Stark strode through the corridors of the Stark Group Building. When a familiar figure rushed out of the office, Stark ran over and hugged her without thinking.
"Oh, God, God, Tony!" Pepper's voice was filled with tears. She kept rubbing the back of Stark's head and neck with her hands, then held his cheeks with both hands, looked into his eyes and said:
"I thought you were dead, I thought you would never come back!"
Stark hugged Pepper tightly and put his head between her neck and shoulders. Pepper felt that Stark was shaking all over. She quickly broke away from Stark's arms and gently used the side of her index finger to
Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, he took a deep breath and restored his usual smart and capable professional image.
Pepper waved behind him, and the doctors rushed forward to help Stark. Stark kept one hand on Pepper's shoulder. He stared into Pepper's eyes and said, "I hope I wake up."
The first person I saw after that was you, Pepper, please forgive me."
Stark fell down.
Seeing Stark being carried on a stretcher, Pepper clenched her fists tightly, and then another tall black figure appeared behind Pepper.
"How is Tony?" Obadiah asked slightly anxiously.
After a few seconds, Pepper slowly withdrew her gaze. A complicated expression flashed across her face with her back to Obadiah, but she still tried to calm down her expression and said: "He is extremely weak and can hardly stand.
Steady, Mr. Obadiah, the company is counting on you during this time."
After saying that, Pepper strode towards the stairs. After her back disappeared, Obadiah's face became a little gloomy.
He walked back to the office where he had just been and looked at the black woman who was no longer as arrogant as before with an unkind expression.
"Tony Stark is back alive." Obadiah's tone was very low: "And you promised me that he will definitely die!"
"Don't you understand yet? There are other forces involved, and this is beyond our control." The black woman patted the table unwillingly, sighed, then stood up, looked at Obadiah and said: "
Although this cooperation failed, you didn't lose anything. Our man didn't leave anyone alive, and he has no evidence."
Obadiah stared at her coldly, and the black woman turned to look out the window and said, "There is no turning back for you, Obadiah, we can only wait for the next opportunity..."
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her shoulder and strangled her neck tightly. She only heard Obadiah's deep voice ringing in her ears before she was strangled unconscious.
"No, I can also tell Tony that you coerced me and I was just forced to betray his whereabouts."
When Stark woke up again, he only heard the sound of beeping in his ears. Although his consciousness was awake, he did not open his eyes because he had too many things to think about.
He began to push the timeline of the entire incident forward, to the time before he left for Afghanistan to inspect.
It was then that he first noticed certain anomalies in Obadiah. For example, he began to show up less in the company, but he continued to visit various states and traveled frequently to other parts of the Americas.
At that time, Stark was not very concerned about business activities. He felt that Obadiah was expanding the business scope of Stark Group, but if he thought about it carefully, Obadiah was mainly responsible for the largest buyer of weapons and arms business.
It's the military. Has he started selling arms privately to other countries since then?
Stark recalled the first attack he encountered after going to Afghanistan. Based on the piece of tattooed human skin that Schiller showed him, he speculated that the first attack came from the Ten Rings Gang.
What is the connection between Obadiah and the Ten Rings? Are they a partnership or a mere employment relationship?
Then Eric rescued him. Eric belonged to a mercenary organization that performed tasks locally. The mercenaries did dirty work for the military, but the mercenaries finally attacked him, which meant that the military also
I hope he doesn't come back to the United States again.
Suddenly, Stark had an idea. Is there any connection between Obadiah suddenly running away and starting to move around the world and the military hoping that he would die in Afghanistan?
Obadiah had a falling out with the military?
Perhaps this is the only explanation. Obadiah began to explore new business avenues, and the military hoped that Tony Stark, the best scientist of the Stark Group, would die in Afghanistan to weaken the Stark Group.
Influence.
So it’s essentially a game between Stark Group and the military?
So what happened to Hydra?
Stark then thought that the second attack was carried out by Schiller. The group of terrorists who kidnapped him must have asked Schiller not to kill him. So why should he be provided with raw materials to make weapons?
Stark remembered that when he was finally at the base, Schiller said that he received the final orders from his teachers and superiors before the bombing and learned all of their plans. So why didn't he know about it before? Where is the watershed?
That robot, Stark realized clearly, was the huge robot he created called Iron Wall 1.
It is very likely that Hydra wants to test whether he is really the strongest scientist in the field of military products of the Stark Group as rumored, and wants to see if he really has the most genius brain in the legend.
Stark speculated that Schiller may have seen the construction process of part of the giant robot and reported it to his teacher and superiors, and then got the complete plan from there.
