Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

The elevator doors dinged open in the top-floor laboratory area, and Tony Stark shot out like a cannonball, his leather shoes clattering rapidly on the gleaming alloy floor. His wrinkled shirt, stained with desert sand and the smell of gunpowder from the press conference, clashed sharply with the futuristic, silver-gray surroundings.

"Jarvis!" Tony's voice boomed through the empty corridor, carrying a long-suppressed anxiety and an unquestionable command.

"Welcome back, sir." A gentle British accent permeated the room, and the main lights in the laboratory gradually illuminated the heavy alloy door in front of him. "Your vital signs indicate moderate fatigue and dehydration. We recommend prioritizing hydration and rest."

"Reject this recommendation!" Tony interrupted rudely, already at the lab door, his iris scan and palm print recognition passing instantly. "Now, pull up all the failure data for the Arc Reactor miniaturization, especially the parts related to energy dissipation and magnetic confinement instability! Also, project the preliminary design drawings of the Mark II onto the main workbench!"

The alloy door slid open silently, revealing an astonishingly vast interior space. It didn't resemble a laboratory; it was more like a miniature industrial temple. At the center was a massive circular workbench, with various holographic projection interfaces suspended above it, surrounded by sophisticated robotic arms, material processing areas, and walls overflowing with tools. The air was thick with the unique odor of ozone, machine oil, and metallic coolant.

Tony plunged in, heading straight for the workbench, ignoring the expensive equipment. He pulled open his collar, revealing the Arc Reactor on his chest, emitting a ghostly blue light, beating steadily like a second heart.

Pepper Potts followed closely behind, the sound of her high heels ringing out clearly in the silence. She watched Tony's retreating figure, his straight back seeming to hold back a storm. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to detach herself from the earth-shattering kiss and the equally earth-shattering declaration, regaining her composure as CEO.

"Tony," her voice trembled slightly, but was more resolute, "the board... no, Obadiah just called an emergency board meeting downstairs. He wants you to attend immediately and explain the decision to shut down the weapons division."

Tony whirled around, his face devoid of surprise, only chilling mockery. "Explain? Explain my sudden change of heart to a bunch of old fogies who only care about quarterly reports and stock price fluctuations? Or explain it to that 'good uncle' who plotted my kidnapping and wants me dead in Afghanistan?" He walked over to Pepper, placing his hands on her slightly thin shoulders, his eyes sharp as knives. "Pepper, you're the only person I trust. Hold them off, for whatever reason you have. Tell them Tony Stark is busy right now, busy saving the company he built, which some people have led to hell!"

His tone was habitually sharp, but deep in his eyes lay a fragile trust and reliance. Chili's heart clenched; she saw the weariness and hidden anger in his eyes. She grasped his hand in return, her fingertips icy. "I'll handle it. But Tony, this isn't a long-term solution. Obadiah won't give up, and neither will the shareholders..."

“I know,” Tony interrupted her, his voice deepening. “That’s why I need time. Pepper, I need you to buy me time. One day, no, half a day will do.” His other hand unconsciously rested on the reactor on his chest, blue light reflecting in his deep eyes. “I want to show them that the future of Stark Industries isn’t about selling death, but about creating hope!”

Chili gazed at him, seeing an unprecedented resolve in his eyes, and a light that captivated her. Without further hesitation, she nodded firmly: "Okay. I'll hold them off. But promise me, don't push yourself too hard." She stood on tiptoe and planted a brief but resolute kiss on his lips. "I'll wait for you."

Watching Pepper's slender figure turn and leave, a complex tenderness flashed in Tony's eyes, quickly replaced by an even stronger sense of urgency. He turned and lunged at the workbench, his hands flying across the floating screen, bringing up a dense stream of data and 3D models.

"Jarvis, activate all computing units and prioritize simulating the stress distribution and energy field stability of the new magnetic confinement ring! Screen all alloys with high permeability and low thermal expansion coefficients from the material library! Damn it, the energy dissipation rate is still too high..."

