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

Obadiah Stanislav, upon hearing this, pointed helplessly at the seemingly high-tech device and said, "Tony, don't joke with me. We all know this is just a showpiece, meant to shut some people up. These technological projects are just for show."

Hearing Obadiah Stanislav's disapproval, Tony Stark also unzipped his shirt, revealing a small reactor that was emitting a faint glow.

“It’s not just for show; I’ve already made it, and it’s right here. You can see it and touch it.”

Obadiah Stanislav stared at the Arc Reactor on Tony Stark's chest for a moment before snapping out of his daze and quickly pulling Tony's clothes up and buttoning them up.

"Please tell me about such things earlier in the future, instead of doing them first and then talking about them. This puts me in a very passive position."

“You need to understand that we are a team. As long as the two of us work together, we can do anything, just like your father and I did back then,” Obadiah Stanislav said, looking at Tony Stark.

For some reason, Tony Stark seemed a bit off today; this guy didn't seem as easy to read as he used to be.

"Will you really stand with me, Obadiah Stanislav?" Tony Stark looked at Obadiah Stanislav with his brown eyes, his tone calm yet somewhat solemn.

Obadiah Stanislav smiled and put his arm around Tony, then said with certainty, "Of course! I'll take care of the board. You just need to focus on your research."

Chapter 89, Everyone Has Their Own Ideas

"Did they go in?"

"You're almost there. You need to move a little more to the right."

"Oh! I found it, it was inserted from here, right?"

“That’s right, you just need to plug it in… Oh! Hiss! I feel like I’ve turned into a doll that’s just been plugged in.” Tony lay half-reclined in his chair, recalling the electric shock-like feeling when the new Arc Reactor was connected.

"Are you alright?" Pepper asked Tony Stark. Everything was so strange; it seemed like she had just shoved a battery into her boss's chest.

“Feels good, it has plenty of energy,” Tony Stark said, tapping the Arc Reactor on his chest.

Hearing this answer, Pepper breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, her attention turned to her sticky hands, which made her feel nauseous.

"Please, please, never, ever, ever make me do this job again. I feel goosebumps all over my body right now," Pepper pleaded, frowning as she recalled the strange sensation she'd just felt in his chest.

“But besides you, I can’t find anyone else who can help me.” Tony Stark looked at Pepper and said in a suddenly low voice.

Upon hearing this, Pepper was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at Tony Stark.

Tony Stark also sensed the sudden silence, so he casually turned his head, removed the monitoring device from his body, and handed the towel next to him to Pepper to wipe her hands.

Pepper silently took the towel and quietly wiped her hands, lost in thought.

"Oh, and take that one on the table with you. Destroy it," Tony Stark said to Pepper, pointing to the old Arc Reactor that had been replaced on the table.

Upon hearing this, Pepper picked it up as well. A moment later, she suddenly looked up at Tony Stark, who was clumsily directing the robotic arm to clean the table.

"Is your disappearance really related to some people within the company? Is it Obadiah Stanislav?"

Tony Stark was also taken aback when he heard Pepper's words. How did Pepper know about this?

Before he could ask, Pepper spoke up, saying, "Someone found me and told me about this. He said he was from S.H.I.E.L.D., a secret department responsible for national defense and security. He also said his name was Phil Coulson. You've met him and know him. You've had some contact with him in this matter."

As Tony Stark listened to Pepper's words, the image of Phil Coulson, with his ever-present standard smile, also came to mind.

Did he ask you to do anything?

Upon hearing this question, Pepper nodded, then shook her head and said, "He told me about this and wanted me to help find evidence of Obadiah Stanislavski's crimes, but I refused and wanted to come back and ask you first."

"Although I don't know why, they seem to be convinced that Obadiah Stanislav is a problem, and the problem seems to be quite serious."

So, since that guy couldn't persuade me, I'm going to try to convince the people around him?

Listening to Pepper's account, Tony Stark also recalled the advice and reminders she had given him on the plane.

