Chapter 1842

Stark strode through the corridor of the Stark Group building. When a familiar figure rushed out of the office, Stark didn't even think about it, ran over, and hugged her.

"Oh, my god, my god, Tony!" Pepper's voice was choked with sobs. She kept rubbing the back of Stark's head and neck with her hands, then cupped his cheeks with both hands, looked into his eyes, and said: "I thought you were dead. I thought you would never come back!"

Stark hugged Pepper tightly, putting his head between her neck and shoulder. Pepper felt Stark trembling all over. She hurriedly struggled to break free from Stark's embrace, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with the side of her index finger, took a deep breath, and restored her usual shrewd and capable professional image.

Pepper waved her hand behind her, and the doctors hurriedly stepped forward to support Stark. One of Stark's hands remained on Pepper's shoulder. He stared into Pepper's eyes and said: "I hope the first person I see after I wake up is you, Pepper, please."

Stark collapsed.

Watching Stark's figure being carried onto the stretcher, Pepper clenched her fists tightly. At this moment, another tall, dark shadow appeared behind Pepper.

"How is Tony?" Obadiah asked somewhat anxiously.

A few seconds later, Pepper slowly withdrew her gaze. A complex expression flashed across her face with her back to Obadiah, but she still tried to restrain her expression and said: "He is extremely weak, almost unable to stand steady. Mr. Obadiah, I'll leave the company to you for this period of time."

After finishing, Pepper strode toward the stairs. After her back disappeared, Obadiah's face was somewhat gloomy.

He walked back to the office he had just been in, looking at the black woman who was no longer as arrogant as before with a bad expression.

"Tony Stark came back alive." Obadiah's tone was very low: "And you promised me he would definitely die!"

"Don't you understand yet? Another force intervened. This isn't something we can manage." The black woman slapped the table unwillingly. After sighing, she still stood up, looked at Obadiah, and said: "Although this cooperation failed, you didn't lose anything either. Our people didn't leave any survivors; he has no evidence."

Obadiah stared at her coldly. The black woman turned to look out the window and said: "You have no way back, Obadiah. We can only wait for the next opportunity..."

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her shoulder and choked her neck tightly. Before she was choked unconscious, she only heard Obadiah's low voice ring in her ear.

"No, I can also tell Tony that it was you who coerced me, and I was just forced to sell out his whereabouts."

When Stark woke up again, he only heard the constant beeping sound in his ear. Although his consciousness was clear, he didn't open his eyes because he had too many things to think about.

He began to push the timeline of the whole thing forward, pushing it to before he set off for the inspection in Afghanistan.

At that time, he first noticed some abnormalities in Obadiah, such as him starting to appear less in the company, but constantly going to various states for inspections, frequently traveling between other regions of the Americas.

At that time, Stark wasn't very concerned about business activities. He felt that it was Obadiah expanding the scope of the Stark Group's business, but thinking about it carefully, the biggest buyer of the weapons and arms business that Obadiah was mainly responsible for was the military. Had he already started selling arms privately to other countries since then?

Stark remembered the first attack he encountered after going to Afghanistan. According to the tattooed human skin Shiler showed him, it was speculated that the first attack came from the Ten Rings.

What connection was there between Obadiah and the Ten Rings? Were they a cooperative relationship or a simple employment relationship?

Immediately afterward, Erik saved him. Erik belonged to a mercenary organization executing missions locally, and mercenaries did dirty work for the military. But the mercenaries finally made a move on him, which meant the military also hoped he would not return to the United States.

Suddenly, Stark had a flash of insight. Was there any connection between Obadiah suddenly leaving and becoming active all over the world and the military hoping he would die in Afghanistan?

Did Obadiah have a falling out with the military?

Perhaps only this could explain it. Obadiah started to expand new business paths, while the military hoped that Tony Stark, the best scientist of the Stark Group, would die in Afghanistan, thereby weakening the influence of the Stark Group.

So, was it essentially a game between the Stark Group and the military?

Then what about Hydra?

Stark also thought that the second attack was carried out by Shiler leading people. The group of terrorists who kidnapped him definitely didn't kill him because of Shiler's request. Then why provide him with raw materials to let him build weapons?

Stark remembered that when he was finally at the base, Shiler said he received the final orders from his teacher and superiors before the bombing and learned their entire plan. Then why didn't he know before? Where was the watershed?

That robot—Stark realized, that giant robot he built called Iron Wall 1.

It was very likely that Hydra wanted to test whether he was truly the strongest scientist in the military-industrial product field of the Stark Group as rumored, and wanted to see if he truly possessed the most genius brain in legends.

