Chapter 12, very well, the show is starting.
Just as several people were bantering on the tarmac.
A black stretched limousine slowly drove over and stopped in front of them.
The car door opened.
A burly, bearded, bald old man stepped down.
This was precisely the veteran of Stark Industries, the number one suspect the two brothers had suspected just now on the plane.
Obadiah Stane.
The expression management on his face could be called best actor level.
As soon as he saw Tony and Luca, an outburst of ecstasy and excitement instantly erupted on his face.
He opened his arms and walked over in big strides.
"Oh! Thank God! My children! You are finally back!"
Obadiah shouted loudly, first pulling Tony into a tight embrace and forcefully patting Tony's back.
"Tony, you've lost too much weight. I can hardly recognize you. You don't know how I got through these past two months. I used almost all my connections to look for you all."
Obadiah's tone still held a tremble, acting extremely realistically.
Tony was held in Obadiah's arms.
Put in the past, Tony would definitely have been extremely moved.
But now, because of that reasoning on the plane, Tony was somewhat stiff.
Yet he still forced back his inner discomfort and squeezed out a weary smile.
"Uncle Obadiah, it made you worry. I just went to the desert for a long vacation and lost some weight by the way." Tony said evasively.
Obadiah released Tony and turned his head to look at Luca beside him.
But seeing that Luca not only didn't lose weight, but instead had a more robust figure.
He was dumbfounded, a trace of bewilderment and gloom flashing through his eyes.
But luckily he concealed it very well, and immediately opened his arms again, wanting to embrace Luca.
"Luca, my young master, seeing you so energetic, I am truly so Happy."
Luca gazed at the other party, sneering inwardly.
Hypocritical old fox!
But he didn't dodge either, instead warmly embracing Obadiah.
However, when embracing, Luca deliberately increased his strength.
With Luca's current strength, this warm embrace could be described as loving deeply.
It directly squeezed Obadiah's old face red, almost making him unable to catch his breath.
"Oh! Uncle Obadiah! You have no idea how much I missed you in the cave!" Luca said loudly in Obadiah's ear, pretending to be very excited.
Obadiah was sweating profusely from the pain, hurriedly pushing Luca away and awkwardly coughing twice.
"Ahem... Luca, your strength is really great. It seems the desert environment is quite good at training people."
Obadiah caught his breath, then put on a concerned expression, looking at the two brothers.
"It's so great that you guys are back. Listen, you don't need to worry about anything from now on. I will arrange the best Doctor to check on you."
"You don't need to worry about the company's board of directors either. I will temporarily take over all business and handle everything for you. What you need to do now is rest well for a few months."
Obadiah's tone was incomparably sincere, as if it were entirely for their own good.
But hearing these words in Luca's ears, they changed in flavor.
As soon as he got off the plane, the old fellow couldn't wait to seize control of the board of directors under the guise of resting; this eating posture was simply too ugly.
"Uncle Obadiah, did your high blood pressure act up recently, and your brain is a bit unclear?"
"What do you mean by temporarily taking over all business? Stark Industries has the surname Stark, not Stane."
"Even if Tony and I could only sit in wheelchairs and type on keyboards with our toes, we could still manage the company crystal clearly."
"Moreover, I just had Happy charter a yacht for me to throw a party, where would I have time to rest?"
"Instead it's you, Uncle Obadiah, at your age, with your beard all white, you still have to worry about company matters every day. I think you are the one who needs to go to Hawaii for a vacation and find some local aunties to hula dance with."
Luca's machine-gun-like attack didn't leave Obadiah any face at all.
Anyway, he had always had this temper, speaking this way was entirely maintaining his persona.
Obadiah was stunned for a moment, his smile freezing on his face.
He wished he could instantly choke this sharp-tongued little bastard to death.
Not killed by Terrorists after two months, and as soon as he returns he still has this obnoxious stinking temper!
But on the surface, Obadiah still forcefully suppressed his anger, squeezing out an awkward smile.
"Hehe... Luca, you still haven't changed your habit of joking. I just feel bad for you guys."
"Alright, Obadiah." Tony spoke up at this time.
Although he chose to temporarily believe, it was also absolutely impossible to hand over the company's control.
Tony turned his head to look at Pepper.
"Potts, notify the media immediately. One hour from now, at Stark Industries headquarters, I will hold a press conference."
"Also, Happy. Hurry up and go buy burgers. Buy one less, and I'll deduct a month's salary from you."
Having spoken, Tony directly pulled Luca and dived into the car.
Seeing the sedan speeding away, Obadiah stood in place, his complexion turning incomparably gloomy.
His fists were tightly clenched together, the killing intent in his eyes fully manifested.
These two little bastards actually came back alive.
And it seems, they apparently sensed something.
...
One hour later.
Stark Industries headquarters, inside the press conference hall.
This place was already jammed with mainstream media reporters from the United States and even the entire World.
Countless camera flashes twinkled like stars, almost illuminating the hall as bright as day.
Everyone wanted to know what these two Stark family geniuses who had been missing for two months would say after escaping death.
In the backstage passageway.
Tony changed into a well-fitted suit, holding a cheese burger in his hand.
