Chapter 6: Secrets
Stark returned to the United States and held a press conference.
There were a lot of media reporters in the audience, and Stark was about to announce a big event.
"I have decided that from today, I will close Stark Industries' weapons department," Tony announced firmly.
The media reporters became excited, shouting questions all at once.
Sternness flashed in Obadiah Stane's eyes as he stood behind Tony.
However, at this moment, Obadiah couldn't turn against Tony publicly.
He forced a smile and said to the reporters, "What we should pay attention to is that Tony is back safe and sound. That's what matters most."
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Tony's decision to close the arms department caused an uproar on the Internet.
[Shocked! After Stark's return, he actually announced closing the weapons department!]
[Stark Industries weapons division being shut down - what does this mean for defense contracts?]
[Stock market chaos - Stark Industries shares plummet after shocking announcement]
The Stark Industries stock market plummeted crazily.
Leo watched the news but didn't pay much attention to it.
Stark Industries was worth hundred billion dollars. With his few million dollars, he couldn't buy meaningful stock at all.
Instead of buying stocks in the market, it would be better to go to Tony and ask for shares directly.
Leo waited quietly, waiting for Stark to contact him.
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After Stark returned to his villa, he almost forgot about Leo.
He immediately drilled into his laboratory and started to make a new arc reactor.
With his previous experience and complete materials available, in half a day Stark had made a new, improved arc reactor.
"Pepper!" Tony called out.
After calling Pepper to help him install the new arc reactor, Stark felt much more comfortable.
"Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. You should pay attention to rest. It's getting late—you should sleep," Pepper advised with concern.
While Pepper went upstairs to get herself a drink, Stark suddenly remembered something important.
"By the way, I actually forgot about Leo!" he said aloud.
"JARVIS, investigate Leo's profile," Stark commanded.
"Information search in progress..." JARVIS replied.
After a moment, JARVIS displayed the results. "Both parents deceased. Grandfather also passed away a year ago. He inherited his family wealth and is currently living alone. Currently studying at Midtown High School in Queens, New York."
"Just looking at this information, he looks like an ordinary person who lost his entire family," Stark muttered.
But Stark thought of Leo's marvelous abilities—the teleportation, the way he appeared out of nowhere.
"Forget it. Let me contact him now," Stark decided.
Stark called Leo's number and waited for a while before Leo answered.
"Hi, Leo. I'm Tony Stark," Tony said.
Leo couldn't help complaining, "Couldn't you contact me earlier? I have to go to school tomorrow."
"Okay, okay. Do you still have time now? Or should we talk another day?" Stark asked.
"Show me your environment so I can teleport there," Leo said simply.
Stark was surprised. "Is it that simple?"
He activated his phone's camera and scanned the nearby environment. Leo confirmed the location through the video.
"Okay, I'll be right there," Leo said and hung up.
Leo visualized the location. A small golden sparkling portal formed above his head. In less than a second, the portal circle fell from top to bottom, passing over his entire body without any rotation.
He appeared in the underground studio of Stark's villa.
Stark was still shocked by his sudden appearance.
"Oh damn, this ability is so terrifying," Stark exclaimed.
"In front of your ability, my villa has no defense at all."
"Don't worry. I don't have any wish to enter other people's houses like this under normal circumstances," Leo reassured him.
The two were chatting when Pepper came to the studio wearing work clothes and holding coffee.
Seeing Leo's sudden appearance, she was very surprised.
She clearly remembered Tony had just made a phone call, and within a few minutes, a person appeared here.
"Oh, Tony, who is he?" Pepper asked.
Stark hesitated for a while and made an excuse. "He's my friend."
Pepper had been with Stark for the past few years, and she knew what type of person Stark was. This wasn't his usual behavior.
Leo immediately greeted Pepper with a smile. "Hello, Miss Pepper. We are cooperative friends. I helped him out of danger in Afghanistan, and now I'm here to ask for payment."
Pepper understood immediately. "You saved Tony?"
"Yes. I did put in a lot of effort," Leo confirmed.
"Thank you so much," Pepper said sincerely.
Stark felt ignored and felt unhappy. "I know you saved me. So what do you want?"
Leo replied simply, "It's simple. I want money."
"How much?" Stark asked directly.
"It's not just about how much money. I want stock in Stark Industries—at least 10%. At least let me be a proper shareholder," Leo stated clearly.
Tony was shocked and asked, "Do you know how much that is?"
"I don't know exactly, but it's definitely a lot. I know it's expensive, but I can give you three secrets that you desperately want to know," Leo said calmly.
Stark shook his head skeptically. "Secrets that I want to know?"
Leo picked up the coffee that Pepper had prepared.
"Yes," he confirmed.
"The first secret I want to tell you is who planned the attack in Afghanistan."
"Second, your arc reactor currently uses palladium as its core element, which will cause palladium poisoning. I can help you solve it."
"Third, the truth about your parents' death—who murdered them."
Stark could handle the first two secrets with some composure, but he almost fell down when Leo mentioned the third secret.
This was the biggest shock for him.
When his parents died in what was reported as an accident, he felt self-blame and crushing loneliness.
Now, knowing that his parents were actually killed by someone instead of dying in an accident—how could he remain calm?
"What did you say? My parents were murdered? Who did it?" Stark demanded, his voice shaking.
"Tell me! You want ten percent? No problem! I'll give you everything!" he shouted desperately.
Leo raised his hands calmingly. "Don't get too excited. I can give you all the answers, but first, you need to calm down."
"How can you tell me to calm down? Tell me! I want to know, no matter what the cost!" Stark insisted.
