bioinnovel Chapter 278 [3 Chapters Combined] Backing Tony Up
Chapter 278 [3 Chapters Combined] Backing Tony Up
Obadiah Stan's gaze swept over each of the directors present, a faint smile playing on his lips. His fingertips tapped lightly on the conference table, the rhythm steady and powerful, as if playing the prelude to a victory.
And that is indeed the case.
Just now, the voting at the shareholders' meeting came to a complete end.
Twenty-two votes in favor, one vote against.
The dissenting vote came from Happy Hogan.
Tony's bodyguards, and a handful of true friends who can tolerate his bad temper.
But now, this tall and burly bodyguard, like the master he serves, is trapped in a desperate situation of isolation and helplessness, with no possibility of turning the tide.
This made Obadiah's smile even more uncontrollable than AK's, and he couldn't help but turn his head slightly, pretending to be nonchalant, and glance at Hogan out of the corner of his eye.
At this moment, this professional bodyguard, who always had a smiling face and seemed to be able to handle any unexpected situation with ease, ultimately failed to gain even the slightest advantage in the unfamiliar business arena.
Not only was his face ashen, but his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, as if he were ready to overturn the table at any moment.
He was like an enraged lion, exuding a powerful sense of oppression as he stared intently at Obadiah.
Clearly, it was only through legal restrictions that Happy's last shred of reason was preserved.
Happy really wanted to rush up immediately and personally kill this villain who considered himself Tony's elder, but who didn't hesitate to betray Tony when Tony was at his lowest point!
But what's the use of that?
Faced with such an overwhelming vote of 22 to 1...
Everything Happy did resembled an act of impotent rage, only bringing Obadiah a greater sense of satisfaction and pleasure.
"Mr. Hogan, if I may be so bold, your loyalty is touching... but one must always look forward."
Of course, the loyalty that Happy showed was precisely the virtue that Obadiah, who seemed glamorous but was actually in a precarious situation, valued most at the moment.
So, even if you can guess Happy's answer to some extent.
But after a moment of contemplation, Obadiah slowly and insincerely began to speak.
His voice was deep and greasy, like it was coated with a layer of hypocritical honey.
"The business world doesn't care about feelings, it only cares about profits. Besides, we've already spent so much money playing house with Tony, indulging his tantrums and outbursts. We've already done more than enough, haven't we?"
"Of course, I believe that you made the wrong decision on a whim... So, I'm willing to give you one last chance before announcing the results."
"So, will you choose to support Tony, or me?"
Faced with Obadiah's offer of an olive branch, Happy, knowing this was his last chance to choose sides, moved his lips as if he wanted to say something.
In the end, Happy just sneered, raised his right hand, and silently made an international friendship gesture to Obadiah.
Clearly, even though Happy knew in his heart that after making this choice, he would, like Tony, gradually lose everything he had under Obadiah's subsequent suppression.
Despite Obadiah's relentless pressure, Happy remained steadfast in his principles and continued to stand firmly by Tony's side!
"What a pity, you made the wrong choice, Mr. Happy..."
Witnessing firsthand that Happy's affection for Tony remained unchanged even at this point, Obadiah, who was used to deceit and had long forgotten what emotion was, had a brief moment of stiffness in his smile.
But soon, Obadiah, while deceiving himself into believing that he could train as many fools like Happy as he wanted—whose personal value was completely disproportionate to their hefty salaries—was already plotting ahead, beneath his feigned regret and polite responses, to wait until the meeting ended…
Once I officially take over as chairman of Stark Industries, I will definitely make sure that clueless idiot Happy gets out of Stark Industries immediately!
No, to be precise...
It means getting out of the upper class's social circle, so that Happy, this brute with all his strength but little brains, can no longer make a living in the security industry and will end up on the streets starving!
By then, if time permits...
Could he really arrange an "accident" specifically for Happy before escaping Stark Industries?
After all, a former bodyguard who lost his high-paying job and whose social status plummeted, unable to bear the blow, drowned his sorrows in alcohol, which led to him stumbling onto the road and being run over by a car that couldn't brake in time...
For New York, this is just an ordinary thing, not even worth making the headlines!
Thinking of this, his smile deepened.
I couldn't help but imagine in my mind the beautiful scene of Happy's face filled with regret, self-blame, and terror before he died.
"Now that the voting results are clear, I hereby announce—"
Thinking of this, the smile that had been playing on Obadiah's face grew increasingly dark and deep, like a wild beast ready to devour its prey.
