The truth was undeniable: the world of Oasis was completely and utterly irresistible.
Not even Iron Man himself could escape its charm.
Tony Stark's first visit to the Second World lasted a staggering eleven hours. He was only forcibly logged out by the system because his real-world body was about to faint from hunger.
And even then—he was still buzzing with excitement.
"I'm sold on this deal," Tony declared, his eyes gleaming as he stared across the room at Joseph.
Surprisingly, despite staying up all night immersed in Oasis, he didn't feel tired at all. On the contrary, his body felt relaxed, refreshed—invigorated, even. It was as if he'd just gotten a full night of restful sleep.
That realization stunned him more than anything else.
"Wait… I was resting my body and mind… while gaming?" he murmured. "This technology... it's completely beyond anything I've ever seen. It breaks the rules!"
From the nearby sofa, Joseph stirred, yawning as he stretched out lazily. He had slept through the night on a luxurious leather couch, entirely unconcerned.
He looked at Tony with half-lidded eyes. "You sure about this? You don't want to think it over? After all, Stark Industries is still an arms manufacturer. This could shift your entire business model."
Tony rolled his eyes. "Joseph, I'm a billionaire playboy—not an idiot."
He walked over to the bar, poured himself a drink, and turned back with conviction. "You've built a fully immersive, lifelike virtual world. In there, everyday people can live out their fantasies—travel, battle, explore, even become heroes. Meanwhile, those with greater ambition can chase godlike power and reshape reality as they see fit. Just think about that…"
Tony's voice grew more intense with each word.
"I've seen a lot of tech. I've developed a lot of it myself. But Oasis? This isn't just software or entertainment—it's the beginning of an entirely new civilization."
He pointed to the glowing game bracelet on his wrist.
"People will give up everything to be part of this. Because for the first time in history, they won't have to imagine another life—they can live it."
He chuckled, but his tone was deadly serious.
"This is an epoch-making invention. Once it launches, it'll take the world by storm. And when that happens? Second World Technologies will make more money than any arms contract ever could."
He leaned in closer.
"For Stark Industries, this isn't just a smart business move—it's the business move. There's more money in dreams than in bullets."
Joseph smiled faintly, but said nothing.
Tony, now pacing, stopped in front of him and dropped his final offer. "I'm in. I accept all three of the conditions you mentioned. On top of that, I'll open up Stark Industries' global factories, our entire manufacturing network, and our transport lines. So tell me, Joseph…"
He paused.
"How much equity does that get me?"
Joseph didn't hesitate. "Ten percent."
Tony blinked. "Ten percent?"
"That's right," Joseph said calmly, swirling a glass of wine. "Ten percent of the company."
There was no trace of a joke in his voice.
Tony stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment. That figure… it was absurdly low. From a business standpoint, he should've walked out immediately.
But then he thought about it.
The artificial intelligence behind Oasis? Joseph had created it alone. Alice was almost on par with his own J.A.R.V.I.S.—and Tony never said that lightly.
Then there was the clean, powerful Arc Reactor built into the game infrastructure. If Joseph hadn't tipped him off about the new element needed to stabilize it, Tony never would have found a replacement for palladium in time.
Even his status as "Chief Experience Officer" wasn't guaranteed. Joseph could have given that title to anyone.
All things considered… Tony wasn't really contributing that much. Just some production lines, a global delivery system, and a few factories.
For access to this revolutionary world?
He wasn't being undercut. He was being gifted a golden opportunity.
"Alright," Tony finally said. "Ten percent it is."
He exhaled and gave Joseph a firm nod.
Then a thought hit him. "Wait a minute—if this deal is so good, why come to me? Why not take it to one of the international conglomerates? Why not rope in Google, or Apple, or the UN?"
Joseph didn't answer immediately. Instead, he thought quietly.
The truth was... because Tony Stark had power—power that few understood, and even fewer could match.
Yes, Tony's Iron Man suits gave him destructive power, but that wasn't the real reason.
Tony had something else—influence. His status as CEO of Stark Industries, the world's largest arms manufacturer, granted him reach into every major political and military institution on Earth. He had sway with generals, senators, presidents, and kings.
Why didn't any government pass a law banning Iron Man? Why was Tony able to ridicule the Senate during a hearing and still walk out unscathed?
Because behind every missile he built was a file—on every congressman, every defense secretary, every rival CEO.
Power wasn't just technology.
It was leverage.
And Joseph needed that leverage if he was going to protect Oasis.
Let the world call Mutants a threat. Let them call reality-bending dangerous. No one dared call Iron Man a menace. No one wanted to poke the bear that could bankrupt their armies with a single press release.
And that's why, to Joseph, giving Tony Stark a 10% stake was a bargain.
"Happy cooperation," Tony said, shaking Joseph's hand.
"Happy cooperation."
Just like that, the contract was signed, and the partnership was sealed.
Over the next few days, Joseph and his team—Katie and Jubilation Lee—settled into Stark Tower.
There were two primary goals.
First, to exchange notes and collaborate on refining the AI systems. Joseph was eager to see how J.A.R.V.I.S. could be integrated—or at least used as a benchmark for Alice's next evolution.
Second, Tony needed to begin work on developing a new element to replace palladium in the Arc Reactor. It wasn't just for his personal survival this time.
It was for powering Oasis.
Joseph's servers required an astronomical amount of energy to maintain a world indistinguishable from reality—especially one that could scale to millions of simultaneous players. No traditional power grid could support it.
But Tony's custom-built super reactor—the one installed in Stark Tower—had enough output to power an entire metropolitan region for over a year.
It was, without a doubt, the ideal energy core for Oasis.
And while Tony buried himself in element synthesis and reactor engineering, Joseph gave Katie and Jubilation Lee a new task.
"With the Chief Experience Officer confirmed, it's time to begin our official promotion campaign."
The two girls exchanged a grin. They had been waiting for this moment.
Three days later, the internet exploded.
Social media feeds were flooded. Trending pages shifted in seconds. Thousands of posts under a single headline:
"Shocking! The Famous Iron Man Caught Doing This in Broad Daylight..."
The posts featured screenshots and short clips taken from within Oasis. They showed Tony Stark—recognizably himself—racing across deserts in a chrome-plated Iron Man suit, battling mutant dinosaurs in Jurassic World, and walking calmly through alien landscapes as if he owned them.
People thought it was CGI. A movie leak. Some even assumed it was a new Marvel crossover.
But it wasn't.
It was real gameplay footage.
And the moment Joseph flipped the switch and confirmed its authenticity?
The world changed.
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