With strong support from Obadiah, Tony quickly developed the Mini Arc Cold Nuclear Fusion Reactor and successfully completed the steel suit. Given the presence of Zod's War Machine and Iron Overlord, as well as his own Dark Knight armor, Tony didn't rush out to fight crime. Instead, he realized his suit was significantly outdated and knew he'd need an upgrade that surpassed Zod's.
Meanwhile, Zod had his AI, the Black Queen, send incriminating evidence to Nick Fury's computer—proof that Obadiah was supplying arms to terrorists. Fury, rather than arresting Obadiah immediately, first checked with his tech team, astonished that his own system had been hacked. As Director of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, Fury couldn't let such a breach go unnoticed.
For Tony, Zod had the Black Queen send another file: an old Hydra record showing that Obadiah had hired assassins—unaware that they were Hydra—to eliminate Tony's parents. Initially skeptical, Tony was convinced only after seeing a blurry video. Though the quality was low, even after Tony's tech enhancements, he could still make out Obadiah. This betrayal left Tony devastated, realizing he had handed Stark Industries over to his parents' murderer. But Zod had already ensured Obadiah would bankrupt the company if anything happened, allowing Tony to rebuild without financial risk.
Having set up Obadiah, Zod quickly lost interest in him.
Deli, a Hungarian game streamer, had recently become obsessed with "Blood Battle to the End," the latest hit game from Blade Technology Industries. The game's premise was straightforward: one hundred players drop into a designated area—be it a city, forest, or snowy terrain—where they scavenge for weapons and items and battle it out until only one player remains. Adding to its appeal was the game's immersive virtual reality, a groundbreaking feature that let players experience the battlefield as if they were truly there.
"Blood Battle to the End" skyrocketed to five million players, especially notable since entry required a $5,000 game helmet. Although this price limited access, the game still generated $25 billion in revenue for Blade Technology Industries. The helmet's cost led many U.S. gamers to save up just to experience the revolutionary gameplay. Criticism quickly arose, with some claiming that Zod was neglecting his "real work" in favor of games, even prompting calls from Staf, who wanted cancer research prioritized. But gamers like Deli couldn't care less; to them, Zod was a genius, and his new game had transformed the industry.
Deli, having quickly mastered "Blood Battle," became a popular streamer and was now making significant money. His parents, initially disapproving of his $5,000 purchase, soon changed their tune as he doubled the investment.
"Alright, folks," Deli announced on stream, "today, I'm going for 50 kills! Last time I almost made it, but some coward hiding in the grass took me down."
Skillfully taking down foes, Deli climbed a hill—only to feel a subtle impact on his head, the in-game indicator of where he was hit.
"You have been killed from 950 meters!" the system notified him.
"A 950-meter headshot?! Who even manages that?" Deli stammered in disbelief as fans flooded the chat.
"Headshot at nearly a thousand meters!"
"And this game has real physics, right? Wind affects the sniper's trajectory!"
Refusing to accept defeat, Deli watched the kill replay from his opponent's perspective. The footage showed his opponent expertly battling three enemies simultaneously. At one point, an unnoticed foe's head poked out from cover, and with inhuman speed, the killer aimed, fired a sniper shot within 0.1 seconds, and took down two others at the same speed. The reflexes seemed nearly superhuman.
Deli watched, stunned.