Chapter 1034: Startling Mundane Matters (Part Eleven) (Patreon)

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Stark took a deep breath and turned to Bucky, asking, "You mentioned there was a secure box of confidential documents in the wreckage of the car. What was inside?"

Bucky shook his head and replied, "I don't know. When I saw that box, it was already burnt to pieces."

However, Stark sensed the issue keenly. He said, "Would a security box made by Stark Industries be reduced to ashes by a car explosion and fire? Even in 1991, that's highly improbable..."

After carefully recollecting, Bucky said, "No, it didn't look like something made by Stark Industries, or even in the U.S. style."

Stark paused for a moment and muttered, "Soviet Union?"

After parting ways with Bucky, Stark had no time for philosophical pondering. Now, he faced a more pressing concern: the possibility of ulterior motives behind Howard's death.

Back at Stark Tower, Stark began searching through past records relentlessly. However, the production records from that period were not detailed, and there was no mention of any secure box. With no other option, Stark had to turn to Obadiah. After all, Obadiah had been Howard's longtime companion.

Obadiah had been dealing with business matters at Stark Industries. He wasn't surprised when Stark sought him out, but in response to Stark's questions, Obadiah didn't provide a clear answer. He simply said:

"Tony, at that time, you hadn't formally inherited the conglomerate, so you might not be aware that around 1990, Stark Industries faced the largest sanctions in history."

"Before, I heard that the military wanted to force you to hand over technology. But have you ever considered that your father might have faced the same thing?"

Obadiah lightly tapped the table, his tone tinged with lament. He said, "At that time, the world order was set. The behemoth across the ocean was already doomed. It was a frenzy."

"But some weren't content with just dividing the spoils. With no more Soviet Union threat, they could freely incite war and sell arms. They weren't satisfied with previous profits; they wanted control over everything."

"At that time, many extremists saw it as an opportunity to unify the world. They urgently needed power, technology, and formidable killing machines."

Obadiah sighed, stood up from the table, and looked out the window. "I know you've always resented your father. In his final moments of clarity, which were few, he was often drunk. But you have to understand, he faced pressures far greater than yours."

"He was a savvy businessman, always chasing fame and fortune. But in his final moments, he was in agony because he still believed he was human, with some semblance of humanity."

"Sorry, Tony, no one has told you all these years, but back then, we all had a premonition." Obadiah took a deep breath, ran his hand through his graying hair, and continued, "Perhaps you know that the technology for the first Arc Reactor was developed jointly by your father and a Soviet Union individual."

"Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Vanko committed suicide. He abandoned the peaceful and comfortable environment to return to his homeland, but he couldn't change anything."

"Before he died, he entrusted the results of years of efforts to improve the Arc Reactor to your father, Howard Stark."

Stark widened his eyes; this was incredulous to him. In his mind, the Soviet Union and the U.S. were supposed to be enemies. How could a Soviet Union individual hand over technology to an American?

"I know you're wondering why he didn't give this technology to his compatriots. Tony, if he still truly believed in his compatriots, if he had anyone to rely on, he wouldn't have resorted to desperate suicide."

"Even in his final letter, he expressed more hatred towards his so-called compatriots than the Americans."

Stark had a premonition, so he asked, "So, that technology..."

"Unfortunately, at that time, there were internal upheavals in their country. Vanko thought he had kept it secret well, but he had been watched all along. As soon as Howard got hold of this technology, the CIA approached him, and the military got wind of it too."

Obadiah turned back to face Stark, standing in front of him. "You and your father are too alike. In such circumstances, what would you do?"

Stark pondered for a moment. Anger flashed in his eyes during the eye contact, and he said, "I'd rather be shattered than compromised. If they tried to coerce me into handing over this technology, and I couldn't resist, then no one would get it."

"Your father chose the same."

Stark froze for a moment, then as if realizing something, he staggered back a few steps. He heard Obadiah say, "Howard kept retreating, relinquishing many technologies, including some advancements in human enhancement and mechanization."

"CIA and the military wouldn't just let it go. Howard kept tolerating, compromising, and reality kept crushing his pride, leaving him to numb his pain with alcohol."

"For the sake of his family, he thought he could endure it indefinitely. Until one day, he realized they had set their sights on you. It's not surprising; you were Howard's only weakness."

"Howard understood they wouldn't give up because of his concessions. Those damned hyenas would only keep tearing into him, biting off every piece of him. So, he decided he wouldn't endure it any longer."

"But Howard's talents were constrained by the era and the state of basic science. He didn't have a steel combat suit; he was just an ordinary man, with almost no means to confront seasoned Agents."

"And by then, societal pressure had pushed him and Stark Industries into a corner with no way out."

"But he didn't intend to give up. Howard knew the CIA could track his every move, so he deliberately took the materials with him while also carrying a self-destruct device installed in the car's engine."

