"How to Trap General Brooks and His Army in One Place"
This is a headline and a proposition. The military has had countless discussions among generals and cadets, and the methods they've come up with are diverse and imaginative.
Even if they were confident, they never had the opportunity to execute their plans. Many have tried to trap Brooks, but what happened in the end? They all died.
Brooks is more like a living legend, with achievements that even his military uniform can't fully encompass.
No one ever thought that General Brooks could be "trapped" in the desert, in a military experimental base.
The news of Tony Stark's disappearance hasn't spread yet, but important figures are already aware.
Stark Industries has been doing well in the stock market these days, but the shareholders on the board of directors aren't in a good mood.
The development of Stark Industries is somewhat "abnormal."
Anyone with remaining intelligence can understand that Tony Stark is the cornerstone of Stark Industries.
Without him, Stark Industries might not collapse, but it certainly can't maintain its monopoly in the field of military technology.
With the legacy left behind by Tony, Stark Industries will have a glorious few years, even a decade or more, but what about after that? Someone will eventually emerge to surpass them.
Inventing more innovative weapons removes Stark Industries' dominance in military contracts.
Tony is a genius, irreplaceable by anyone, at least not now.
He's like a towering mountain in the field of weapons, and underestimating him would be a mistake. Sometimes people wonder, if it wasn't Einstein, would he have invented nuclear weapons, or... his father?
Of course, his father was also involved in nuclear research, so saying he invented them wouldn't be wrong.
Tony was born in a significant era, but it's regrettable. If given the choice, he would prefer the present time.
There's no specific reason; the women here are hotter and more exciting.
He has reasons for constant improvement, capable of keeping up with his thinking in all aspects. If you were to push him back to the World War II era, that "backward time," Tony would probably go crazy.
In fact, when he discovered the "electromagnetic" repulsor in his chest, he was close to going insane!
Without external interference, using extraordinary knowledge and theories, a genius-level invention emerged in this world.
But now... everything is still in experimentation. He, Tony Stark, is nothing more than a pitiful hostage of terrorists.
Ironically, a finely crafted weapon like the Jericho missile was assembled by Tony in the "basement." Look at what's here. A hammer, a circuit, a rocket.
My goodness, even in impoverished countries, they wouldn't manufacture missiles like this. One accidental explosion and the consequences...
Kurumi sat alone in a single room. Beds weren't in short supply at the military base, but only Kurumi was a woman out of all the personnel.
General Brooks wasn't at ease with her returning alone, so that's why things turned out this way.
Facing the desert all day long, what does it feel like?
"Besides the rise in affinity with fire elements, the oppressive air here is enough to drive you mad. Plus, there's no one to communicate with."
Stark had already taken note of Kurisu Kyouka. If possible, Kurisu Kyouka would greet him with a "fiery" attitude when the big iron man appeared.
She swore that when that big iron man emerged, she would ignite a flame for Stark, letting him experience the taste of the "desert" thoroughly.
Far away in New York, Obadiah Stane, who always appeared "serious," was actually jubilant inside.
However, his sleep hasn't been great lately. He always dreams of that desert and inexplicable flames.
This made him feel uneasy, and he wanted to confirm whether Tony was trapped there.
As Stane earnestly researched, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He never expected that the one who "trapped" General Brooks in one place... was himself!
This was definitely not a laughing matter.
Stane could recite the battles General Brooks participated in almost as if they were a nursery rhyme! Just as the older generation grew up with stories of "Captain America," in the modern era... they had to add General Brooks.
Kurumi also attempted to use her psychic abilities to search but with little success. It was unclear whether it was interference from the world's consciousness or something else, but even with her peak-level Alpha psychic abilities, she couldn't cover the entire desert.
About a week passed, and there was nothing here to alleviate boredom. The level of free energy was maddeningly low!
Especially the fire element, making people even more irritable. Kurumi, who absorbed this "spiritual energy," was now like a giant powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.
It's like holding a cup of water for a long time without a single drop falling...
In other words, Kurumi's mental state was on the brink of collapse.
Her immense psychic power prevented her from sleeping. At midnight, she often had to resort to "self-hypnosis" to fall asleep peacefully.
During her training... she was so impatient that she felt like she was on fire, and her spiritual energy wouldn't come out all day.
Sometimes... she really did ignite, and it wasn't just talk. Purifying the energy, expelling the fire element, would instantly result in flames in the air!
Then... the sprinklers in the military base...
To neutralise this fire element would cost a considerable amount of psychic energy. In an instant, a day's income would vanish, sometimes even accompanied by a little...
Even someone with a good temperament would have difficulty remaining calm during this energy purification... never mind.
The news of Tony Stark's disappearance had spread completely, causing fluctuations in Stark Industries' stocks, and they were continuously dropping.
The board of directors members were as anxious as if they had lost their parents. They urged Stane every day to find Tony quickly.
Stane always gave eloquent promises, but he never took actual actions. After realising that the person he had tricked was none other than General Brooks from the military, he wanted to lock up all his secrets.
Tony's disappearance required someone to take the blame, and giving the responsibility to the military was simply perfect.
He initially thought that only colonels and maybe a few generals would observe the experiments. Who could have thought that General Brooks had a whim and brought his juniors to the experimental base that day?
The one taking the fall was General Brooks. Even if others didn't see it that way, he remained at the military base, not intending to leave.
It was as if he would remain there forever unless Tony was found.
With the military's numerous hackers' capabilities, breaching Stark Industries' systems should have been a breeze. But due to the Red Queen's influence...
Tony Stark personally upgraded and fortified the systems again, and Jarvis was constantly present. Those computer experts couldn't even make a dent in this "impregnable fortress," and they failed every time.
Obadiah Stane naturally joined the ranks of protectors as a senior figure in Stark Industries.
Jarvis was artificial intelligence and naturally understood that prying into someone's privacy wasn't permissible. That's why Stane narrowly escaped trouble.
And the root of all this returned to Kurumi.