"Hurry up, Yinsen, we don't have much time," Tony Stark said nervously, listening to the increasing noise outside and watching the progress bar on the computer. Stark's heart was filled with anxiety, gradually turning into despair.
He could already hear the voices of the terrorists outside. However, according to the progress bar, it would take at least another minute before the iron armor could move.
With Tony Stark's intelligence and mental arithmetic abilities, he calculated that within a dozen seconds, the terrorists would reach the door—exactly half a minute before the armor would be fully activated.
'Is this God's will? Retribution for me making these weapons...' A desperate thought flashed through Stark's mind. At that moment, Yinsen took a deep breath, picked up a weapon, and prepared to rush out.
"Hey, Yinsen..." Stark was shocked. He knew very well that if Yinsen charged out like that, it would surely be a death sentence.
The future Iron Man was just about to stop him when he suddenly felt a vibration under his feet.
Faintly, he could hear what the terrorists were shouting. During his captivity, Tony Stark had already grasped the terrorists' language.
Vaguely, he heard them shouting, "The cave entrance is going to collapse!" "Earthquake!"
Earthquake? Stark was slightly stunned, but the shaking stopped after just a dozen seconds. Even the palace-like structure inside the cave remained largely unaffected. Only the terrorists panicked and fled the cave.
"God's will! Thank God! Hahaha, it seems that God still wants me to atone for my sins. Destiny is with me!" Having just been praying moments ago, and now saved from certain death, even a shallow believer like Tony Stark found his faith surging. Without hesitation, he donned the armor and turned to Yinsen.
"Follow me! I'll lead you out. Let me show you our masterpiece!"
After the two rushed out, Shin slowly revealed himself in the cave, chuckling. "God? Hahahaha."
The so-called earthquake had naturally been created by Shin using Earth Release. The origin of the tremor was precisely at the center of the cave's passageways. In the eyes of the terrorists, the entire world seemed to turn upside down, terrifying them enough to flee for fear of being buried alive.
In truth, Shin had already reinforced the entire cave structure using Earth Release, ensuring there was no real danger of collapse. As a result, Stark noticed that the quake caused no damage at all, not even disrupting the power supply.
Stark, feeling blessed by divine intervention, charged out and attacked the scattering terrorists. Shin, hidden in the shadows and quietly playing the role of divine providence, kept a close watch on Stark and Yinsen's safety while discreetly detonating the terrorists' ammunition depot.
Soon, the terrorists fled in utter panic, only to be chased down one by one by Stark, who almost completely wiped them out. Compared to Stark's thrilling ordeal in the movie, this time it went far more smoothly.
Victorious and exhilarated, Stark scoured the base and found a barely functional jeep that could be repaired. To his surprise, he also discovered a working radio. He loaded up the jeep with the abundant food and water stored in the base, then drove off with Yinsen without hesitation.
As for the massive steel armor he left behind, aside from the small reactor on his chest, the rest remained in the terrorist base.
"He's really getting carried away. No, Tony Stark probably thinks no one else can replicate a miniature Arc Reactor," Shin said, walking up to the abandoned armor and smiling faintly. However, he didn't destroy it.
The first-generation Mark I armor was rough and shoddy in terms of materials and craftsmanship, but the underlying design was worth studying.
After all, in that desperate situation, Tony Stark had exerted all his intelligence and creativity, arguably more than he had during his entire previous life.
And he would certainly work even harder in the future... it could only be said that after Iron Man's emergence, Earth would become even more chaotic.
Letting villains obtain this crude armor would actually be a good thing—it would stimulate Iron Man to continue upgrading his suits.
The most important thing now was... Shin glanced at the surveillance and recording devices in his hand. They had captured the entire process of Iron Man constructing the miniature Arc Reactor.
Moreover, once Tony Stark returned, Stark Industries' stock would soar. Later, when Stark announced the closure of the weapons division, the stock would crash. This once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a fortune could not be missed.
With a flash of movement, Shin disappeared into the ruins, leaving only the powerless Mark I armor standing quietly behind.
...
The subsequent events did not differ much from the original story. If anything, Kingpin, now Shin's subordinate, seized the opportunity to make a fortune.
When Stark Industries began experiencing turbulence, Kingpin purchased large amounts of stock and became a board member of Stark Industries once again.
At this point, Kingpin was a board member of two out of the three major U.S. military-industrial enterprises: Stark Industries, Hammer Industries, and Osborn Corporation.
As for the internal struggles within Stark Industries, Kingpin did not intervene, following Shin's orders.
Even though Stark loudly proclaimed the closure of the weapons division, previous defense contracts still had to be fulfilled. At most, no new weapons would be developed.
Otherwise, the Department of Defense could sue Stark Industries into bankruptcy over unfulfilled military orders alone.
Although Tony Stark aimed to transform Stark Industries from a military contractor into an energy company, the transition would take two or three years at minimum, and would likely remain incomplete. A portion of the military division would inevitably persist.
After all, how else would Tony Stark later arm his Iron Legion?
On the other hand, with the design blueprints of the miniature Arc Reactor and the videos of Tony Stark designing his mechanical armor, Kingpin began manufacturing simple exoskeleton suits—specifically to deal with... well, with those pesky superheroes who kept causing him trouble.
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