Stark guessed that it might have been Shiler who, after seeing part of the construction process of that giant robot, reported it to his teacher and superiors, and only then got the complete plan from there.

After all, only if Stark had enough value was the plan necessary to execute. If Stark were truly a fool, Shiler would probably have received a kill order.

Pushing the time back a bit more, Shiler brought him to the abandoned base and told him that he had sent the address of this base to his private secretary, Pepper.

Stark knew just by thinking about it that in the early stages of his disappearance, Pepper must have frantically mobilized all forces to find him, so she must have published some contact information in the media. Shiler probably contacted Pepper through this contact information.

Then when did Pepper learn of this address? And what did she do after getting it?

Stark slowly opened his eyes. He saw Pepper in casual clothes walk in. Seeing Stark wake up, the hot-tempered Pepper rushed in quickly and chased all the medical staff out.

"Tony, I'm glad you're okay. The doctor said the wound on your back is healing very well, just that your physical strength is exhausted, plus you need to rest for your anxiety and panic attacks. I took some time off to accompany you."

"Thank you so much, Pepper." Stark sighed lightly. Pepper adjusted his headboard. Stark looked at her and asked: "I don't want to spoil the mood, but there are too many suspicious points in this matter, so let's talk about the old days and worries later."

"I know, don't worry. I drove my own car here. Now there are our people everywhere outside. You won't be in danger. Ask whatever you want to ask."

No matter how many times, Stark still wanted to praise Pepper for being too talented as his private secretary. Pepper's courage and decisiveness made her fully capable of becoming the backbone of the Stark Group.

Stark looked at Pepper and said: "Before I was rescued, did anyone from the Afghan side contact you?"

Pepper was startled. Looking at her expression, Stark knew he must have guessed right. Pepper hurriedly took her mobile phone out of her jacket pocket, pressed it twice, and handed it to Stark.

"This is the clue mailbox I published in the media. The vast majority of the clues in it are of no use at all, but the day before you were rescued, a strange mailbox sent me a photo taken on the spot. The scenery was the mountains of Afghanistan."

Stark flipped through Pepper's mailbox and immediately noticed the email with the attached photo. After clicking into it, the content was very brief: GPS satellite positioning coordinates.

At this time, Pepper walked to the door, took a briefcase security computer from the person outside the door, peeked outside the door, and handed the computer to Stark, saying: "The situation is urgent; I only had time to take this out."

Stark looked at her. He understood that Pepper was saying she had already noticed that someone inside the Stark Group was not right, which was why she rushed here to accompany him. This was actually the best choice.

If Stark died, then who the Stark Group would fall to was not clear. Naturally, she had to guard inside the group and choose an heir who was optimal for the group.

But Stark didn't die. This group was undoubtedly his. The entire capitalist class couldn't accept someone usurping the family orthodoxy. No matter how useless the heir was, they had to ensure he was the highest leader on the surface of some group, because only by trying their best to maintain such rules could they ensure that as vested interests, the family could continue forever.

So it didn't matter if the inside of the Stark Group was in chaos now. Everyone knew Stark was still alive, so he would sooner or later be able to return to the Stark Group, not to mention he was the most important scientist. Without him, the R&D department wouldn't turn, and the board of directors had to ensure he could return no matter what.

Stark opened the computer and began to query the specific location information of the GPS satellite positioning coordinates. Then, as expected, he discovered the familiar mountain forest in the satellite snapshot, especially the very conspicuous cliff. At that time, Pierce's helicopter was parked on it.

This was definitely not a randomly chosen location. The terrain nearby was relatively steep, and mountain bikes couldn't come up. Even for locals, it would take some effort to find the cave entrance of the abandoned base overgrown with weeds. Unless there were air power and specific coordinates, only if both were possessed could a perfect rescue be carried out.

In Shiler's view, perhaps only the Stark Group had such ability, which was why he was relieved to hand the coordinates to Pepper.

But Pepper didn't come; the one who came was Alexander Pierce. Then only one question remained. Stark looked at Pepper and asked: "After you received these coordinates, what did you do?"

"I deleted it." Pepper's tone had no fluctuation: "What you see now is the secret mirror website of the mailbox. The original URL has been completely canceled by me, and even the snapshots have all been destroyed."

Pepper stared straight at Stark and said: "I know, if you are still alive, what I have to do is not to save you, but not to let anyone else find you."

Pepper placed a hand on the back of Stark's hand, lowered her voice, and said: "If you really lived until then, it proves you wanted to survive, so one day you would be able to leave there by your own strength."

Stark withdrew his hand from Pepper's hand, placed it back on the back of her hand, lowered his eyelids, and said: "Thank you, Pepper, but I can't say I saved myself, at least not this time."