Chapter Twelve: Gathering Evidence, Obadiah's Escape!

The next morning, Hao Yun woke up and scratched his head... Just thinking about his conversation with Gu Yi the night before made him feel a strange sense of embarrassment. It seemed he'd treated Gu Yi as a family elder and even nestled in her arms, acting spoiled...

“Heh heh,”

He grinned foolishly at the business card left on his bedside table. With this in hand, he could sign in at the Sanctuary at any moment. Judging from his previous experiences, the rewards from these sign-ins were always closely linked to the prominent figures at each location. For example, at the World War II museum, he’d received the T-virus serum, similar to the super soldier serum; at the cave, it was a technological invention... So what about the Magic Sanctuary? Would he actually acquire the legacy of magic?

Just imagining the might of spells made him giddy—any kind of magic would do! Even if it was Gandalf’s close combat skills, that was still demi-god level, after all.

Yes, as soon as he had time, he had to get to the Sanctuary and score some treasures.

When he left his room, he was surprised to see Pepper in the kitchen, wearing Tony’s shirt, making breakfast... Well, it seemed he’d been a tremendous help. Had he known his aunt was so easy to win over, he would have brought his mother along to join forces.

Now, the deed was done, and there was no chance of denying Tony as his uncle. The meat had been devoured, and the bond was sealed.

“Auntie!”

“Awake already? Come and have breakfast, Tony’s waiting for you in the dining room.”

Without even turning her head, Pepper continued her culinary pursuits. Hao Yun smacked his lips, tempted to just head out for breakfast instead. He could already predict that the dining table would be overflowing with public displays of affection.

“Oh, I’ll head over then.”

Not daring to tease Pepper, Hao Yun made his way alone to the dining room... Sure enough, Tony was there, legs crossed, reading the newspaper. The two of them together exuded a comfortable, domestic atmosphere.

“Tony, when are you going to officially be my uncle? You know, in our family, we’ve never had dumped girls, no divorced women, only widows.”

While speaking, Hao Yun quietly opened his system space, and a hundred micro-robots assembled a long knife in his hand, gleaming and sharp.

Tony wiped the sweat from his brow, a strong sense of self-preservation in his response: “Once Obadiah is dealt with, I’ll propose!”

“What are you two talking about?”

Before Hao Yun could press further, Pepper came in carrying a tray of breakfast.

“Oh, I was discussing with the boss how to handle Obadiah.”

Hao Yun quickly changed the subject. If Pepper found out about the marriage proposal, she’d definitely make his mother spank him—or maybe both of them together?

“Yes,” Tony chimed in, “Obadiah’s roots in the board are deep. Without solid evidence, it’s really hard to remove him. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if it’s even possible to peacefully reclaim the shares without taking risks.”

Tony moved to help Pepper with the breakfast tray, echoing Hao Yun’s words.

Pepper frowned slightly. Indeed, with her understanding of Stark Industries, Obadiah’s influence was immense. Especially now, with Tony shutting down the weapons division, the board’s reliance on Obadiah, as Tony’s only elder, had only grown.

“Should I try to steal some evidence?”

“No!”—the answer came in unison.

Tony hugged her tightly: “How could I let you take such a risk? That’s... obviously a job for...”

He didn’t need to finish. Both pairs of eyes turned to Hao Yun.

Hao Yun rolled his eyes in exasperation. He was only eighteen—did they really have the nerve to send a newly minted adult into danger?

Fortunately, Pepper, ever the responsible elder, had a conscience: “That’s not a good idea. Hao Yun just turned eighteen...”

“Don’t worry, he managed to rescue me from terrorists. A little office break-in won’t stop him!” Tony winked mischievously at Hao Yun and spoke without a shred of shame. Remembering the dangers Tony had faced in the Middle East, Pepper didn’t hesitate to offer up her nephew: “Then I’ll leave it to you, Hao Yun.”

“Oh, so now you two are singing in harmony, and I’m just a poor little scapegoat everyone can bully, huh?”

Muttering his complaints, Hao Yun grabbed a sandwich and headed for the underground garage: “Boss, stealing the files is no problem, but don’t expect it to be painless! My fee is one of your cars!”

In the dining room, Pepper looked at Tony apologetically...

“My nephew is a bit greedy...”

She knew very well that Tony’s cars were all limited editions, with each one worth at least a few million. But Tony, ever the charmer, didn’t even mention the life-saving favor. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Pepper and showered her with affection.

“What are you saying? What’s mine is yours. He’s family—don’t say just one car, even if he asks for me...”

“Mm...”

In the villa, spring was in the air, love was everywhere, and though the calendar said autumn, it felt as though the season of budding romance had arrived...

...

At Stark Tower, Obadiah was nowhere to be found—likely off interrogating the Ten Rings. Thus, Hao Yun effortlessly obtained the video of Tony’s abduction and delivered it directly to the board members himself.

The rest was straightforward. With military support and Tony’s powerful connections, Tony retook control of the board and appointed Pepper as CEO. Obadiah was stripped of his shares, expelled from the board, and managed to escape before the police arrived...

With life settling down, Tony used the new element arc reactor as a foundation, skipping over Mark II and Mark III, and set his sights directly on developing Mark VI. As for the plot, in Tony’s own words, more evidence was needed. So he sent Happy to look for Ivan Vanko and Aldrich Killian. For now, there was nothing else to do.

Hao Yun, meanwhile, ended his days as a personal assistant and began his college life.

...

In a basement somewhere in Los Angeles, Obadiah, having evaded the police, hadn’t left the city but was instead hiding in his secret base.

More importantly, he wasn’t alone! He’d brought along several loyal followers and a group of scientists he’d funded.

In the base’s laboratory, Obadiah paced back and forth, muttering and cursing under his breath.

“Damn you, Potts family! I even considered giving you a hand, and you dared to set me up! I won’t be satisfied until I’ve torn you all to pieces!”

“How much longer?! When will my armor be operational, you useless bunch?!”

“Mr. Obadiah, it’s very difficult... In fact, the technology to power the iron suit simply doesn’t exist.”

The lead technician stammered his explanation, making Obadiah even angrier as he jabbed a finger at the man’s nose.

“You’re telling me it doesn’t exist? William, that huge power unit in the company—how long have you been studying it? All I’m asking is for you to make it smaller!”

“Yes, sir, that’s exactly what we’re working on. But to be honest, it’s simply impossible.”

“You know what Tony Stark used to make his in that cave? Just a pile of scrap parts!”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I’m not Tony Stark...”

The technician’s words left Obadiah speechless. True enough, if Tony Stark were so easily replaced, he’d have long since set out on his own, rather than ending up hiding out like this, without even a place to sleep.

Wait a minute, I think I still have the access card to Tony’s villa...