As he walked, he took large bites of the burger, his face showing an expression of enjoyment.
Luca also changed into a suit, his hair combed meticulously, wearing a luxury watch on his wrist.
This attire, coupled with his earth-shatteringly handsome face...
Absolutely no one would believe he was here to hold a press conference; he looked more like a star going to a Hollywood awards ceremony.
"Tony, are you sure you want to go on stage while eating a burger? This will make the company's stock look very unserious." Luca straightened his collar and bantered with a smile.
"This is called casualness. I want to let those people who think I'm about to die see that my appetite is very good." Tony took another bite of the burger and said unclearly.
The two walked to the front of the press conference stage.
The noisy hall instantly quieted down.
All lenses were aimed at them.
Tony walked directly to the edge of the steps and sat down.
"Everyone sit down, don't stand. It's very tiring for me to look up at you like this."
Tony waved his hand, signaling the reporters in front to sit on the ground.
This casual action made everyone freeze for a moment.
But this was Tony Stark's style.
Luca walked unhurriedly to the podium, leaned against the table, and watched the crowd off stage with a smile.
In the VIP seating of the front row, he saw Obadiah wearing a smile.
Very well, the good show is about to begin.
Chapter 13 Dammit! What is this guy trying to do?!
Tony wolfed down the burger in a few bites, patted off the crumbs, and took a deep breath.
"I know you all have a lot of questions. But before you ask, I have a few important things to announce."
His expression turned serious, and his words carried through the microphone across the hall.
"Over these past two months, I've seen many people lose their lives because of weapons manufactured by Stark Industries. I've seen my masterpieces fall into the hands of people who shouldn't have them."
Hearing this, the reporters off stage began to stir.
Everyone thought Tony had a sudden pang of conscience and was going to announce the closure of the weapons division.
This was big news!!
Even Obadiah, sitting in the front row, seemed to have anticipated something, his expression turning unimaginably ugly.
Dammit, what is this guy trying to do?!
However.
Tony's next words, however, shocked everyone present.
"So!" Tony abruptly stood up, his sharp gaze sweeping across the entire room.
"After careful consideration by Luca and me, we have decided that Stark Industries will absolutely not shut down its weapons division!"
The entire venue erupted into an uproar.
"On the contrary, we will undergo an unprecedented comprehensive reorganization! Starting today, we will suspend large-scale external arms sales."
"We will pour all of the company's funds and resources into a brand-new field. That is the research and development of personal defense and strike systems!"
"Since someone is using our weapons to attack us, we will build even stronger weapons to destroy them. I want to make the name Stark a nightmare for our enemies. This is my decision."
As soon as Tony finished speaking, the press conference hall instantly exploded into chaos.
Reporters frantically raised their hands to ask questions, the flashing lights blindingly bright.
"Mr. Stark! What do you mean by the personal system you mentioned?"
"With external arms sales suspended, how will Stark Industries' profits be guaranteed?"
Obadiah's smile froze on his face.
Dammit!
Tony not only suspended weapon orders, but he also wanted to develop some kind of personal system.
This directly cut off his financial avenue of laundering money through arms smuggling.
Just as the reporters were frantically asking questions,
Luca, who had been standing to the side without speaking, gently tapped the microphone.
"Bang, bang."
The crisp sound quieted the crowd's commotion.
Everyone turned their attention to the second young master of the Stark Family.
Luca straightened his suit, a meaningful smile hanging on his face.
"Friends from the media, don't be anxious. Aside from the strategic reorganization announced by Tony, as the second largest shareholder of Stark Industries, I also have a small internal company matter to announce."
Luca deliberately slowed his speech, his gaze sweeping seemingly without intent over Obadiah off stage.
"During our vacation in the desert, we found that some unclean little mice seemed to have gotten into our home. These mice secretly sold our itinerary to others."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue was shocked.
This was tantamount to publicly admitting that a high-ranking insider within Stark Industries had participated in the kidnapping case.
Luca ignored the reporters' shock and continued loudly.
"The Stark Family hates mice the most."
"Therefore, starting tomorrow, Stark Industries will hire the world's top independent audit team to conduct a review."
"The scope includes, but is not limited to, a comprehensive internal investigation into the exclusive fund accounts, overseas offshore accounts, and all internal fund flows of the company's board of Directors and senior management."
"As long as a mouse took money they shouldn't have, we will definitely ferret them out!"
After finishing, Luca even made a throat-slitting gesture at the camera.
Arrogant, haughty, and completely uninhibited.
This was Luca's consistent style of doing things.
Meanwhile, Obadiah's aged face had turned deathly pale, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
His heartbeat began to accelerate.
All of this was simply because the blood money received by the Bald Leader was transferred by him through his own encrypted account.
Although he thought he had done it seamlessly.
But if the Stark Brothers truly stopped all business at all costs to thoroughly investigate the flow of funds,
then tracing it to him was only a matter of time.
Obadiah panicked.
Before the audit team moved in, he had to erase all traces of the transactions and transfer those shady funds.
At this moment, the prey bit down on the hook thrown out by Luca.
...
