I had to give it to Angus—he had some serious nerve. After being humiliated in front of everyone, he only turned a deep shade of red before stomping off the stage. Not that it made a difference to the press conference. In the grand scheme of things, Angus was insignificant.
The focus quickly shifted. Another reporter, a young guy, raised his hand and waited for my nod before speaking up.
"Mr. Stark, Marvel's *Iron Man* comic used your likeness without permission, making you the protagonist. Stark Industries has already filed a lawsuit against them. How do you plan to handle this moving forward?"
For a second, I paused. Normally, I handled interviews like this with ease, but this one threw me off a bit. I'd completely forgotten about that lawsuit. Running my hand over my chin, I replied with a smirk, "Well, yeah, technically they did use my image without permission—and made me look pretty damn ugly, too. But, in a way, that comic saved my life. So, I'm dropping the lawsuit."
The reporters were stunned, and I didn't blame them. Everyone in America knew I was the kind of guy who never backed down from a fight, especially when it came to protecting my image. But this time, I was letting it go. It was newsworthy on its own.
Once we moved on from the comic discussion, I shifted the topic to what really mattered—my company's future. I made it clear: Stark Industries would no longer be in the arms business. That announcement sent the press conference into a frenzy. That was the real bombshell, the one that would change everything.
The next day, my words were plastered all over every major newspaper. Two headlines dominated the front pages: my confirmation of the comic's prophecy, and Stark Industries' decision to stop producing weapons.
The *New Century News* wrote, "Our much-anticipated Iron Man prophecy has been confirmed by Tony Stark himself. But not wanting to be outdone, Stark dropped another bombshell by announcing the end of his company's involvement in the arms trade."
*The Bugle Daily* ran with, "What once seemed like madness is now undeniable. Tony Stark has acknowledged the Iron Man prophecy. Does this mean prophets truly exist?"
The *New York Times* speculated, "Tony Stark's transformation after his kidnapping has left many wondering what changed. The answer may lie in the *Iron Man* comic."
And *Western News* asked, "What impact will Stark's decision to halt weapons development have on the future of the country? And how does this tie into the appearance of a modern-day prophet?"
Even *Entertainment Periphery*, a magazine more interested in celebrity gossip, couldn't ignore the story. They wrote, "The appearance of a prophet in today's world leaves us all reeling."
Colleges and universities across the country started discussing whether it was truly possible for someone to communicate with the past and future. As for me, I knew that people were unnerved by Stark Industries stepping out of the weapons game. They worried about the country's defense without my tech leading the charge.
Meanwhile, everyday conversations shifted. Sports, celebrities, and pop culture were forgotten as people debated the *Iron Man* prophecy and what it meant. If you didn't have an opinion on me and this so-called prophet, you were out of the loop.
People who had picked up the second issue of *Iron Man* would run into each other on the street, striking up conversations.
"My God, can you believe that comic predicted all of this?"
"I used to think Chen, the comic writer, was a nutjob. Now I feel like I'm the crazy one!"
"Tell me about it. A prophet? That's something out of legend! Why's he drawing comics, of all things?"
"I'm still not buying it. Prophets don't exist. This has to be some kind of crazy coincidence."
"Coincidence? Are you serious? The coordinates from the comic were *exact*! Not a single number was off."
"You know, when I first read the comic, I only paid attention to the coordinates. But now that I've gone back and really looked at it, I've realized how good the story is too. It's not just about the prophecy—it's about the theme and the characters."
"Exactly. After seeing what happened to Tony, it's clear why he's shutting down the arms business. The guy's seen firsthand the kind of destruction his weapons can cause."
One guy smirked, turning to the other. "Hey, weren't you the one outside the bookstore saying you'd eat your laptop if the prophecy came true? How's that working out for you?"
The guy being called out turned bright red and quickly changed the subject. "Uh… well… I've got some stuff to do. Gotta run!"
He wasn't the only one eating his words—there were plenty more like him. The most famous of them all, though, was Angus. His bet with the comic writer had become a public spectacle. People were eagerly waiting for him to make his next move. The whole world was watching.