The next day.
"Iron Man. That's a good name, though to be precise, it's made of gold-titanium alloy. But even if some of the description isn't entirely accurate, I like the name."
Tony was sitting in a chair, holding the latest newspaper. Pepper Potts was doing Tony's makeup, because Tony was about to go on stage to clarify the recent events.
"Mr. Stark, this is your alibi. You were on your yacht at the time. We've filed customs documents. You were on Avalon Island all last night, and we have testimony from fifty people."
"I thought you'd have me say that Pepper and I were vacationing on the island alone."
"Oh, by the way, why isn't Obadiah Stane mentioned here?" Tony asked Coulson.
"He was on his private jet last night. You know, small planes are often prone to accidents."
"Don't you think it sounds a bit fake to say the robot is my bodyguard? Because that's me. To say it's my bodyguard, it just feels a little…" Tony's expression was hesitant, asking with some uncertainty.
"This isn't the first time we've done this. You just need to say what's written, and things will calm down quickly." Coulson finished speaking and walked out.
"Coulson, I want to express my sincere gratitude for everything you've done." Pepper called out to Coulson, who was at the door, to thank him.
"You're welcome. It's my job. If you need anything in the future, you can contact us directly." Coulson replied.
"Your organization is called the Strategic Homeland…"
"You can call it S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Oh, and please tell Mr. Li Yue that our director would like to meet him." Coulson added… "It's been a while since I've held a press conference. I guess I'll just have to read from the cards. Rumor has it I was involved in a robot battle on the highway…" Tony came to the press conference stage, ready to begin his statement.
"I'm sorry, do you really expect us to believe that a bodyguard in an Iron Man suit just happened to show up? When in fact you usually…" A female reporter, who had a one-night stand with Tony, interrupted him from the audience.
"I know it's hard to understand, but questioning the official story is one thing, and blindly guessing I'm a superhero is another." Tony interrupted the female reporter and continued.
"I didn't say you were a superhero." The female reporter mercilessly cut Tony off.
"I didn't? Well, because that's absurd. I'm not superhero material. Because I have many flaws in my personality. And I've publicly done many stupid things." Tony's expression at this moment was a little unnatural, as if he was hesitant.
"Read the script." Rhode, who was beside him, whispered as he watched Tony babble.
"Li Yue, how do you think Tony Stark will answer the media's questions?"
In the audience, Lois, attending as a reporter, asked Li Yue, who was sitting next to her.
"I think his answer will be unbelievable." Li Yue replied, his eyes, however, remained fixed on the somewhat hesitant Tony on stage.
Tony looked a little lost, his eyes scanning the crowd below. Suddenly, he saw Li Yue in the audience. Seeing Li Yue's slightly encouraging gaze, he finally made a resolute decision.
"Actually… I am Iron Man!"
Tony's expression was full of determination.
"So, Li Yue, you knew all along, didn't you?"
…A single stone stirred up a thousand ripples. The news of Tony admitting to being Iron Man at the press conference instantly swept across the country. Almost all news media were reporting on the event.
Regarding Tony Stark, there were admirers, haters, and those who were purely watching the spectacle. Anyway, no matter what, Tony was famous, incredibly famous, so much so that Hollywood superstars had to step aside.
Tony's name as Iron Man spread widely among the public, resulting in Stark Industries' stock soaring. Those who had sold all their shares earlier when Tony closed the weapons division were now regretting it bitterly.
Tony also acquired all the shares held by Obadiah Stane. Now, Stark Industries was Tony's sole domain.
These are all later stories, so let's not mention them for now… Let's just say that when Tony and Li Yue returned to the villa that evening, they were greeted by a spiced corned egg… No, it was an Easter egg character, the current director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury. Because of his occasional outbursts, he was affectionately called "Motherfucker-Man." Some also called him "One-Eyed Boiled Egg Man" because of his appearance (why bring up the boiled egg again?). All right, back to the main topic.
"I am Iron Man, Tony Stark. Do you think you're the only superhero on Earth?" Nick Fury said to Tony with an imposing (showing off) tone, as if to say, Tony, you know too little about this world.
"I know. There's also Captain America from World War II, and Captain Marvel who returned to Earth in 1995, but she went back to the universe to be a superhero."
Li Yue directly took over Nick Fury's words.
"Oh, by the way, your left eye went blind at that time, scratched out by Goose. Hmm… Goose is a cat." Li Yue ignored Nick Fury's shocked gaze, mercilessly revealing his scar.
Nick Fury, initially just shocked by Li Yue's previous words, wondering how Li Yue knew these secrets, instantly showed a kaleidoscope of expressions on his face when Li Yue mentioned his eye, his expression changing rapidly.
It took Nick Fury dozens of seconds for his face to slowly calm down. He stopped the urge to kill Li Yue to silence him. If Tony knew about this, everyone would probably know about it later.
"Haha… My friend, whose eye was scratched out by a cat, I don't recall knowing you, and of course, among the people I know, there shouldn't be anyone whose eye could be scratched out by a cat. Tell me, why did you trespass into my villa? What's your purpose?"
Tony was initially stunned by what Nick Fury said, then heard Li Yue's words. He didn't doubt whether what Li Yue said was true. He just knew that this seemingly imposing one-eyed bald man actually had such an unbearable past, and revealing someone's scar was undoubtedly Tony's favorite thing to do.
"I am Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. And that wasn't an ordinary cat, but a Flerken, a very dangerous creature even in the universe. This matter is classified, so please keep it strictly confidential."
Nick Fury could only explain. If the story about his eye reached the ears of other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, he, as director, would probably be too ashamed to face anyone. He had always told others that he had lost his eye fighting a powerful creature.
"What's a Flerken? Never heard of it. You're not just making it up, are you?"
Tony questioned, indeed never having heard of a Flerken. He continued to ask.
"Let's not talk about these useless things for now. What exactly is your business trespassing into my villa? If you don't give me a suitable reason, I'll put on my Iron Man suit and throw you out of here."
"I'm here to discuss the plan to form the 'Avengers Initiative'."
Nick Fury then added.
"And to discuss Mr. Li Yue's superpowers and origins."