Thinking of this, he said in a deep voice to Pepper, who was waiting for his answer, "What he said may be partly true. This kidnapping may indeed be due to a mole within the group, but I don't know who it is."

“As for Obadiah Stanislav…” Tony Stark’s voice trailed off. He wanted to try to believe him, but there were indeed many suspicious points about Obadiah Stanislav regarding this kidnapping.

However, considering their conversation at the research center, Obadiah Stanislav felt that his idea was irrational, but he was willing to support him after he put forward a new idea and was willing to communicate with the shareholders to resolve the matter.

Obadiah Stanislavsky's reaction made him completely unaware of anything unusual; the other person was still his elder, taking care of him as always.

With his mind in turmoil, Tony Stark was at a loss for what to do. Although he usually appeared to be a carefree and unconventional playboy, he hesitated when faced with these problems.

He didn't have many friends to begin with, and even fewer people he could trust. Apart from Obadiah Stanislav, Pepper, and Rhodes, he had no one else.

But now, with Obadiah Stanislavsky, one of them, shrouded in such doubt, he's unsure of what to do.

"Forget about all that stuff, and forget about S.H.I.E.L.D. I think I need some time to calm down," Tony Stark said, turning away somewhat irritably and walking towards his desk.

Pepper didn't say much when he saw this; he simply took the old, replaced Ark Reactor and walked out of the laboratory.

......

"You're still alive! And you dare to shamelessly keep demanding funds from me here?!" In Obadiah Stanislav's office, he leaned back in his chair and shouted angrily at the bald man appearing on the screen.

"We agreed that I would give you money, funds, and weapons, and all you had to do was help me kill Tony Stark so he could never come back here alive. But what happened?!"

"That damn guy still came back alive and spouted nonsense in front of so many media outlets! My company's stock price has been halved today! And you still have the nerve to ask me for funds!"

"Don't get so agitated. Look at my face. I've suffered such an insult and you're not even as furious as I am," the man on the screen said, looking at the enraged Obadiah Stanislav.

As he spoke, the bald man moved forward a little so that the light could illuminate his face, which was mostly covered by gauze.

He was the terrorist leader who kidnapped Tony Stark, as well as Obadiah Stanislavsky's partner and arms buyer.

“Don’t be so angry, my friend. So what if he goes back? I can send people to assassinate him anytime you want,” the bald man reassured Obadiah Stani.

"The reason I'm asking you for further funding is because I have some news that you'll definitely find interesting."

"Aren't you curious about how Tony Stark managed to escape from my territory?"

Upon hearing this, Obadiah Stanislav looked at the bald man and asked in a deep voice, "Isn't it because of the help from the military and government departments?"

Chapter 90, Ambition

The bald man nodded and continued, "They did help, but Tony Stark had already broken out on his own before they arrived."

"You broke out on your own?!" It has to be said that the bald man's words did indeed pique Obadiah's interest.

“I’ll tell you as long as you pay me the money,” the bald man said with a smile. “And I can even give you a hint beforehand, which is related to weapons.”

“The money has already been transferred, now speak.” Obadiah didn’t hesitate for long and quickly fulfilled the bald man’s request.

The cigar butt glowed red in the dim office light, and bluish-white smoke billowed from his mouth, obscuring his face.

Looking at the funds that had already arrived in his account, the bald man smiled and said, "It's a pleasure doing business with you. I like straightforward people like you."

"Watch this video; it contains the answers you're looking for."

“This is footage taken by someone in the base at the time. He was lucky enough to survive, just like me, and then escaped through a secret passage without being discovered by those damn Americans.”

Upon hearing this, Obadiah sat up and opened the video that the other party had sent him.

The video begins with a dark cave entrance, surrounded by many terrorists aiming their guns at the cave entrance.

The faint screams coming from off-screen suggest that someone is shouting that there are monsters or something inside.

It seems the person filming this scene took out their phone because they were curious about what kind of monster would appear.

