stocks, she was still wondering what the reason for the drop in Stark Industries stock was.

She considered many possibilities, even wondering if Tony Stark would announce his retirement because of the kidnapping, but even such unbelievable thoughts were not as unacceptable and shocking as the news she had just heard.

After gradually regaining her composure, Gwen Stacy put down her half-eaten meal, picked up her laptop, and headed to find a quiet place to continue her analysis.

This stock price fluctuation made Holm and her both very wealthy, and it also proved that the information Holm knew was indeed extremely important.

According to Holm, there should be another fluctuation from low to high. She needs to analyze what the lowest stock price will be caused by this fluctuation. Then, according to Holm's idea, she should use the money she made this time, plus the original principal, to buy at the bottom and wait for the stock price to rise.

Chapter 87, The Shield Blade

As Gwen Stacy began analyzing the stock market to ensure the next step of their plan could proceed more smoothly, Holm and Daisy arrived at their new temporary base.

They watched the press conference, which was just broadcast live, on the big screen at the new base.

"I never expected this guy to be so crazy. What exactly provoked him?" Daisy hugged her legs, barefoot, and leaned back in her chair, looking at the screen where the live stream had been paused, and said to Holm next to her.

Holm was munching on a double patty burger when he heard Daisy's question. He chewed and swallowed the burger in his mouth, then thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps the kidnapping really did have a huge impact on him."

"Didn't we discuss this on the plane? Most of the weapons used by those terrorists were produced by the Stark Group. So, in Tony Stark's view, he might have been an indirect accomplice who indirectly funded these terrorists, leading to so many deaths and displacements."

After Holm finished speaking, Daisy shook her head and continued, "No matter what, he was too impulsive. You know, Obadiah Stanislav is right there. Even if he really had this idea, he should have planned it slowly. Who would expose their purpose and trump cards right away?"

"And we've already warned him that Obadiah Stanislav is a problem, but he's still acting like this. Isn't he just forcing them to take action against him?"

Daisy found Tony Stark's behavior increasingly incomprehensible, to the point that she eventually turned to Holm and asked with some doubt, "Do you think he's a little mentally unstable? Are you sure his head wasn't injured during the kidnapping?"

Hearing Daisy say that, Holm almost spat out the hamburger in his mouth.

Even Daisy found Tony Stark's actions incomprehensible, utterly illogical and unplanned, as if he had lost his mind. This shows just how unreasonable his actions were.

"Ahem! I can only say that your ideas are correct in the eyes of normal people, but who can blame him for being Tony Stark?" Holm quickly cleared his throat to compose himself before speaking.

"It's precisely because he's Tony Stark that he's so confident and reckless in doing such things. If he had really injured his head during this kidnapping, he wouldn't have said that."

As Holm spoke, he remarked with a sigh, "Although I can't understand this approach either, that's how they did it... I can only say that perhaps the mindset of wealthy people is different from ours."

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Now that you've finished eating, let's get to work." Holm dusted off the breadcrumbs and said to Daisy, who was still bewildered by Tony Stark's antics.

Hearing what he said, Daisy could only scratch her head and then switch the position of the laptop on the table and the empty box of fries in her arms.

Since she couldn't figure it out, she stopped thinking about it. Anyway, if anything happened, it should be Tony Stark who should be worrying.

Their current mission is to breach Stark's defenses, find evidence of Obadiah Stanislav's crimes, and copy other Stark documents; everything else is irrelevant to them.

"I'll launch a probing full-scale attack on Stark Industries' firewall first, to see how strong the defenses are," Daisy said as she typed.

As she moved, the image on the computer screen changed, from the TV news to a series of scrolling codes.

Looking at the screen full of code, Holm finally understood what it meant to be blind. Everything was right in front of you, but you couldn't understand a thing.

In this situation, Holm couldn't offer Daisy much help; he could only remind her to be careful during the attack and not let the Stark Group notice anything amiss.

"Don't worry, although what you see is me operating here alone, the attacks they actually feel are coming from all over the world."

“Stark Industries defends against millions or even tens of millions of attacks like this every day, so they won’t notice anything unusual,” Daisy replied to Holm, while continuing to work on her hands.

However, after saying all that, she paused, then tilted her head to look at Holm with a mischievous grin, as if she had discovered something, and said, "Hehe, is our ace agent, S.H.I.E.L.D. Blade, feeling a bit bored because he can't be of much help?"

"It's okay. Even though you can't help me much with computer skills, you can help me in other ways. For example, you can go buy me a hamburger, pizza, and a Coke later, and then massage my shoulders and legs when I'm tired..."

Daisy got more and more excited as she talked, as if she could already see Holm bowing and scraping before her, serving her tea and water.

Normally, Holm is the main force on missions, and she can only provide some simple support. It's a rare opportunity for her to have a good time.

Lost in her own world, Daisy was completely unaware that Holm's face was growing increasingly dark as she spoke, especially when she mentioned ace agents and S.H.I.E.L.D. blades.

These two titles are definitely the things Holm least wants to hear, especially "Shield Blade," which is an insurmountable obstacle for him.

Being a top agent is one thing, after all, many people in S.H.I.E.L.D. are considered top agents, but this S.H.I.E.L.D. Blade...

When Phil Coulson first uttered the title in front of the two of them, Holm already sensed something was wrong, while Daisy couldn't help but burst out laughing.

But Phil Coulson didn't see anything wrong with it and even thought the title was very suitable for Holm.

What could Holm say about his superior's "special favor"? Even though he was extremely ashamed and didn't want to hear those words at all, he could only give a thumbs up, force a smile, and say that his superior had given him a great name and had a good eye for people.

