Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

A black, armored limousine silently pulled up in the driveway of Tony's Malibu villa. Tony opened the door, staring at the floor-to-ceiling windows riddled with bullet holes from the explosions, and couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, that's bulletproof glass I had custom-made for three million dollars!"

Wang Huanbo followed him out of the car, his gaze sweeping over the bushes surrounding the villa, a barely perceptible glint of cold light flashing in his eyes. The S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance team was already in place, with at least three sniper positions and two infrared monitoring devices, well hidden.

"Forget about the glass," Wang Huanbo said calmly. "Obadia won't give you time to renovate. The Ten Commandments' assassination attempt failed, and he has no way out. He'll use the most direct and insane methods next."

Tony's nonchalant expression vanished instantly. He pulled out his phone and dialed Pepper's number, his voice urgent: "Pepper, go to the company archives immediately and retrieve all unregistered weapons shipment records from the past three years, especially those destined for the Middle East. Also, check Obadiah's personal account statements; don't overlook any suspicious large transfers. I need all the evidence of his arms smuggling."

"Tony, are you alright? I just saw the news, your villa was attacked!" Pepper's voice on the other end of the phone was full of worry.

"I'm fine, Old Wang's here." Tony glanced at Wang Huanbo beside him, his tone unusually serious. "Listen, Pepper, Obadiah is the mole. The kidnapping, the weapons leak, tonight's assassination—it was all his doing. We have to get the evidence that will put him in jail before he's driven to desperation."

"I understand, I'll go right now." Pepper hung up the phone immediately without any hesitation.

The two entered the villa, and Jarvis immediately activated the whole-house repair program. A robotic arm extended from the ceiling and began clearing away debris and repairing the walls. Tony headed straight for the underground laboratory, muttering as he walked, "Damn it, the thing I hate most in this life is betrayal, especially being betrayed by people I consider family."

Wang Huanbo followed behind him, watching him angrily rip off his tie and throw it on the ground, and said, "He's not your family. Howard kept him in the company back then only because of his business acumen; he never truly trusted him."

Tony stopped in his tracks and turned around abruptly: "How do you know? My dad never told me any of this."

"Howard told me this when we were drinking," Wang Huanbo said calmly, leaning against the lab doorframe. "He said Obadiah was too ambitious and too ruthless; he could be used, but not trusted. It's a pity he left too soon, before he could warn you."

Tony paused for a few seconds, then turned and walked back to his worktable, his voice low and somber: "That old man, he keeps everything to himself."

He walked to the workbench, picked up a titanium alloy plate, and began polishing the armored components of the Mark III. After tonight's battle, he realized that the Mark II still had significant deficiencies in protection and firepower, especially when facing heavy firepower attacks, the weak points at the joints were too fatal.

Wang Huanbo walked to the metal shelf beside him and picked up the prototype of the first-generation Ark Reactor—the one he had taken from Howard's Archives. A deep blue light flowed quietly in his palm, carrying the warmth of time.

"Keep this." Wang Huanbo handed the prototype to Tony.

Tony looked up, shook his head, and said, "No, I can still use the one on my chest. Besides, this is the result of your and Dad's hard work; I can't accept it."

"This isn't a souvenir for you." Wang Huanbo placed the prototype on the workbench in front of him. "Obadia knows he can't build a miniature reactor, so he'll definitely come and take it from you. Keep a spare, just in case."

Tony picked up the prototype, his fingertips brushing against the cold metal shell, still bearing the weld marks from decades ago. He looked at the familiar, eerie blue light in his palm, a mix of emotions welling up inside him. This was the masterpiece of his father and Wang Huanbo in their youth, the starting point of his Iron Man legend.

"Understood." He carefully placed the prototype into the drawer of the workbench, but his words were still sharp. "But you underestimate me. If he dares to come, I'll make sure he doesn't leave alive. My palm cannon is no joke."

Wang Huanbo did not refute, but instead looked up at the ventilation duct of the laboratory, his eyes narrowing slightly. He could clearly sense a faint sound wave slowly seeping in, with an extremely low frequency, specifically targeting the human nervous system.

coming.

"Tony, don't speak." Wang Huanbo's voice suddenly lowered. "Hold your breath. It's a low-frequency sonic weapon."

Tony's expression changed, and he was about to speak when he suddenly felt a violent dizziness. His limbs instantly lost all strength, as if all the bones had been removed. The file in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," and his body slumped backward.

Wang Huanbo caught him and simultaneously circulated the light energy within his body to dissipate the sound waves that had invaded his body. He could hear heavy footsteps coming from the stairwell, each step carrying undisguised killing intent.

The laboratory door was slowly pushed open, and Obadiah Stanislav's tall, obese figure appeared in the doorway. He held a black sound generator in his hand, a ferocious and smug smile on his face.

"Good evening, Tony." Obadiah's voice was deep and husky, like a viper's hiss. "And Mr. Wang. I never expected you to be immune to my sonic weapon. But it doesn't matter, Tony is already crippled."

Wang Huanbo helped Tony to a chair, slowly turned around, his eyes as cold as knives: "You shouldn't have come here, Obadiah."

"Shouldn't I have come?" Obadiah laughed maniacally. "Why shouldn't I have come? Everything here should have been mine! Stark Industries, the Arc Reactor, and the entire global arms market! They're all mine!"

He walked step by step toward Tony, his smile twisting into a grimace: "You think you've won, Tony? You think you're a hero just because you shut down the weapons department and became some damn Iron Man? You're nothing but a spoiled brat, squandering your father's inheritance!"

