"Tony, what did you talk about with Agent Coulson?"
Pepper asked, seeing Coulson leave and Tony heading straight to the basement.
"Nothing much, just a discussion about Earth's current situation and the future," Tony Stark said dismissively as he took the elevator down.
The conversation with Coulson had taken some mental preparation for Tony, especially after meeting that Grim Reaper. If someone like him had trouble accepting it, it would be even harder for someone like Pepper to believe and understand.
Pepper wasn't satisfied with Tony's offhand response. She decided to follow him and get some answers.
Tony was used to handling Pepper's curiosity, so the two of them began a familiar round of bickering.
Meanwhile,
Since last night, Harvey Amberlock knew that Tony Stark had taken care of Obadiah Stane, and Iron Monger was out of the picture.
With Stane out of the way, no one would be able to produce an arc reactor in the short term. So for now, things were calm for Harvey.
Of course, "calm" only applied to Harvey. For others, New York had been anything but peaceful. Tony Stark wasn't going to sit still for long.
Knowing Tony's character, Harvey expected him to contact him sooner or later once he realized he could arrange a meeting through the black market.
Harvey hadn't answered Tony's calls last night not because he was busy or had an important reason. It was simply because he didn't want to deal with Tony's show-off attitude.
Despite Tony Stark's transformation into a more benevolent figure willing to help the weak, his inherent arrogance and disregard for others' feelings remained unchanged.
Harvey, wearing shorts and a t-shirt, was playing games in front of a large screen in his luxurious hall. He was about to enter his twenty-second year in the Marvel universe.
In this world, Harvey didn't have many friends. His past as an orphan of Asian descent and his impoverished background had led to bullying and neglect.
Harvey didn't care much about having friends. He preferred to be left alone, and his desire to avoid unnecessary interactions only grew stronger after gaining immense power.
On his rare days off, apart from the five days of necessary training each week, Harvey's preferred leisure activities were eating good food or playing games.
Initially, Harvey enjoyed competitive games like racing, MOBA, and FPS. However, due to his physical prowess and sensory skills, he was often mistaken for a cheater and reported, leading to account bans.
Eventually, he grew tired of dealing with these issues and switched to casual games, such as pet simulators and farming games, which didn't require frequent log-ins. This suited his limited gaming time well.
Harvey would spend a few hours each week playing, occasionally spending money on in-game purchases, and chatting online about game strategies, which relaxed him.
After spending over an hour completing daily tasks and chores in several games, Harvey decided to head out for food.
With his five meals a day, he earned over a hundred thousand evolution points daily. By consuming food made from stronger animals, he could earn even more evolution points.
Alcohol didn't provide many evolution points and was just a drink for him. Harvey generally didn't seek it out; he had various ways to earn points, so he enjoyed his time as he pleased.
Driving his Maserati, Harvey thought about when Tony Stark might host a large event or exhibition so he could sneak in and enjoy some free food.
Days went by like this.
A month had passed in the blink of an eye.
Tony Stark, in his Iron Man suit, had repeatedly visited Afghanistan to deal with the Ten Rings. After some time, he managed to eliminate the group, freeing Gomera from its infernal state.
Rumors about Iron Man spread among the allied nations and in America. The people of Gomera saw Iron Man as a hero, while many in America began to question whether such advanced technology could indeed be Stark Industries' creation.
To address these doubts, Tony Stark held a press conference, declaring to the world, "I am Iron Man."
The confirmation of Iron Man's identity drove America into a frenzy, boosting his fame even more than when he was just a playboy.
A month later, after rejecting the government's request for the technology, Tony returned to his mansion, had dinner, and then went down to his lab.
"JARVIS, contact Harvey Amberlock," Tony ordered casually.
"Understood, sir," JARVIS replied.
It had become routine for JARVIS to contact Harvey on Tony's command. After Tony's previous rejection, it was expected that Harvey wouldn't answer.
But this time, the call was connected.
"Tony Stark, you've been calling every day for a month. Don't you realize this is harassment?" Harvey's voice came through with a hint of disdain.
"My phone, tablet, and many other devices have other uses, not just to avoid your calls by turning them off every day."
"JARVIS, is this harassment?" Tony asked, momentarily stopping his work.
"In a sense, yes, sir," JARVIS replied diplomatically after a moment's thought.