The next second, seeing the fruits of victory firmly in his grasp, Obadiah, eager to savor the sweet taste, stood up. He placed his hands on the table, surveyed the crowd, and continued speaking, each word deliberate and laced with a hint of smugness and defiance.
"The proposals at this shareholders' meeting are officially approved! Effective today, I will assume the position of Chairman of Stark Industries and restart the operations of the weapons division, leading our company back on track!"
As soon as Obadiah finished speaking, the directors who had chosen to support him immediately applauded.
Sparse and disjointed, making it difficult to form a consistent rhythm, but it is loud enough.
At this moment, everyone, including the young director who had recently inherited his father's position as head of the weapons department, showed great joy and relief at the successful passage of the proposal.
Ultimately, as a true capitalist...
They don't care who runs the company, or how they came to power, or whether they should be supported from a moral standpoint.
All they cared about was whether the stocks they held, which were practically worthless, could recover.
That's it.
"boom!!!"
Just as Obadiah nodded in satisfaction, preparing to deliver a passionate inaugural address amidst applause,
A loud bang suddenly came from the tightly closed door of the conference room!
The next second, the heavy solid oak door panel, under the action of some terrifying force, twisted and deformed the entire door frame and flew backwards into the conference room at an astonishing speed!
Finally, it whizzed past Obadiah's head at a mere fraction of a centimeter.
One can't help but feel relieved that Obadiah had already gone bald in middle age and was a complete bald man...
Otherwise, just from this one incident, Obadiah would definitely have to change his hairstyle on the spot!
And when everyone present witnessed the huge door panel being embedded deeply into the wall with a "bang".
The once bustling conference room instantly fell into dead silence.
Obadiah, who felt the sharp, whistling sound of the wind cutting through the air up close, froze on the spot. His pupils contracted, and as he trembled, large beads of sweat slid down the back of his neck, quickly soaking the lining of his expensive custom-made suit.
At that moment, Obadiah's mind went blank, and all he could hear was the sound of his own heart pounding.
Almost.
It was so close!
Based on what he had seen with his own eyes, Obadiah had no doubt that if he had just moved even slightly, it would have been a fatal mistake!
His head will be smashed to pieces by that door, just like a watermelon!
So much so that after regaining his senses, Obadiah, filled with fear and anger, even made his voice a few degrees sharper. As he roared, bursts of heat began to emanate from the top of his head, making him look exactly like a boiled and peeled egg with mold growing on the bottom!
"Mr. Happy, your security team is just as incompetent as you are! I seriously doubt whether you deserve your position and have the right to treat you like this...!"
Obadiah's words were cut short as if someone had grabbed him by the neck.
His eyes widened, and he looked towards the conference room door with an expression as if he had seen a ghost.
At this moment, as the smoke and dust slowly dissipate...
A tall, imposing figure, its entire body as black as ink with only a few white markings as embellishments, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression, stood there silently.
That was the inescapable nightmare in the hearts of all New York villains.
Spiderman.
"Sorry, the security guard is off today. But don't worry, as your friendly neighbor, I'll personally maintain order."
Perhaps sensing Obadiah's terrified gaze, Spider-Man's face mask, with the subtle change in the curve of his eyes, revealed a face full of a mocking smile.
He spoke in a nonchalant tone and walked into the conference room on his own.
After looking around, he plopped down and unceremoniously took the second chair in the conference room, the seat that originally belonged to Obadiah.
With his fingers interlaced and elbows resting on the table, he struck a classic sitting pose reminiscent of Commander Ikari, seemingly making a pointed jab at Obadiah.
"By the way, I accidentally missed a little just now, I'm really sorry. I'll remember next time and aim more carefully before I shoot..."
"Well, of course, that is, if there's a next chance~"
But faced with the mockery of this uninvited guest, Obadiah, who had previously been arrogant and domineering, believing that victory was in his grasp and that there was no way he could be overturned, turned pale instantly.
When he sensed the undisguised murderous intent in the other party's words, his legs went weak and he almost knelt down on the spot!
The reason is quite simple...
If it were Tony who came, Obadiah could rely on his elders' connections and the support of his shareholders to play a game of business intrigue with Tony.
But the demon before us is different.
In the past two weeks, this guy, who was originally a law-abiding and honest vigilante, has changed his behavior without warning and has maintained it ever since...
