C17: Tony
Although a part of Li Ran's heart burned with the impulse to rush to Tony Stark and farm a wave of legendary fame, he reined himself in with a dose of reality.
At this point in the timeline, Tony Stark had not yet undergone the crucible in Afghanistan that would forge him into Iron Man, the armored Avenger and founding member of the Avengers Initiative. Nevertheless, as the flamboyant CEO of Stark Industries and the most iconic billionaire playboy in all of New York, Stark's every action was a headline waiting to happen. On top of that, his father, Howard Stark, wasn't just a co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., he was a genius inventor whose legacy was deeply interwoven into the very bones of the Marvel Universe, from Project Rebirth to the Arc Reactor prototypes.
Expecting there to be no S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance around Tony? That was a fantasy Li Ran wouldn't buy even if Mephisto himself whispered it.
Li Ran even ventured a bold speculation: if Stark hadn't personally gone to Afghanistan to demo the Jericho missile, his crowning achievement in offensive weaponry then Obadiah Stane would likely have never found the opportunity to orchestrate the betrayal that ultimately led to Tony's captivity. That betrayal, in a twisted sense, was necessary. Without the Ten Rings, Yinsen's sacrifice, and the Mark I armor in that cave, there would be no Iron Man. No future Avengers. No Battle of New York.
So after all this contemplation, did Li Ran give up on seeking out Tony Stark?
Of course not.
With prior successes involving Daredevil, Matt Murdock, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and the recent chaos surrounding the Hulk's appearance in Manhattan, Li Ran had clearly seen the sharp disparity in the fame yield between mainstream superpowered figures and average citizens.
That disparity may have felt negligible when he was still dealing with basic, low-tier legend thresholds, such as unlocking a [Black Iron Treasure Chest] for a mere 1,000 points but later, when the system required tens of thousands of points for a Bronze or Silver-tier chest, and it took multiple New York civilians just to generate a 0.3 to 0.5 legend point each... well, clearly, chasing small names wouldn't cut it.
And more than that, the sudden emergence of the Hulk, a gamma-radiated juggernaut born from Bruce Banner's failed Super-Soldier experiment had instilled in Li Ran a growing sense of urgency.
The Hulk's rampage echoed a larger, approaching storm. It was a subtle but undeniable reminder: the first Battle of New York, the one with the Chitauri, the wormhole over Stark Tower, and Loki wielding the Mind Stone was fast approaching.
A battle like that? He wouldn't survive with only two D-Rank system cards in hand.
He needed to accelerate his plans.
"James, where are you?" he asked through the comm.
"Nowhere serious. Just out for a drink," came the reply.
Li Ran glanced toward the subtle glimmer of golden hair lying across his bedroom sheets, then chuckled and responded with a smile.
…
The next morning, nearly every major New York outlet, The Daily Bugle, The New York Bulletin, WJBP-TV ran headlines on the "gas explosion" incident in Manhattan.
Under the subtle manipulation of military censors, possibly backed by General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross himself, the Hulk's rampage was officially chalked up to a natural gas pipeline failure.
Even though a few stubborn media outlets, like J. Jonah Jameson's Daily Bugle, were chasing the truth with dogged determination, the narrative was already set. And truth, in a city like this, was often drowned out by noise.
"I swear, I saw that green monster tear through the theater. I even kept the movie ticket stub to prove it."
"There was this Asian guy, just kicked a giant concrete block like it was a soccer ball. It was unreal. I went straight to Chinatown to find a Kung Fu master. Ended up in a dojo run by a Korean guy teaching karate, but still."
Other than a minor boost to Li Ran's legend gauge, the Hulk incident quickly slipped from public consciousness. New Yorkers, ever forgetful, were soon back to griping about subway delays and overpriced coffee.
…
"Hogan, don't forget to wash the Audi. I've got a hot date tonight."
Tossing the keys to Happy Hogan, his loyal bodyguard and driver, Tony Stark strode into the glass-paneled entrance of Stark Tower with that signature smirk plastered on his face.
"You're late, Tony," Pepper Potts called out, glancing down at her tablet for the umpteenth time.
"Everyone's waiting in the boardroom."
"Easy there, Miss Potts," Tony replied, raising an eyebrow. "It's just a quarterly briefing. You could've run the whole thing yourself. You know you're basically my better half, professionally speaking."
Despite herself, Pepper smiled at the compliment, then regained her composure. "You're Tony Stark. These shareholders are here for you."
"Well then, it's only fitting that the star of the show makes a grand entrance," Tony quipped.
"Tony…"
"Alright, alright." He held up his hands in surrender. "Fine. I overslept."
"I know, because J.A.R.V.I.S. told me he was instructed to delay your wake-up call by an hour."
Tony grinned. "Guilty. But you know I'm a night owl."
"A night owl who goes out on too many dates."
"Pepper, you do know me."
As her expression darkened, Tony smoothly shifted gears. "So, what's the meeting about?"
"Stark Industries' stock prices. There's been an uptick in Hammer Industries' shares. Rumor is, one of their latest models got picked up by the U.S. Army for standardization. The shareholders are… anxious."
"All that fuss over Justin Hammer's budget tin cans?"
"Shareholders want reassurance, Tony."
Tony sighed, nodding.
As their eyes met, a rare moment of professional solidarity passed between them. Tony squared his shoulders and pushed open the conference room door.
Inside, the atmosphere was tense. Tony's gaze immediately locked with Obadiah Stane's, his father's old friend and now a senior board member. Stane offered a thin smile.
"Sorry, got caught in traffic," Tony said, breezing past the tension with practiced ease.
…
"Mr. Stark, perhaps you can explain why Stark Industries hasn't unveiled any new R&D breakthroughs lately?" a stern-faced shareholder demanded. "Many of us feel your... flamboyant lifestyle reflects a lack of commitment to the company's future."
"There's nothing to explain, Mr. Lister," Tony replied coolly. "If you and your associates don't have confidence in the company, you're free to sell your shares. I won't lose sleep."
The room stiffened. Pepper's expression shifted uneasily behind him.
"Tony," she warned.
It was Obadiah Stane's calm interjection that finally defused the heat. Ever the seasoned manipulator, Stane raised a hand, his tone pacifying.
Tony exhaled, then stepped forward, addressing the entire board.
"I know there've been concerns. I'm here today to remind everyone how we got here. Stark Industries isn't just about stock performance or quarterly metrics. It's about innovation."
He tapped his temple.
"It's about this. The intellect. The vision. The audacity to create what others think impossible."
He paused, scanning the room.
"And just so we're clear, I already have a concept for our next project. Give me a little time, and you'll all see what true innovation looks like."
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