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*****
What a coincidence.
That was Clark's first impression of yesterday's events.
The sudden appearance of Obadiah and Justin Hammer's Iron Man suits was too coincidental.
There had been no hint or warning beforehand, and suddenly two people showed up at once.
It felt like everything had been prearranged.
Then, Justin Hammer's timing was suspicious as well.
When Tony was being chased, Justin Hammer just happened to put on his Iron Man suit and saved Tony?
But the problem was, with that bulky suit, it clearly took some time to get fully armored. Yet from the moment Obadiah started chasing Tony to the moment Tony was rescued was very short.
In such a brief window, Hammer would have had to leave the arena, suit up, and fly back — the time clearly didn't add up.
Besides that, Obadiah's self-destruction scene was too strange.
Someone trying to escape suddenly blowing himself up?
That meant the self-destruction wasn't Obadiah's choice but was controlled by someone else — very likely the person who provided Obadiah with the Iron Man suit.
Clark rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, was Tony's invention really so flawed that it was cracked in such a short time?"
He looked at Mike with a puzzled expression.
Mike chuckled. "Strictly speaking, the Arc Reactor wasn't Tony's original invention. He just miniaturized it into a form suitable for the Iron Man suit."
"There's a reactor in the Stark building — that was built by Howard."
"Uncle Howard?" Clark pondered. "Was that large reactor really built by Uncle Howard alone?"
"That's exactly the point," Mike smiled. "No, there was another person involved."
Clark's eyes brightened. "Could that other person be connected to these suddenly appearing Iron Man suits?"
"Dad, should we warn Tony?" Gwen asked.
Mike laughed softly. "If it's something we can think of, Tony's already thought of it. But… he's going to have a tough time ahead."
The Iron Man suit was no longer Tony's exclusive. There would be all kinds of doubt and criticism, and…
Mike glanced at an article in the newspaper and raised an eyebrow.
Justin Hammer wearing the Iron Man suit meant Hammer Industries now had the ability to produce Iron Man suits. This was a huge news story, rivaling even today's headline news.
And what Hammer said was even more tempting to many.
In half a month, Hammer Industries would showcase their Iron Man suit at the Stark Expo, where lucky visitors could be selected to try on the suit.
Try on the Iron Man suit — anyone can become Iron Man!
Justin Hammer announced that military officials were already in talks with Hammer Industries, showing strong interest in cooperation.
If the deal goes through, Hammer's Iron Man suits would change the future of warfare.
The military had coveted Tony's Iron Man suit for a long time. They even held hearings, hoping Tony would hand over the technology or collaborate to supply them with the suits.
But Tony refused to cooperate and even slapped the military hard at the hearing, mocking the imitators' arrogance.
But it hadn't been long before Hammer Industries unveiled their suit. Naturally, the military pounced like wolves, trying to finalize cooperation as quickly as possible.
Not only would they gain the suits, but they'd also humiliate Tony badly.
Chances are tomorrow's newspapers would be full of questions and even disparaging articles about Tony.
Tony's days ahead would be difficult — criticism and doubt would flood his world.
Though he didn't care about the doubts, feeling down over the Iron Man suit issue was inevitable. After all, it was something he'd poured his heart and soul into creating.
But giving up? That was impossible.
After all, he was a Stark. And Maria wouldn't stand by and watch her son fall apart.
She knew what Howard had prepared for Tony.
That thing would be crafted by Tony's hands, becoming a unique Stark invention that no one could copy.
When that day comes, Tony will use the facts to slap those doubters hard, standing tall as he points fingers at their fickle faces and declares: Stark is still Stark.
But none of this had anything to do with Mike. Tony and his team would handle it themselves — Mike wasn't Tony's dad.
What Mike was actually worried about now… was opening his shop.
Yes, he planned to open a small restaurant with flexible hours and a casual menu.
After all, he wasn't doing it for profit — just to pass time when bored.
From assassin to farmer and now on the verge of becoming a chef, Mike was delighted by the twists in his career path.
Just moments ago, father and son were hashing out theories about the Iron Man suits; now they were talking shop—literally.
"Hmm?"
Seeing Clark showing no sign of going to work, Mike flashed a sly grin. "Not heading into the office at a time like this? You weren't fired, were you?"
Clark sighed. "Since Lois and I nailed the interview, snagged the hot story, and got a bit shaken up, the editor-in-chief gave us three days off to recover."
"Lois?"
Mike's heart skipped a beat.
"Yeah," Clark replied evenly. "The editor wants me to shadow her—she's an exceptional reporter."
"Oh, I see." Mike inexplicably relaxed. "Three days is perfect. I'll use that time to sort out the restaurant. Let's aim to have everything ready by Lunar New Year."
Clark glanced at the calendar. "We've got just over ten days. It's tight but doable—once we pick a location."
He looked up at Mike. "Dad, are you thinking of renting or buying? And where do you want to open?"
"Hold that thought. I need to grab something."
With that, Mike dashed upstairs.
A moment later, he bounded back down, grinning and carrying a briefcase.
After moving the dishes aside, Mike popped it open.
Clark blinked, drawing in a sharp breath.
The case was stuffed with property deeds.
Just how much real estate had his dad hidden from the three of them?
Mike waved casually. "Take a look—see if there's a spot you like."
Clark rolled his eyes. "Dad, you must pay a fortune in taxes on these every year."
"Doesn't matter," Mike shrugged indifferently and headed into the kitchen.
Clark stared at the briefcase brimming with titles, methodically flipping through each one.
(End of Chapter)