Chapter 75 - C71 - The seventh Entry.

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'Inner dialogue/thoughts'

"Normal dialogue"

[System]

[Diary entries]

(Word Count: 1,134)

~ The following day with Fury, inside his office within SHIELD HQ ~

[Tony stark has returned.]

'It's beginning.' Fury had been waiting for Luke to write in his diary. Although not a week has passed since the sixth entry had been released, Fury had deduced that Luke would be writing about what Tony had done on the prior day. In fact, Fury had expected Luke to directly write the entry on that night itself but was disappointed to see that he had not.

Tony Stark had called for a press conference the previous day, during which he had announced that Stark Industries would be shutting down their weapons manufacturing department. This was a huge announcement which had sparked a massive frenzy throughout all forms of media. However, to Fury, it was not this announcement that had sparked interest in him for Tony.

It was what Tony had revealed about his time as a captive, 'So, that's how it is. He'd seen what his weapons had done. It is regrettable that we would lose our major source of quality weapons, but that won't matter to me. What matters is Tony's actions from here on out, and whether he would truly be what Luke made him to be, a hero.'

[To the rest of the world, it may seem unbelievable that Tony had returned. But for me, it was only to be expected. It was also very 'Stark' of him to immediately hold a press conference and announce the closure of the weapons manufacturing department first, instead of going for a full medical check.

And here we are, almost a day later, and the impact of his announcement is starting to bear fruit. I had spent all of last night gathering whatever loose change I could gather, which is not much, and have already made the biggest investment opportunity that only happens once in a lifetime.

Thanks to his announcement, the stock market prices on Stark Industries are already dropping! There's blood in the water, and I'm a shark. While the investors are worried about their cash cow losing its value, I will happily pick up whatever stock I can get for myself.]

'Motherfucker. . .' Fury was annoyed when he read what Luke had been up to. While it may have seemed easy for Luke to simply buy the stocks with his profits from the café, Fury also knew that there could be a deep investigation to Luke's background by the authorities due to being a stockholder of Stark Industries during this period.

'I know the authorities, this move will be turning their heads in his direction. Luke has no background whatsoever, even the money he has is definitely not fully legal. For the sake of the world, I would need to make some moves and be as careful and cautious as possible in handling this matter.' Fury pondered, irritated that he would need to cover up for Luke's oversight.

~ At the same time with Wanda, in her apartment room in Los Angeles ~

It had been 3 months since Wanda had received the diary, during which she had spent a lot of time reflecting on her hatred for Tony. It also helped that Luke had directly revealed the truth, and she now did not hold the same amount of hatred towards Tony. While she did still resent him, it was more so because she had spent years blaming him. It would take a while longer for her to move on fully.

'Obadiah Stane. He's the man that took Tony off the stage in that press conference.' Instead, her hatred had been redirected to Stane. As Wanda read the entry, the only emotions that she felt were annoyance and envy for Luke.

'That's so unfair, he has future knowledge! Even if I pulled all of my and Pietro's savings, we may not even have enough to buy a single share since our allowances aren't big as most of our daily necessities are already provided for. . .'

~ Back with Fury ~

[If only these people would stop and think about it. Tony Stark has returned. THE TONY STARK! That's the guy that's inventing all those weapons! Not the weapon's manufacturing department, but Tony Stark himself!

He is a genius who made a functional circuit board at the age of four and an engine at the age of six! Even if he shuts down that department, as long as he is still the one leading Stark Industries, then their stock prices will only rise back up in the future!]

Fury had wanted to appreciate Luke's logical and critical thinking, however, he also knew that Luke had the advantage of being from the future of a parallel world.

[It's only unfortunate that nobody could truly understand his reasonings at the moment. I've asked him before why he made this decision, and his answer was really touching. It was not that he had more to offer, no. It was for a more selfish reason - Yinsen dying so that Tony could survive was the catalyst that caused this realization.

Unlike what he said during that first conference, when his eyes got forcefully opened to the amount of destruction and chaos that his weapons did, what he truly realized was that whatever they were doing were going against what both he and his father had originally intended.]

While Fury could sympathize with Tony's reasonings, he definitely did not care enough to show empathy. Fury is the current director of SHIELD. He has made countless decisions had ended in the lives of many being lost and would most likely have to make many more of such decisions in the future. He was no stranger to dark side of the world. To Fury, in order to protect the world, some sacrifices would have to be made.

However, Fury could not deny that he was also a little relieved when he read about Tony. To him, the Avengers would be the complete opposite of him. While he operated in the shadows, the Avengers would act in the light, maintaining a balance. Fury knew that he did not have what it took to be an Avenger, but he had already accepted this truth a long time ago.

'As long as Tony Stark becomes the hero that Luke claims him to be, then he can close the entire Stark Industries for all I care. What I truly need is not the weapons, but the man behind them.'

~ Back with Wanda ~

'So that's why.' Wanda mused, 'The more I read about Tony, the more he is starting to become like a completely different person to me. If not for this diary, I would have never known the truth about him.'

- End of Chapter 71 -

Next time in C72 - Dear Diary, there is a Civil War.

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[Author's Note]