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Iron Man Read My Complaint Diary 17
🕑 Added 2024-07-05 18:54:50 +0000 UTCChapter 17: The Avengers? That sounds like the name of a group of 8-year-old kids.
The so-called protagonist, naturally, is also mentioned in Marcus's diary.
Tony Stark said that this statement was already a given. If Tony Stark, the handsome, born rich, and a genius, could not be the protagonist, then who could be the protagonist~?
Who else?
Nick Fury couldn't help but twitch his lips. What Tony said was kind of true but he sounded like a narcissistic motherfuc…
"And what do you mean when you say, 'If you hadn’t handled it, you would have'? Is the government trying to interfere with private enterprises?" Tony instinctively frowned. As a businessman, he, like other entrepreneurs, despised government interference, even if it was supposedly for his own good.
"Of course not. We're intervening as shareholders." Nick Fury interjected. "You may not know this, but S.H.I.E.L.D. is a major shareholder in Stark Industries. To be precise, your father, Howard Stark, received our investment when he founded Stark Industries. It's just that our investment is held through cross-ownership, so you weren't aware."
"You're our shareholders, and I didn't know?" Tony said skeptically.
Nick Fury chuckled and continued, "It's normal that you didn't know. After all, we're a special organization, not keen on being in the limelight. Your father was once our chief scientist at S.H.I.E.L.D. When he ventured into entrepreneurship, he also received our startup fund. Even your subsequent development has received assistance from S.H.I.E.L.D., including you. Do you think a young kid like you could smoothly manage Stark Industries without our backing? Do you know how much we “shielded” you from external threats?"
Tony pursed his lips, instinctively wanting to refute but then carefully considered. When he was young, his parents suddenly died. He was deeply affected before sinking into a long period of despair. Later, he spent a lot of time completing his education.
After graduating, he returned to take over the family business, which surprisingly went smoothly, except for Obadiah's betrayal. Tony suddenly realized how deep the waters were within his company. He had been at the helm for almost a decade and had no idea about the unknown shareholders behind the scenes.
"But today, I'm not here as a shareholder. I'm inviting you to join the ‘Avengers Initiative’ that I've created. You should know that in this world, there's more than just one superhero like you." Nick Fury paused before smirking, "Hmm, I think you understand what that word means, as it's been mentioned more than once in the diary, Mr. Protagonist."
Nick Fury revealed his true purpose.
"Avengers Initiative? That sounds like the name of a group of 8-year-old kids." Tony Stark sarcastically quipped. "I have no interest in your K-pop band, but about this diary. I think if you really have that much power, you must have found this Marcus by now."
"Yes, we've been observing his presence through certain means, ensuring he poses no threat to our world," Nick Fury nodded in affirmation.
If Tony could find someone, Nick Fury naturally had his own methods. After all, managing such a vast organization, knowing the name, knowing he was an Asian descendant, and knowing some of the activities mentioned in the diary, it was almost effortless to find Marcus.
But like Tony, he couldn't confront Marcus directly. Just the thought of asking Marcus about the diary immediately gave him a severe headache, making it impossible for him to proceed.
"For now, it seems there's no threat, and the kid isn't bad," Nick Fury remarked lightly.
In fact, with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current capabilities, Marcus's displayed physical abilities. While somewhat intimidating, they were far from being unmanageable.
What really troubled S.H.I.E.L.D. were beings like the Hulk, a humanoid natural disaster, or recently, that arrived Wonder Woman.
They clearly transcended the limits of humanity.
And what made Marcus special was that, to some extent, he seemed capable of foreseeing the future, which was very noteworthy.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for today. Regarding this Avengers Initiative, I'll discuss it with you again later. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave." Seeing Tony Stark unmoved, Nick Fury also understood that Tony might not trust him completely.
After watching him leave, Tony immediately began to modify the security systems. First, it was Obadiah who sneaked in according to the diary, and now this nosy black dude also sneaked in. This all made Tony doubt the security systems he designed.
After checking various surveillance feeds, he found that Nick Fury's method of entry was different from Obadiah's authorized access. Nick Fury had simply cut off the power to his mansion in a straightforward manner.
Although his mansion had a generator, Nick Fury had physically disabled it. Without power, even JARVIS couldn't do a thing.
Immediately, Tony Stark decided to prepare a large battery backup system in his mansion. It wouldn't be used normally, but it would ensure uninterrupted power during critical times.
[Sir, the diary has started updating.]
As Tony Stark was engrossed in his tasks, JARVIS suddenly chimed in, interrupting his focus.
He immediately set aside his work and turned his attention to the diary.
Meanwhile, Marcus had just returned to his home, looking dusty and exhausted. He had recently completed his path of study, spending two months successfully advancing his strength to the Transformation Force level.
At this point, he was nearly invincible in martial arts gyms across US. Moreover, after being completely transformed by the Super Soldier Serum, he was significantly stronger than typical Transformation Force masters.
Ordinary Transformation Force masters couldn't even take a punch from him, giving him a feeling of being a superhuman.
If his strength were to further advance, it would reach the legendary level of Elixir Force. However, according to elders in the martial arts community, such individuals are more likely to appear in mainland Martial Arts land than in the United States.
The path ahead could only be explored by Marcus himself.
[The timeline of this world is getting stranger and stranger. Tony Stark didn't go to Afghanistan, wasn't kidnapped, yet Obadiah was caught. Is this another alternate timeline that I don't understand? Now I'm starting to feel more and more like this isn't the Earth-616 universe I know. This world is becoming increasingly incomprehensible to me.]
"The Earth-616 universe."
Tony stared fixedly at the phrase, his breathing slightly quickened.
(AN: The author is using 1999, the old term. But I changed it now.)