Ethan and Wang Huanbo stood at the entrance of the laboratory, watching Tony work like a precise machine, the light from the holographic projection shifting across his face.

"Is he... always like this?" Ethan asked in a low voice, his tone filled with surprise and a hint of worry. "Like an engine that never needs a break?"

Wang Huanbo's gaze swept over the dark blue shirt on Tony's chest, and he calmly replied, "Anger and guilt are the best fuel. He built the Mark I from a pile of junk in a cave, and now he's going to use the best resources to build a future that can change the world." He paused, "However, this engine is currently running at overclocked speed and could burn itself out at any moment."

Ethan nodded in deep agreement, his eyes filled with emotion: "In the cave, he only wanted to survive. Now... he wants to save more people. This change has come at a great cost."

"A worthwhile price." Wang Huanbo's voice was soft, yet carried a certain unwavering certainty. His gaze didn't linger on Tony, but rather swept across every corner of the laboratory, finally settling on a tiny, extremely well-hidden sensor on the ceiling. The model of that device was clearly not part of Stark Industries' standard equipment.

Meanwhile, in a secluded warehouse on the third basement level of Stark Industries, heavy blast doors were tightly shut, isolating the area from all outside noise. There were no windows; only stark white LED lights illuminated the mountains of metal materials and processing equipment.

Obadiah Stanislav stood with his back to the doorway before a massive workbench. Spread out on it were the incomplete technical blueprints for the Mark I Iron Man suit, transmitted via encrypted channel by the Ten Commandments leader. The blueprints were covered in scorch marks and grime from the explosion, many crucial parts blurred, but the core mechanical structure, power transmission, and the rudimentary weapon system framework remained clearly discernible.

Behind him stood three men in engineer's uniforms, his trusted confidants and core members of the Iron Monger project. The three held their breath, barely daring to utter a sound, the air thick with the almost tangible, chilling rage emanating from Obadiah.

"Useless!" Obadiah slammed his fist on the blueprints, making the coffee cup next to him jump. "A bunch of useless idiots with our most advanced weapons! They couldn't even keep an eye on Tony, who was unarmed and locked up in a cave! They let him build this thing, and then he got rescued!" He whirled around, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the three engineers. "Look! Take a good look! This is what you call that playboy who only knows how to pick up girls and throw parties! Something he built in a cave from a garbage dump!"

He grabbed a blueprint and shook it violently: "Energy core! A miniaturized arc reactor! This is fucking revolutionary technology! He'd rather shove it in his chest as a pacemaker than use it to make money for the company! And now!" His voice suddenly rose, carrying a hysterical frenzy, "He actually wants to shut down the weapons department? Cut off our source of income? Who does he think he is?!"

One of the older engineers mustered his courage and spoke up: "Mr. Stanislav, these blueprints... though incomplete, the basic framework is very... very inspiring. Especially this bipedal walking system and the exoskeleton load-bearing structure, and this... flamethrower? Although rudimentary, the concept..."

"Inspiration?" Obadiah interrupted him with a sneer. "I don't want inspiration! I want a finished product! A machine that can be put into production immediately and crush Tony's piece of junk!" He pointed to the blurry Arc Reactor section on the blueprints. "Where's the most crucial energy source? Where are the technical details of that little thing on Tony's chest? Why isn't it there?!"

"On the blueprints... this part is the most severely damaged," another engineer replied cautiously. "Moreover, according to intelligence, Tony is using a scaled-down version of the first-generation large reactor in the cave; the technical details are probably only known to him..."

"Then reverse engineer it!" Obadiah roared, spitting almost onto the engineer's face. "That thing on Tony's chest! Get it! Take it apart! Analyze it! Copy it! I don't care what methods you use! I want results!"

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging anger, and pointed at the blueprints: "Now, tell me, based on these blueprints, what can we build at the fastest speed?"

