Natasha's beautiful eyes rippled with a faint excitement, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of eagerness to head to Brazil and harness the terrifying power of Bruce Banner, the green monster.
However, she couldn't appear too anxious now; she believed this guy was even more eager than she was.
She needed to let this guy know who was truly in control.
Natasha calmed her mind and turned on the TV, which was broadcasting the news of Tony Stark's return.
"This guy really loves the spotlight," Natasha remarked, watching Tony Stark on TV, looking exhausted, his face smudged with dirt, as he devoured a cheeseburger.
Natasha didn't have any ill feelings toward Tony; instead, she was full of admiration. Creating such advanced armor in just six days was impressive. Even without her, this genius would likely have found a way out.
There wasn't much to say about Tony Stark's arrogant personality, as geniuses often had their quirks.
"Did you know? At that moment, I was thinking about my father. I didn't get to say goodbye to him. Yes, I didn't say goodbye during his final moments."
"I really want to ask him if he ever hesitated, wavered, or regretted creating this company and selling weapons that could take lives worldwide!"
"I want to ask him what it's like to be a merchant of death."
Tony Stark sat on the ground, speaking these words to countless media outlets.
As soon as he finished speaking, the media fell silent, then erupted in a frenzy. Almost everyone was desperately trying to get closer, pushing their microphones toward Tony.
Not just them, even Obadiah Stane felt this strange sensation.
He quickly grabbed Tony, wanting to ask what he was going to say and why he hadn't discussed it with him beforehand. But it was too late; Tony had already dropped this explosive news.
"I've decided to shut down the weapons development division of Stark Industries, effective immediately."
With this announcement, not just the media, but everyone who saw the news felt a tidal wave crashing over them.
Anyone holding Stark stock wanted to sell it off as quickly as possible. Everyone knew a massive financial upheaval was about to hit.
The one most worried and fearful about this storm was Obadiah Stane. As one of the founders of Stark Industries, he valued the company more than his own son. How could he let Tony dismantle such a crucial part of it so easily?
He quickly grabbed Tony, stopping him from continuing, and took over the microphone on the podium, shouting loudly.
"The main purpose of this press conference is to announce Tony's return. Everything else was just Tony joking with everyone."
Despite his words, not many believed him. After all, the company was named Stark, not Stane. Everyone knew Tony Stark had the final say, not Obadiah Stane.
As the press conference ended, Natasha turned off the TV, already sensing the storm brewing on the horizon.
It was easy to imagine the stock market would likely crash in the future.
But what did that have to do with her? She was a top agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Tony was the boss of Stark Industries. They had no intersection.
"If I were you, I'd be buying up Stark Industries stock like crazy right now," Yang Han suddenly said.
"Why?" Natasha frowned, asking.
Though she was an agent skilled in combat, firearms, and assassination, her business acumen wasn't sharp. Get faster updates on g.com.
"Did you forget what Tony Stark was piloting earlier?" Yang Han retorted.
"That crude armor?" Natasha recalled Tony piloting the gray exoskeleton armor a few hours ago.
"Tony isn't just a genius inventor; he's also a super-genius businessman. He's playing this game brilliantly," Yang Han remarked with feigned admiration.
"What do you mean?" Natasha was puzzled. Was he the alien, or was she? Why did he seem to understand business so well, while she was completely lost?
"What do I mean? It's simple. If he could invent that exoskeleton armor in such a rudimentary environment, now that he's back in the United States, his home base, the armor he develops will naturally be more refined and powerful. All he needs to do is wear the Iron Man suit, solve some issues in front of everyone—like taking out some terrorists in the Middle East—and then announce that he's the one in the suit. This tactic is called commercial packaging, much like celebrity hype. It can completely turn around a sluggish stock market."
"And with just one statement, not only won't he lose money, but he'll also gain at least billions in wealth. This commercial packaging tactic is worthy of being written into textbooks as a model of business operation. Not only that, Tony has probably already figured out, based on some clues, why he got into trouble, and he might use this opportunity to test Obadiah Stane. If Obadiah makes one wrong move, he'll fall into an endless abyss, and Tony will seize the chance to reclaim Obadiah's shares, achieving absolute control over Stark Industries," Yang Han analyzed.
Natasha was stunned. She hadn't expected that Tony's mere announcement of closing the weapons division could lead to so much. She immediately questioned, "Isn't this just your wild guess?"
Yang Han gave Natasha a disdainful look and said calmly, "How about a bet? Bet that Tony will do exactly as I said. If you lose, you have to listen to me."
"And if you lose?" Natasha retorted defiantly.
"If I lose, I'll acknowledge you as my master, and you'll forever be my host," Yang Han declared proudly.
"So you were planning to leave me at any time?" Natasha replied, annoyed.
"Nonsense. There's a saying in China: a wise bird chooses a tree to nest in. If you can't help me, I'll have to find another host who can. A symbiotic relationship is mutually beneficial. You give me the genes of a superpowered individual, and I give you immense power. It's fair, isn't it? So, are you in or not?" Yang Han said calmly.
After a moment of silence, Natasha nodded, "I'm in. No backing out for anyone!"