The press conference ended amidst chaos and shock.
Escorted by Happy and other security personnel, Tony and Luca walked out from the side door of the hall.
Just then, a middle-aged man with a dangerously receding hairline and a kind-looking face blocked their path.
"Mr. Stark, hello."
The man handed over a business card with a professional smile on his face.
"I am Agent Phil Coulson."
"Representing the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, I hope to take a little of your time to understand the details of your escape in the Afghanistan desert. Especially... regarding the massive explosion that happened there."
Coulson's gaze lingered intentionally or unintentionally on Luca for a few seconds.
In fact, after they escaped, S.H.I.E.L.D. used Military satellites to discover the wreckage of the destroyed Terrorists Base.
Moreover, the satellites detected that before the explosion, an unknown high-energy reaction appeared there.
Director Nick Fury keenly sensed that this might be related to the Stark Brothers, especially Luca, who should have been powerless.
Luca and Tony were stunned.
They had no idea who the person in front of them was, nor what kind of ghost thing this agency was.
But upon hearing that long string of names the other party rattled off, Luca rolled his eyes.
"What the heck?! Strategic Homeland what-ma-callit Logistics Division? Goodness, is this the name of some sewer repair company? Is your department responsible for unclogging toilets for the Pentagon?"
Luca casually stuffed the business card into the hands of Happy standing beside him.
"Sorry, receding-hairline Agent. We don't have time to answer your questionnaire. We still have to rush off to a luxury yacht party."
"If you want to know what we did in the desert, go buy tomorrow's newspaper and read it yourselves."
Finished speaking, Luca ruthlessly pushed Coulson aside and climbed into the car with Tony.
Coulson stood in place, watching the receding sedan, and let out a helpless sigh.
He pressed the communicator by his ear and reported in a low voice.
"Director. Initial contact failed. These two brothers are even more troublesome and arrogant than rumors say. Especially Lucas Stark, his physical state completely doesn't look like someone who has been locked up for two months. We need to send people to closely monitor them."
Nick Fury's cold voice came through the communicator.
"Keep watching them. Since they made such a big commotion, they must be hiding some secret."
Chapter 14: What kind of decent person drinks juice at a yacht party?!
Night fell.
As the lights of the city that never sleeps, Los Angeles, began to flicker.
A luxury yacht resembling a water palace was anchored off the coastline of Los Angeles.
The yacht was brightly lit, and searchlights made the surrounding seawater shimmer.
Deafening heavy bass music echoed in the sea breeze.
This was the yacht that Happy had chartered with maximum efficiency according to Luca's instructions.
At this moment, the yacht's deck was a paradise for men.
Dozens of models urgently airlifted from a Victoria's Secret branch had already arrived.
They wore bikinis, shuttling back and forth across the spacious deck.
Champagne bubbles danced in the air, and the scent of hormones erupted.
Luca was wearing a beach shirt, lying comfortably on a circular sofa.
On the left, a tall model standing one hundred eighty centimeters tall gently peeled a purple grape and fed it into his mouth.
On the right, a hot Latina beauty holding a glass of champagne smiled as she fed him alcohol.
Luca chewed the grapes with a look of pure enjoyment, his gaze sweeping back and forth among the group of long-legged beauties.
Having suffered for two months, he now had to win back everything with interest.
Just as Luca's large hand was roaming restlessly, his cell phone suddenly vibrated inopportunely.
Luca frowned slightly.
Picking up his phone, he saw Potts's name displayed on the screen.
He curled his lips, pressed the answer button, and casually turned on speakerphone.
"Hello, Pepper, what's wrong? Did you miss me in the middle of the night?" Luca's tone was lazy, carrying a hint of drunkenness and banter.
On the other end of the phone, Pepper's nearly frantic scream immediately came through.
"Luca! Where on earth are you guys?! Why can't Tony's phone be reached?!"
Pepper's voice came out through the phone's speaker; even with the loud surrounding music, one could tell how furious she was at the moment.
"I went to Malibu to look for you guys just now and found that there was no one there at all!"
"Do you have any idea how much of a sensation this afternoon's press conference caused? The company's stock is like a roller coaster right now! The entire board of directors is looking to you for an explanation! And look at you guys, you just play disappearing acts?"
Hearing Pepper's machine-gun-like questioning, Luca held the phone a little further from his ear.
He took the opportunity to pinch the Latina beauty's thigh.
The beauty immediately cooperated and let out a coy giggle: "Oh~ Young Master Luca, you're so bad~"
Pepper on the other end of the phone fell silent for a second, then her voice rose again.
"Lucas Stark! What is that sound on your end?! What are you guys doing?!"
Luca rolled his eyes and spoke matter-of-factly.
"What else could we be doing? Partying, of course."
"Potts, my good sister. Tony and I just escaped from the desert, and our bodies and minds have suffered trauma. We need alcohol and beautiful women to soothe our souls."
"Tony isn't answering his phone because he's currently busy explaining his scientific principles to several models. If you don't believe me, I can bring the phone over and let him say a few words to you, but I'm afraid of interrupting his good mood."
"Are you crazy?!" Pepper roared over the phone.