The three engineers exchanged glances, and finally the leader answered, "Mr. Stanislav, we can first build a large-scale prototype. We can modify existing heavy industrial machinery chassis, strengthening the armor and firepower. But energy... for now, we can only use high-powered diesel engines or multiple high-energy battery packs, which will severely affect mobility and range. Moreover, without Tony's small reactor, we cannot support the energy weapon system envisioned on the blueprints."

"Then let's build it!" Obadiah declared decisively. "First, build a mobile metal shell! The thickest armor possible! The strongest firepower possible! Diesel engines? Battery packs? Whatever! As long as it can withstand attacks and deal heavy damage! I want to show that arrogant brat Tony that Stark Industries can build war machines even without him! Codename—'Iron Monger'! Activate highest priority, allocate all the resources you need, bypass all approval processes! I want to see a prototype as soon as possible!"

"Yes, Mr. Stanislav!" the three replied in unison, their voices filled with a mixture of fervor and tension.

Obadiah waved them away. The warehouse door closed again, leaving him alone. He walked to the workbench, picked up a relatively clear drawing of a leg structure, his fingers trembling slightly from the pressure. The rough lines and riveted structures on the drawing were completely different from the elegant and precise weapon designs Tony remembered; they exuded a violent aesthetic.

"Tony... my good nephew..." Obadiah's voice was low and venomous, like a viper's hiss, "You think shutting down the Department of Weapons will stop me? You think you can save the world with those clean energy gadgets? Naïve!" He clenched the blueprints into a ball, then slowly released them, his eyes turning incredibly cold and greedy. "Your reactor... your technology... and the entire Stark Industries... will all be mine! You must disappear!"

He pulled out his phone and dialed an encrypted number: "It's me. The plan is ahead of schedule. Target: the Arc Reactor in Tony Stark's chest. At any cost, get it as quickly as possible."

In the top-floor laboratory, Tony had been working continuously for nearly six hours. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was a mess from his own rough handling, and discarded design drafts and energy bar packaging were scattered around him. On the holographic projection, a brand-new, more sophisticated toroidal reactor structure was slowly rotating, with simulated data refreshing like a waterfall next to it.

"No! Still no luck!" Tony grabbed the virtual keyboard in frustration, his fingers flying as he typed commands. "The magnetic confinement field is oscillating at peak output, causing the energy dissipation rate to skyrocket! Jarvis, recalculate the field distribution and add a dynamic damping algorithm! Materials! I need more stable materials!"

"Sir, the target output power you set has exceeded the theoretical limits of existing materials. Forcing an increase may lead to..."

"There are no limits! Only limits that haven't been broken yet!" Tony growled, ripping open his shirt to reveal the reactor on his chest. He pressed his fingers hard against the cold metal edge, as if trying to extract more inspiration from it. "Listen, Jarvis, it's right here on my chest! It proves miniaturization is possible! I have to do it! I have to be better!"

Ethan walked over with a glass of water and gently placed it on the edge of the worktable. "Tony, take a break. You haven't slept in ages."

Tony didn't even look up. "No time to rest, Ethan. Obi won't give me any. He got the blueprints for the Mark I, and Project Iron Monger has definitely been launched. I have to perfect Mark II before he builds that monster, and this..." He pointed to the new reactor on the projection, "This is the future, our capital to fight those monsters."

"But you'll wear yourself out like this," Ethan said worriedly.

"Then let's just collapse from exhaustion!" Tony's voice carried an almost self-destructive obsession. "It's better than getting stabbed in the back by that old bastard Obby!"

Just then, the lab door slid open again. Little Chili walked in, her face showing undisguised exhaustion, but her eyes remained resolute. She held a document in her hand.

"Tony, the board has temporarily suppressed the situation, but Obadiah's backlash is very strong. He has joined forces with several major shareholders and is preparing to launch a vote of no confidence against you." She handed over the documents. "In addition, he just signed a huge purchase order for heavy-duty special steel and high-energy-density battery packs, nominally for stockpiling 'new energy equipment'."

