New perfume, huh?"
Tony Stark's nose was still very sensitive.
The moment Pepper Potts arrived, he keenly noticed it.
"Compared to the last one, this one is much milder, but I think the last one suited you better."
"You're Pepper! You should be more fiery."
This was clearly not a proper conversation between a boss and an employee, but Tony Stark said it so smoothly.
"A person who can't even tie his own shoelaces is talking to me about perfume?"
Pepper Potts seemed to enjoy her boss's teasing and happily joined the conversation.
The Underground Room was filled with this cheerful atmosphere for a moment.
"Alright, Tony, stop interrupting!"
After a few playful exchanges with her boss,
Pepper Potts straightened her face and began to talk business with the Playboy.
"Ever since you revealed your identity as Destroyer, the Military, politicians, countless partners—everyone you can think of has called me."
"I have many, many questions that I need to confirm with you."
Pepper Potts said to Tony Stark, a bit overwhelmed.
Tony Stark was not surprised by this.
Considering the special nature of the Iron Man Armor, it was bound to be coveted by all parties once exposed, there was no doubt about it.
After all, no one was a fool; anyone could see the immense value hidden behind the Iron Man Armor.
However, Tony Stark was not temporarily concerned with these commercial matters.
Because the most pressing issue facing the Playboy now was legal.
Or rather, the legality of the Iron Man Armor!
This involved various departments and agencies, making it complex and interconnected, where one move affected the whole.
It was indeed not something a small assistant like Pepper Potts could handle; Tony Stark needed to personally intervene.
He didn't want his painstakingly produced Armor to be confiscated just like that.
Tony Stark, who had always been reckless and carefree, uncharacteristically became serious.
He began to discuss this matter in detail with Pepper Potts.
It took nearly half an hour before they finished.
Heaven help them, this was truly unprecedented for Tony Stark.
Spending so much continuous time on the Stark Group!
"OK, I understand, I'll go arrange it now!"
Once everything was settled, Pepper Potts greeted Tony Stark and immediately got up to deal with these matters.
"Pepper…"
Tony Stark called out to Pepper Potts from behind, as if he had something to say.
"What is it, Tony?"
"Is there anything else to add?"
Pepper Potts stopped and turned around, looking at Tony Stark for confirmation.
"Never mind, we'll talk about it later."
Tony Stark waved his hand and didn't say much.
Pepper Potts indeed had a lot of things to deal with at the moment, so she didn't ask further.
She left briskly in her high heels.
She didn't know what her boss wanted, but even if he did, it would have to wait a while.
Because the huge amount of work related to the Iron Man Armor was already overwhelming her.
"Jarvis, what do you think about me restarting the Stark Expo?"
After Pepper Potts left, Tony Stark enthusiastically asked Jarvis.
This idea was not a sudden whim for Tony Stark.
He had this idea ever since he researched the new element from the model of the Stark Expo.
However, he had been busy destroying the weapons Stan sold and combating criminals, so he hadn't had time for it.
Now that everything had finally come to an end, Tony Stark felt it was time to truly implement this matter.
Earlier, Tony Stark had called out to Pepper Potts because he wanted to talk about this.
However, considering that Pepper Potts would be very busy recently and would have no time to attend to this matter,
He temporarily decided to swallow his words.
"That's a great idea, sir!"
Jarvis immediately expressed his strong approval.
"Yes, it certainly is."
Tony Stark nodded heavily, then changed the subject, "But, let's solve the little trouble at hand first."
Legalizing the Iron Man Armor, such a dangerous weapon, especially when the higher-ups widely knew that this thing had already destroyed dozens of terrorist organizations' armed Bases.
This could not be a "small trouble" for anyone.
It was even an impossible task.
But what about the Playboy?
He was at the absolute core of the Military-industrial complex, with Stark Industries as its core.
He possessed immense power that no one could imagine.
The vast power accumulated from Howard Stark until now.
So, for the Playboy, there would indeed be some trouble, but it was not an insurmountable major problem.
And so.
