"It's good to be back. You all missed me."
Tony began with a smile, straightened his suit, then switched to a serious, calm tone.
"I'm not saying that because of me—Iron Man—the world has enjoyed... uh, years of lasting peace."
The moment he finished the sentence, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Once it calmed a bit, Tony continued:
"I'm not saying there's no one else like me, who's risen from the ashes like a phoenix."
Tony closed his eyes and raised his arms, basking in the cheers and applause.
"I'm not saying the U.S. government, the FBI, the CIA can all be this relaxed because I stay at my peak and no one dares challenge me."
"We love you, Iron Man!" someone shouted.
At that moment, Tony's assistant began to guide the next segment.
"Okay, come on now, I'm not that important. You're not that important. We're not that important. What is important is legacy—what we leave behind for the next generation. So starting next year, for the first time since 1974..."
Talents from across the globe and top companies will contribute their resources and share their vision to create a better future.
"That's why... we don't matter."
"What I mean is—welcome to the Stark Expo!"
Amid the roaring applause, Tony returned to a more serious tone.
"Now, a special guest is here to speak to you from beyond the grave... my father, Howard Stark!"
Tony waved toward the large screen behind him, stepping off the main stage as the video played.
Once backstage, Tony pulled out a portable blood tester. He checked his palladium levels—already up to 19. He fell into silence.
"It's rising again, huh? You should really cut back on using that tin can of yours. The stronger the reactor output, the faster the palladium spreads."
Clark walked up from behind. He'd helped with Tony's experiments and knew that in normal life, the arc reactor didn't spike levels this fast.
After all, a single palladium core had limited energy. If you used one a month, toxins rose slowly. But if you burned through one every 10 days, it would double monthly.With Tony's usage, he was swapping them out every few days. At this rate, Clark feared he wouldn't last long enough for Fury to reveal the new element.
Still, Clark knew better. Fury was already watching Tony. He wasn't planning to let Tony die—just waiting for the moment he was at his limit, so he could step in as the hero. Saving someone on the edge had more impact than giving them a hand early on.
As for why Clark didn't just tell Tony straight up—it's because he didn't know how.How would he explain how he knew about a new element? If he had Kryptonian tech, maybe he could claim he "discovered" it. But he didn't. And even though Clark had also looked at the old Stark Expo city layout, he couldn't tell it was a hidden element map.
"I'm happy, aren't I?"
Tony understood what Clark was implying, but didn't respond directly. He had his own ideas. If he could be convinced this easily, he wouldn't be Tony Stark.
"Alright." Clark, who had brought it up casually, didn't press further. "By the way, is Banner home?"
"Too bad—he disappeared this afternoon. No one knows where he went. Probably off to clear his head."
Tony just shrugged.
"Well, nothing else going on here, I'll head out."
After the opening ceremony ended, it turned into a loud, bar-like dance party. Clark, not a fan of noisy crowds, decided to leave early.
"Perfect, I was just about to leave too. Want to go together?"
"Nah, this part's more your scene. I'll head out solo." Clark waved to Tony and left.
Watching Clark's retreating figure, Tony smiled and called out:
"Happy, let's go."
"Finally out!"
Pushing through the crowd, Clark sighed in relief. Seeing Tony still mobbed by people, Clark chuckled—good thing he hadn't left with him.
The next morning, Clark turned on the TV and saw the Senate Armed Services Committee grilling Tony about the Iron Man armor. Already knowing how it would play out, Clark just smiled and changed the channel.
Elsewhere, across the globe, Ivan Vanko was cobbling together a crude suit of armor while watching the same Senate hearing on TV. As he powered up his arc-whip, a cruel smile spread across his face. He turned and lashed the whip at the television screen.
"Tony Stark… just wait."
The screen cracked and fizzled as Ivan spoke the name.
After tidying up, he headed out to retrieve something. But when he arrived at the agreed meeting spot, he found himself surrounded.
"Who are you?"
Ivan instinctively reached behind his back, but the group encircling him instantly raised their weapons. Seeing their uniforms, Ivan reluctantly raised his hands in surrender.
"Sir, I wouldn't move if I were you. These folks might get a little nervous... and a shaky finger might go 'click.' Wouldn't that be a shame, Ivan Vanko?"
Just then, a well-dressed man stepped from the crowd.
"Let me introduce myself—Justin Hammer, CEO of Hammer Industries." He held out his hand to Ivan... but then quickly pulled it back.
"Oh, right—my bad. Forgot you're not exactly free to shake hands."
Apparently deciding Ivan was a bit too dangerous to stand close to, Hammer subtly stepped back toward his guards.
"I heard you've developed something nearly on par with Tony Stark's Iron Man suit. And from what I hear, thanks to your father, you're not exactly fond of Stark either. What do you think of this—"
"You help me build a better suit, I help you take down Tony. Sound fair?"
Ivan glanced around at the men with guns, then looked back at Hammer.
"Do I have any other choice?"
"Glad to see you quickly understand which option works best for you."
Just then, one of Hammer's men walked up and whispered something to him. Hearing it, Hammer grinned and turned back to Ivan.
"Alright, let's go."
"Wait—I need to pack my things."Ivan had only just agreed to surrender, and now wanted to go back and get his armor.
"No need. We'll pack it for you. Gotta say, your suit's a beauty."
With that, Ivan knew resistance was pointless. He quietly followed Hammer's men.
As Justin Hammer walked away, thrilled with recruiting a man capable of building his own arc reactor and armor, he paused—because he didn't know who had sent him the tip about Ivan in the first place.
His smile faded into a frown.
Let me know if you want this revised into a novel-style rewrite, or would like to continue translating the next part!
go to "patreon.com/Hussain678" for more chapter