c21: This is Harassment
"What did you and Mr. Phil Coulson talk about?"
Pepper Potts asked curiously after seeing Coulson leave the first floor of Stark Mansion and Tony Stark head straight for the basement workshop.
"Nothing much, just a casual chat about the current situation and future of Earth,"
Tony Stark replied casually, taking the elevator down to the basement where multiple Iron Man armor prototypes were being refined under the supervision of J.A.R.V.I.S.
Even a genius like him had needed to personally witness the existence of that so-called "Death"—the void entity to fully accept what Coulson had said about extraterrestrial threats, cosmic forces, and hidden protectors like Asgard.
If it were an ordinary person like Pepper, even if she trusted him, explaining concepts like alien civilizations, S.H.I.E.L.D., and beings beyond Earth would require far more effort.
He might even end up saying something like he didn't want Pepper anywhere near a battlefield involving threats on that level.
Tony Stark's answer, though perfunctory, was undeniably accurate; their discussion had revolved around Earth's future, potential alien invasions, and preparations for threats beyond human comprehension.
However, Pepper was clearly not satisfied with Tony Stark's dismissive tone, so she followed him into the elevator, intending to press him further.
Tony Stark, already accustomed to Pepper's persistence, had long developed his own methods of deflection, and the two soon fell into their usual playful back-and-forth.
He deliberately changed the subject, using humor and light teasing to divert her attention.
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On the other side,
last night, Harvey Ambellaca received multiple calls from Tony Stark calls that were either ignored or deliberately rejected.
He already knew that Tony Stark had successfully dealt with Obadiah Stane, and without Obadiah's interference, the Iron Monger armor would never come into existence.
Without someone like Stane stealing and reverse-engineering Stark's arc reactor design, it was impossible for anyone else to replicate such technology in a short period of time.
So, for the foreseeable future, the situation would enter a relatively stable phase.
Of course, this calm was only from Harvey's perspective.
For the rest of New York and even the world things were far from peaceful.
With Tony Stark publicly announcing the shutdown of Stark Industries' weapons division and shifting toward energy, the resulting power vacuum, political tension, and underground instability ensured that chaos would continue.
Tony Stark himself was far from someone who could sit still.
Given Tony Stark's personality curious, prideful, and relentless once he learned that Harvey could be contacted through the black market network, he would undoubtedly try again.
Now, Harvey only needed to wait.
As for why Harvey didn't answer Tony Stark's calls last night, there wasn't any deep reason, nor was he occupied with anything important.
It was simply that Harvey had no interest in listening to Tony Stark boast.
After all, although Tony Stark had undergone significant psychological changes after Afghanistan becoming more responsible and more willing to protect others his core personality remained the same.
His arrogance, sharp tongue, and habitual disregard for others' feelings were still very much intact.
Harvey had no intention of entertaining that.
Dressed casually in shorts and a loose t-shirt, Harvey was sitting in the spacious lobby of his mansion, playing games on a massive high-definition screen.
He was fully aware that he was approaching his twenty-second year since arriving in this Marvel universe.
In this world, Harvey had very few genuine connections.
His past as an Asian orphan and his impoverished upbringing had subjected him to neglect, discrimination, and indifference.
As a result, he never developed any strong desire for friendships.
As long as others didn't interfere with him or become obstacles, that was sufficient.
This mindset only deepened after he awakened his system and obtained overwhelming power.
To the outside world, Harvey Ambellaca was now seen as a young billionaire handsome, wealthy, and powerful a perfect bachelor in the eyes of high society.
But in reality, this only made him more distant from others.
If forming friendships required pretense, compromise, or lowering himself to please others, he would rather remain alone.
If Harvey had any hobbies during his rare days of rest two days out of every week, the remaining five devoted to training—
it would be searching for high-quality food or playing games.
He had once enjoyed competitive genres like racing games, MOBAs, and FPS titles.
However, due to his enhanced reflexes, perception, and reaction speed far beyond normal human limits he was constantly accused of cheating.
Reports piled up, and his accounts were frequently banned.
Harvey had no interest in wasting time arguing with game moderators or proving anything to strangers online.
Eventually, he gave up competitive gaming altogether and shifted to casual genres.
Simulation-style games like farming, pet-raising, or sandbox management became his preference.
These games allowed him to relax without drawing attention, perfectly fitting his limited leisure time.
Occasionally, he would spend money in-game, browse forums, exchange tips with other players, and pass the time.
After completing his daily tasks and routine activities across several games—a process that took just over an hour,Harvey stood up and prepared to go out.
It was time to eat.