In the following period.
Tony Stark, the hands-off boss who had always ignored Stark Group affairs, began to frequently meet with important Military figures.
After multiple negotiations and some power struggles, the Playboy successfully reached an agreement with the Military.
The Military would not publicly acknowledge the legality of the Destroyer Armor, but they would also not take any measures against the Destroyer.
They would simply act as if the Destroyer never existed.
Tony Stark was quite satisfied with this outcome and was not too surprised.
After all, the Military was the Playboy's Base, so he naturally could handle it and get along well.
What truly concerned Tony Stark were those politicians who wouldn't act without seeing results.
Those were the ones the Playboy truly needed to put effort into dealing with.
But even this was not too big of a problem for the Playboy.
Don't let his usual habit of arguing with people and his arrogance fool you.
Because of his extremely high intelligence, he could always pinpoint the key during negotiations, making him very "persuasive."
In addition, the Stark Group also invested heavily, hiring many top legal teams for technical support.
Everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
The situation was temporarily under control.
The reason for saying "temporarily" was because the Playboy would soon face another, more severe test: the hearing.
The Playboy naturally understood this.
For something as epoch-making as the Iron Man Armor, the government would definitely hold a hearing to determine its ultimate ownership.
But would the Playboy be afraid of a hearing?
That was naturally impossible!
No matter when the hearing was held, he, Tony Stark, was fearless!
He, Tony, was just that confident.
…
How the Playboy tirelessly worked for the legality of the Iron Man Armor was naturally unknown to the outside World.
In fact, the focus of the outside World was not even on Tony Stark at this moment.
No, that's not quite accurate.
The Playboy was still at the core of public opinion, after all, he had just publicly revealed himself as Destroyer.
But the Playboy was not at the absolute core.
So, what was at the absolute core?
Undoubtedly, it was the Iron Man Armor!
Half a month had passed since Tony Stark announced that he was Iron Man, as the public called him.
But the popularity of the Iron Man Armor had not only not faded but had intensified.
Countless people were frantically discussing the Iron Man Armor.
The immense value of the Iron Man Armor, the technology behind the Iron Man Armor, the potential threat posed by the Iron Man Armor, and the impact of the Iron Man Armor on the current Military-industrial system.
And so on.
Any one of these questions was worth in-depth discussion, sparked public debate, and involved countless experts and scholars debating.
The popularity was unprecedented.
And riding on the coattails of the Iron Man Armor, the Stark Group, after being kicked off its pedestal by the Playboy half a year ago, returned to its peak position.
It even surpassed its previous standing.
Since that press conference, the Stark Group's stock price had soared like a Rocket.
It soared to a shocking degree.
However, for Zhou Cheng, it was soaring in a way that made him pound his chest, sigh, and feel a pain in his balls.
Damn it, he really missed out on several hundred million.
If only he had been more resolute back then and continued to buy Stark Group stocks at the bottom.
If that were the case, his current balance wouldn't be just one billion.
It would be several billion, tens of billions!
They were both rich, but could a billionaire and a multi-billionaire be the same?
Just one thought made all the difference!
He almost blamed himself for being too naive back then.
"I was too stupid, really!"
"Why did I have a brain fart and sell the blueprints back then?"
As frustrated as Zhou Cheng was, so was Wade Wilson.
Not long after Zhou Cheng completed the commission to kill Madame Gao, Xiao Jian Jian also successfully reached a cooperation with Hammer Industries and smoothly sold the blueprints.
Xiao Jian Jian was so excited at the time, because the blueprints sold for an astronomical price of one hundred million again!
That was one hundred million!
Although Xiao Jian Jian didn't earn this money, he facilitated such a large transaction, and his commission was not small.
For this, Xiao Jian Jian was happy for many days.
But now?
Xiao Jian Jian really wanted to slap himself a few times!
Why did he sell it so quickly?
If he had waited until now and sold the blueprints directly to the Stark Group, wouldn't he have cried tears of joy from the profits?
