Chapter 104: Tony’s Return
For an entire week, Hell’s Kitchen and the whole Manhattan district were plagued by crime: theft, robbery, abuse, rape, and murder. An endless stream of incidents, big and small, dominated the front pages of major newspapers:
Hell’s Kitchen has experienced shallow earthquakes twice in succession; the government is conducting secret experiments!
The Ghost Rider is another version of the Hulk—who created this monster? Who granted them their power?
It’s all an illusion—what exactly are the government and military hiding?
Who is responsible for our safety? Where are our tax dollars going?
According to incomplete statistics, over 300 serious incidents occurred in Manhattan last night, including more than 100 criminal cases. At the press conference, Director George vented his frustrations.
Renowned theologian Miss Branice declared this to be divine punishment; the Day of Judgment is near!
...
Among these events, the presence of both merciful and ruthless vigilantes was inevitable, their names gradually spreading: Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Black Sky, Stickman, Flying Woman, Power Man, the Punisher...
Another vigilante, "Immortal Iron Fist," who had once appeared, has slowly faded from memory over time.
Only a few know that none of those vigilantes combined could match the might of the Immortal Iron Fist.
Time is the most terrifying force in the world. As it flows unceasingly, the remnants of the "beast’s" power gradually dissipate, and crimes become less frequent. Yet, Hell’s Kitchen, now in utter chaos, can never return to its former state—the slightly better past it once knew.
The numerous gangs were either wiped out or absorbed, eventually falling under the name of a single person:
Wilson Fisk.
With the collapse of the Triads and the surge of vigilantes, this bald, muscular man, who was once dubbed “Kingpin” in the future, vanished from the public eye, though he still couldn’t evade Sky’s tracking.
More than two months have passed since the raid on the Azeroth Heart in Los Angeles. While studying the dark tome, Sky’s hacking skills have improved remarkably. She even managed to breach most of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s cybersecurity systems, revealing a glimpse of vulnerability beneath the agency’s formidable defenses.
Egghead had warned Old Wang countless times, but, of course, to no avail.
Moreover, Sky is a special consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D...
Eventually, at Old Wang’s suggestion, Sky was permitted to assist Egghead in infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. at the network level, seeking traces left by Hydra—though permission was hardly necessary.
Kingpin posed no real threat; Ghost Rider and Daredevil were more than enough to handle him.
Hydra, however, was the greatest danger.
Old Wang himself was not interested in Hydra as an organization but was deeply concerned about certain individuals within it. Above all, what mattered most were the critical assets and intelligence held by S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra:
The Helicarrier, the Insight Project, the Cosmic Cube, the Obelisk, the Winter Soldier, and...
Tony Stark.
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Afghanistan, Kunar Province, remote mountain region.
A terrorist base.
Within a deep cavern, a heavily fortified chamber sealed by an iron door.
Tony Stark, clad in a grease-stained tank top, stood tall and proud against a wooden plank. Dr. Ethan was assembling parts onto him, fastening screws.
The components, salvaged and cut from missiles and other weaponry, under Tony’s ingenious design and Dr. Ethan’s steady hands accustomed to surgery, formed a contraption that, though crude in appearance, was precise and highly functional.
Now pieced together, it resembled a miniature Gundam—a rough, makeshift iron lump!
The high-strength missile casing granted this armor impressive durability. A miniaturized arc reactor provided power for fifteen minutes straight. Though lacking heavy machine guns or high-voltage generators, the left arm housed a small flamethrower, and the right carried a single-shot cannon—not exactly weak firepower.
A Tony Stark DIY Gundam—you deserve one.
Footsteps and voices called outside, making Dr. Ethan nervous.
Boom!
A loud explosion rocked the iron doors, destroying the homemade bombs stacked behind them. Two terrorists were instantly killed, blasted away.
Tony checked the time and whispered, “Dr. Ethan, there’s no time—start the power system!”
“All right, tell me what to do!” Ethan hurried to the computer.
“Press F11. See the progress bar? Ctrl+I, then Enter! Hurry, come help me finish!”
Tony’s voice was urgent. “Screw in the remaining hex bolts! No time to tighten them fully, just get them in.”
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
Footsteps approached rapidly.
“No time left!”
Dr. Ethan turned, his expression complicated. “Tony, you’re going to survive—I know you will. I’ll buy you some time.”
“Don’t do anything reckless. I trust my design,” Tony said, sensing trouble.
What was Ethan planning?
The doctor gave him a deep look, grabbed a submachine gun, and dashed outside.
“Dr. Ethan!” Tony shouted.
Watching Ethan’s retreating figure and the slowly growing progress bar, he had never been this anxious before, sweat pouring down his forehead.
Dr. Ethan, please don’t get hurt!
We’re supposed to escape together—you still need to find your wife and child; they’re waiting for you!
I don’t want to take care of your family—I have no experience!
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...
Twelve hours later.
“What? Colonel Rhodes at the U.S. airbase in Afghanistan found Tony Stark? Seriously wounded, but still alive?”
Reading the intelligence stolen by Sky, Old Wang cracked a relieved smile. “Upload the intel online… get ready to play the stock market!”
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...
Stock trading is a perilous game—losses always outnumber gains.
Old Wang didn’t understand much, but Sky did. Knowing when the market would rise or fall guaranteed a profit.
With the top-tier hacker’s skill and the help of the Rising Tide Organization, news of Tony Stark’s survival spread like wildfire, taking flight across every corner of the globe, through social media and chat platforms.
Anyone with even a basic knowledge of Stark Industries or the military understood what Tony Stark meant to the company.
He was a genius, a true genius.
At just twenty-one, after the sudden death of founder Howard Stark, this prodigal son had turned his life around, single-handedly holding up Stark Industries. In less than two decades, he increased the company’s market value more than tenfold, making it the U.S. government’s and military's indispensable top supplier.
Without Tony, Stark Industries would still be among the world’s premier arms manufacturers, but never at its current stature.
When news of Tony’s disappearance broke, Stark Industries’ stock plummeted nearly 30% within two weeks.
Now, upon news of his survival, backed by photographic evidence, confidence in Stark Industries surged anew, revealing the U.S. military’s deep regard for Tony.
Overnight, Stark Industries’ stock soared.
In the following days, the momentum continued, nearly recovering to previous peaks.
Meanwhile, Hammer Industries’ stock, which had risen during Stark’s absence, dipped slightly.
At that moment, Sky sold all her Stark Industries shares and reinvested in other defense companies.
The next morning, a plane landed at a military airfield in New York. After more than two months away, the aging leader finally returned to the city. Within hours, he arrived at Stark Industries headquarters to hold a press conference.
There, he announced the closure of the weapons division—no more research or production of arms.
The announcement caused an uproar.
The entire world was stunned.
Stark Industries’ stock once again plummeted, this time even more sharply than before. Capital fled en masse.
The company’s market value sank to its lowest point in a decade, dropping from over $300 billion to under $200 billion, with signs that rival arms companies might surpass it.
All other defense firms, including Hammer Industries, saw varying degrees of stock gains.
Everyone wanted to know:
What exactly was the chairman of Stark Industries, a titan born of the arms trade, planning to do?