Chapter 410: Mysterio Appears
"Just a fake mask," Underworld Mike said as he peeled off the lifelike prosthetic from his face.
"It's incredibly realistic. For a moment, I thought my senses were failing me," John said, taking the mask and feeling the texture.
"There are still plenty of flaws; you just weren't paying close enough attention to find them," Mike chuckled.
The two remained in the Shadow Kingdom for a long time, while the other Shadow Generals departed from the conference room.
Avengers Compound
"It's in your... hands." A voice echoed in the room.
"Alright. Can you explain this to us, Stark?" Nick Fury sat calmly in his chair, waiting for an explanation.
Tony sat pensively before finally speaking. "I just didn't want to cause a scene."
"No, you've already caused one, Mr. Stark," Nick said, his face dark.
That sentence was the final message left by Ultron. Tony had clearly decoded it, so why did he lie and say it was unreadable? Could it be that the Scepter was actually with Tony? After all, Tony had used the Scepter to create Ultron in the first place.
"Ultron's words have deep meaning. The Scepter... who really has it?" Nick's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. He needed an answer.
Around them, agents were fully armed. Tony was currently being treated like a prisoner under S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
"I didn't release that sentence from the start because I was afraid of causing infighting among the Avengers," Tony said calmly, looking up.
"Too late. It's already a mess, and you, Stark, were the one who pushed it over the edge," Nick said, feeling weary. He had sent countless agents across the globe to find the Scepter, yet they found nothing.
In the midst of all this, the Avengers Civil War had broken out, keeping Nick busy. Before the war started, Captain America had come to Nick, suspecting there was an issue with a specific chip and offering to steal it for Nick to study. Nick had agreed, but Steve had only managed to steal a fake chip Tony had prepared in advance.
The old fox Nick had seen through the fake immediately. With an AI like JARVIS in the lab, there was no way Steve could have stolen the real chip undetected. Something was fishy. During the height of the internal conflict, Nick had taken the opportunity to sneak into the lab and find the real chip himself.
Now that the chip was recovered, they discovered a shocking revelation: Ultron claimed the Scepter was in their hands. This made Nick wonder: why was Tony intentionally hiding the chip's contents?
"Yes," Tony smiled self-mockingly. Indeed, the Avengers had already crumbled.
"I don't know what you were thinking. You always think you can do it alone, never treating the team like a team. You, Tony Stark, have always been alone. You've never truly integrated."
Nick's words cut deep.
"The priority now is finding the Scepter! Stark, I don't care what your motives are, but if that thing is with you, I expect you to hand it over." Nick stood up and walked out, followed by his agents.
Once everyone was gone, JARVIS spoke. "Sir, there are ten agents patrolling outside the door, and no fewer than fifty surrounding the building."
"Expected," Tony closed his eyes. He had wanted to decode the chip's meaning on his own, but the truth had come out anyway.
"Sir, I advised against this from the beginning. It only served to increase suspicion," JARVIS noted. Tony had a history, after all—the last time he studied the Scepter in secret, he created Ultron.
"I know. But at the time, if that information had leaked, the Civil War would have started even sooner." Tony had weighed the risks. Being under house arrest wasn't so bad; it gave him time to work on his suits.
"Sir, I believe you won't be content being monitored by the 'one-eyed marinated egg' forever," JARVIS said, knowing his creator well.
Tony smiled. Sitting around waiting to die wasn't the Iron Man way. "How are the Underoos and the Masked Boy?"
"Spider-Man is still out fighting crime, while Destiny is currently occupied with his own 'romantic defense war'."
"The Masked Boy certainly knows how to live," Tony sat up. "How's the room surveillance?"
"360-degree coverage in all four corners. Shall I disable them?"
"Not yet." Tony needed to wait for the right moment.
Stark Industries
News of Tony Stark being placed under house arrest by S.H.I.E.L.D. had somehow leaked out. Panic was spreading through Stark Industries. Although Pepper Potts was managing the situation, Tony's influence was irreplaceable.
"I need to see Tony," Pepper said at the door, only to be blocked by agents.
"Apologies, Ms. Potts. Mr. Stark is busy." The agents wouldn't budge. Pepper glared at them before turning to leave in a huff.
"Boss, believe me, he'll be fine," Happy said, catching up to comfort her. As someone who knew Tony best, Happy knew he wasn't the type to be easily contained.
"I know," Pepper said, trying to steady herself. Her priority was keeping the company stable.
As they entered the Stark Industries building, they ran into a man hurriedly walking out, clutching his belongings.
"Who is he?" Pepper asked.
Happy looked at the man. "That's Quentin Beck. He was the designer of the holographic projection system. He was fired."
"Holographic system? I heard that technology was incredible," Pepper wondered why such a talent was let go.
"Mr. Stark fired him. He felt Beck's personality was unstable. He was given a severance package and dismissed."
Happy remembered Beck well. A few days ago, while Tony was reviewing new tech, Beck had pitched his invention. Tony, being Tony, had blunt words, calling Beck's life's work "B.A.R.F." and telling him to fix his attitude. Beck had exploded in a fit of rage right there, and Tony fired him on the spot.
Pepper sighed. If that was the case, Beck's temperament was indeed a liability. "Next time, tell me about these things. I am the CEO, technically." She felt more like a high-level errand runner than a CEO lately.
At the entrance of the building, Beck looked back at the skyscraper. "Just wait, Stark. I'll make you realize there's no medicine for regret."
At that moment, a seed of vengeance took root in his heart.
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