"Sir, Miss Potz is here, and I suggest you tell ...... at once"

"Mute!"

The intelligent butler who opened his mouth to admonish was immediately silenced, and Pepper pushed open the door and walked in, probably the only one who could enter the underground laboratory without Tony's permission.

Since Tony was betrayed by his most trusted partner and completely broke with Obadi-Stein, years of love have been dissipated, and it has been difficult to trust others anymore. He used to treat the other party as a respectable elder, and to some extent, the bald CEO who wanted to kill himself actually took the role of a father in Howard's place.

It's just that with the passage of time, Obadai, as the person behind the scenes, is no longer willing to stand behind Tony, he has fought for it all his life, and finally all the honor is attributed to Stark and his sons, which makes the bald CEO suffer from greed and jealousy, and he wants to get back what belongs to him for so many years.

Thinking of Obadi, who died in the explosion of the industrial park, Tony's eyes dimmed, except for Pepper and Rod, he could no longer really trust anyone, in terms of his character, he didn't really believe in too many friends - after all, it was not easy to be friends with the arrogant Stark.

If you don't have a devilish body and angelic face that provoke men's hormones, nor do you have a strong mind that is gifted and intelligent, then at least you have to have a good temper and can tolerate Tony's caustic tongue and narcissistic tsundere all the time.

"Tony, I have eight thousand and eleven things that I have to discuss with you!" Pepper walked in menacingly.

Appointed by her employer as the new CEO of Stark Industries, Miss Secretary is both pleasantly surprised and stressed, and this giant company in the military industry is now a mess that is difficult to clean up.

Tony's insistence on shutting down the weapons manufacturing plant and depriving Stark Industries of its most important business was extremely disgruntled by the board of directors, and the sudden announcement of its entry into the energy field made the company suffer from the vigilance and hostility of those energy giants, although they have not shown any unusual behavior for the time being, but no one likes to have one more person to share the cake.

"It's good to leave the company's affairs to you, and you don't have to let me take care of it personally." Tony avoided Pepper's angry look.

He didn't want to tell the female secretary that he was going to die soon, and Pepper would definitely nag him to give up his Iron Man identity and go to the hospital for treatment.

But what can Tony, who has lost his steel armor, do? Continue to go back to the extravagant life of the old days? Or be a successful arms dealer, a cold-blooded capitalist?

People called him a playboy, a billionaire, a scientific genius...... But no one has ever said that Tony Stark is a hero.

He waited for half his life to get this opportunity, to become a better kind of person, to use his own ability to change the world, Tony wanted people to know that that the bohemian playboy is not only chasing beauty and drinking, but he can also do some good things with his hands.

"You can't lock yourself in the lab and let me handle everything for you!" Pepper's eyes were slightly red, this secretary lady, who had always been shrewd and capable, had been under tremendous pressure lately.

Even with mutants and the latest rise of the Fantastic Four to attract the focus of public opinion, Stark Industries is still in a precarious situation, without the support of the military to rely on, the former military industrial giant is like a piece of delicious fat, exuding an attractive aroma, pulling those hungry and ferocious wolves.

Just as after the fall of Watsonton, those greedy capitalists excitedly held their knives and forks, waiting to divide the sweet cake, and the same is true of Stark Industries, especially after announcing its entry into the energy field, an invisible pressure has multiplied, and the energy giants sitting at the top of the industry have looked down on this newly emerging provocateur with malicious indifference.

The pressure, combined with the company's heavy operational workload, had left Pepper exhausted, and she had longed for a broader stage to showcase her talents, but it was a bit overwhelming for her to shoulder a giant company on her own.

"I've called you more than 30 times and said I'm going to attend tonight's charity fundraiser, but you haven't even changed your clothes until now! This is a unique opportunity for Stark Industries to get back into the public eye and build a good reputation and momentum......"

"Why would I sit down with a bunch of hypocrites I don't know and talk about the future of the city, and then brag each other about it, as if New York is going to be better because of us...... In fact, the kindness of these people is just boring pity after earning enough money, just like when you walk down the street and see a beggar, you will take a few coins out of your pocket and throw them at him! ”

Tony interrupted the female secretary's chatter, he hated this kind of boring socializing, the palladium poisoning had not been solved, the Mark armor needed to be updated, there were a lot of things waiting for him to complete, it was really not worth wasting time on such an occasion.

At this time, Stark rarely misses the leisure time of the past, after all, he used to sit in a luxurious and comfortable office, chat casually with the Department of Defense or the Pentagon for dozens of minutes, throw a few gadgets to the other party, and a large number of orders will be given with both hands, to put it bluntly, this is simply easier than robbing a bank.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Stark Industries is in a mess, and its foray into the energy sector is not favorable, and the board of directors is quite unhappy with your decision...... Tony, you can't be as headstrong as you used to be! ”

Tony dodged Pepper's questioning, he jumped on the platform by the wall like a foolish child, and then threw away the Barnett Newman's art painting on it like garbage, and hung up the poster of Iron Man instead, and nodded his head in satisfaction: "Iron Man is more valuable than art, Pepper ......"

He turned his head and found that the secretary who had been working hard had disappeared outside the door, the "click" sound of high heels on the floor was fading away, and the relaxed expression on Tony's face froze little by little, like a clown actor after taking off his mask, looking at the crowd that had left the scene, his eyes showed a dim light.

A great sense of emptiness fills the heart, and this kind of fear and fear that one alone watches himself towards the end of his life, gradually devouring his heart, is unimaginable to others.

Sometimes Tony inexplicably feels that Playboy Stark has died in that cold, damp cave, and that it is only Iron Man who has returned to New York alive. In that powerful armor, there is actually a fragile soul.

"Tony Stark, who is not Iron Man, how can he be complete, instead of living mediocre, it is better to die like a superhero, at least someone will remember me."

Tony laughed, he thought about it carefully, changed into an expensive suit, and casually jumped into a luxury sports car in the underground garage, the roaring engine was like the roar of a beast, full of wild power.

"I love you, New York!"

With wanton shouts, the world's limited edition Koenigsegg rushed out, the whistling wind blowing Tony's face, and he enjoyed the vitality of life to the fullest.