[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman":3,"chapter-marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-chapter-266":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Marvel: A Lazy-Ass Superman",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1721872,2198,"Chapter 266 - 266 — Tony, Long Time No See","marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-chapter-266",266,"\u003Cp>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patreon - Twilight_scribe1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in the lounge naturally recognized Tony Stark's face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And precisely because they recognized it, that was why seeing him here was surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Katharine Hepburn looked completely unsurprised. She waved and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Little Tony, you finally made it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sorry, Katharine—traffic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry nearly choked on a canapé.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This era's Tony Stark actually bothers to give explanations?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But thinking about it—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>it made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was speaking to an elder, not a random nobody.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this was still the pre–Iron Man Tony, before he evolved into the arrogant peacock everyone would later know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once all the elders who could rein him in died off?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He'd be an untethered warhorse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry, however, barely reacted to Tony's appearance—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>which confused Tony enough to ask Katharine:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you tell him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No. I said absolutely nothing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two spoke like they were exchanging riddles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile Henry, chewing something delicious, casually answered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Anyone who can get Katharine to invite me to an Oscar-season party would have to be someone we both know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when I saw you… I wasn't surprised.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tony clenched his jaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inviting Henry suddenly felt like a mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had the urge to turn around and leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Happy had already followed instructions and cleared the lounge—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>leaving only Katharine, Tony, and Henry inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Happy stood guard outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tony kept glancing at Henry's plate, clearly wanting to grab a bite yet restraining himself like a starving wolf pretending to be civilized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Katharine saw through him instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go ahead, little Tony. Henry picked only the good stuff—none of the weird-tasting dishes. I remember you weren't nearly this polite before.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Young Master Tony used to grab whatever he liked without shame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone else always picked up the tab anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now he shook his head stiffly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He forcibly turned away from the food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What, afraid I poisoned it? Didn't know you were such a coward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A joke—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but Tony's sharp stare and suddenly serious demeanor made Henry pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What did you find out?\" Tony demanded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Tony's reaction, Henry lowered his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't tell me someone actually tried to poison you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Katharine also turned anxious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tony, what happened?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tony shook his head. He didn't want to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if he said nothing at all, Katharine would only worry more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he muttered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Probably just contaminated food. Got diarrhea.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, he'd been rushed into a hospital VIP ward and nearly didn't make it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had once mocked his father for having a bunch of strange habits and paranoias.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But rising to the same level, he finally realized just how vicious the world could be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those \"quirks\" were nothing more than survival mechanisms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the idea of needing a personal security team—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the younger Tony would have never imagined it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry, of course, saw through the immature stubbornness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he stayed silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking too much to someone you barely know is a taboo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Katharine, however, had no such restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not just diarrhea, I presume.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said flatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She never repeated circle gossip outside the circle, but that didn't mean she was blind or deaf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tony didn't want to linger on the topic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More words meant more risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he ended it with a single line:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry burst out laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the first time I've seen someone use Nietzsche to dodge a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn't that supposed to be the dramatic closing line of some heroic monologue?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tony shot back sharply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What matters, the process or the outcome?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People who emphasize the process are compensating for their inability to reach an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You see me standing here—that's conclusion enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry snorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look at you, Young Master—improved indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least you're not blowing a blood vessel after three sentences anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So? What's with all this roundabout nonsense?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did you call me here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally unable to resist the food, Tony grabbed a few items from Henry's plate and stuffed them into his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chewed while saying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're jobless right now, aren't you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come work for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CEO of Stark Pictures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You name your salary.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stark Pictures?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That still existed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this world, there was no RKO among the old \"Big Eight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, Howard Stark had founded Stark Pictures, which filled that spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1930s–40s, Stark Pictures produced and released many classics:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disney's first animated feature Snow White, before Disney had its own distribution\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The legendary monster film King Kong\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Citizen Kane, repeatedly ranked Britain's \"Greatest Film\" and destined to top AFI's \"100 Years, 100 Movies\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Howard Stark's self-directed films with Katharine Hepburn were also from his own studio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the 1950s, Stark Pictures fully deserved its place among Hollywood's major studios.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But World War II shifted Howard's focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He loved film, yes—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but simply couldn't devote time anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stark Pictures shrank its production side and leaned into equipment manufacturing and rental—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>essentially becoming Hollywood's premier behind-the-scenes hardware supplier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The richest studios rented (or bought) their cutting-edge equipment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indie films or rookie directors used the older models at friendlier prices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Howard's personal hobby had kept the studio alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this name again, Katharine felt nothing but nostalgia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn't expected Tony to bring up this old banner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was Stark Pictures about to rise again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henry, meanwhile, was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stark Pictures is still around?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought Obadiah Stane would've sold it—or scrapped it like everything that wasn't military.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'll release one bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones we hit!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me know what should I do\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your support means everything—let's crush these goals together! Keep voting, and let the stones pile up! 🚀\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\u003C\u002Fp>",949,"2026-06-06T15:31:22.542Z",1,"novelbin.me","f634827505e68202b260f300a7638a927432b8f56a89ab31e97d367381910488","marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-chapter-267","marvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-chapter-265",556,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmarvel-a-lazy-ass-superman-cover.jpg"]