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

Tonight, Tony Stark will present the Firefighters' Home Foundation with a grant for the third time. With the experience of the previous two times, this place is clearly more than just a venue for presenting grants; it is a gathering place for so-called high society members to exchange ideas and get together.

At the bar in the lobby, Coulson was sitting with Daisy and Holm, drinking and chatting.

"I really don't understand why I have to dress like this to attend this kind of banquet. It's so inconvenient, especially these high heels. I feel like I might trip and die if I take a few more steps."

Daisy sat on a high stool, lifting the hem of her black strapless dress, looking at the delicate high heels on her feet, finding them utterly displeasing.

Her fair and slender legs were also faintly visible through the side slit of her dress as she moved, adding an extra touch of allure and charm.

As she continued to move, her chest heaved, and even the string of dazzling jewels around her neck began to sway.

Daisy didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with her actions, but Holm, who was sitting next to her, coughed lightly and looked away, while quietly reminding her to be careful not to expose herself.

Although Daisy herself didn't like her outfit tonight, she had to admit that it made her look very different from before, showcasing her usually hidden sexiness and beauty to the fullest. It also greatly surprised Holm, who felt that he had misjudged her before and hadn't noticed that Daisy was so wealthy.

This may be because casual wear doesn't accentuate the figure as well as formal attire. After all, wealthy people tend to wear less padding, while poorer people prefer more padding, and this difference makes everyone look similar.

Hearing Holm's quiet reminder, Daisy could only sit up straight and stop moving around. She patted her chest to make the tape hidden inside her dress stick tighter and less likely to expose herself.

"Ugh, I shouldn't have listened to that shop assistant and worn this outfit. I didn't feel anything was wrong at the time, but now the more I wear it, the more uncomfortable it feels. It's so annoying." Daisy brushed a strand of hair behind her ear to make sure her earring was still on, then frowned and downed the Coke in her glass.

As she covered her mouth and burped softly, her furrowed brows slowly relaxed, as if the irritation from before had drifted away with the carbon dioxide from her mouth.

Listening to Daisy's complaints and watching her little actions, Holm also took a sip of the soda water in his glass, and then teased her, "After all, the shop assistant who matched your clothes didn't know your personality, and she certainly didn't expect you to dress so gorgeously and elegantly, and then burp while drinking Coke."

"Look around, everyone here is holding a champagne glass, looking dignified and elegant. They don't even force their smiles. It must have been tough on the waiter who went to buy you a Coke. He probably never expected to encounter such a customer."

Hearing Holm's complaints, Daisy couldn't refute them. She could only snort in dissatisfaction and continue, "I will never come to this kind of occasion again unless it's an important mission. I admit I was wrong today. I shouldn't have been curious about this kind of occasion. To be honest, staying in the base and typing on the computer is better than this."

Holm shrugged and said, "Knocking won't do any good. We can only find some superficial information. To get to a deeper level, we need more time or other methods. We don't have that much time now, so we have to resort to other methods."

Their infiltration mission into Stark Industries these past few days has been somewhat complicated. While it hasn't yielded any results, Daisy has indeed breached Stark Industries' defenses and obtained most of the information.

However, while there have been many achievements, most of this information is of little use. To uncover deeper secrets, further investigation is needed, but that will take even longer.

Coulson was aware of their mission's progress and knew that their current predicament was time, which was why he brought them here to try and take some other measures.

“The warm-up is complete. Celebrities will be arriving one after another. Now we just need to wait for Miss Pepper to arrive,” Coulson said, approaching them with a wine glass.

Seeing that Daisy seemed a little unhappy, he asked with concern, "What's wrong? Your sour face doesn't really match today's dazzling lights."

"If it doesn't match, it doesn't match. I'm too tired. Standing is tiring enough, and sitting is uncomfortable too." Daisy said this, but she still tried to adjust her expression to make her look less sullen.

To become a top agent, one must also have excellent facial expression control.

"Try to sit down as much as possible; standing is more tiring. But you can't avoid these kinds of tasks and situations in the future, so you have to get used to it in advance," Coulson reassured Daisy.

Daisy nodded in agreement. She decided to work on her manners when wearing high heels and formal dresses so that she wouldn't embarrass herself in similar situations in the future.

Speaking of which, she really envied Holm. Boys don't have to master high heels, and Holm has a good figure and posture, so he can fit in perfectly with the atmosphere by just changing his clothes.

After exchanging a few words with Daisy, Coulson then looked at Holm and said, "You seem to be adapting very well. You blend in with the atmosphere here without seeming out of place or like anything is wrong at first glance."

“You’re much better than I was back then. I remember when I first carried out a mission like this, Director Fury joked that I was the most eye-catching person there because just by looking at me, you could tell I was either a secret agent or a policeman, hahaha.”