"Obadiah is frantically contacting the shareholders right now, you guys must come back immediately to deal with this trouble!"
"Trouble?" Luca sneered.
"Just a bunch of old men, let them make as much fuss as they want."
"Even if the sky falls, don't even think about stopping me from enjoying life tonight. Tell Obadiah, if he has any complaints, have him come find me on the coastline of Los Angeles, and I'll treat him to a drink. That's it, hanging up."
"Wait! Luca, you can't..."
"Beep!!!"
Luca pressed the hang-up button without hesitation, then turned his phone to silent and threw it into the ice bucket beside him.
"Alright, sweethearts, let's continue."
Luca turned his head, a smile returning to his face.
He pulled the two beauties into his arms, making them tremble with laughter and giggle continuously.
Just then, a man holding a wine glass staggered over.
It was none other than Tony Stark.
Tony was holding a glass of whiskey, with a voluptuous model on each of his arms.
He walked up to Luca's sofa, plopped down, and looked at the floral shirt on Luca with a face full of disgust.
"Luca, I have to say, the taste of this shirt of yours is just like an old man selling coconuts on the beach. You've completely disgraced the Stark Family."
Luca refused to show weakness and immediately retorted.
"Tony, you still have the nerve to talk about me? Look at yourself, you're as skinny as a bamboo pole, and your complexion is whiter than paper."
"Are you sure your current body can still handle two big beauties?"
Luca looked Tony up and down and smacked his lips.
"I advise you to take it easy. Don't forget, you still have a car battery installed in your chest. Don't get too excited in bed and end up short-circuiting. That would make tomorrow's headline news way too embarrassing."
"Genius inventor Tony Stark dies from a leakage accident on a beauty's belly."
Hearing Luca's banter, the two models beside Tony couldn't help covering their mouths and snickering.
Feeling that he was losing face, Tony immediately widened his eyes and loudly refuted.
"Damn it! This is called the vicissitudes of a mature man! What do you know? Besides, this is the latest generation of the Arc Reactor, much more reliable than some muscle-headed guy. Even if I've been starved for two months, my charm is still number one in the world!"
As Tony spoke, he deliberately puffed out his chest, displaying the glowing ring.
"Oh, give it a rest, stop putting up a front."
Luca picked up a bottle of vodka, took a big swig straight from the bottle without changing his expression or missing a heartbeat.
"Pepper called just now, and I sent her away for you. You really should thank me."
"Good job." As soon as Tony heard Pepper's name, he instinctively shrank his neck.
Although he talked tough, he was actually most afraid of people nagging him.
"Tonight, nobody is going to make me work. I'm going to make up for all the happiness missing from these past two months."
The two brothers sat on the sofa, bantering back and forth sentence by sentence.
Although neither would spare the other with their words, deep down they both knew very well.
This was the best way for them to release pressure... or rather, to feel that they were still alive.
As long as they could still sit together and complain about each other, it proved they had escaped that damned cave.
After drinking for a while, Luca's gaze suddenly swept a circle across the yacht's deck.
"Wait." Luca put down his wine glass, his brow furrowing.
"What's wrong? Did you notice that some beauty doesn't suit your appetite?" Tony looked in the direction of Luca's gaze.
"No." Luca pointed to a dim corner at the very edge of the yacht.
There sat a lonely round table.
Ethan was wearing a somewhat cramped-looking suit, huddled in the chair behind the round table.
In his hand, he was actually holding a glass of orange juice!
At this party full of bikini-clad beauties, Ethan's look of keeping his eyes straight ahead made him look even more out of place than an alien.
Several long-legged models passing by tried to strike up a conversation with him, only to be scared off by his blushing face and stuttering answers.
Seeing this scene, Luca and Tony exchanged a glance.
A look of exasperation flashed in both of their eyes simultaneously.
"Damn it." Tony gritted his teeth.
"This is simply an insult to a Stark party. Someone is actually drinking orange juice on my yacht?"
"What's even more outrageous is that he actually said to a model who took the initiative to chat him up,'Sorry, I'm allergic to alcohol?!'" Luca exaggeratedly covered his forehead.
"This is practically a crime! We must go correct this poor man's erroneous values."
Chapter 15: Why didn't I notice this before?!
With tacit understanding, the two pushed away the beauties beside them and walked left and right toward the corner where Ethan was.
Walking up to the table, Luca snatched the orange juice from Ethan's hand and casually poured it into the sea beside them.
"Hey! That's my juice!"
Ethan was startled, looking somewhat at a loss at the aggressive two brothers facing him.
Tony pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Ethan.
He waved his hand, called over a bartender, and got two bottles of tequila.
"Listen, Ethan."
Tony crossed his hands on the table, his eyes serious.
"You saved my and Luca's lives. In the cave, you were a great Doctor. But!"
Tony slammed the table hard.
"Here! On this great night! Your current behavior makes me very heartbroken!"
Ethan swallowed a mouthful of saliva and nervously pushed up his glasses.
"I... what's wrong with me? I'm just not quite used to this kind of... uh... occasion where people wear so little clothing. My usual work is all in the laboratory."
