The shocking news that mechanic Donnie has become a shareholder of the Stark Group spread like wildfire, causing an uproar. Several major media monopolies, eager to create chaos, frantically promoted the news on their respective channels.
Some people applauded Tony's move, believing it was a great thing because it would bring peace and relaxation to the relationship between ordinary people and mutants. However, some radicals and people who disliked mutants saw it as a mad move. They used various means to attack Tony and the Stark Group, accusing them of destroying everything and even triggering a massive war.
"Every action of our company complies with relevant laws. No one and no organization has the right to make groundless accusations against the Stark Group. We reserve the right to sue." Pepper Potts, Tony's assistant and secretary, is decisive and capable, living up to her position. She leads the team's public relations efforts, employing forceful tactics to suppress a number of media companies that are unfavorable to the Stark Group.
This undoubtedly ignited a hot topic at the moment: the mutant group led by Magneto has become increasingly radical, having already issued an ultimatum to the human government. Although ordinary people's views on mutants are polarized, Magneto's actions have undoubtedly forced neutral groups into opposition, gradually intensifying the conflict.
The headlines on the front pages of major media outlets were that Downey officially became the major shareholder of Stark Group.
That's right, even if the 1% was divided equally among several people including Tony, the media took it out of context and pinned it all on Tony. However, 1% of the shares can indeed be regarded as a major shareholder in the Stark Group, because Tony and Obadiah, uncle and nephew, hold more than half of the shares!
One percent is really amazing.
Pro-mutant and anti-mutant groups protested each other, staging demonstrations time and again, expressing their respective interests and engaging in heated arguments. Many issues that had been deliberately buried were once again brought to the surface, brought to the public and debated openly.
This might significantly intensify the conflict between mutants and ordinary people, or it might ease it. But there is no doubt that a group of people led by Stryker will not tolerate the result of easing, and they will do everything they can to provoke conflict.
Tony, the proud playboy, would not pay attention to such boring things. It would not hurt him at all. He still hangs out with all kinds of beauties all day long and takes time to study the Jericho missile. He will soon set off for Afghanistan, where a group of soldiers on the front line are waiting for his weapons of mass destruction.
Countless reporters were like people wearing dog noses. Although the information was blocked by the authorities, they still found Downey's residence and flocked to interview this popular mutant and ask him to talk about his views.
Downey's response was simple. He directly controlled a group of Transformers into combat mode and stared at them with a fierce look.
The reporters retreated in a flurry, not daring to move forward. They could only circle around the outside unwillingly. As time went by, they gradually dispersed.
…
Donnie eagerly studied the various downloaded knowledge and technologies. The Spark Source improved everything, including his memory. This was an opportunity; through his status as a shareholder, he could obtain some low-level information. This information was not secret, and it greatly facilitated his learning.
"Large machine tools aren't very useful to me... And this, what the hell is this? A precision-controlled press? This thing is completely useless to me..."
Donny possesses the source of fire, and this magical ability is enough to allow him to do the same things that many large precision machines do, such as activating machinery and assembling metals. These have become his instincts, and he does not need these complex and sophisticated knowledge that is actually not very useful.
"This is fine. The structure of the pressure bearing..."
Donny is used to muttering while studying.
He's been doing this ever since he got the information, and it's almost annoying the old bartender.
Donny doesn't need to know the precise manufacturing methods of every technology. He only needs the most critical structural principles. He can complete the entire processing process with the fire source, which is his greatest weapon.
One fire source is enough to replace 99% of human society's processing machines. However, there are occasional troubles...
"Aren't you known as a modification master? How come you can't even modify a high-end engine?" Donny was very dissatisfied because the old bartender was too inefficient.
"Haven't you been a human for twenty years? Can you build a small intestine for me?" The old bartender was annoyed. He was studying an energy tube that was pulled out from Optimus Prime. At Donnie's request, he began to explore the energy transmission aspect.
Downey had an amazing memory. He scanned through the information at hand in the shortest time possible and suddenly thought of trying to modify Optimus Prime into an energy output device. This idea grew like weeds and made his heart beat fast, so he bought a batch of new equipment from Stark Group.
With the support of the Allspark, the old bartender's task is to find the most efficient line mode, and then Donnie will put it into practice, changing Optimus Prime's combat mode to energy mode.
Donnie was thinking of Tony's Iron Man suit, which could fire energy cannons as long as the reactor in its chest was still charged. Donnie wanted to do the same thing: he wanted to convert Optimus Prime into energy mode, changing his previous fighting methods, such as casually carrying a Gatling gun... This wasn't a bad thing, but the energy mode would allow him to better respond to various emergencies.
The source of energy is his Allspark. He tried to add a core module to Optimus Prime's metal body. Just like the human heart provides blood, the core module can provide a steady supply of energy.
But it was not completely successful. The energy in the module was lost too quickly, and the time it could last varied depending on the module capacity.
"How about... defining Optimus Prime's core module as a leadership module first?" Downey touched his chin. He put all his energy into Optimus Prime and was committed to creating the best core module. This was also a suicidal but necessary attempt.
His face paled. Creating this module consumed a vast amount of fire energy. It took Donnie ten full days and dozens of iterations to finally achieve a solid form. He modeled the module after his own fire energy, repeatedly compressing and kneading countless fire energies until it formed a seemingly nonexistent mass of particles, like a dazzling torch burning brightly.
The spark energy particles themselves seem to be in a clustered state. Such a pseudo-spark source is far from a spark source that is between existence and non-existence, but at least it is a crucial step.
Optimus Prime slowly stood up. Donny didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt that Optimus Prime seemed to have changed. At least he had a "core" that could be accurately felt, just like a human has a heart.
"If I could add a soul to the module... my only remaining family would truly come back to life..." Donnie murmured, a hint of anticipation, mixed with complex thoughts. He had nothing left but Optimus Prime.
Oh, and this old guy next to him...
"You're clearly courting death. Look at how exhausted you are! You look like Tony Stark, a nightclub shopper! But I have to say, you've accomplished something remarkable," the old bartender exclaimed, taking a sip of beer. He understood the sheer magnitude of the feat of creating a mechanical core out of thin air. "You've gone bald, and you've gotten stronger..."
Donnie was pleased with the first half of the sentence, but after hearing the second half, he delivered a clean, sharp kick. He had indeed overestimated the old bartender's integrity and awareness.