Coulson's self-deprecating joke instantly made everyone laugh, and Daisy didn't seem as tense as before.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Coulson looked at the crowd that had begun to enter and Pepper Pepper in her blue dress, and said to Holm, "The target has entered, and everything should be ready. Just proceed according to plan."

Chapter 92, You're Out.

Holm nodded and smiled, indicating that everything was under control and there were no problems.

But before Pepper could finish taking the photos and get closer, a series of exclamations came from outside. From their cacophony, it was clear that someone was calling for Tony Stark.

Tony Stark did indeed arrive. I wonder how his Iron Man armor is coming along. Judging from his sudden arrival today, a departure from his previous quiet demeanor, he must have a lot of questions accumulating in his mind.

As Holm pondered this, he picked up his cup. While he drank, Tony Stark gently put his arm around Pepper on his left and leaned against Obadiah on his right, gradually approaching from the doorway with a formulaic smile befitting a photographer.

Although the smile on his face masked some of his emotions, Holm could still see the deep look in Obadiah's eyes and the hidden displeasure on Tony Stark's face.

If things turn out the same as in the movie, this party will be the beginning of their falling out, and Tony will later ask Pepper to help him find evidence of Obadiah's crimes.

But many things from the early stages have changed now. For example, the terrorists have been basically wiped out, and the Iron Man armor has fallen into the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D., not Obadiah.

Given these circumstances, Holm doesn't know if things will develop the same way as in the movie. As it stands, the three of them did come to the party together, but what will happen next is still unknown.

“Tony Stark must have seen the news about Gemilla. He asked about that town before; it’s the hometown of the man who was trapped in the cave with him,” Phil Coulson guessed, looking at the meeting between Tony Stark and Obadiah.

Daisy added, "Now there's nothing to doubt about this guy, since it's common knowledge that Stark Industries weapons have appeared in the town of Gomira."

"Even if he doesn't want to believe that Obadiah has connections with terrorists, he has to believe it now."

“Yes, now it’s up to him to decide how to handle it,” Holm nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, after the media finished taking photos, Tony pulled Obadiah aside and asked him, "Have you seen those photos? The photos of Gumira. What's going on over there?"

"Why have our weapons ended up in the hands of terrorists again? I don't recall approving this deal, did I?"

Hearing Tony's question, Obadiah patted him on the shoulder and said helplessly, "Which nosy reporter did this again... Tony, you can't be so naive anymore. Like I said, the company doesn't belong to you alone..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tony interrupted him sharply and said, "You're right. I was naive before. I really believed that you guys adhered to principles and knew that there were some bottom lines that couldn't be crossed."

"Tell me, we've been doing business behind the scenes all along, haven't we? We really sold those terrorist weapons to them, didn't we?"

"And you! Obadiah Stanislav, you always knew, all of you knew, but you still did it, keeping me in the dark and trying to fob me off with that bullshit rhetoric about upholding justice and order!"

Tony became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels. The reporters next to him also pricked up their ears, like cats that had smelled fish and were about to rush over.

Obadiah didn't say much when he saw this. He just turned his head and stared coldly at the reporter, then waved to his bodyguard.

Immediately afterwards, several burly bodyguards blocked the reporter's path and politely escorted him out.

With the reporters out of the way, Obadiah turned around and put his arm around Tony as they continued walking into the less crowded passage.

At this moment, his face no longer held the friendliness he usually showed when facing Tony; instead, it was filled with disdain and coldness.

He put a hand on Tony's shoulder and then lowered his voice to say to him, "I don't have time to play this childish game with you anymore. Let me tell you, the board of directors has passed a resolution to kick you out, and I have approved and signed the papers. You're out."

"If you behave well, I'll find a decent mental hospital to send you there, so you can live out the rest of your life in peace. That would be a way of giving your old man some closure."

“If you continue to argue with me and try to stop me, even New York isn’t without terrorists, Tony. Don’t test my patience.”

Hearing Obadiah's chilling threat, Tony's eyes widened, and he said in a deep voice, filled with sorrow and anger, "Those terrorists were indeed hired by you! Why did you do this?!"

When Tony heard Obadiah mention terrorists firsthand, his last shred of hope was shattered. He had been trying to convince himself that the conflict between him and Obadiah was merely a clash of ideologies, but now it seemed that the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were absolutely right.

The conflict between Obadiah and him was not simply a matter of differing ideologies; rather, Obadiah wanted to eliminate him, take full control of the Stark Group, and completely seize control of this vast empire.

“Why are you so surprised? Didn’t you already have some suspicions?” Obadiah said, looking at Tony with icy eyes.

"You've been secretly manufacturing something in the lab without telling me, isn't that because you suspect me?"

"Now that you know all this, I don't need to put on any more act with you. As your final work, I will help you carry forward the Arc Reactor project and your Iron Armor."

