"Impossible! This guy must be cheating!" Deli exclaimed, watching the replay. From the opponent's perspective, Deli was just a small dot in the distance, yet the player had aimed perfectly even before Deli came into view, landing a headshot with uncanny precision.
"Hey, the other guy's a streamer too! Look up his channel, 'Hardcore Human Physics Stream'!" someone commented.
"Unreal!" Another fan wrote. "This guy's been taking down players nonstop from the start!"
Curious, Deli left his game and opened the "Hardcore Human Physics Stream" page. Over ten million people were already tuned in, including those without gaming helmets, attracted by the buzz around the streamer's inhuman reflexes.
"Can anyone really react that fast? Is he a professional sniper or something?" one viewer speculated.
"Speak up, and I'll donate!" another fan offered, impressed by the seven consecutive matches the streamer had won without defeat. Messages in multiple languages scrolled through the screen, a testament to the stream's global reach—thanks in part to Zod's negotiation with the "Rabbit" government, enabling users to access Cobweb without restrictions. This move had skyrocketed the platform's registered user count beyond a billion, a feat previously thought impossible.
Deli closely examined the footage, noticing that the stream was broadcasting directly from the player's view, leaving little room for cheats. His amazement grew; this skill was genuine.
Meanwhile, Zod was having a blast. "All in a day's work!" he thought, headshotting yet another opponent effortlessly. For him, this was a relaxing activity, though his lightning-fast reactions and precise kills left onlookers astonished.
"My god, he fired the instant the enemy appeared!" a viewer gasped. "His reaction speed is insane!"
The chat buzzed as Zod achieved a nine-game winning streak, leaving everyone in suspense as he continued to rack up kills with unparalleled accuracy. After a dozen consecutive victories, he decided to wrap up his stream, satisfied with his "entertainment."
While Zod was casually dominating the gaming world, events in the real world were unfolding quickly. Tony Stark, now armed with the evidence Zod had given him, and Nick Fury, who also had a copy, coordinated a swift response to dismantle Obadiah's schemes. Fury's original plan was to handle Obadiah discreetly, arranging his quiet removal to avoid any adverse impact on Stark Industries. But the Black Queen had other plans. In a decisive move, she exposed the story on Cobweb's Global Daily and leaked details that shook the financial world.
Within hours, Stark Industries' stock price plummeted as news of Obadiah's tax evasion—a sum exceeding $20 billion—surfaced. IRS investigations quickly escalated, and, to everyone's surprise, the tax department deployed ten War Machines.
"Since when does the IRS have War Machines?" Zod mused as he watched the televised scene. The Air Force and Navy had struggled to secure even one, yet the IRS seemed unusually equipped. This display marked the complete fall of Obadiah, whose smuggling operations had sold Stark weapons to terrorists.
The scandal sent Stark Industries into chaos. Tony Stark fought to keep the company afloat, but, overwhelmed by the negative press and investor panic, the once-towering empire declared bankruptcy.
Standing amidst the ruins, Tony resolved to rebuild. "Stark Industries may be down," he declared, "but we're not defeated."
Blade Technology Industries, Zod's enterprise, wasted no time. With Stark Industries dissolved, they quickly acquired machinery, manufacturing lines, and weapons technology, which were now on the market. Although Tony's private patents remained untouched, Blade Technology gained a massive boost from Stark's defunct weapons division, catapulting it to the forefront of the global military industry. Small orders worth hundreds of millions could now be fulfilled swiftly, positioning Blade Technology as an untouchable industrial titan.
Zod was pleased; Blade Technology's advancements in military, materials, energy, pharmaceuticals, and communications now dominated the market. The slogan "Step into the future with Blade Technology" was quickly becoming accepted as fact.
Surveying the new machinery, Zod saw his next opportunity: replication. With his knowledge of atomic structures, duplicating these systems was straightforward. Soon, Blade Technology would expand its production lines further, both publicly and in several undisclosed locations.