Wade Wilson could guarantee that the Stark Group, to ensure its technology wasn't replicated, would definitely spend a hefty sum.
That wouldn't be just one hundred million; it could be one billion.
Xiao Jian Jian was filled with regret.
But unfortunately, there was no such thing as a regret pill for Xiao Jian Jian to take in the World.
And regarding the "I am Destroyer" matter, there was another person who held an attitude diametrically opposed to mainstream public opinion.
Besides Zhou Cheng and Xiao Jian Jian, there was one more person.
It wasn't the diary holders Black Widow.
It was Black Widow's boss's boss, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the legendary Nick Fury.
Triskelion, Director's office.
Nick Fury, wearing an Eyepatch and looking a bit fierce, sat at his desk.
In front of Nick Fury were his two most loyal and reliable subordinates: Hawkeye Barton and Natasha Romanoff.
At this moment, the office was very quiet.
Because Hawkeye Barton and Black Widow were both carefully staring at a top-secret document titled "Avengers."
Of course, this secrecy was for Hawkeye Barton's benefit.
Black Widow, a diary holders, had already known about this plan for a long time.
"As expected."
"Director Fury has truly begun to establish the Avengers."
"Everything is as stated in the diary."
Black Widow sighed continuously in her heart while flipping through the top-secret document.
Like Tony Stark, Black Widow now basically had no doubts about the diary.
Because every single thing mentioned in it had been verified.
"Do either of you have anything to say?"
After Hawkeye Barton and Black Widow finished reading the document, Nick Fury glanced at them with his single eye and asked.
"Officer, you know, I want to retire early." Hawkeye Barton shrugged helplessly.
This Avengers team had such high stakes, and Nick Fury valued it so much.
With such a structure, once one joined, could they easily retire?
It would be good enough to even retire alive.
"It would be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s loss if someone like you retired." Nick Fury said unmoved.
"Besides Barton and me, I want to know who else is in this team."
Black Widow asked this question.
Slap!
Nick Fury threw out another stack of documents, on which were the profiles of several people.
Hawkeye Barton glanced at them, and his expression immediately turned solemn.
Because the individuals in these profiles were not ordinary people.
"Destroyer" Tony Stark, who had been causing a stir recently, was prominently listed.
There was also Dr. Bruce Banner, the Military's failed attempt to replicate Captain America, whom they had been keeping an eye on.
In addition to that.
There was also an ordinary-looking, unremarkable young Asian man.
If Zhou Cheng were here, he would find that it was his own profile!
That's right, Zhou Cheng's identity as Satan had been exposed to S.H.I.E.L.D.
This was actually not too strange.
After all, Satan single-handedly wiped out the Ten Rings Gang and rescued Tony Stark.
Such a feat made it impossible not to attract S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention.
Furthermore, in order to sustain the diary, Zhou Cheng had also displayed his extraordinary abilities multiple times in front of people.
Although he wore a mask every time, it was not difficult for an intelligence agency of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s caliber to ascertain Zhou Cheng's identity.
Not to mention, Zhou Cheng also had an agent like Xiao Jian Jian, which made it even easier to investigate.
As early as several months ago, Zhou Cheng, like several other super-powered individuals, had been targeted by Nick Fury.
However, given that Zhou Cheng, though powerful, had no negative record, and instead engaged in "activities" of combating criminals,
He was naturally listed as an Avengers candidate.
"Destroyer," Hulk, and this Satan." Hawkeye Barton couldn't help but exclaim, "I feel like Natasha and I are just making up the numbers."
Indeed, the other individuals in these profiles all possessed extraordinary powers!
Could this Hulk be the "Hulk" mentioned in the diary?
Black Widow, however, was pondering this question.
"Alright, from now on, you two are officially Avengers."
Nick Fury ignored Barton's teasing and announced in a serious tone.
"What about them?"
Hawkeye Barton pointed to the profiles on the table.
"Except for the one practicing yoga in Canada, I will contact the other two."
Nick Fury said very matter-of-factly.
Thanks to user 08a for another tip!