Under the resentful gazes of the office workers, Daniel walked confidently toward the elevator. Since he was wearing Stane's face, the security guards didn't even consider stopping him, letting him swipe the access card and enter without the slightest resistance.
Using Stane's identity as a flawless disguise, Daniel quickly arrived at Tony's luxurious office. He headed straight for the desk, powered on the computer, and inserted the silver USB drive Tony had given him.
A prompt immediately appeared: Cracking security protocol…Moments later it changed: Crack successful, locating hidden drive…Soon after, a deeply encrypted folder was unlocked, revealing numerous confidential files.
One video in particular drew Daniel's eye—it showed Tony being kidnapped by terrorists in the Middle East. According to the attached briefing, the mastermind behind it was none other than Tony's uncle, Stane. Not only had he been conducting long-term weapons deals with the terrorists, but he had also directly ordered the hit on Tony.
"Good grief, so this is what they call a normal corporate dispute in America?" Daniel muttered, intrigued, though he knew far more dramatic events would follow.
Stane had somehow recovered the wreckage of the Mark I from the Middle East. In secret, he had mobilized Stark Industries' best engineers to reverse-engineer it and construct a massive steel suit named the "Iron Monger." Judging by the schematics and progress reports, the project was nearly finished.
After reviewing everything, Daniel contacted Nick Fury to report the findings.Fury stayed silent for a moment before speaking in a stern tone: "The strategic value—and danger—of this armor is enormous. We cannot allow it to fall into Stane's hands or any hostile organization. I'll dispatch Coulson and his team to secure the facility. S.H.I.E.L.D. will take control of the technology."
He didn't specify where the armor would be stored, but the implication was clear: S.H.I.E.L.D. would take it. Nowhere else could be safer.Whether others believed that or not, Daniel certainly did—HYDRA embedded within them wasn't exactly a joke.
Following Fury's instructions, Daniel copied every hidden file twice, removed the USB drive, and left the office. As he opened the door, a stylishly dressed woman approached him.
"Mr. Stane, I heard you returned. I have an urgent budget request for a critical research project requiring your signature."
Daniel assumed she must be Stane's assistant. He glanced at the document. Fifty million dollars.
"Ahem." Daniel straightened his posture. "This project will be temporarily put on hold. Transfer all funds to this account. I have a more important project to allocate them to." He quickly scribbled his bank number on a note and handed it over.
The assistant blinked. "On hold? But Mr. Stane, this project is top priority… May I ask what the new one is?"
"Hair growth research."
She stared at Daniel's bald head and instantly understood. "I see… By the way, you haven't forgotten tonight, right?"
"Tonight?"
"Our date. We agreed on dinner yesterday."
Daniel silently cursed. Apparently, senior staff at Stark Industries were very fond of workplace romances with their assistants."I'm skipping tonight. My wife is coming home."
"Liar! Mom said she's in Hawaii this week!"
After a short but chaotic struggle, Daniel finally escaped the assistant—who turned out to be Stane's daughter—and returned to Tony's seaside mansion.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., open the door!" Daniel called.
No response.
Sensing danger, he immediately pulled out a Diamond Pickaxe from his inventory and smashed through the wall, carving out a neat square hole. Crawling in, he saw a ghostly pale figure dragging itself across the floor, chest hollowed—truly horrifying.
"Kayako?" he blurted.
The figure weakly croaked, "It's me… hurry… get the reactor in the lab…"
"Tony?" Daniel recognized the voice instantly. "Alright, hold on."
He smashed through the floor with the Pickaxe, located the old Arc Reactor, and returned, tossing it to Tony. Tony grabbed it, jammed it into his chest, and color gradually returned to his face as his breathing steadied. He collapsed, drenched in sweat.
"Thanks, buddy… you saved me again."
"No problem."
Daniel asked, "What happened? Where's your reactor?"
"It was Stane! He broke in and stole my new reactor!"
"And your suit?"
"I didn't have time…"
Tony's expression twisted in shame. Being ambushed twice without armor, he muttered, "I need a suit I can wear instantly, anytime, anywhere."
Daniel handed him the USB. "All the evidence is on this—Stane set everything up, including your kidnapping."
Mission 'Stark Industries' Mole' complete!Reward: Experience +500, Tony's Favorability +10, Item: Honesty Bun(Effect: forces truthfulness for one minute)
Tony's rage was unmistakable. He reactivated J.A.R.V.I.S. and rushed to the lab to equip the Mark III armor.
At the same time, a system alert appeared in Daniel's mind:
Player, the BOSS Event has officially begun!Target: Defeat the 'Iron Monger,' Obadiah Stane!Reward: Based on total damage dealt—the higher the damage, the greater the reward!
"A BOSS Event!?" Daniel's eyes gleamed. After fighting endless small fry, he finally had a proper boss fight ahead of him.