The lavish ball lasted for about three hours.
Kagura Hitomi found a quiet corner, nibbling on various desserts while waiting for the event to conclude.
It was her first time attending an event of this level, and she felt increasingly anxious the whole time.
If someone invited her to dance...
Oh no! What would she do?!
Kagura's understanding of ballroom dancing was limited to what she had seen in movies and a semester-long elective she took back in her previous life at university.
Unlike military combat skills, she had no expertise here, and there was no holographic UI system to help her out.
So, better to stay out of the way! Since everyone else was dancing, she could just enjoy the food!
Luckily, the event passed without incident!
[Task Completed: Attend the Stark Industries Firefighter Fund Charity Ball / Completed][Reward: 5 QP]
Great! Task completed, 5 QP earned, happy!
Perfect, now it's time to head home and get some sleep!
Kagura Hitomi exited the venue, and her eyes caught a familiar figure.
Amid the scattered flashes of camera lights, Tony Stark stood alone, gazing at a black limousine as it slowly drove away.
"Mr. Stark, are you alright?" Kagura approached him with concern.
"Hitomi, how far do you think a businessman would go for his own benefit?" Tony asked, deep in thought.
"I'm not really a businessman, Mr. Stark, so..." Kagura hesitated.
"No matter, forget that silly question," Tony waved his hand. "I was just trying to convince Obadiah to stop walking down the wrong path, but it doesn't seem like there's any hope."
"So, what will you do next?" Kagura asked. "Will you openly oppose Mr. Stane?"
"I don't know... He's my father's business partner, and he's the one who made sure Stark Industries succeeded," Tony replied. "But one thing's for sure: I'll take responsibility for the mistakes of the past."
"Mm." Kagura didn't say much more, simply nodding.
"Well, I'm going to head back, Mr. Stark."
"Shall I give you a ride?" Tony offered.
"Is that alright?" Kagura raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. Oh, by the way, you look stunning tonight."
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me. You owe me a dance."
"Eh? Why?" Kagura was surprised.
"Who do you think helped you avoid every dance invitation while you were nervously hiding in the corner, eating?" Tony grinned.
"Ah..." Kagura blinked, realizing. "So that's what happened. Thank you so much, Mr. Stark."
"No need to thank me, Miss Kagura. Get in the car."
"Actually... could we go a little slower this time? I'm in a dress..." Kagura added hesitantly.
Three days later, Former Stark Industries Military Facility, Los Angeles Weapons Development Base
The workday was over, and everyone had already left.
After confirming the area was clear, Kagura opened her personal equipment development list using a special command.
With a few simple operations, an automated mechanical arm delivered an equipment box to her. The box opened automatically, revealing a full set of gear.
[Database Connection in Progress...]
The holographic UI began scanning, displaying the equipment's attributes as the information flickered on the screen.
[Database Sync Complete]
[Equipment Scanning...]
[Scanning Complete]
[Attribute Loading Complete, Equipment List Generated]
Carbon Nanofiber Suit, Women's Defensive Fabric
Foldable Explosive Shield System, Defensive Item, Can Be Concealed as an Umbrella
Primary Material: Gold-Titanium Alloy
Multi-purpose Tactical Gloves, Capable of Launching Wired/Wireless Small Tungsten Tactical Darts, Threat Level: Medium
Hafnium Alloy Katana
Military-grade Advanced Metal Cold Weapon, Threat Level: Medium
Primary Materials: Hafnium Alloy, Carbon Nanofiber
Estimated Category: Wakizashi
Kagura reviewed the gear she had developed for herself. Overall, it seemed good enough. At least for now, before she fully took over Stark Industries, this level of equipment would do.
Although Kagura had obtained some corporate R&D permissions from Obadiah, most of the resources were focused on developing the Iron Man suits and were naturally under Obadiah's supervision. She had managed to carve out a small portion of the military production capacity for her own equipment, preparing for possible emergencies or battles in the future.
After checking on Obadiah's progress with the Iron Man suit development, Kagura packed up her gear and left.
As she exited the weapons development base, night had already fallen.
"Ugh, another day of hard work," she stretched. "Maybe I'll reward myself with a couple of cheese burgers!"
"Hitomi Kagura."
A voice called from behind, and Kagura froze. She quickly masked her expression and turned around.
"Mr. Stane! What a surprise! What are you doing here?"
"I came to check on the Iron Man suit development. It's nearly complete, so I wanted to check in," Obadiah answered.
"I see," Kagura smiled. "Don't worry, Mr. Stane. The main structure of the Iron Man suit is finished. The remaining weapon systems and subsystems are being installed and debugged."
"You work fast," Obadiah said, giving her his trademark friendly smile. He patted her on the shoulder. "I've seen you testing weapons alone lately. Got any surprises for me?"
"The weapons I've been testing are integrated into the Iron Man suit, mainly using current equipment..." Kagura started.
"No, I mean new weapons," Obadiah interrupted.
"New weapons?" Kagura's heart skipped a beat, but her outward demeanor remained calm.
"The one that blew through a Gold-Titanium alloy armor plate, leaving nearly a hundred-meter-long scorched mark in the testing chamber," Obadiah's tone hinted at something more.
"Oh, that weapon," Kagura smiled. "That was an experimental electromagnetic launcher, also known as an electromagnetic cannon. We've abandoned it."
"Why?" Obadiah asked.
"Because, based on the calculations, if you want to ensure its power, it'll only take one shot, and your Iron Man suit will be completely drained of energy."
"I see..." Obadiah looked a bit disappointed. "Well, there's nothing we can do. But it's good to try. Thanks for your effort."
"No problem, Mr. Stane." Kagura nodded politely.
"By the way, about the Arc Reactor..." Obadiah stepped closer, making the atmosphere more intense.
"I've found a way to deal with it."
"Ah! That's wonderful!" Kagura's golden eyes flickered, but her voice was composed. "Is it successfully developed?"
Although she remained outwardly calm, Kagura couldn't shake the doubt in her mind.
Where is this bald man getting the Arc Reactor from?
"Our engineers can't make a small Arc Reactor, but..." Obadiah smiled faintly, "A lot of things can be solved with money."
"I see," Kagura nodded with a smile. "Well, congratulations, Mr. Stane."
"You're welcome, Hitomi," Obadiah smiled. "It's getting late, so be careful on your way home."
"Mm." Kagura nodded respectfully. "Goodbye, Mr. Stane."
Kagura had originally planned to slowly infiltrate Obadiah's private servers to gather evidence of his attempted murder of Tony Stark. Then, she would use that to have him arrested.
However, now it seemed like things were going to be resolved through force.
Though, Kagura thought, it didn't really matter to her.
But... where is he actually getting the Arc Reactor from?