Stark didn't show any hesitation and gave an affirmative answer again. "Ten percent shares—I agree! I need to know the answers, especially the third one."
Leo saw the anger and determination in Stark's eyes. If he didn't tell the answer now, he might be pestered by Stark endlessly, and there would be no peace.
"Okay, no problem," Leo agreed.
"The first secret is this: the person who really wanted to kidnap you in Afghanistan was actually Obadiah Stane."
"To be precise, he wanted to get rid of you permanently."
Stark didn't want to believe this answer. But Leo had saved him, and there was no reason for Leo to lie to him.
It was just that he couldn't figure out why Obadiah would want to get rid of him.
"Why?"
Stark asked, his voice filled with pain.
"He wants to get rid of you to take control of the company," Leo explained.
"So he contacted the Ten Rings and planned to have you killed. It's just that the Ten Rings gang took a fancy to your talent and wanted you to build missiles for them instead."
"Otherwise, you would have died already."
"Obadiah contacted the Ten Rings. With your ability and resources, you should be able to find the traces to verify this."
Stark didn't want to believe this, but he already had some doubts in his heart.
"The weapons I designed—how did they end up in the hands of the Ten Rings gang? There must be something wrong with the supply chain," he muttered.
"I will find a way to find clues and evidence," Stark said grimly. "What about the other two secrets?"
"I remember the second one is about my arc reactor. I don't think anyone can surpass me in this field. No one knows this technology better than me."
"Wrong. There is another person—your father, Howard Stark," Leo corrected.
"At that time, he studied the Tesseract and developed the arc reactor technology, but due to the technological limitations of his era, his progress was slow."
"However, he still has research documents and blueprints kept safely at S.H.I.E.L.D."
Stark looked confused. "What do you mean by S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Your father and Peggy Carter formed a secret organization after World War II. Agent Phil Coulson, the one Pepper met recently, is also a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent," Leo explained.
Pepper remembered. "There was such a person looking for me recently!"
"He is from S.H.I.E.L.D.? He told me he came from the 'Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division,'" Pepper recalled.
"That's just the full name. Everyone calls it S.H.I.E.L.D.," Leo clarified.
"Okay, Pepper, put me in touch with that Phil Coulson agent tomorrow. I need to see him," Stark ordered.
"And now, the most important question—tell me who killed my parents?" Stark demanded, his voice intense.
Leo sighed. "HYDRA."
Stark couldn't believe it. "JARVIS, pull up the HYDRA files."
Looking at the information displayed in front of him, Tony quickly learned about this organization.
It was just that according to official records, this organization had been destroyed decades ago. There was no recent news about them at all.
"Leo, this organization has been destroyed. Are you kidding me?" Stark asked skeptically.
"Destroyed? Are you sure? Are you certain all HYDRA members are dead?" Leo challenged.
Stark's mind raced. He made up his mind immediately. "Tell me where their bases are. I'm going to destroy them all."
Seeing Stark so impatient, Leo stopped him. "Tony, they're hidden everywhere. They're very powerful. Even with your Iron Man armor, you can't deal with such a large organization by yourself."
"They're hiding deeply within existing power structures. They take action from time to time. If you act rashly and can't wipe them all out, they will hide even deeper."
Stark understood the logic. "You're right. I can't stop this organization alone."
But then his eyes hardened with determination. "I will build an Iron Legion. I want them spread all over the world. No matter where HYDRA members are hiding, I will find them and drag them out."
Leo gasped. This was no joke.
Stark wasn't the kind of person who just talked. If he said something, he would definitely do it.
At that time, a steel army would monitor the entire world.
"What I mean is not for you to create an Iron Legion, but for you to calm down and think strategically," Leo said carefully.
"You just have to wait for the right moment. Wait for someone who can help. When HYDRA reveals itself more openly, you'll be able to eliminate them properly."
Although Stark was angry, he was still somewhat rational.
"Who am I waiting for? How long will it take?" he asked impatiently.
"It's not that long—maybe a year, or half a year at most. However, you'd better not leak anything about HYDRA publicly. When the time is right, I will give you more clues and help," Leo advised.
Stark fell silent. He couldn't wait for a year.
Stark had already secretly decided—the Iron Legion must be created. During this waiting time, he would work on it in secret.
"I will be patient," Stark finally said, though his tone suggested otherwise.
"Tony, I know you've always regretted not spending more time with your parents. You want to make up for that regret. It's just that you need to believe that your parents loved you deeply," Leo said gently.
"Now, about the shares," Stark continued, changing the subject. "I'll ask someone to transfer 5% of the shares to you first. As for the remaining 5%, I'll give it to you as each secret is verified and proves valuable."
"It's just that if I transfer a large amount of shares to you, it's bound to be discovered by others, including Obadiah."
"Then transfer half to Pepper. If she wants, she can work for me also," Leo suggested.
Stark refused without thinking. "No! I can't give you Pepper!"
Pepper also rejected Leo immediately. "I am not cargo to be traded!"
Stark continued, "I remember you're just a student. You inherited family wealth, but you don't have a company or management structure."
"I need someone with management ability to help me. It would be better if someone like Pepper could help you manage your shares."
Stark said immediately, "I'll ask Pepper to find you some qualified assistants instead."
"In that case, just give me the full 5% shares now, and we'll handle the rest later," Leo agreed.
"From today, I am also a Stark Industries shareholder. So Pepper, if there are any important meetings, you must inform me," Leo said.
"Okay," Pepper replied professionally.
"So, goodbye Tony. Take care of yourself," Leo said.
"Goodnight, Miss Pepper. It was a pleasure meeting you," Leo added politely.
Leo disappeared from the laboratory, with same way he arrived.
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