"Chikara Dojo."
Looking at the wooden signboard, Peter entered the dojo. The sound of wooden practice swords clashing and people shouting echoed throughout the hall. Around a dozen students were training in pairs. Most were teenagers around Peter's age, with a few adults mixed in. Many of them seemed to be Asian, all wearing simple training uniforms.
On one side of the dojo, Colleen was teaching a Black woman who looked to be in her twenties. Peter watched as the woman threw a punch, but Colleen easily redirected it before correcting her stance. As Peter looked at them, Colleen noticed him too.
"Well, look who finally decided to come back. A certain student disappeared after just a few weeks of training." Colleen smiled as she joked.
Hearing that, Peter rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Sorry about that."
"I'm just joking." Colleen waved her hand. "How have you been? Last time you seemed like something was bothering you. Feeling better now?"
Hearing that, Peter was taken aback for a moment before realizing what she meant. His sudden increase in strength had made him stop coming here so he could learn to control himself without raising suspicion. It seemed Colleen had noticed he was struggling with something back then, even if she didn't know what it was.
"Yeah, I'm fine now."
"Good. Then let's continue from where we left off."
Soon, Peter changed into his training clothes and started practicing with Colleen again.
Several students stopped what they were doing to watch. After only a few exchanges, Peter's movements were much smoother than before. Even the woman Colleen had been teaching earlier couldn't react as quickly as Peter during the drills.
"Looks like you've been practicing on your own." Colleen nodded with satisfaction after seeing his improvement.
After finishing his training, the woman walked over with a smile.
"Hi, I'm Claire Temple."
"I'm Peter Parker."
"You were really good out there. When Colleen told me you'd only trained for a few weeks, I thought you'd still be a beginner. But your movements were really good." She praised him.
Hearing a girl praise him made Peter smile a little, and the two soon started chatting.
"I didn't expect you to be a nurse. I thought you were my age."
Claire laughed.
"I get that a lot. Nice meeting you, Peter. Maybe we'll see each other again."
After exchanging contact information, the two left the dojo.
On the other side, at the same time, inside an underground lab—
Several scientists were working around the giant suit while machines hummed throughout the room. Obadiah Stane stood with his hands behind his back as one of the scientists walked over nervously.
"Mr. Stane, sir, we looked into what you asked us, and it seems there's a little hiccup."
"A hiccup?" Stane looked at the scientist.
"Yes, sir. Actually, to power the suit, the technology doesn't exist yet." The scientist tried to explain.
"Wait, wait—the technology? William, this is the technology." Obadiah pointed at the giant arc reactor. "I asked you to make it smaller."
"Yes, sir. That's exactly what we're trying to do, but honestly... that's impossible."
"Why are you telling me the same thing again? Tony built one in a cave with a box of scraps, and you guys can't do what he did when I pay you millions every year? Are you all useless?!" Obadiah shouted.
"Well... I'm sorry. I am not Tony Stark." The scientist replied quietly.
Obadiah took a deep breath before looking at the giant suit.
"If I bring you a small arc reactor, you can make that move, right?" He pointed at the suit.
"Yes, sir. It will work."
Hearing that, Obadiah nodded.
"I'll come back with the reactor. You make everything ready before I return."
Saying that, he left the underground lab and headed straight for Tony's house.
Soon, Obadiah arrived at Tony's lab, where Tony welcomed him with a smile and a hug.
Since Tony had been busy saving people everywhere, he never met the reporter who had uncovered that Stark Industries was still selling weapons illegally. Without that information, he had no reason to suspect anyone, especially Obadiah, the man who had helped raise him after his parents' death.
"What a rare guest." Tony smiled as he let go of the hug. "Obi, you never come to visit me without some work."
"Tony, can't I visit my nephew without having a reason? We are family, Tony."
Tony laughed.
"I wish I could believe that."
"You know the shareholders are still not very satisfied with what you did. Why don't you—"
Before Obadiah could finish, Tony raised his hand.
"No, no, no, Obi. We've talked about this many times. I'm not going to change my mind. Stark Industries will never sell weapons again. That's my decision, and it won't change. If you came here to talk about that, you can leave."
Hearing that, the smile on Obadiah's face slowly disappeared.
"Why, Tony? With that stubborn mind, you'll destroy Stark Industries. So... leave it to me."
Before Tony could even understand what he meant, Obadiah suddenly pressed a small device against him.
Tony's entire body froze.
His face instantly lost its color, his lips slowly turned blue, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move a single muscle. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the man he had trusted for so many years.
"Do you remember this gadget?" Obadiah calmly held up the small pen-like device. "It's a shame the government didn't approve it. There are so many applications for temporary paralysis."
"Oh, Tony. When I ordered the hit on you, I was worried I was killing the golden goose. But it seems fate had other plans. You survived... because you still had one last golden egg to give."
Obadiah smiled as he reached toward Tony's chest and slowly pulled out the glowing arc reactor.
Tony's eyes instantly widened.
His body remained completely paralyzed, unable to move even a finger. He could only watch helplessly as the man he had trusted since he was a child calmly took away the device keeping him alive.
His eyes gradually turned red.
No matter how hard he tried to understand it, he just couldn't believe it. The man he had respected like an elder... the man he trusted more than anyone after his parents... was the one who had betrayed him. Even in his worst nightmare, Tony had never imagined Obi would do something like this.
"You really think that just because you had an idea, it belongs to you?" Obadiah asked with a smile as he admired the arc reactor in his hand. "Your father helped us build the atomic bomb. What kind of world would this be if he had been as selfish as you?"
"It's beautiful." Obadiah looked at the glowing reactor with greed in his eyes. "This is the next generation of weapons... the thing that's going to put the world back on the right course."
He looked back at Tony and smiled.
"It's a pity you won't get to see my prototype. It isn't as... conservative as yours."
Obadiah carefully placed the arc reactor inside a suitcase before turning around and walking toward the exit without looking back.
The heavy door slowly closed behind him.
Tony remained frozen on the floor, every breath becoming weaker than the last as darkness slowly crept into the edges of his vision.
A/N: The Patreon version is already updated with 20 advanced chapters. If you'd like to read ahead of the public release schedule, you can join here:
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