Luca walked behind Ethan, placed his hands on Ethan's shoulders, leaned down, and spoke in his ear.
"Ethan, look around. You're now on the most luxurious yacht in Los Angeles. Every girl here is a stunner that ordinary people can't even dream of seeing."
Luca pointed at the models swaying their water-snake waists in the dance floor.
"Do you know, if God sees you sitting in a place like this drinking orange juice, He will send down a lightning bolt to strike you to death!"
"Having saved two billionaires, you are now the man in the World most qualified to enjoy everything. If you can't even handle a bikini model, how will you have the nerve to say in the future that you know Tony Stark and Lucas Stark?"
Ethan was stunned.
This... is this right?!
Is it really like this?!
"But... I... I really don't know how to strike up a conversation. And I'm not that young anymore..." Ethan was still making his final struggle.
"So what if you're older? Being older shows that you have the charm of a mature man!" Tony immediately chimed in.
"Look at me, I'm not young either, but I'm still the dream lover of the entire United States."
"Alright, enough nonsense."
Luca didn't give Ethan a chance to refuse at all.
He directly picked up a full glass of wine and stuffed it into Ethan's hand.
"Drink it down! Then puff out your chest like a real man!"
Under the front-and-back pincer movement and instigation of the two brothers, Ethan seemed to be persuaded.
He looked at the strong liquor in his hand and took a deep breath.
Then he closed his eyes, raised his head, and chugged it all in one go.
The strong liquor flowed down his throat into his stomach, burning like a ball of fire.
Ethan's face suddenly turned flushed red.
"Very good!" Tony snapped his fingers with satisfaction.
He turned his head and waved at a curvy beauty in a red bikini not far away.
That beauty immediately walked over with great allure.
"Mr. Tony, did you call me?" The beauty's words were so sweet they made one unable to bear it.
Tony pointed at the blushing Ethan and said with a straight face.
"This is Dr. Ethan. My most distinguished guest and one of the smartest biologists in the World."
"He feels a bit bored right now. You are responsible for making him understand how wonderful the nights of Los Angeles are. If he's not happy tonight, I'll fire your boss."
The beauty immediately understood.
She walked to Ethan's side, naturally sat into Ethan's arms, wrapped her hands around Ethan's neck, and breathed like orchids near Ethan's ear.
"Dr.~ You look so solid. Are you willing to tell me about biology?"
Ethan stiffened like a rock, his hands suspended mid-air, completely not knowing where to put them.
He didn't even dare to look down, his face as red as a ripe tomato.
"I... I... Al... Alright."
Ethan stuttered, half-pushed and half-pulled into the dance floor by the beauty.
Seeing Ethan's clumsy and comical appearance, Luca and Tony finally couldn't help laughing out loud.
"This is what a Stark party should look like."
Luca clapped his hands with satisfaction, picked up the wine glass on the table, and took a big gulp.
Tony also picked up a glass of wine and leaned against the yacht's railing, letting the sea breeze blow through his hair.
After a few seconds of silence, he turned his head and suddenly sighed.
"To be honest, Luca."
Tony's tone became somewhat serious and somewhat tired.
"Actually, I didn't want to come to this damned party tonight."
Luca turned around, leaning his back against the railing, the smile on his face restrained a bit.
"I know."
"You must be thinking right now about how to hurry back to the laboratory and develop the armor, right?"
"Since you know, why did you still drag me here?" Tony curled his lip, pointing at the noisy crowd around them.
"We wasted a whole night's time here... well, enjoying life."
Luca smiled.
"Tony, that's why I brought you here. You look like someone who has watched too few Hollywood Agent movies."
He leaned closer and began to analyze.
"Think about it, we just survived a catastrophe. The rats in the dark must be as anxious as ants on a hot pan right now. They will definitely take action."
"Besides, today during the daytime at the press conference, we already played our first card and publicly declared war, saying we would thoroughly investigate the mole. What is this? This is called startling the snake by beating the grass."
Luca took a sip of wine, his smile meaningful.
"So, if we're going to act, we have to do the full act."
"If we hid in the Villa right after coming back, never stepping out of the gates, do you think the enemies in the dark would dare to make a move? They would only hide deeper."
"But it's different now." Luca pointed at the yacht under his feet.
"We are throwing a party with great fanfare, letting the entire World know that we are debauched and letting down our guard. We want to make them think that tonight is when our defenses are weakest."
Tony was stunned.
He wasn't stupid and immediately understood Luca's meaning.
"You mean, we want to create an opportunity for them to make a move? Let them reveal clues themselves?" Tony frowned slightly.
"That's right." Luca snapped his fingers.
"If they are truly stupid enough to send people to assassinate us tonight, that would be just great!"
"Just great?" Tony widened his eyes with an expression of looking at a madman.
"Has your brain been baked melted by the Sun? People coming to assassinate us means we are in danger! What kind of damned great is that?"
Luca immediately wore a look of disappointment at his failure to meet expectations, heavily poking the other's chest with his finger.
"Tony, did you forget something? Except for you and Ethan, absolutely no one knows my true strength!"
"As long as someone dares to come and assassinate us, guess what will happen?"
