Chapter 57: Obadiah

A living person being blown into bloody fragments before his eyes delivered a massive psychological shock to the rookie Spider-Man!

Stomach acid surged; he barely held back the urge to vomit up his lunchtime pizza.

“You... why did you kill him?!”

Spider-Man, stunned and furious, glared at Alvin and roared: “You shouldn’t have killed him! This is murder! You’re killing a man!”

But unfortunately, Alvin didn’t even bother to respond; he turned and glanced at Black Widow: “Take care of the rest. You got it?”

“No problem. I’ll clean it up.”

This time, Black Widow didn’t refuse; her gaze lingered on the explosive rifle for several seconds before shifting away.

“Wait, where are you going?”

Spider-Man raised his hand and shot out a web to ensnare Alvin.

But before the web could fire from his wrist device, the web cartridge was suddenly crushed by some unseen force.

“Mr. Parker, before you question me, I have a question for you,” Alvin said, turning to the furious young man with a calm tone—he still held some fondness for Spider-Man: “You ask why I killed him. Then let me ask you: why shouldn’t I have killed him?”

“He... Dr. Connors was just impulsive. I could’ve stopped him!” Spider-Man said.

“Then let me rephrase it: the Dr. Connors you claim shouldn’t die, during his chase of us, overturned dozens of vehicles and injured over a hundred innocent civilians,” Alvin spoke slowly and methodically: “Moreover, under American law, since he threatened my life and property, I had every right to eliminate him, didn’t I?”

“But...”

Spider-Man fell silent, mouth open, unable to speak.

“You’re Peter Parker, right? We’re S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Black Widow walked over, studying the bewildered Spider-Man with a cool tone: “We handle incidents like this. We know your situation well. But from any perspective, Connors is no longer human. Do you understand?”

“But he shouldn’t have died... Dr. Connors was such a gentle man!” Spider-Man clenched his fists, his masked face twisted in inner turmoil.

“Then what about the ordinary people he nearly killed? Did they deserve to die?”

Alvin turned back to Spider-Man, his words sharp as knives piercing the hero’s heart: “Don’t forget why you put on this suit in the first place.”

“I... did I really make a mistake?”

Spider-Man sank into deep self-doubt, staring blankly at the bloody fragments scattered across the floor.

“Think it through for yourself.”

Leaving the dazed Spider-Man behind, Alvin called to Black Widow and drove off.

“Your actions were decisive.”

In the car, Black Widow evaluated Alvin’s earlier behavior: “No wonder the Director values you. I think I’m starting to understand now.”

“If sacrificing one life can save a hundred others, I will kill that one without hesitation,” Alvin sat in the backseat, a thought suddenly surfacing in his mind: “No sacrifice is too great to bear, and no betrayal is too small to forgive.”

“You... are extreme.”

In the front seat, Black Widow curled her lips slightly, silently making her judgment.

Alvin Valthus is extreme and radical, harboring intense hostility toward all non-human species.

Not recommended for any standard mission... otherwise, unpredictable consequences may arise!

Tony fully displayed the stubbornness of a science nerd, pulling an all-nighter until he finally fixed the flaws in the Mark II suit.

At that moment, the glass door to the lab was suddenly knocked on.

He rubbed his bloodshot eyes and turned to see Pepper, holding a brown-paper-wrapped package, standing helplessly at the door: “How long has it been since you slept, Tony?”

Seeing Pepper’s reproachful gaze, Tony felt a pang of guilt, like a child caught doing something wrong: “Uh, not long. I’m about to rest now.”

Pepper saw through his lie instantly but didn’t call him out; she walked over gracefully and placed the package on the desk: “Happy birthday, Tony.”

Birthday?

At the word, Tony was momentarily stunned, then immediately remembered—it was his birthday.

Suddenly, the softest part of his heart was touched.

“Thank you, Pepper,” Tony looked eagerly at the gift: “Can I open it?”

“Of course.”

Pepper smiled lightly, gesturing for him to open it himself.

Peeling off the brown paper, inside was a display case holding the original Arc Reactor.

Etched on the case were these words: Tony Stark has a warm heart.

“It’s a very special gift. I’ll never forget it.”

Tony adored this gift—especially those words, which struck him perfectly.

Though not expensive, in his eyes, the sentiment behind this gift mattered far more than any car, beauty, or painting!

“No matter what you’re doing, I hope you’ll take care of yourself, Tony,” Pepper stepped behind him and gently massaged his temples, her eyes filled with concern: “And you haven’t been to the company in ages. You can’t leave everything to Obadiah.”

Tony, who had been closing his eyes in relaxation, slightly opened his eyelids: “Obadiah? What about him?”

Pepper hesitated, pausing her massage for half a second: “I don’t know how to say this, but... he seems to be hiding some special project from you.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want me to shut down the weapons system...”

In truth, Tony himself barely believed it, but now this was the only excuse he could use to convince himself Obadiah wouldn’t betray him.

Pepper fell silent. Though she suspected Obadiah, she hadn’t considered anything deeper.

“You’ve worked hard these past few days.”

Tony patted her hand gently: “Once I’m done, I’ll give you a surprise!”

“Alright, I’ll wait for your surprise.”

Pepper composed herself, smiling: “Now, you should go rest properly, Tony.”

By the time she left the villa, it was nearly nightfall.

Pepper suddenly had an idea, so she changed her route home and headed instead to Stark Industries Tower.

“If Obadiah plans to use the board to strip Tony of his authority, he must have left digital records!” She couldn’t bear to see Tony looking so worn out—she wanted to share his burden, at least uncover what Obadiah had been hiding these past weeks!

Arriving at the top-floor office, Pepper entered without difficulty.

Quickly, she powered on Obadiah’s computer, inserted a USB drive, cracked the password, and hacked into the system.

But a deliberately hidden file caught her attention.

Tap-tap~

As she opened the file, data flashed rapidly across the screen.

What appeared before her eyes made Pepper’s blood run cold: not only was there video footage of Tony’s kidnapping, but also a massive trove of data on humanoid armor!

“Oh my God...”

Pepper clapped her hand over her mouth—she finally understood the truth.

But just then, the office door suddenly swung open!

“What are you doing?”

A voice suddenly made Pepper’s heart nearly leap out of her chest!

She looked up—and saw Obadiah standing in the dark doorway, his face grim, eyes filled with unprecedented cruelty and savagery.

As if he meant to devour her alive!

Watching Obadiah step closer, Pepper’s heart pounded in her throat, cold sweat pouring down her body: “I, I...”

“You saw it, didn’t you?”

Obadiah’s face was monstrous, like a beast ready to pounce.

Coming to his office in the dead of night, turning on his computer—any fool would understand!

“No, don’t come closer!”

In the next instant, Pepper’s mental defenses shattered; she frantically hurled the computer at Obadiah and bolted for the door in her high heels.

But before she’d taken two steps, a searing pain struck the back of her scalp.

“Fuck, you fucking bitch!” Obadiah dodged the flying computer, enraged, grabbed her hair, and slammed her head hard onto the floor, then delivered a powerful kick straight to her abdomen: “Did Tony send you? Speak!”

Thud!

Pepper’s vision exploded with stars; the agony forced a scream from her lips.

Obadiah had no mercy; he swung his fists at her face until she lay limp, barely breathing, nearly unconscious.

Moments later, he seemed to calm down, staring coldly at the unconscious Pepper as he dialed a number: “Wilson, I’ve got a business proposition for you. Interested?”