A few seconds later, the so-called monster appeared from the cave entrance. When the person filming the scene saw that the monster was a small giant in steel armor, not only did the person filming exclaim in surprise, but Obadiah in front of the screen also widened his eyes.

What followed was even more spectacular: countless bullets struck the steel armor, yet caused no damage whatsoever. Instead, stray bullets that bounced back injured many of his fellow terrorists.

This situation threw the terrorists present into chaos. Obadiah could clearly see the screen begin to shake violently and move further and further away.

Fortunately, the people in the scene were far enough away, because the next second the steel armor spewed out intense flames, turning all the surrounding terrorists into fireballs.

A few more seconds passed, and the steel armor in the video moved further and further away before the video abruptly ended.

Obadiah's eyes, hidden behind the bluish-white smoke, gleamed with an enigmatic light. He exhaled a long puff of smoke and then continued in a deep voice to the bald man, "Is this steel armor in the picture in your possession?"

Hearing his question, the bald man smiled and said, "It's not in my hands. If it were, it wouldn't be this price. After I left, those Americans took over the place. If you're tough enough, you might be able to get it from them."

"But I think even if the Iron Man armor in the picture isn't there, it shouldn't be too difficult for you, right? After all, Tony Stark, the creator, is in your hands. All you have to do is put in a little more effort."

“You don’t need to worry about that. This is my own business, and I’ll take care of it.” Obadiah did not respond to the bald man’s words.

Upon hearing this, the bald man simply touched the gauze on his face and continued, "Don't be so nervous. I just want to make a reservation with you in advance. I need at least 10 sets of steel armor."

"Don't worry about the money, I'll prepare it in advance."

Obadiah looked at the bald man in the picture as well. Both of them had the same kind of light shining in their eyes, a light called ambition.

After casually agreeing to the bald man's request, Obadiah leaned back in his chair and looked out at the night view through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

According to his original plan, Tony Stark should have died in Afghanistan, but because that stupid and greedy guy took it upon himself not to kill Tony, but instead made him make weapons for him, Tony had the opportunity to return here.

Only the decorations in his office, which have been replaced two or three times, truly know how he feels about this matter.

But since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to pretend to be a caring elder, as before, and sincerely welcome Tony Stark's return.

But Obadiah certainly wouldn't give up his ambitions so easily. He had already planned that Tony could relax for a few days after his return, and then he would immediately find someone to continue the unfinished plan.

But this plan was even more outrageous than the previous one, and it was ruined before it even had a chance to begin by Tony's nonsensical ramblings at the press conference.

Watching the stock price plummet, Obadiah felt his heart bleeding. Fortunately, Tony, the golden goose, had produced another priceless golden egg, which gave him a new plan: to get the golden egg first and then start his new scheme.

I thought the miniaturization and successful operation of the Arc Reactor was already surprising enough, but I never expected Tony to have such a trick up his sleeve.

This steel armor is far more revolutionary than any weapon he could have invented.

The fact that the original Iron Man suit, made from a pile of junk, could render so many terrorists helpless, forcing them to watch themselves turn into fireballs, makes it hard to imagine how powerful it would be if it were further improved and made into a truly excellent weapon.

It is no exaggeration to say that if this weapon can be widely adopted, it will completely change the landscape of future world wars, and Obadiah can see endless benefits from it.

"Whoo~"

Obadiah took a long breath to calm himself down. He was a little excited. Although the idea was wonderful, the most important thing now was to get the design or finished product from Tony Stark.

It goes without saying that Tony would never give this to him or communicate with him through normal channels.

This can be seen from the fact that he didn't mention the Iron Man suit to anyone after he returned. Tony was determined to keep this secret firmly in his own hands and not let anyone know.

Unfortunately, Obadiah already knows his hidden secret, and Obadiah will definitely not let it go.

He was already thinking about how to get his design drafts or prototype armor from Tony.

Chapter 91, The Party

A few nights later, the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York was bustling with people, including upper-class individuals dressed in elegant gowns and well-tailored suits, as well as reporters with camera flashes ready to take pictures.