"At that time, facing fully armed assassins, we'll first pretend to be ordinary people with no abilities whatsoever, trembling with fear."
"When they think victory is in their grasp and prepare to shoot, I'll suddenly have a massive outbreak! Punching their heads right into their stomachs!"
Luca became more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing and dancing about.
"Then we leave a few alive, find a place where no one is around, and interrogate them properly. Isn't this much faster than us running around like headless flies checking account books and fund flows?"
"This is called sting enforcement, catching the enemy off guard! Understand?!"
After listening to Luca's outrageous plan, Tony was dumbfounded.
The more he listened, the brighter his eyes became.
Damn it! Why had he never noticed this before?!
His younger brother, who only knew how to chase women, was actually such a shady person deep down?
But why was he liking this feeling of ambushing people from the shadows more and more?!
From daytime today until now, Luca had spoken out so many shady ideas.
Tony found that he liked it more and more. He was, after all, the smartest person in the World.
What was the deal with always directly fighting with people?!
He should crush the enemy with top-tier intelligence!
The corners of Tony's mouth rose uncontrollably, and the exhaustion on his face was swept away.
"Luca." Tony took a deep breath.
"Damn you! But I have to say, this is truly a genius idea."
But soon, Tony showed an expression of regret.
He slapped his thigh in annoyance.
"What a pity! Why didn't you tell me this plan earlier?" Tony complained.
"If I knew you were purposely drawing them out, we should have gone to the laboratory ahead of time to research some more torturous weapons!"
Tony's scientific soul instantly burned, and he began to conceive endlessly.
"For example, I could install miniature high-pressure anesthetic needles in the heels! Or hide a few capsules that can release potent nerve gas in the buttons! At worst, I could also build a few more powerful weapons!"
"When those idiots approach us and think they've got us in the bag, we release our full strength and teach them a hard lesson! Absolutely not giving the enemy a second chance to strike, that's the safe way!"
Tony said with a fanatical face, his facial expression becoming increasingly evil.
Luca was amused on the spot.
That's more like it.
This was the older brother he knew.
As long as they weren't bound by morality, their lethality would definitely be off the charts.
"Older brother, have you finally understood the joy of playing the pig to eat the tiger?"
Luca raised the wine glass in his hand, the smile on his face incomparably brilliant.
"So, our task now is to fully enjoy the party, enjoy beauties and fine wine, understand? Leave the rest to those unlucky fellows who might be staring at us in the dark."
The two brothers looked at each other and smiled tacitly.
Everything was unspoken.
"Cheers, to the unlucky rats." Tony smiled and raised his wine glass.
"Cheers."
Chapter 16 Are Their Brains Made of Reinforced Concrete?
The party continued late into the night.
As the night grew deeper, the revelry on the yacht also drew to a close.
For the Stark Brothers, drinking on the yacht was merely the prelude.
The real show was always in the hotel suite.
Happy had long since booked three presidential suites at a five-star hotel.
Two o'clock in the morning.
Three black Maybachs parked at the entrance of the hotel.
The car doors opened.
The first to step down was Luca, who had shown great prowess tonight.
There was a hint of tipsy intoxication on Luca's face, but he was faking it.
With his enhanced physique, even if he drank for days and nights, nothing would happen to him.
He had a Latin beauty in the crook of his left arm and a blonde model in his right.
That was not all; following behind him was an Asian beauty wearing a black body-hugging skirt with a pair of heaven-defying long legs.
Luca actually brought three top-tier beauties all by himself!
This made Tony grit his teeth in frustration at the time.
He turned back to glance at the three charming women and smiled slightly.
"Sweethearts, tonight I will show you what stamina that transcends human limits is like."
The three beauties were amused into giggling by him, clinging to his body without any shyness.
Soon after, the door of the car behind opened as well.
Tony stepped down while yawning.
He looked a bit exhausted; after all, he was still an ordinary human.
Furthermore, he had suffered torment in the desert; even though he forced himself to hold on by drinking on the yacht today, he was now finding it a bit too much to bear.
However, for the sake of his pride, Tony still brought those two models from earlier.
He forced himself to perk up and walked over to Luca with his arms around the two beauties.
Seeing Tony's somewhat listless appearance, Luca instantly became amused.
"Yo, Tony. How come you only brought two? This doesn't fit your usual rule of taking on five at once."
Luca deliberately raised his tone and began to mock him.
"Look at these dark circles under your eyes, they're practically dropping down to your chin. Are you sure you can still handle two great beauties?"
He patted Tony's shoulder with an expression that said he was doing it for his own good.
"How about this, tomorrow I'll have the pharmaceutical company send you a few boxes of special little blue pills overnight? Free of charge. Guaranteed to help you regain your confidence from back in the day. Don't force yourself; it won't be good if you get a myocardial infarction."
Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation and immediately straightened his posture.
"Fack! I am just conserving my energy! Dealing with the two of them is no difficulty at all! You simply don't know what technique is!"
Tony retorted stubbornly, refusing to admit defeat even with a dead duck's beak, but inwardly he was secretly agonizing.
