[Pepper's expression changed when she heard this, but she quickly regained her composure and replied calmly, "Yes!"]
["Lend it to me?" Obadiah walked up to her, extending his hand.]
["No problem!" Pepper held the USB drive in her palm while handing him the newspaper.]
[Obadiah initially thought there was some secret hidden in Pepper's newspaper, but when she handed it over without hesitation, he realized he was mistaken.]
[After Pepper left, Obadiah immediately tossed the newspaper onto the table, rushed to his computer, and turned it on. The words "Download Completed!" were clearly displayed on the desktop.]
["Damn it!!!" Seeing this, Obadiah instinctively rubbed his bald head before abruptly standing up, intent on chasing after Pepper!]
"It was really nerve-wracking! Thankfully, she stayed calm! Obadiah is such a cunning old man!"
When Obadiah entered the room, Gwen's heart nearly leaped into her throat, fearing that Pepper's secret would be discovered. Fortunately, she managed to leave safely in the end.
"But Obadiah has already realized that Pepper downloaded the data. He won't let this go easily! I just hope Pepper can return to Tony Stark safely and deliver the information!"
The 1st Generation Spider-Man was also worried. When Obadiah and his team easily subdued Raza and his men, he knew that this wasn't someone to take lightly.
Rhodes looked at Tony and asked, "What were you thinking when you sent Pepper to do something so dangerous?"
Tony sighed. "I had no choice. I didn't trust anyone at the time—she was the only one I could rely on. Besides, I couldn't go myself; that would have definitely alerted the enemy."
"Luckily, we pulled through in the end and took care of that old man, Obadiah." Tony shrugged. The past was in the past. The process mattered, but the result was what truly counted.
[Pepper hurried down the stairs, where Coulson was already waiting on the sofa. When he saw her approaching, he immediately called out, "Ms. Potts! We had an appointment, remember?"]
["No! Come with me! We'll start right away!" Pepper strode past him without looking back.]
[Coulson stood up in surprise. "Now?"]
["Yeah! Follow me!"]
[Coulson, confused by her urgency, hesitated for a moment before replying, "Okay!"]
[As Pepper walked away, she glanced back. Obadiah stood upstairs, staring at her coldly.]
["This meeting is extremely important for you! You can't even begin to imagine!"]
[An agent was tailing Pepper, ensuring Obadiah couldn't stop her from leaving Stark Tower. Frustrated, he had no choice but to rush to District 16 immediately!]
[A group of scientists in white lab coats gathered in discussion. "Yeah! We're doing our best! We absolutely—"]
[William was still mid-sentence when he spotted Obadiah approaching hurriedly. He immediately hung up the phone.]
["Mr. Obadiah! We've conducted the research as you requested, but things are proving to be rather tricky! In fact—"]
[Obadiah placed his hands on his hips, his gaze cold. "Tricky?"]
["Yes! The technology needed to power the Iron Armor just doesn't exist! So, it's—" William started explaining.]
["Wait! Wait! Wait! You're talking about technology? William! The technology is right there!" Obadiah threw an arm around William's shoulders and pointed at the large Arc Reactor.]
["I just need it miniaturized!"]
["Yes, sir! That's exactly what we're working on! But to be honest, it's completely impossible!"]
[This was far too difficult for William—after all, not everyone was Tony Stark.]
[Hearing this, Obadiah's patience snapped. "Do you know what Tony Stark used to build it in that cave?!! A bunch of scrap metal!!!"]
[Overwhelmed by Obadiah's imposing presence, William could only whisper, "I'm sorry… I'm not Tony Stark."]
"Poor William! He's actually being compared to Tony Stark!" Banner looked at William with sympathy. Of all people, he understood Tony's genius best.
Lately, they had been working together frequently, and Tony never ceased to amaze him. The way he conceptualized ideas and brought them to life was astonishing.
"Wait! Who is this William? I don't remember him at all! Jarvis, pull up his profile for me!" Tony frowned at the bald scientist, puzzled.
Jarvis quickly retrieved William's information, and Tony discovered that after Obadiah's downfall, he had laid off a significant number of employees—including William.
As for what happened to him afterward, Tony investigated further and found that William had been unemployed since his dismissal and had yet to find a new job.
Tony scratched his head but felt no sympathy. After all, William was one of Obadiah's men. Removing his influence from Stark Industries was necessary.
That was the closest Tony had ever come to death since escaping the cave, and he had no desire to relive that experience.
[Later that night, Tony went upstairs when his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the caller ID—Pepper.]
[He answered casually. "Tony! Tony! Are you there?" Pepper's anxious voice came through.]
[The next second, an infrasound wave blasted into Tony's ear, and he instantly lost all ability to move.]
[Obadiah took the phone from Tony's hand, hung up the call, and gently cradled Tony's head as he lay paralyzed on the sofa.]
["Breathe… Relax… Relax… Remember this?" Obadiah placed a device in front of Tony's face and turned it off.]
["It's a shame this model was never approved by the government—causes short-term paralysis. But I must say, it's very useful at times."]
[Obadiah paced around the sofa, then leaned in, pinching Tony's face to force eye contact. "Tony, when I ordered them to get rid of you… I actually hesitated."]
[Obadiah removed his headset and pulled out a device designed to extract the Arc Reactor from his bag.]
["You're a goose that lays golden eggs! But look at you—fate let you escape!" He sneered, pointing the device at Tony's chest.]
[As he rotated the mechanism, the life-saving reactor was forcefully extracted. "This is your last golden egg!"]
["Do you really think your ideas are your own? Your father helped me build the atomic bomb! What would the world be like if he had been as selfish as you?"]
[With those words, he yanked the reactor free, severing the wire connected to the socket. Tony's eyes widened in horror, but he still couldn't speak.]
[Obadiah stared at the glowing white reactor in his hand, admiration gleaming in his eyes. "How beautiful! Tony, this… this is your Ninth Symphony!"]
...
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