More than half a month later.
[Morning]
In Cairo, Egypt~
"You are the supreme Sun God Ra. Because of your greatness and boundless love, we are drawn to you. We come before you, praying, seeking your blessings. Please, be with us!"
As the prayers echoed, the sun reached just the right angle in the sky, allowing its rays to penetrate. The metallic pyramid that the faithful were praying to began to emit waves of golden light.
The worshippers believed that this was a response from Ra, the Sun God, and they prayed even louder in ecstasy.
But after a while, the golden glow faded, leaving the crowd disappointed. They shook their heads and ended their prayers.
Outside, Sam watched the group leave and felt nothing anymore. He had grown used to it. He even gestured for Logan, standing nearby, to hand him a beer, which he began drinking.
"I wonder when this routine will end. Heard there's a green monster wreaking havoc in New York, causing quite a few deaths," Sam mused.
Logan remained silent, lost in his thoughts. Victor, standing nearby, was quietly filing his nails.
Though Sam had grown accustomed to their silence, it still bored him.
"Screw it. I'll treat myself to a night with some local beauties," Sam muttered.
Unbeknownst to them, the daily sunlight was energizing the underground pyramid. Golden beams continuously transferred deep underground, four or five hundred meters below, where they activated an ancient formation.
At the center of this formation lay a stone bed. Resting upon it was a middle-aged man with grayish, shriveled skin, completely bald.
After a while, the man's eyes slowly opened, and he began to breathe.
"Hah..."
His eyes were first filled with confusion as he looked around. Then, he slowly sat up.
'Who am I? Where am I?'
After several minutes, his memories gradually returned.
'My name is En Sabah Nur, known as Apocalypse. I've lived for countless years.'
He remembered: on that fateful day, he was performing a soul transfer ritual inside the pyramid. His previous body had become too old, so he needed to continuously switch bodies to achieve eternal life.
The new body he had chosen was from an immortal race, one that could live for an extraordinarily long time.
Apart from the gift of immortality, every time he switched bodies, he gained the abilities of his host.
'But why does everything look so different? Where are my Four Horsemen?'
After pondering for a long time, Apocalypse decided to head outside and see what had become of the world.
.....
The next night.
Washington D.C., United States, at the Capitol~
A congressional debate was in full swing.
The topic? Tony Stark was being urged to surrender his Iron Man suit, as it was classified as a military weapon.
A military representative stood on the podium, addressing the chamber, while Tony sat below, flanked by Pepper Potts, Happy, his bodyguard, and a crowd of onlookers.
The representative spoke: "Mr. Stark, you are in possession of a unique weapon, which violates the U.S. citizens' illegal possession of modified weapons law."
"Oh no, no, no," Tony replied, waving his hands. "I don't possess any unique weapon."
"You don't?"
"No, I don't. It depends on how you define the word 'weapon.'"
"And how do you define the Iron Man suit?"
"The Iron Man suit doesn't fit the definition of a weapon."
"How would you define it then?"
"It's a high-tech prosthesis."
"Mr. Stark, this isn't a joke. That suit is a weapon, not a prosthesis. Now, we'll hear from our weapons expert, Justin Hammer, to define this... 'weapon.'"
Justin Hammer confidently strutted out from backstage, casting a smug glance at Tony.
Hammer's lengthy argument left Tony without a rebuttal. But that wasn't the worst part for Tony.
Soon, a parade of so-called "weapons experts" took the stage, using charts and data to prove that the Iron Man suit was indeed a weapon.
Having lost his position as CEO of Stark Industries, Tony found himself bombarded with increasingly difficult questions from the congressmen.
Things only started to improve when his friend James Rhodes took the stand. But even then, Tony could still feel the immense pressure.
"Now, let's review some footage. There is evidence that countries around the world are developing their own versions of the Iron Man suit."
On the congressional screen, videos of various nations working on Iron Man technology played, showing promising progress.
Tony caught Rhodes winking at him. Taking the hint, Tony pulled out his phone and switched the footage.
"I think we should watch something a bit more interesting."
The screen shifted, showing numerous incidents of failed Iron Man suit tests, resulting in casualties.
Even Hammer's attempts at replicating the technology were a disaster.
Seeing this, Justin Hammer hurriedly rushed to turn off the TV, visibly flustered.
Tony stood up triumphantly. "It seems their research is five to ten years behind. Hammer? Twenty years."
"So, for now, everyone can relax. You won't be facing any threats from Iron Man suits."
After the hearing, Tony and Pepper returned to his mansion.
Pepper collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted. "Tony, you can't keep working on the Iron Man suit."
Tony sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her. "Don't worry, Pepper. I've got this under control."
"No, you don't understand. Those congressmen won't give up. They'll reconvene and come after your suit again. There's only one way to stop them."
"And what's that?"
"You need to retake your position as CEO of Stark Industries. Next week, we can hold another shareholders' meeting."
Pepper suddenly looked down, feeling troubled.
The shareholders who had sided with her had all been gradually purged over the past month. If they were to hold another meeting next week, they'd control even fewer shares.
Moreover, according to the investigation conducted by her and Coulson, the mysterious Sherlock Foundation that had gained so much power was actually a front for Umbrella Corporation.
The paperwork was all perfectly legal and above board, leaving no room for challenge.
The only questionable part was that Obadiah Stane had used Stark Industries' money to buy into the foundation. But that was Stane's mistake, and it still wouldn't affect Umbrella.
Tony, however, brightened at the idea. "You're right. I need to take back Stark Industries. I've let it slide for too long."
He then turned to Pepper. "Contact the chairman of Umbrella tomorrow. I want a meeting."
"Huh? You want to meet the chairman of Umbrella?"
"Is there a problem?"
"No... no problem at all..."
____________________
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