From then on, Daisy would occasionally use the title of Aegis Blade to provoke Holm, and Holm would teach her a lesson several times, training her to the point of ecstasy.

Unexpectedly, Daisy is a forgetful person. She hadn't been quiet for long before she became arrogant again. I wonder if she thinks she's recovered enough to withstand Holm's grueling training.

Finally, after talking to herself for so long, Daisy realized that the room was too quiet. This silence gave her a bad feeling and reminded her of the fear of being dominated by the devilish coach Holm.

"I...I was wrong...I'll never do it again...Waaah...I just recovered a few days ago, and now I have this disease that prevents me from doing combat training..." Daisy begged for forgiveness as she looked at Holm, who had suddenly started to smile.

But Holm just smiled and stepped forward to massage her shoulders, then whispered in her ear, "After this mission is completed, the training will be doubled, starting that very day."

Upon hearing this, Daisy's eyes instantly went limp, and she felt as if her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, had finally died.

Chapter 88, you'll be on my side, right?

In the research and development center of Stark Tower, Tony Stark stood in front of a massive Arc Reactor, watching the blue electric arcs inside flow and dance.

The enormous arc reactor here is similar to, but not quite the same as, the smaller arc reactor on his chest.

Although the Ark Reactor here looks very big and spectacular, it is actually useless and just for show. The smaller one on his chest is different. Although it doesn't look big, it can actually run.

The reason he was standing here was because he was thinking about how Stark Industries should develop in the future.

Although everyone thought he had lost his mind and had something wrong with his brain to decide to shut down Stark Industries' weapons division, only he himself knew what he was thinking.

Only he himself was confident that after giving up the huge profits in the arms industry, he could find a new pillar for the Stark Group.

The enormous model before him, and the actual, operating Ark Reactor on his chest, represent the new path he envisions.

Although this path may not create much value in the short term, and it doesn't generate as much money as the arms trade, it has a prospect that is millions of times broader than that of arms, because it involves one of the most important issues for the development and progress of human society: energy.

Searching for such ideas, Tony Stark unconsciously placed his hand on his chest.

In the center of his chest, the arc reactor, emitting a ghostly blue light, was constantly absorbing the remaining shrapnel in his blood, sustaining his life.

In the future, the Arc Reactor and its derivative scientific concepts will become the new core of the Stark Group, sustaining its future life and vitality.

By then, he will have taken Stark Industries to new heights, and Stark Industries will have brought about new changes to the world.

Thinking of this, Tony Stark couldn't help but think of his father.

Although the Stark Corporation grew rapidly thanks to arms contracts, he remembered that when his father was still alive, the Stark Corporation was also renowned for other areas of research.

Although his father also faced criticism from some people, he was still seen as a great scientist and patriot in the eyes of the general public.

So when exactly did the Stark Corporation begin to abandon research and development in other areas and instead focus all its energy on manufacturing and selling weapons?

Since when did the Stark Group become almost synonymous with arms dealers, and inextricably linked with war, conflict, and suffering?

If he hadn't experienced all of this, he wouldn't have understood these things, nor would he have seen those innocent people die by the weapons he created.

Ironically, even the shrapnel in his body now originated from his own design, and from Ethan's words, he learned how many innocent lives this design, which he once thought was ingenious, had taken.

"Phew~," Tony Stark let out a long breath. Thinking of Ethan reminded him of the man's dying moments and the words he had spoken to him.

He lowered his head in silence, his hands gripping the railing even tighter.

"Click!" With a sound, Obadiah Stanislav pushed open the door and walked in.

He watched Tony Stark's retreating figure, took the cigar out of his mouth, sighed, and walked to the railing beside him.

"Tony, Tony, I was eagerly anticipating your return, but you came back without even consulting me and immediately created such a huge scandal. Do you know how many calls I just received from the board of directors?"

Listening to Obadiah Stanislav's slightly reproachful words, Tony Stark, still leaning on the railing with his head down, asked in a low and somewhat casual voice, "Did they greet me warmly?"

Upon hearing Tony Stark's words, Obadiah Stanislav walked over to him with a wry smile and said, "Well, you can probably guess what happened. They not only gave you a friendly 'greeting,' but they also gave me a friendly 'greeting.' All their usual manners are nowhere to be seen."

“That’s understandable, after all, the stock price should have fallen quite a bit, optimistically speaking... 40%?” Tony Stark looked up and said, noticing Obadiah Stanislav’s approach.

Obadiah Stanislav smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's at least 40%."

After speaking, he turned to Tony Stark, who looked serious and seemed lost in thought, and said, "Tony, you should know we're arms manufacturers. This is our traditional business, and it always has been..."

“But we are not just an arms manufacturer, nor should we be just an arms manufacturer…” Tony Stark retorted.

"Moreover, this company is mine, and I have the right to make decisions. I have now decided to change the company's path."

Obadiah Stanislav was speechless upon hearing Tony Stark's words.

Yes, you feel that this company is yours, so you have the right to make decisions, but this company is not just yours.

Over the years, what have you managed? He's been the one handling everything, keeping the company running smoothly.

Those damn terrorists took the money and agreed to the terms, but they didn't do their job. They said they would kill Tony directly, but they insisted on keeping him alive, which has caused such a huge mess.

Thinking of this, Obadiah Stanislav's cigar was squeezed so tightly it was almost deformed, but with Tony Stark watching him, he couldn't show any abnormality.

He could only helplessly cross his arms at his waist, then looked at Tony Stark and asked, "So which path do you want the company to take? Abandon the massive arms business and switch to making baby bottles?"

“The Arc Reactor, this is the other path I’ve decided to take,” Tony Stark said to Obadiah Stanislav, looking at the massive Arc Reactor before him.