REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!Chapter 147: Batman's Threat Level
"Tony Stark, I want to discuss weapons with you."
Inside the spacious, dimly lit sitting room of the California oceanfront villa, Tony Stark had just removed his Mark II armor. Preparing to pour himself a drink at the bar before continuing work, he suddenly heard a low voice emerge from the sofa's direction.
"Who's there?" That instant, Tony Stark felt transported back to that Middle Eastern cave. Every muscle tensed. His previously drowsy mind snapped instantly awake.
He looked toward the sofa, discerning a shadowy figure blending seamlessly with the furniture.
Tony Stark cautiously slid one hand beneath the bar counter where an emergency button lay hidden.
Once pressed, the sitting room wall painting would reveal a firing port. A Stark Industries micro-automated machine gun would precisely target the intruder.
"Who are you? Batman?"
Tony Stark struggled to adapt his eyes to the sitting room's darkness, but couldn't see the sharp, pointed ears Batman supposedly possessed.
"I'm not Batman," the shadowy figure said, raising one finger in negation. "Though if you know who Batman is or where to find him, you could tell me."
As he finished speaking, the figure stood from the sofa, slowly approaching Tony Stark until they faced each other across the bar.
He stood taller than Tony. Broader than Tony. Even wearing a trench coat couldn't conceal the developed musculature beneath.
His temples were gray. One eye was covered by an eyepatch. His weathered face bore knife-carved wrinkles. Standing before Tony Stark, he radiated natural authority.
Nick Fury.
Cold sweat trickled down Tony Stark's spine. His hand hidden beneath the bar had pressed the emergency button dozens of times, but the villa's security system produced absolutely no response.
As a former arms dealer and weapons expert, Tony Stark took residential security extremely seriously. Beyond comprehensive monitoring, alerts, and defenses, the entire villa had been secretly modified to launch attacks from multiple angles simultaneously.
But the alert system hadn't triggered. His guns hadn't fired despite repeatedly pressing the button.
"Tony, put away that self-defense system," the one-eyed man said slowly. "I'm Nick Fury. You should recognize the name."
"Hah... Nick Fury?" Tony relaxed slightly. He knew he wasn't in danger now.
He'd heard that name. He knew the man directed SHIELD. Tony Stark's Stark Industries had even collaborated with SHIELD.
After Batman invaded SHIELD's network systems, Nick Fury had dispatched Agent Coulson seeking Tony Stark's assistance. Through Tony's connections, Peter Parker had completed the firewall design.
Danger eliminated, Tony Stark resumed pouring drinks, filling a glass for Nick Fury as well.
"Unless it's urgent, I suggest you schedule an appointment tomorrow through my assistant Pepper. I'll arrange time to discuss business."
Nick Fury accepted the glass without courtesy, draining it in one swallow. "Not strong enough."
Tony Stark sipped his drink, watching Nick Fury.
"As I said, I came to discuss weapons with you," Nick Fury continued. "You've publicly announced you're no longer manufacturing weapons. But SHIELD currently urgently requires Stark Industries to continue providing various advanced weapons."
"For your corporation, publicly claiming transformation while privately supplying weapons exclusively to SHIELD shouldn't pose difficulties."
Tony Stark swirled the glass forcefully. He would never forget those seconds watching that missile bearing Stark Industries' logo explode before his eyes, and the emotions flooding through him.
Without hesitation, Tony Stark replied bluntly, refusing outright. "Not happening, Director Fury. Stark Industries no longer manufactures weapons."
Director Nick Fury's surface appearance seemed quite crude. But as SHIELD's director, he prepared thoroughly for every action. Even Tony Stark's refusal fell within anticipated parameters.
Nick Fury's expression showed no change. He extracted several photographs from his pocket, placing them on the bar counter, gently pushing them toward Tony Stark.
"Then you'd better explain this to me."
Tony Stark recognized the photographs' contents immediately. Jericho missiles, his Jericho missiles.
After returning from the Middle East and announcing the weapons division's closure, Stark Industries had ceased producing these items. But previously manufactured Jericho missiles remained warehoused.
Now, in these photographs, the Jericho missiles appeared outdoors. The background showed damaged buildings belching smoke.
Clearly, despite the weapons division closing, Stark Industries military hardware continued flowing through mysterious channels right under his nose to outside markets.
"Where is this?" Tony Stark inhaled deeply, struggling to maintain composure.
"This is Sokovia, Tony," Nick Fury said, his single eye observing Tony's reaction. "If your weapons division truly closed, why are these things still appearing there?"
"I didn't do this. Someone's secretly selling Stark Industries' warehoused military hardware. I'll handle this situation," Tony Stark's voice turned cold. "I won't agree to restart the weapons division. Weapons won't solve problemsâ€"they'll only fuel the fire."
Nick Fury laughed coldly, extracting a cigar and gesturing toward Tony. After Tony passed the cigar box, Fury lit up, expelling white smoke.
"Give me a break, Tony."
"You have no idea what's lurking in this world."
This time Nick Fury didn't produce physical objects. Instead, he pressed a button.
The sitting room projector immediately displayed footage of Green Goblin flying through the air, the Lizard Professor appearing at Oscorp, Doctor Octopus battling thirty-one officers in the sewers, and the Hulk.
Tony Stark's gaze fixed on these images as Nick Fury continued speaking.
"You think these are what I wanted to show you?"
"No."
"According to my intelligence, these four individuals appeared separately across various New York locations within one month, then vanished rapidly."
"Batman handled them with extremely high efficiency. But the problem is, SHIELD cannot locate any subsequent traces of these targets."
"No hospitalization records. No detention locations. They've evaporated like ghosts."
"Some lunatic wearing bat armor is playing God in our city. He made four super-human threats capable of causing catastrophic bloodbaths disappear without a trace."
"I won't hide it from you, Tony Stark. This 'Batman' character's threat level within SHIELD has been elevated to maximum."
"SHIELD's existing weapons and reconnaissance systems are severely inadequate. Agent Coulson has spent nearly half a month in New York without obtaining any information on Batman."
"That's why I need your Stark Industries to continue supplying SHIELD with weapons. Stronger weapons than before."
Tony Stark listened quietly as Nick Fury finished explaining his reasoning. He drained his whiskey glass.
"No."