With his current consumption habits of five meals a day, he could steadily accumulate over 100,000 evolution points.
If he deliberately sought out exotic or high-energy biological ingredients, such as rare meats or enhanced organisms, the gains would be even greater.
As for alcohol, it provided negligible evolution value.
To Harvey, it was nothing more than a flavored drink to accompany his meals.
However, Harvey generally didn't bother seeking out such sources deliberately, as he already possessed multiple stable methods of obtaining large amounts of evolution points, allowing him to act entirely according to his own preferences.
If he were truly willing to push himself to extremes constantly hunting high-energy biological targets or engaging in continuous high-intensity evolution—then achieving a hundred evolutions within a week would not be impossible.
But Harvey had no intention of living like that.
Harvey drove his Maserati this time, casually thinking about when Tony Stark would host another large-scale banquet, Stark Expo–level event, or elite gathering so he could once again take advantage of the opportunity.
After all, compared to ordinary restaurants, the quality and density of food at Stark-sponsored events were far more valuable.
Days passed like this.
※※※※※※
In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.
Tony Stark, piloting his Iron Man armor now refined beyond the early Mark II and Mark III prototypes made repeated flights across international airspace to Afghanistan, targeting remnants of the Ten Rings organization.
With the assistance of J.A.R.V.I.S., satellite tracking, and combat data analysis, Tony Stark gradually located and dismantled multiple Ten Rings cells.
After a sustained period of operations, Tony Stark finally eradicated the major Ten Rings presence in the region, liberating Gulmira from its war-torn, oppressive state.
Rumors about Iron Man began spreading rapidly across various countries, including the United States and its allied nations.
To the people of Gulmira, Iron Man was nothing less than a savior—a man in armor who descended from the sky to destroy their oppressors.
Meanwhile, within the United States, debates intensified.
Many began questioning whether such advanced powered armor technology truly originated from Stark Industries, or whether it was secretly developed through classified military programs or even recovered alien technology.
At present, Stark Industries remained the only known private entity capable of producing cutting-edge weapons and experimental energy systems on that level.
Faced with growing speculation and pressure, Tony Stark ultimately chose to confront the situation directly.
At a globally broadcast press conference, Tony Stark openly declared:
"I am Iron Man."
This unprecedented admission breaking the long-standing tradition of secret identities among heroes instantly shocked the world.
Across America, public reaction exploded into excitement and admiration.
Unlike masked vigilantes, Tony Stark stood openly as both the man and the hero, further amplifying his already legendary reputation.
Soon after, Tony Stark received a summons from the United States National Security Council,
which sought to pressure him into surrendering the core technology behind the Iron Man armor for national use.
To ordinary individuals, such a demand from the highest levels of government would be overwhelming.
But Tony Stark was no ordinary individual.
Even before becoming Iron Man, he had been one of the world's foremost geniuses, a leading industrialist, and a key defense contractor whose innovations shaped modern warfare.
Attempting to coerce him through political pressure alone was far from simple.
As expected, Tony Stark publicly refused the demand and walked out of the meeting without hesitation.
This act of defiance further elevated his status among the public.
To many Americans, Iron Man was no longer just a hero—he was a symbol of independence, innovation, and resistance against bureaucratic control.
His popularity even surpassed his former reputation as a billionaire playboy.
And exactly one month later, on this very day,
after rejecting the Council's demands, Tony Stark returned to Stark Mansion, finished his dinner, and casually gave an order as he descended into his workshop filled with armor prototypes and holographic displays.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., contact Harvey Ambellaca."
"Yes, sir."
J.A.R.V.I.S. had long since become accustomed to this routine.
Ever since Tony Stark had been repeatedly ignored or outright blocked.
Tony Stark had instructed J.A.R.V.I.S. to attempt contacting Harvey Ambellaca every single day.
The pattern had remained unchanged for an entire month.
Naturally, J.A.R.V.I.S. initially expected the call to be rejected again.
However, this time, the call connected.
"Tony Stark, calling every single day for a month straight—do you realize this qualifies as harassment?"
"My phone and tablet serve many purposes. I'm not going to keep turning them off every day just to avoid you."
The moment the connection was established, Harvey Ambellaca's voice came through, carrying a faint trace of disdain and impatience.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., is this harassment?"
Tony Stark, who had just begun preparing to work on further armor upgrades possibly the next iteration beyond Mark III paused mid-motion and asked.
"In a certain sense… yes, sir."
J.A.R.V.I.S. hesitated briefly, processing the question through its logic framework, before ultimately delivering a tactful yet honest answer.
....