Tony took the document, glanced at it, and sneered, "New energy equipment? Ha! He can't even be bothered to hide it properly! Heavy steel? Battery packs? He's building his iron turtle!" He casually tossed the document aside, his gaze fixed intently on Pepper. "Pepper, keep a close eye on all his cash flow and procurement channels. Also, contact the military, especially Rhodes; I need to know their true reaction to shutting down the weapons department."

"It's already being made." Pepper nodded, a pang of pain shooting through her as she looked into Tony's tired yet unusually bright eyes. She walked to his side, picked up the glass of water Tony had ignored, and held it to his lips: "Have some water."

Tony paused for a moment, then looked at the determination and concern in Pepper's eyes, and his tense anger dissipated slightly. He obediently took a few sips of water from her hand; the cool water slid down his dry throat, bringing a sense of clarity.

"Thank you," he said softly, his voice a little hoarse.

Chili put down her water glass, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently smoothed down a stray strand of his hair. This intimate gesture made them both stiffen slightly, and an awkward yet sweet atmosphere filled the air. Tony turned his face away uncomfortably, his ears quietly turning red.

"Tony," Pepper's voice was soft, "I know you're under a lot of pressure, but you're not alone. I'll help you, Ethan will help you, and..." She looked at Wang Huanbo, who had been standing quietly in the shadows in the corner.

Wang Huanbo seemed to sense her gaze and stepped out of the shadows. His expression remained calm, but his eyes were fixed on the reactor in Tony's chest, lost in thought.

"Old Wang," Tony looked at him with a hint of inquiry, "you seem quite interested in my little gadget?"

Wang Huanbo's gaze shifted from the reactor to Tony's face: "The energy source is ingenious, but the structure is flawed. The risk of overload is very high."

Tony raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Tell me about it?" He had a hint of the excitement that comes with being challenged, typical of a genius.

"Your magnetic confinement core sacrificed redundant buffering in pursuit of miniaturization and high power." Wang Huanbo's voice was calm and even, but it went straight to the point. "It's like a fully drawn bow; if the string is too taut, any unexpected energy disturbance could cause it to snap."

Tony's relaxed expression vanished, replaced by a serious look: "You understand this?"

"I don't understand your technological principles," Wang Huanbo shook his head, "but I've seen similar energy cores. Stability is far more important than peak power, especially in combat." He made a pointed remark.

Tony was silent for a few seconds, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the worktable. Wang Huanbo's words were like a needle, piercing his eagerness for quick success and forcing him to confront the risk he had deliberately ignored.

"Jarvis," Tony ordered in a deep voice, "reset the safety thresholds and add a level 3 redundancy buffer module. Power output... temporarily reduce by ten percent."

"Yes, sir."

Wang Huanbo knew he could easily help Tony solve the Obadiah problem, but based on the Iron Man movies he had watched, Tony was a very confident and proud person who wanted to solve the Obadiah problem himself, rather than having his "uncle" help him. Therefore, Wang Huanbo was only acting as an observer and advisor to help Tony create the Mark 2 Iron Man armor to deal with Obadiah.

Pepper watched this scene, a hint of surprise and gratitude flashing in her eyes. She hadn't expected that a single sentence from this mysterious Mr. Wang could change the mind of the stubborn Tony.

Wang Huanbo said no more and turned to walk towards the laboratory's huge floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the lights of New York City shone like a galaxy. His gaze was fixed on a certain direction deep within the city, as if he could see through the steel and concrete to the massive shadow that was starting up in the underground warehouse.

"Iron Monger..." he muttered to himself, only he could hear, "A crude imitation, born with greed and murderous intent. The storm is coming."

He raised his hand, his fingertips lightly tracing the cold glass, leaving almost imperceptible marks. The Beta Wand in his hand emitted a faint, warm glow.