"You have no idea the power of weapons, no idea what power tastes like! Only I, only I, am worthy to control Stark Industries! Only I can make it the true ruler of the world!"

Obadiah walked up to Tony, knelt down, and looked at him slumped helplessly in the chair, his eyes filled with cruel pleasure. He reached out and slowly made his way toward Tony's chest.

"Don't touch him!" Wang Huanbo shouted coldly, raising his hand to slap Obadiah.

"Don't come any closer!" Obadiah suddenly pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Tony's temple. "Take one more step and I'll blow his head off!"

Wang Huanbo froze instantly. He could kill Obadiah before he pulled the trigger, but he dared not gamble. Tony was now completely incapacitated; even the slightest mistake could have irreversible consequences.

"A wise choice." Obadiah smiled smugly, his fingers finally touching the Arc Reactor on Tony's chest.

Tony's eyes were filled with anger and resentment. He struggled desperately, but couldn't move a single finger. He could only watch helplessly as Obadiah ripped the blue core that held him alive from his chest!

A sharp pain instantly swept through Tony's body. He coughed up blood, his face turning deathly pale. Blood streamed from the wound in his chest, and without the magnetic field restraining the reactor, the remaining shrapnel began to slowly move towards his heart.

"Tony!" Wang Huanbo's expression changed, and he wanted to rush over.

"Halt!" Obadiah took a step back, gun in hand, while raising the arc reactor, which emitted a ghostly blue light, high in his other hand. A fanatical smile spread across his face. "Perfect! Absolutely perfect! With this, my Iron Monger will become the most powerful weapon in the world!"

He looked at Tony, who was slumped in a chair, barely alive, his eyes icy: "Goodbye, my good nephew. You should feel honored; your heart will be the first step in my conquest of the world."

After saying that, he turned and ran towards the laboratory door. He knew how formidable Wang Huanbo was and dared not linger. Once he returned to the underground laboratory and installed the reactor on the Iron Monger, he would no longer have to fear anyone.

The moment Obadiah disappeared through the doorway, Wang Huanbo rushed to Tony's side. He used the light energy within his body to protect Tony's heart and slow the movement of the shrapnel.

"Tony, hang in there!" Wang Huanbo's voice carried a hint of urgency that was barely perceptible. "The spare reactor is in the drawer of the workbench. I'll install it for you."

Tony blinked with difficulty, his vision already blurring. He could feel his life slipping away bit by bit, the excruciating pain in his chest almost making him lose consciousness. But he gritted his teeth, using his last bit of strength, and pointed to the drawer on the workbench.

Wang Huanbo immediately opened the drawer and took out the prototype of the first-generation Arc Reactor. He moved quickly and precisely, carefully embedding the prototype into Tony's chest and connecting the wires.

Buzz—

The eerie blue light flared up again, and steady energy instantly flowed into Tony's body. The shrapnel that was heading towards his heart was re-restrained, and the excruciating pain in his chest eased considerably. Tony gasped for breath, and a sliver of color finally returned to his face.

"Phew..." Tony let out a long breath, looked at the familiar blue light on his chest, and smiled weakly. "Luckily you had the foresight, Old Wang. Otherwise, I really would be done for today."

"Don't talk, conserve your energy." Wang Huanbo helped him to his feet. "Obadiah has already taken the reactor to Stark Industries headquarters. He'll install it on the Iron Monger immediately. We must get there before he finishes, or the consequences will be unimaginable."

Tony nodded, his gaze hardening. He looked at the newly assembled gold and red Mark III armor beside the workbench, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Jarvis, activate Mark III." Tony's voice was hoarse but full of power. "I'm going to tear that bastard to pieces with my own hands."

"Yes, sir. Mark III is starting up. All systems have completed self-checks. It has sufficient power and is ready to be worn at any time."

The robotic arm slowly extended, precisely attaching the gold and red armor pieces to Tony's body. Leg armor, torso armor, arm armor... Finally, the helmet fell off with a soft "click".

Iron Man is ready to go again.

Wang Huanbo also took out his Beta Wand, ready to transform at any moment. He looked at Tony and said in a deep voice, "I'll go with you."

"No need." Tony shook his head, his eyes behind the mask filled with unwavering resolve. "This is between Obadiah and me, and I must settle it personally. You take good care of Pepper for me; she should still be in the company archives. Obadiah has definitely left people to deal with her."

Wang Huanbo was silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded: "Okay. Be careful. If you encounter any danger, call me immediately."

"Don't worry." Tony raised his hand, and his palm cannon glowed with a dazzling blue light. "I'm Iron Man."

As soon as he finished speaking, the skylight on the top of the laboratory opened again. The thrusters under the Mark III spewed blue flames, lifting the golden-red figure straight into the sky, speeding towards the Stark Industries headquarters.

Wang Huanbo stood there, watching Tony's figure disappear into the night sky, his eyes deep. He took out his phone and dialed Pepper's number: "Pepper, leave Stark Industries immediately. Obadiah has obtained the reactor, and his men are on their way to capture you."

Pepper's panicked voice came through the phone: "What? I just got evidence of his arms smuggling!"

"Forget about the evidence, save your life first! I'm coming to pick you up right now." Wang Huanbo hung up the phone, and in a flash, he rushed out of the villa.

In the darkness of night, two figures sped off in the same direction. A final showdown that would determine the fate of Stark Industries and the future of Iron Man was about to begin on the rooftop of Stark Industries.