"Howard was the last person holding onto this technology. With his death, no one would get their hands on the Ark Reactor's technology."

Stark's eyes reddened, as if he could already see Howard's hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, his eyes revealing madness. He was a man pushed to the brink, a father with no retreat left.

Obadiah stepped forward, patting Tony's shoulder, and said, "Don't blame him for abandoning you. At that time, he had no other choice."

"Even if he handed over that portion of the materials, the military would still covet his genius brain, hoping Howard could produce inhumane killing machines for them..."

"Your father, though a businessman who built his fortune on arms sales, may not have had noble principles, but at least he wanted to give you a broader future, not repeat his mistakes, and spend his life atoning for his sins of birth."

Stark closed his eyes in agony, and Obadiah offered a bitter smile. He said, "Your father installed a Black Box in that car. The footage from his final moments was transmitted back. I knew who did it long ago, but I didn't tell you. Do you know why?"

Stark looked at him with tear-filled eyes, and Obadiah met his gaze, speaking in a somber tone, "Guess who the technology used in Sergeant Bucky Barnes' mechanical arm came from?"

Stark, despairing and in pain, closed his eyes. Now he understood what Bucky meant by Howard's surprise before his death.

Perhaps Howard was indeed surprised by the identity of his killer. After all, Bucky had previously been a soldier fighting for his country, but now he had become a killer for Hydra.

But what surprised him more was the possibility that Stark Industries' technology had been used in Bucky's mechanical arm.

But that was entirely plausible. In that era, Stark Industries represented the pinnacle of mechanical engineering technology. Howard was a pioneer in modern mechanical engineering. This seemingly advanced technology for that time could only come from him.

Stark thought, perhaps it was because Howard recognized the technology on that arm and noticed Sergeant Barnes' abnormal mental state, connecting it to the reason he became a killer, that he resolutely pressed the button to end this endless tragedy.

Stark was almost unsteady on his feet. He leaned against the table, half kneeling on its side. Obadiah stood opposite him and said, "Your father was just a businessman, not a great man, but he was still your father."

"He might not have been a good person or a good father, but at least, in his final moment, he made a foolish decision against the greed inherent in businessmen, preserving a shred of noble intention. This allows you to reminisce about the good times without having to cover up or feel guilty, to have something to rely on."

After a moment of silence, Stark suddenly stood up, activated the Iron Man suit, and burst through the glass façade of the building, soaring into the New York sky.

A silent roar erupted from his chest. Citizens of New York only saw a bright meteor streak across the skyline. When he stopped, Spider-Man swung to the rooftop of the building.

Spider-Man, unusually serious, didn't greet him with his usual light tone but said, "Mr. Stark, there's something I need to talk to you about..."

Stark stood silently on the edge of the building. Spider-Man sensed something was off with his mood, but when it came time to speak, he could only force himself to say, "I just came back from the hospital. Gwen's father, who is also the chief of the New York police station, George, is injured and hospitalized."

Spider-Man approached and stood shoulder to shoulder with Iron Man, looking at the distant skyline. He sighed and said, "But he wasn't injured by criminals; he was injured by the shuttle's defense system..."

Spider-Man lowered his head and continued, "Yesterday, the same day I mentioned my spider-web shooter getting stuck by the safety system of the new combat suit, was the day I missed the case George was handling."

"A soon-to-be-laid-off bus driver rushed the shuttle with explosives. Because of the malfunction in my combat suit, I couldn't stop him in time. So George went in alone, intending to subdue him."

"But George was too busy with work. He forgot his transit card when changing uniforms. He didn't have it with him, but the criminal did."

"I know the shuttle's defense system is sophisticated. It issues three warnings if someone hasn't swiped their card. After three warnings, it won't directly attack. As long as the person without the card stays in place or moves slowly, the defense system won't activate; it'll just keep reminding them."

"Only those who haven't swiped their card, move at high speed, and have dangerous items on them, making aggressive actions, might trigger the defense system. It's reasonable because it's to prevent crazies from rushing the gates."

"But George was eager to catch the criminal and charged in. The result was that although the criminal was knocked down by the defense system, George was hit too."

"Although the bullets used by the shuttle's defense system are stun rounds, causing only temporary paralysis and no bleeding, George had previous injuries and a slight heart condition. The shock from the stun affected his heart, and he's still undergoing treatment in the hospital."

Spider-Man's tone was somber as he continued, "Although George isn't in critical condition, Gwen is still worried, crying a lot."

Iron Man turned his head to look at him and said, "What are you trying to say? Do you think this is my fault? So you'd rather wear your old combat suit than wear the new one?"

"No, Mr. Stark, my new combat suit is being serviced..."

"Why don't you let me make you another one?"

"I... Mr. Stark, calm down..."

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1035: Astonishing Mundanity (Twelve)