Stark thought for a moment, a hint of anger flashing through his eyes, before saying, "Rather die a jade than survive as a tile. If they try to coerce me into handing over this technology, and I can't resist, then no one will have it."
"That's the same choice your father made."
Stark was taken aback, then, as if remembering something, he staggered a few steps backward, hearing Obadiah say:
"Howard constantly bowed down, relinquishing many tech skills, including some progress in human body mechanization."
"But the CIA and the military wouldn't let up. Howard continuously put up with humiliation and made compromises. Reality constantly crushed his pride, forcing him to rely on alcohol to numb his pain."
"For his family, he thought he could always endure, until one day, he found out that they had targeted you. It wasn't surprising—you were Howard's only weakness."
"Howard realized that they wouldn't let up because of his compromise. Those damn hyenas would only tear off every piece of his flesh, thus, he decided not to tolerate it anymore."
"But Howard's gift was constrained by the era and the development of basic science. He didn't have Iron Armor; he was just an ordinary man with little power to handle experienced agents."
"By that time, social pressure had cornered him and Stark Group with nowhere to retreat."
"But he didn't plan to give up. Knowing that the CIA could track his every move, he purposefully transported the data while also carrying a self-destructive device installed in his car's engine."
"Howard was the last person to possess this technology. Once he died, no one could get the knowledge of the Ark Reactor."
Stark's eyes reddened, as if he could see Howard, his hands gripping the steering wheel hard, his eyes revealing madness—a man driven into a corner, a father with nowhere to retreat."
Obadiah walked over, patted Tony's shoulder, and said, "Don't blame him for abandoning you. At that point, he had no other options."
"Even if he had handed over that part of the data, the military would still covet his genius brain, hoping Howard could produce inhumane killing machines for them…"
"Although your father was a businessman who made his fortune selling arms and had no noble integrity, he at least wanted to give you a broader future, rather than let you repeat his fate and spend your life redeeming the sins of your birth."
Stark closed his eyes in pain. Obadiah also showed a bitter smile. He said, "Your father installed a black box in that car. The video before his death was transmitted back. In fact, I knew who did it long ago, but I didn't tell you. You know why?"
Stark looked at him with tearful eyes. Obadiah stared at his eyes and said in a low voice, "Guess, whose technology was used in Sergeant Bucky Barnes' Mechanical Arm?"
Stark closed his eyes in despair and pain, now understanding what Bucky meant when he described Howard's surprise expression before his death.
Perhaps, Howard was indeed surprised by the identity of the person who killed him. After all, Bucky had previously been a soldier fighting for the country, and now he had become a Hydra assassin.
But what surprised him more was that Bucky's mechanical arm had likely used some part of Stark Industries' technology.
But this was normal. In that era, Stark Industries represented the pinnacle of mechanical engineering. Howard was the founder of modern mechanical engineering. This technologically advanced concept of that era could only have come from him. Who else could it have been?
Stark thought that perhaps it was because Howard recognized the technology on that arm, also noticed Sergeant Barnes' abnormal mental state, and deduced the reason he could become a killer. So, he resolutely pressed the button, trying to end this never-ending tragedy.
Stark was almost staggering, he supported himself with one hand on the table, half-kneeling against the side of the table. Obadiah stood across from him and said, "Your father was just a businessman, not a great man, but he was still your father."
"He might not have been a good person, or even a good father, but at the very least, in the last moment of his life, he made a foolish decision against the greedy nature of a businessman. He retained a trace of noble kindness, so that when you remember the good times, you don't have to hide anything or feel guilty; you have something to hold onto."
After a moment of silence, Stark suddenly stood up, controlled the Iron Armor, burst through the glass curtain wall of the building, and came into the sky above New York.
A silent roar burst from his chest; the people of New York only saw a bright meteor sliding across the skyline. When he stopped, Spider Man swung onto the roof of the building.
Unusually, Spider Man didn't greet him with his usual light tone, but rather said with some seriousness, "Mr. Stark, there are some things, I want to talk to you about..."
Stark stood silently at the edge of the building, Spider Man noticed that his mood was somewhat off, but he had to say what he had come to, he forced himself to say, "I just came back from the hospital, Gwen's father, Chief George of the New York Police Department, is in the hospital with injuries."
Spider Man walked forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Iron Man, looking at the sunset on the distant horizon, he sighed and said, "But he wasn't injured by a criminal, but by the defense system of the shuttle..."
Spider Man lowered his head and said, "Yesterday, on the same day when I mentioned that my Spider Silk Launcher was stuck by the new battle suit's safety system, and I didn't catch up with that case, it was Chief George who took charge."
"A bus driver who was about to be laid off rushed onto the shuttle with explosives. Because my battle suit had a problem and the spider silk could not be launched, I couldn't stop him in time. So, Chief George stormed into the shuttle alone, trying to subdue him."
"But Chief George was too busy with his work and forgot his shuttle transit card in his last set of clothes. He didn't have a transit card on him, but the criminal did."
"I know that the safety defense system of the shuttle is very comprehensive. If someone doesn't swipe their card, it will issue three warnings. After the three warnings, it won't directly attack. As long as the person who didn't swipe the card stands still, or moves slowly, the defense system won't start but will just give continuous reminders."
"Only if they haven't swiped the card, are moving at high speed, are carrying dangerous goods, and are making aggressive movements, could they possibly trigger the defense system. This makes sense because it's designed to prevent those crazies who want to rush the gate."
"But Chief George, eager to catch the criminal, rushed in directly. As a result, although the criminal was also taken down by the defense system, Chief George was hit, too."
"Even though the defense system of the shuttle uses shock bullets, which only stun people and don't cause bleeding, Chief George was previously injured and had some heart problems. The electric shock stimulated his heart, causing him to still be undergoing treatment in the hospital."
Spider Man said with a somewhat low tone, "Although, Chief George is not in danger, Gwen is still very worried and cried a lot."
Iron Man turned to him and said, "What are you trying to say? You think this is my problem, don't you? So, you would rather wear your original battle suit than the new one?"
"No, Mr. Stark, my new battle suit has been sent for repairs..."
"Then why don't you let me make you a new one?"
"I... Mr. Stark, you need to calm down..."