Damn it, it looks like he really needs to go to Luca's pharmaceutical plant tomorrow to get some tonic supplements.
This body of his was indeed a bit weak.
While the two of them were snapping back and forth at each other, the person in the last car also stepped out.
It was Ethan.
Ethan's appearance at this moment was simply comical.
His tie was already crooked, and his suit jacket had been taken off and held in his hand.
His face was as red as his neck.
Meanwhile, a beauty was tightly linking her arm with his, her entire body almost hanging onto him.
Ethan was pulled forward half-willingly and half-reluctantly by the beauty, his eyes constantly seeking help from Luca and Tony.
"Luca... Tony... I... I think I should just go back to the laboratory... I..." Ethan stammered, wanting to escape.
"Don't chicken out, Ethan!"
Luca shouted and gave Ethan a thumbs-up.
"Once you step through the hotel doors, it's a battlefield! No retreating allowed! Go enjoy your spoils of war!"
Tony also chimed in from the side: "If you dare to run out tonight, I'll fire you from Stark Industries!"
Under the instigation and intimidation of the two brothers, Ethan ultimately gave up resisting.
Blushing, he resignedly let himself be pulled into the hotel lobby by the beauty.
Watching Ethan's back,
Luca and Tony exchanged a smile.
"Tomorrow's headlines are definitely going to be interesting."
Luca stretched, wrapped his arms around the three beauties, and walked toward the elevator.
"I hope Pepper doesn't come after me with a knife when she sees the bill tomorrow morning."
Tony muttered a word and also followed along with the two models in his arms.
"Good night, brother. Have a sweet dream, and by the way, a reminder: if you can't cut it, go to bed early and don't push yourself."
Before entering the elevator, Luca didn't forget to get in one last sarcastic remark.
"Get lost!!"
Accompanied by Tony's angry roar, the elevator doors slowly closed.
The night in Los Angeles remained hazy and indulgent.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Washington.
S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters building.
On the top floor of the Triskelion building, the lighting in the Director's office was very dim.
There were only two people here.
Nick Fury, the current Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows with his hands behind his back.
His single eye gazed at the bustling night view outside the window, saying nothing.
No one knew what kind of plan he was pondering in his mind.
Agent Phil Coulson stood behind him.
Coulson held a thick report in his hand.
"Officer, the movements of the Stark Brothers today have been investigated. I am here to report to you everything that happened during the day, as well as Luca and the others attending the party tonight."
"Speak. What outrageous thing did they do again?" Fury turned around and walked behind the desk to sit down.
Coulson opened the report in his hand, looking at the data on it with a very serious expression.
"After this afternoon's press conference, they directly chartered a yacht on the coastline."
Coulson paused for a moment, seemingly gathering his words.
"Lucas Stark urgently airlifted dozens of models from an underwear modeling company and bought out all the red wine in several blocks near the Los Angeles coastline."
"They held a massive carnival party on the yacht. The music at the scene could even be heard by the Coast Guard."
Hearing this, Fury furrowed his brow deeply.
Of course, his dark face also appeared even gloomier.
"Two hopeless playboys."
"They just spent two months drinking sand in Afghanistan, and yet upon returning they still have the mood to indulge in debauchery! Are their nerves made of reinforced concrete? Or is their brains filled entirely with alcohol and women?"
Chapter 17: I Hope You Become Even Greater
Coulson adjusted his glasses and continued his report in a businesslike tone.
"Sir, this is indeed very abnormal. But it is precisely because it's abnormal that it reveals a problem."
"This afternoon at the press conference, in front of the World's media, Tony Stark announced the closure of Stark Industries' most important Military sector orders, switching instead to manufacturing individual combat weapons."
"This move has already triggered an earthquake on Wall Street, and people in the Military are already starting to curse up a storm."
"Furthermore, according to close-up observations on site, they were extremely relaxed on the yacht. Lucas Stark was lying on a sofa letting models feed him drinks, while Tony Stark and Lucas Stark were squabbling with each other."
"What were they squabbling about?" Fury asked casually.
"Tony mocked Luca's poor taste in shirts. Luca retaliated by saying Tony looked pale and weak, and warned him to be careful that the reactor in his chest didn't leak electricity."
Coulson recounted the brothers' conversation with a deadpan expression.
Fury shook his head, somewhat speechless.
"That fits their personalities. As long as they have a breath left in them, those mouths of theirs won't shut up." Fury crossed his hands under his chin.
Coulson closed his report.
"Sir, after the party ended, Lucas Stark took three models, and Tony Stark took two models along with Ethan, heading to a downtown hotel."
"Do we need to increase our personnel and closely monitor their actions? After all, they publicly declared war at the press conference today, which is sure to draw retaliation."
Fury did not answer the question directly.
His single eye stared at Coulson.
"Coulson, you had close contact with them this afternoon. From your observations, did you notice anything unusual about Lucas Stark?"
Coulson froze for a moment.
He recalled the scene outside Stark Industries this afternoon.
He had tried to stop Lucas Stark back then, but was effortlessly pushed aside by him.
"Yes," Coulson nodded, his expression turning solemn.