After all, only if Stark has a plan of sufficient value, it is necessary to execute it. If Stark is really a fool, Schiller will probably get a kill order.
Pushing the time back a little further, Schiller took him to the abandoned base and told him that he sent the address of the base to his personal secretary Pepper.
Stark thought about it and knew that in the early days of his disappearance, Pepper must have been frantically mobilizing all efforts to find him, so he would definitely publish a certain contact information in the media. Schiller may have contacted Pepper through this contact information.
.
So when did Pepper learn about this address? What did he do after getting it?
Stark slowly opened his eyes. He saw Pepper in casual clothes walking in. Seeing that Stark was awake, the hot-tempered Pepper rushed in quickly and drove the medical staff out.
"Tony, fortunately you are fine. The doctor said that the wound on your back is healing very well, but you are just exhausted, and you have an anxiety disorder and panic attack that requires rest. I took some time off to be with you."
"Thank you so much, Pepper." Stark sighed softly. Pepper raised the head of his bed. Stark looked at her and asked: "I don't want to spoil the fun, but there are too many doubts about this matter."
, so let’s talk about old times and worries later.”
"I know. Don't worry. I drove my own car here. We are all our people outside now. You won't be in danger. You can ask whatever you want."
No matter how many times, Stark still wants to praise Pepper for being so talented as his personal secretary. Pepper's courage and decisiveness make her the backbone of the Stark Group.
Stark looked at Pepper and said: "Before I am rescued, will anyone from Afghanistan contact you?"
Pepper was startled. Looking at her expression, Stark knew that he must have hit the mark. Pepper hurriedly took out her cell phone from her coat pocket, pressed it twice and handed it to Stark.
"This is the clue mailbox I published in the media. Most of the clues in it are of no use at all. But just the day before you were rescued, a strange mailbox sent me a photo of a real scene. The scenery is
The mountains of Afghanistan.”
Stark rummaged through Pepper's mailbox and immediately noticed the email with the attached photo. After clicking on it, the content was very brief and contained the GPS satellite positioning coordinates.
At this time, Pepper walked to the door and took a suitcase security computer from the person outside the door. After she glanced outside the door, she handed the computer to Stark and said, "It's an emergency, I just
There’s still time to take this out.”
Stark glanced at her, and he understood that Pepper was saying that she had noticed something was wrong within the Stark Group, so she hurried here to accompany him. This was actually the best choice.
If Stark dies, it is not clear who will belong to the Stark Group. Naturally, we have to stay within the group and choose the heir who is best for the group.
But Stark is not dead. There is no doubt that this group belongs to him. The entire capitalist class cannot accept someone usurping family legitimacy. No matter how deposed the heir is, they must ensure that he is the apparent supreme leader of a certain group, because
Only by trying your best to maintain such rules can you ensure that you, as a vested interest, can continue your family forever.
So it doesn’t matter if there is a turmoil within the Stark Group. Everyone knows that Stark is still alive, so he will return to the Stark Group sooner or later. Not to mention that he is still the most important scientist. Without him, the R&D department will not be able to move.
, the board of directors must ensure that he can come back no matter what.
Stark turned on the computer and began to query the specific location information of the GPS satellite positioning coordinates. Then he discovered the familiar mountain forest on the satellite snapshot, especially the very conspicuous cliff, where Pierce's helicopter was parked at the time.
.
This is definitely not a randomly selected location. The nearby terrain is relatively steep and cannot be accessed by mountain bikes. Even locals have to find the entrance to the abandoned base overgrown with weeds. Unless they have air power and specific coordinates, only both can be found.
Only when you have it can you carry out a perfect rescue.
In Schiller's view, perhaps only the Stark Group has such ability, so he can safely hand over the coordinates to Pepper.
But Pepper didn't come. Alexander Pierce came instead, so there was only one question left. Stark looked at Pepper and asked: "What did you do after you received these coordinates?"
"I deleted it." Pepper's tone did not waver at all: "What you see now is the secret mirror website of the mailbox. The original website has been completely canceled by me, and even the snapshots have been destroyed."
Pepper stared straight at Stark and said: "I know that if you are still alive, what I want to do is not to save you, but to prevent anyone else from finding you."
Pepper stretched out a hand to cover the back of Stark's hand, lowered his voice and said: "If you really survive until then, it proves that you want to survive, then one day you can rely on your own strength.
Get out of there."
Stark took his hand out of Pepper's and covered the back of her hand. He lowered his eyes and said, "Thank you, Pepper, but I can't say that I saved myself, at least not this time."