"Of course, this is on the premise that you cooperate enough. If you are unwilling to accept my proposal and cooperate obediently, then I think a useless person has no reason to continue living. I will send you down to meet your old man sooner."

Upon hearing that Obadiah even knew about the Iron Man armor, Tony was immediately shocked and somewhat flustered.

He felt as if he had done something wrong, and that he had been wrong from the moment he got off the plane and returned here.

He shouldn't have harbored any illusions about Obadiah, which led to the complete collapse of the situation to this point.

How do you know about the Iron Armor?

Seeing Tony's pale face as he asked the question, Obadiah also revealed a victorious smile, then raised his watch to check it and said.

“That’s your biggest problem, Tony. You’re too arrogant. You’re so arrogant that you think everyone else is a fool or an idiot.”

"I know this through my own means. Moreover, judging from the current timeline, your research materials and latest findings should already be in my hands."

Chapter 93, Two USB Drives

"What!?" Looking at Obadiah's confident smile, Tony also thought of the worst possibility.

"You've already sent people to the lab?" Tony felt his throat getting dry. He had just finished improving the Mark II; if such a weapon fell into Obadiah's hands...

A piercing buzz interrupted Tony's thoughts, leaving him momentarily stunned and unable to move, as if struck by lightning.

"Stop having any unrealistic fantasies, Tony. You've already lost." Obadiah said as he removed the buzzing device from Tony's head and turned it off.

He removed the earplugs from his ears, then helped the stiff, immobile Tony out the back door and handed him over to his trusted aide.

This confidant was a man with a noticeable scar over his eye. He was responsible for Obadaia's security and also for handling some of his shady dealings.

"Take him to the 'secret room,' and remember to keep a close watch on him. Don't allow anyone to contact him, and don't let him take his own life. I still need what's in his head," Obadiah instructed the scarred man beside him.

Scarface nodded in agreement, then looked at Tony in the back seat, whose body was stiff but whose eyes were filled with resentment, and said, "But given his personality, he probably won't do as you wish and obediently write those things down. Should we use some methods...?"

"His personality? Humph! What personality does he have? His current personality comes entirely from his privileged life and the fact that he has never experienced any setbacks," Obadiah said dismissively.

"When he goes mad from hunger or breaks down from not being able to rest, you'll find that he's no different from anyone else, and even worse than the average person."

After saying this, Obadiah seemed worried that Scarface's methods were too harsh, so he continued, "Without my permission, you are not allowed to interrogate him in any way that could cause physical harm. Take good care of him for a few days. If he knows what's good for him, that's fine. If he doesn't, then stop feeding him and then forbid him from resting. You can torture him mentally, but you can't actually kill him. Do you understand?"

“I understand, boss. I will definitely follow your instructions and take good care of him,” Scarface nodded in response.

He then swiftly tied Tony's hands and feet in the back seat, put a black hood over his head, and drove away from the venue through the back door.

As he watched the car's taillights disappear into the night, Obadiah straightened his clothes, took out a cigar and put it in his mouth, then walked back to the venue.

The people in the room were unaware of the changes that had occurred in such a short time. Everyone remained cheerful and polite, exchanging pleasantries and trying to expand their social circles.

Holm also parted ways with Pepper from the dance floor and returned to Coulson and Daisy. He looked happy, as if he had accomplished everything he needed to do, while Pepper seemed preoccupied.

Rewinding to just now, when Tony and Obadiah were leaving the venue, Holm and Coulson exchanged glances and went to meet Pepper, who was alone.

Pepper was still pondering the strange atmosphere between Sotony and Obadiah, completely unaware that Holm had already walked up to her.

It wasn't until she bumped into him and stepped on Holm's shoes that she quickly snapped out of her daze and apologized sheepishly, "Sorry, sorry, I was a little distracted, I'm so sorry..."

“It’s alright, Miss Pepper, it’s nothing serious,” Holm said with a smile, not taking such a trivial matter to heart at all.

Pepper was somewhat surprised to hear that Holm seemed to know her, and then she hurriedly racked her brains to recall when she had met Holm before.

She often encounters such embarrassing situations, but fortunately, she has always had a good memory and can usually remember it after a couple of seconds.

But today, she thought for several seconds and still couldn't recall when she had spoken with Holm, so she could only say somewhat embarrassedly in a low voice, "Excuse me, where have we met before? I've been quite busy lately, so my memory isn't very good."

“I should apologize, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Holm Clint, I’m a colleague of Chief Coulson, and I also work for S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Holm explained to Pepper.

Upon hearing Holm's explanation, Pepper finally realized what was happening. At the same time, she also saw Philon Coulson sitting at the bar behind Holm, meeting her gaze and greeting her.

“I see. May I ask what you need? Or is it still what Mr. Coulson mentioned last time? If so, it seems I already discussed that with him last time. That was both my idea and Mr. Stark’s idea,” Pepper replied, thinking about what Tony had said to her before.