As the night deepened, Rhodey and Yinsen, both slightly tipsy, were taken home.
The mansion was left with only Pepper, Tony, and Lyon.
Lyon, full and satisfied, sat on the sofa, gazing out at the undulating ocean surface, lost in thought.
Tony glanced at Pepper, who was tidying up the dishes in the kitchen, then at Lyon, who seemed to be in a daze. He hesitated, looking like he had something to say but was holding back.
"Hey, Lyon!" Tony finally couldn't hold it in and called out to him.
"Hmm? What's up?" Lyon snapped out of his thoughts, a bit puzzled.
Tony glanced at Pepper again. "Didn't you say you were planning to confront Obadiah tonight? When are we going? And for now, don't let Pepper know. Otherwise, she'll just say it's too dangerous and threaten to quit if we go."
Usually, no matter how reckless Tony was, Pepper would just put on a cold face and continue working.
But when it came to Tony's safety, Pepper's go-to threat to stop him was to resign—even though her threats never really worked.
"Then we'll wait until Pepper leaves," Lyon replied casually, glancing in the direction of Stark Industries. "Anyway, Obadiah is still at the industrial park… Wait, what is he doing now…? Damn it, Tony, we need to go there right now!"
Lyon grabbed Tony and pushed him out the door. He didn't forget to shout toward the kitchen, "Pepper, Tony and I are going out for a walk. We'll be back later!"
"Hmm? Okay!" Pepper responded from inside.
As they headed out, Tony lowered his voice, "Wait, wait! What did you see just now that made you so urgent?"
"Obadiah is contacting his friends in Afghanistan!" Lyon replied in a hushed tone.
"What?" Tony was stunned, but before he could react further, Lyon grabbed his arm and they shot up into the sky.
They quickly arrived at the Stark Industries complex.
At this hour, only a few scattered lights were on in the office building. Obadiah's office, however, was brightly lit, like a burning torch in the night.
Lyon floated with Tony outside the large floor-to-ceiling window of Obadiah's office. The massive window allowed them to see every corner of the room clearly.
At that moment, Obadiah was sitting at his desk with his back to the window, speaking into his computer screen.
"Is he video-calling with a terrorist organization?" Tony's expression darkened. "Can you hear what they're talking about?"
"Nothing good. You can listen for yourself."
Lyon placed his hand on the edge of the floor-to-ceiling window, and with a light shake, the glass lifted slightly. He grabbed the edge and pulled it back, silently removing the entire window pane.
Once again, Tony was stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief. But the next moment, the voices from inside the office caught his full attention.
"Our leader died because of your orders, so before we proceed with the next deal, you must compensate us!" said the person on the other end of the video call.
Obadiah angrily retorted, "You let Tony escape! How dare you demand compensation from me!"
"I told your leader to make absolutely sure that Tony Stark was dead! How did he handle that, huh?"
"That's not our concern. If you don't pay the compensation, we'll reveal everything you've done to Tony Stark," the terrorist threatened.
Obadiah's gaze grew colder, as if he wanted to tear the person on the other side apart.
"Aren't you afraid I'll stop supplying you with weapons?" he hissed.
"Sorry, but since Tony Stark shut down the weapons division, it seems you're no longer of much use to us."
The terrorist, feeling secure, threatened again, "Will you accept the compensation? If not, I believe Tony Stark would be just as willing to pay for information about the real culprit behind his capture."
Obadiah tightly pressed his lips together, his mouth twitching as he tried to suppress his anger. But after a few seconds, he suddenly burst into laughter, his smile warm and friendly. "Alright! Of course! I accept your demand for compensation, but I have one condition!"
"Speak!" The other side immediately grew excited at the prospect of receiving compensation.
"I'll find a way to get Tony out of the country again. This time, you must kill him!" Obadiah laid out his plan. "I'll give you a batch of Stark weapons to draw media attention.
Tony just announced the closure of the weapons division, and if Stark Industries' weapons start appearing on battlefields, he won't be able to sit still..."
The terrorist interrupted, "I understand. Leave the rest to us. I assure you, this time, the Ten Rings will perfectly execute our friend's request."
Obadiah smiled as he ended the video call. "That would be ideal."
With a beep, the video call disconnected. Obadiah sat silently in his chair, his smile gradually fading, turning into a sinister grimace as his anger began to boil over.
Even though he was just sitting there, it felt like at any moment he might leap out and tear someone apart.
"Idiots! A bunch of idiots!"
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" After a moment of silence, Obadiah finally exploded.
He suddenly stood up, sweeping everything off his desk onto the floor, yanking the mouse cord and smashing it against the wall into pieces.