"That's precisely what I find most unreasonable. A rich playboy who was tortured for two months not only shows no signs of malnutrition, but actually feels as though he has become stronger."
Coulson described his feeling in detail.
"His height has noticeably increased; he's at least over 190 centimeters tall now. His shoulders have grown very broad."
"When he pushed me, I could feel a massive force. It completely exceeded the limits of strength a human should possess. Sir, to be honest, facing him up close felt like facing... Captain America."
Hearing Coulson mention Captain America, Fury didn't refute it, but instead nodded.
"Your instincts are always accurate, Coulson. That's why I sent you to make contact with them. Your guess is correct. Let's take another look at the earlier footage, and you'll understand why he underwent such a change."
Saying this, Fury picked up a remote control from the desk and pressed a button.
The holographic projector in the center of the office immediately activated. A piece of footage floated in mid-air.
It was footage captured by a high-altitude reconnaissance satellite.
Because the distance was too great, the picture was full of static and very blurry.
However, Coulson could still vaguely see a silhouette hovering above a Base.
This figure seemed unaffected by gravity, quietly floating in mid-air.
Immediately after, the figure raised both hands, and a dazzling beam of energy erupted from them.
The beam blasted the ground encampment directly into a flat wasteland.
The flames of the explosion filled the entire screen.
Coulson's eyes widened.
Fury pressed the remote again.
The footage on the screen disappeared, replaced by several high-definition photos.
The photos clearly depicted Luca and Tony fighting enemies outside the cave.
In the first photo, Lucas Stark lifted a pickup truck with his bare hands.
Then, he effortlessly threw the pickup truck toward the distant enemies.
In the second photo, Tony Stark was wearing a suit of heavy armor.
Long jets of flame spewed from the arms of the armor, driving back all the surrounding militants.
After viewing these shocking images, the office fell completely silent.
Fury pointed at the projected photos with a grim expression.
"You see, Coulson. That's the problem. And that's what's giving me the biggest headache."
"A rich kid who spent all his time partying gets kidnapped for two months, and instead turns into a flying Superman."
"Not only does he possess immense strength, but he can also fire energy shockwaves."
Fury's finger moved to Tony's photo.
"The other one built a suit of heavy armor with his bare hands in a cave without instruments. Although I have to admit the armor looks hideous, Coulson, do you know what this means?"
Coulson nodded silently.
"Meaning, Sir, something happened to them. Or rather, they have a secret! A massive secret!"
"That is the most important thing right now," Fury emphasized.
"A super-human whose upper limit of power is unknown, combined with a genius inventor whose head is full of destructive weapons."
"When two guys with no bottom line get together, what do you think they'll do? If they go out of control, who can bear the consequences?"
Coulson remained silent.
This question was impossible to answer.
Fury directly issued the order.
"Regarding them, we must remain cautious. Do not attempt to contact them on your own without my direct order."
"And definitely don't try to test them. Just keep track of their whereabouts. Right now, all we need to do is observe quietly from the side."
"Understood, Sir." Coulson nodded in agreement, then turned and left the Director's office.
After Coulson left, Fury sat back down in his chair.
He pondered for a moment.
The lights outside the window shone on his dark face, making him appear inscrutable.
"Howard Stark's children... really aren't simple, are they?"
Fury recalled the previous Director.
A legendary figure across the entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D.
That was Howard Stark!
A top genius in the World decades ago, one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., and also a playboy even more wild and uninhibited than his sons.
And now, he remembered another initiative that Howard had brought up.
And so...
He pulled open his desk drawer and took out a classified document from inside.
Printed on the cover of the document were several large words.
"Avengers Initiative".
Fury opened the document.
Inside were several pages tucked in.
On every page was written a name along with a brief evaluation report.
Just the people on the front pages added up to more than a dozen.
Fury's expression remained unchanged.
These weren't the people he wanted; it wasn't time to expose them yet.
He flipped further back.
And on the final few pages were a few names written in what looked like fresh ink.
Natasha Romanoff, codename Black Widow.
Behind her name, a red checkmark was already drawn.
Clint Barton, codename Hawkeye.
Behind his name, a red checkmark was also drawn.
Bruce Banner.
Behind the name of this man who could turn into a huge green giant, a checkmark was likewise drawn.
Fury picked up the fountain pen on his desk and opened a new page.
He wrote down two names on the paper.
Lucas Stark.
Tony Stark.
Fury stared at the two names, the tip of his pen lingering on the paper.
He hesitated for a moment.
These two brothers were the definition of disorganized and undisciplined.
They had sharp tongues, loved to squabble, and were obscenely wealthy.
Naturally, they would never follow anyone's orders.
Recruiting them into this initiative carried immense risk.
However, seeing Lucas Stark's strength in the photos and the destructive power of Tony Stark's heavy armor...
Fury knew that the future World would need this kind of power.
No longer hesitating, he pressed down with his wrist and drew a heavy checkmark behind each of their names.
Afterward, he closed the document and locked it back inside the drawer.
Fury looked out the window once again, no one knowing what was on his mind.
"Starks... I hope you become even greater than your father, rather than more cynical and defiant than him."