As night deepened, a slightly tipsy Rhodey and Ethan were picked up, leaving only Pepper, Tony, and Leon in the mansion. Leon, satisfied from the evening's events, sat on the sofa, gazing out at the undulating sea, lost in thought. Tony glanced at Pepper, who was clearing the dishes in the kitchen, and then at Leon, who seemed preoccupied. After a brief moment of hesitation, Tony couldn't resist any longer.
"Hey, Leon!" he called out.
"Hm? What's up?" Leon turned his gaze back, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Tony glanced at Pepper, then at Leon. "Didn't you say you were going to find Obadiah tonight? When are you leaving? And don't tell Pepper yet, or she'll try to stop us, saying it's too dangerous."
Normally, Pepper wouldn't mind Tony's usual antics, but when it came to his safety, her most common threat was resigning from her position if she felt he was putting himself in harm's way.
"We'll wait until Pepper leaves," Leon replied casually, glancing in the direction of Stark Industries. "Anyway, Obadiah is still at the industrial park... Wait, he's doing something... Damn it, Tony, we need to go now!"
Leon grabbed Tony and pushed him out the door.
Before they left, Leon shouted toward the kitchen, "Pepper, Tony and I are going for a walk! We'll be back later!"
"Okay!" Pepper's voice came from the kitchen.
As they stepped outside, Tony lowered his voice. "Wait, wait! What did you see just now that made you so anxious?"
"Obadiah is contacting his friends in Afghanistan!" Leon whispered back.
"What?" Tony was stunned, but before he could process the information, Leon grabbed his arm, and they soared into the night sky.
The two quickly arrived at Stark Industries' industrial park. The office building stood dark and quiet, with only a few scattered lights on. Among them, Obadiah's office was brightly lit, like a torch in the night. Leon guided Tony to float outside the window of Obadiah's office.
The floor-to-ceiling window gave them a perfect view inside. Obadiah was sitting at his desk, facing away from them, speaking to the computer screen.
"Is he talking to people from a terrorist organization?" Tony's expression darkened. "Can you hear what he's saying?"
"It's nothing good. You can listen for yourself," Leon said.
He placed his hand on the edge of the window and gently vibrated it. A corner of the glass lifted, which he pulled back, silently removing the entire window.
Tony's eyes widened in shock, but the conversation in the office quickly captured his attention.
"Our leader died because of your commission, so before we cooperate again, you must compensate us!" came a voice from the other side of the screen.
Obadiah's voice grew angrier. "You let Tony escape! And you still have the audacity to ask me for compensation!"
The terrorist on the other end retorted, "I told your leader to make absolutely sure that Tony Stark's bones were turned to dust! What did he do, huh?"
"That's none of our business!" Obadiah's anger was palpable. "If you don't pay, we'll expose everything to Tony Stark."
The terrorist remained unfazed. "Sorry, but since Tony Stark shut down the weapons department, you're probably useless to us now."
Obadiah's gaze grew colder. "Aren't you afraid I won't provide you with arms and weapons anymore?"
The terrorist's reply was blunt. "You won't be able to stop us. And if you don't accept the compensation, I'm sure Tony Stark would be more than willing to pay for information about the real culprit."
Obadiah's lips twitched, and he paused before suddenly laughing—his smile almost sickly sweet. "Alright, I'll accept your request for compensation, but I have one condition."
"Speak!" The terrorist's voice was eager.
"I'll arrange for Tony to go abroad again. This time, you must kill him for me."
Obadiah outlined his plan. "I'll give you a batch of Stark weapons to help draw media attention. Tony just announced the closure of the weapons department. If Stark Industries weapons appear on the battlefield now, he won't be able to ignore it…"
The terrorist responded confidently, "I know. We'll take care of the rest. The Ten Rings Gang will handle this perfectly."
Obadiah smiled, his voice filled with dark satisfaction. "That would be great."
The video call ended with a beep. Obadiah sat still, his smile fading as his fury started to boil over. In moments, his anger was palpable. He swept everything off his desk in a violent rage and smashed his mouse against the wall.
"Idiots! A bunch of idiots!" he roared.
Leon and Tony, hovering outside the window, exchanged a glance. Leon could see Tony's anger rising as Obadiah's performance unraveled. Leon took a step forward, bringing Tony into the room.
"Um, how should I put this? Sorry to interrupt," Leon said, his tone surprisingly polite.
Obadiah's fury abruptly stopped as he turned toward them, his face paling in an instant.
"Who?! Tony?" Obadiah's voice wavered as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Tony and Leon stood in front of him. Tony's eyes were filled with disbelief, anger, and a deep sense of betrayal. He had trusted this man for years, but now, everything felt like a lie.
"Tony and I heard what you just said," Leon said, pointing at the computer. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Obadiah's face was filled with panic, but he quickly regained his composure. He raised his hands, his mouth twitching nervously. "Oh, Leon, why are you guys still here so late? That... What happened just now was a misunderstanding."
Tony's eyes narrowed. "A misunderstanding? Really?"
Obadiah awkwardly lowered one hand and opened a drawer. He pulled out a handgun, quickly cocked it, and pointed it at Tony and Leon.
"Put your hands up and back away!" he shouted, his demeanor shifting instantly from friendly to hostile.
Tony raised his hands, stepping in front of Leon. He began to retreat. "Hmph. You still want to protect that little bastard, huh? How touching, what touching family love."
Obadiah's words only fueled Tony's growing anger. His voice was cold as he spoke: "Obie… I originally thought you were one of the people I trusted most."
Obadiah mocked him, his voice filled with venom. "Is that so, Tony? I'm very touched that you said that." He pointed the gun at Tony. "But since you've figured it out, I don't need to hide it anymore!"
"Tony, you're just a golden egg-laying chicken for me! Do you know that I created this company with your father? I've supported you for thirty years, but I haven't gotten anything!" He raged.
Obadiah's eyes blazed as he continued, "Even that outsider behind you can get half of the company, but what about me? Only by killing you both can I get everything I want!"
Tony's heart clenched with grief and anger, his eyes locked on Obadiah as he was pushed back by the gun. His head tilted back, and he closed his eyes, the weight of everything crashing down on him.
"Do it, Leon," Tony muttered, his voice empty of hope.
"As you wish, BOSS!" Leon responded.
Before Obadiah could react, Leon appeared behind Tony and suddenly grabbed Obadiah's neck with a firm, iron grip. He lifted him completely off the ground.
Obadiah's face turned red as he struggled to breathe. His bulging eyes stared at Leon, completely confused by the rapid turn of events.
His arms flailed weakly, but Leon simply looked at him, casually throwing him out the window.
A few seconds later, a heavy thud echoed from below. It sounded like Obadiah had been turned into a messy heap on the ground.
Leon sighed. "Why bother."
He walked to the desk, plugged the phone into the computer, and began manually invading the system. "Jarvis, invade this computer, collect evidence of Obadiah's crimes, and hand it over to the police. Note: suicide by jumping from the building due to fear of punishment."
"Understood, Young Master Leon," Jarvis responded immediately.
Turning to Tony, Leon saw that his friend was still standing in shock, his emotions a mess. Leon walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
"It's all over now. Go back and get a good night's sleep. If you can't sleep, book a few cover girls this week to relax."
Tony's sad expression froze for a moment, and then he couldn't help but chuckle. "You kid…"