"They couldn't even keep a spoiled rich kid from escaping, a bunch of useless trash!" he roared, his anger shaking the windows.
Outside, Lyon glanced at Tony, who was glaring furiously. Knowing that Obadiah's performance had run its course, Lyon stepped forward, bringing Tony into the room.
With a polite tone, he interrupted, "Uh, sorry to interrupt."
The sudden voice behind him cut off Obadiah's roar instantly.
"Who!? To... Tony?"
Cold sweat broke out all over his body as he spun around. Standing opposite him were Tony and Lyon.
Lyon looked displeased, while Tony glared at him with reddened eyes.
Those usually beautiful eyes were now full of disbelief and the anger of someone betrayed by someone they deeply trusted.
"Hi, Baldy! We heard everything you just said," Lyon pointed at the computer. "Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
Obadiah's face showed visible panic, but the cunning man quickly suppressed his emotions.
He raised his hands, his lips trembling slightly. "Oh, Lyon! My boy! I-It's so late—what are you doing here? Well... actually, what just happened was a misunderstanding."
"Let me explain; there's a reason for all of this."
Obadiah's mind was racing at this moment.
He nervously lowered one hand and opened a drawer. "This is because there's a force I couldn't resist that threatened my life, forcing me to..."
"Kill all of you!"
As Obadiah spoke, he suddenly pulled a handgun out of the drawer, quickly chambered a round, and pointed it at Tony and Lyon.
"Hands up, both of you! Step back!"
The man who had just been as gentle as an old grandpa now transformed in an instant into a fierce and savage villain.
"You'd better stop right now."
Tony pressed his lips together tightly, raising his hands first. He moved in front of Lyon, shielding him as they both stepped back.
"Hmph, Tony, even now you still want to protect that little bastard. Truly touching family loyalty."
Obadiah's words only fueled the anger burning inside Tony.
With a cold voice, Tony replied, "Obi... Obadiah, I once thought you were one of the people I could trust the most."
"Really, Tony? That's so touching," Obadiah sneered, pointing the gun at Tony. "I would have loved to continue playing this little family game with you."
"But since you've already found out, there's no need for me to hide anymore!"
"Tony, in reality, you're nothing more than a golden goose to me!"
"Do you know? I co-founded this company with your father. For thirty years, I've been by your side, assisting you. But what did I get in return?"
"Even that outsider behind you gets half of the company, but what about me?"
"The only way I can get what I want is by killing you—killing both of you!"
As Obadiah spoke, he waved his fist in agony. "It should have been so simple: you die in Afghanistan, and Lyon dies in outer space. But why did you have to escape? Why did you have to see everything tonight?"
His eyes turned bloodshot, and he pressed the gun against Tony, forcing him to retreat further. "You forced me into this! You pushed me to the edge, so I'll destroy everything! No one can stop me!!"
Tony had been staring at his uncle the entire time, his face tense, his expression filled with indescribable sorrow and anger.
The gun pressed against his head caused him to tilt his head back, and finally, he closed his eyes.
"Do it, Lyon," he said, having lost all hope.
"Heh~ So the play is over I suppose~!"
As soon as Lyon's words fell, Obadiah's neck was tightly gripped by a large hand, like an iron clamp, lifting him entirely off the ground.
"You! Argh! Cough, cough!" Obadiah's face quickly turned red from the lack of oxygen.
His eyes bulged as he stared at Lyon, unable to comprehend what had just happened in that brief moment.
Why, without even blinking, had Lyon, who was behind Tony, suddenly appeared before him and subdued him?
Struggling, he tried to lift his arm, attempting one last effort to resist.
But Lyon merely glanced at him, indifferent, and with a casual toss, threw him out of the window.
"AHHHhhhhhhh..."
Three seconds later, a heavy thud echoed from outside.
It sounded like Obadiah had been smashed into a pulp.
"Was it necessary?"
Lyon sighed and walked over to the desk. He first connected the phone to a data cable and then plugged it into the computer.
Computers used by Stark Industries executives typically aren't connected to the internet, so hacking into them requires a manual connection.
What Obadiah had just done, directly connecting to the internet for a video call, was already a serious violation.
"Jarvis, hack into this computer, gather evidence of Obadiah's crimes, and hand it over to the police. Note that he committed suicide out of guilt by jumping to his death."
"Understood, Master Lyon!"
After assigning the task to Jarvis, Lyon turned around and saw that Tony was still standing in place, looking a bit despondent.
He walked over and patted Tony on the shoulder.
"It's all over now. Go get some sleep, and maybe take some cover girls out for a spin this week to clear your head?"
Tony's sorrowful expression froze for a few seconds, and then he couldn't help but smile through his tears. "You rascal..."
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