Obadiah Stane?
Hearing that name from Lex, Lucas was genuinely surprised.
"Yes—exactly who you're thinking of," Lex said, tapping the armrest slowly.
"The Vice President and major shareholder of Stark Industries—Obadiah Stane."
"He's also the biggest competitor to LexCorp in the military and weapons sector."
Lucas frowned slightly.
At this stage, Tony Stark had only recently entered the family company. This was precisely the period when Obadiah held the strongest control over Stark Industries.
If Lucas remembered correctly, Obadiah in the original timeline was already dissatisfied with relying solely on North American military contracts.
He had extended Stark Industries' reach across the globe.
Especially in war-torn regions like the Middle East and Africa—places where Stark weapons were practically indispensable.
Of course, in this world, LexCorp existed.
Because of LexCorp's interference, Stark Industries could not monopolize all military contracts.
As a result, they had become even more aggressive—shifting toward developing nations, unstable regions, and even underground organizations to dump excess weapon stockpiles.
"Even so," Lucas asked, puzzled,
"why would Obadiah suddenly send people to assassinate you?"
"Did you steal his slice of the pie?"
Lex smiled with undisguised disdain.
"LexCorp has never bothered cooperating with those people. They're a bunch of bumpkins who don't understand the beauty of weapons technology."
He paused for a few seconds, thinking—then his brow relaxed.
"Regardless of his true objective, killing me was simply a means to achieve it."
Lucas understood immediately and chuckled.
"So as long as you're alive, he can't succeed. In that case, figuring out his exact goal isn't that important anymore."
"Then, Lex—what are you planning to do?"
Lex shrugged casually.
"Lucas, assassination is far too low-class. I won't use such crude methods—nor do I need to."
"The fact that he resorted to this proves one thing."
"In pure business competition, Obadiah Stane has already admitted defeat."
"So—now that we know who the enemy is, I have plenty of options."
"I promise you—Obadiah will pay the price."
As he finished speaking, Lex pulled a check from his jacket and handed it to Lucas.
"Thank you for your protection this time. Please accept this small token of appreciation."
Lucas glanced at the six zeros at the end of the amount, smiled with satisfaction, and slipped the check into his pocket.
Leaning back against the seat, Lex's lips curved into a mysterious smile.
He truly liked this new friend of his.
---
"What? The operation failed?"
New York.
Inside a luxurious mansion, Obadiah Stane sat on the living room sofa, frowning as he listened to a subordinate's report.
After finishing, the subordinate quickly added,
"Don't worry, sir. We've cleaned up all loose ends. Nothing will trace back to you."
Only then did Obadiah relax slightly.
"Good. Continue monitoring and infiltrating LexCorp. Any decisions or unusual movements—report them to me immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
"Oh, right," Obadiah suddenly asked.
"How's that kid Tony been lately?"
The subordinate thought for a moment.
"He's either in the lab at his villa or out drinking and chasing women. He hasn't done much else."
Obadiah sneered.
"Just as expected. Keep watching him."
"Yes, sir."
After hanging up, Obadiah took a deep breath.
"Damn you, Luthor… threatening my agents through federal channels just to sabotage me without getting your hands dirty?"
"Pray you never fall into my hands—or I'll make you regret it."
Bang!
A bullet slammed into the window from outside, instantly spider-webbing the glass with cracks.
"Shit!"
Obadiah jumped and dove behind the sofa.
"That was an anti-materiel rifle!"
Based on the caliber and sound alone, Obadiah—who had extensive experience testing weapons—instantly identified the firearm.
"Thank God I replaced all the windows with Tony's ultra-fiber bulletproof glass," he muttered grimly.
"Otherwise I'd be dead already."
Any new technology developed by the company—if it was useful to him—Obadiah always ensured he received a personal set as soon as possible.
If he were just an ordinary man, he'd already be chatting with demons in hell.
Soon, another shot rang out.
The cracked glass now erupted into countless fragments.
Yet thanks to the ultra-fiber's properties, the entire pane still held together—
until the next bullet struck the exact same spot.
Crash!
The window shattered completely.
Less than two seconds later, a fourth bullet streaked straight toward Obadiah, still hiding behind the sofa.
"Fuck!"
The moment the glass shattered, Obadiah twisted the bezel of his wristwatch three times and pressed the side button.
Hum—
A semi-transparent, pale-blue modular energy shield instantly enveloped him.
The sniper round struck the shield, sending rippling waves across its surface before losing all momentum.
Before Obadiah could even react, another bullet followed—
piercing straight through the reinforced sofa and slamming precisely into the back of the previous round.
Clang!
Visible distortions rippled violently across the blue shield.
"Damn it!" Obadiah roared.
"What the hell is security doing? Eliminate the threat—now!"
"Sir, we're on our way!"
"But the enemy's firepower is too strong—we can't get close!"
Gunfire erupted throughout the mansion, accompanied by intermittent screams.
"That bastard Luthor—this is retaliation, no doubt!" Obadiah cursed.
Another sniper round slammed into the shield.
This time, he didn't dare move.
His men had already reported that there might be more than one sniper.
If he repositioned carelessly and gave another shooter a firing angle, he'd be finished.
Once again, Obadiah silently thanked himself for trusting Tony's genius inventions.
Otherwise, this assassination attempt alone would've been more than enough to kill him.
---
Meanwhile, over 800 meters away, atop a nearby hillside—
Floyd Lawton lay prone, calmly firing.
After assessing the situation, he eliminated two approaching bodyguards near the base of the hill, pinning the rest in place.
Then he stood up, dismantled his sniper rifle, and erased all traces of his presence.
By the time the guards rushed up the hill, the assassin had already vanished without a trace.
"All right," Floyd said into his phone,
"we're even now."
"Hey, my dear Lawton—I consider you a friend," a voice replied from the other end.
Floyd's face darkened.
"Since when do friends threaten each other's daughters?"
__
T/N:
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