He's truly capable of killing anyone who doesn't do what he wants!
According to rough estimates from the public, the number of people killed by Spider-Man is equivalent to several regiments of soldiers!
This casualty rate is even more terrifying than that of the Middle East battlefields amidst constant gunfire!
With such an extreme style of behavior, anyone with a guilty conscience would be terrified of Spider-Man!
If it weren't for Obadiah's remaining rationality repeatedly reminding him...
If he were to succumb to his fear now and choose to run away, he would be in trouble.
So, the moment Obadiah stepped out of the meeting room and out of the sight of the other directors, he was essentially helping the black devil in front of him to personally eliminate the last trace of concern!
By then, let alone whether we can escape...
Whether they will be able to die a quick and painless death is still an unknown!
Therefore, even though Obadiah's legs were trembling uncontrollably, he had never longed as much as he did now to be able to walk out of the Stark Industries building unharmed.
Faced with the black demon's cold gaze, Obadiah could only feign composure and, to bolster his courage, loudly and seriously rebuke him.
Well, although the scope of this "loudness" is only about one or two decibels higher than the tone of normal speech.
"So it's the famous Spider-Man! It's an honor to meet you in person. However, we are currently working, discussing the company's future direction, and the content is a company trade secret. I believe that as an outsider unrelated to the company, even a superhero has no right to interfere..."
"Who said I'm an outsider?"
However, before Obadiah could finish speaking, Riley, with a change in the angle of his blindfold, put on a smiling face and asked Obadiah a question, word by word.
Along with Riley, the tall, masked bodyguard who had followed him into the conference room also went directly to the projector at Riley's signal. He took out his portable hard drive, expertly operated it, and then displayed a circular chart on the conference room's large screen.
That's a chart showing the percentage of ownership in Stark Industries.
It's clear from this image that Tony is still the largest shareholder of Stark Industries...
But starting from second place, things clearly started to look a bit off.
Because, the second place has become "District 13".
Third place went to "Harry Osborn".
Fourth place went to "Pepper Potts".
Fifth place went to "Happy Hogan".
The sixth person is Obadiah, who is standing here trying to use the power of the shareholders' meeting to overthrow Tony.
"This can't be... It's fake! This must be fake!"
After clearly seeing the contents of the picture, Obadiah Stan, knowing that his chances were slim, met Riley's gaze and suddenly felt his tie tighten...
It was as tight as a noose.
It felt as if Riley might drag him over and hang him from a lamppost at any moment.
This also means that if he doesn't do something soon, he'll really be close to death.
Moreover, it's all reasonable and legal, the kind that no one can find fault with.
As he stared at the share distribution chart on the projection screen, Obadiah made a series of "hoarse" sounds in his throat, like a stranded fish.
That meticulously maintained old face was now completely drained of color, and even his signature shiny bald head looked ashen.
He strode over to Riley, glaring fiercely at Riley who, in just a few words, was about to overturn his meticulously planned, almost successful conspiracy. Veins bulged between his brows, and like a raging beast, he slammed his fist on the table and roared at Riley.
It was as if as long as his voice was loud enough, he could rewrite this terrible reality and make people believe that what he said was the truth.
"Don't think you can twist the truth just because you're a superhero! I personally checked everything before the meeting started...!!!"
"All publicly disclosed shares? Oh, you're so cute, little Obby... You don't actually think that the shares belonging to members of District 13 will obediently go through SEC filings and be displayed publicly, do you?"
Faced with Obadiah's ferocious appearance, Riley merely tilted his head, his white eyepatch narrowing into two crescent moons. While responding with feigned innocence and mockery, he reached out and, as the symbiote on his hand receded like a tide, revealing the skin of Riley's own palm, gently patted Obadiah's bald head, which was right in front of him.
Hmm, it feels pretty good.
Riley was afraid that if he touched Blackie's head, Nick Fury would try to extort money from him.
Riley felt it was impolite to pat Sheriff Black's head, as it would damage the image of the good-natured sheriff.
Supreme Boiled Water... cough cough, Riley certainly couldn't do such a presumptuous thing for the esteemed Sorcerer Supreme.
So, Riley, who had always been curious about what a bald head felt like, finally took this opportunity to give it a good rub!
Furthermore, considering that Obadiah "voluntarily" offered himself up to help him achieve a new life milestone.
Riley, not forgetting to control the blindfold, made a blinking motion, and "accidentally" added when Obadiah's breathing became more and more rapid, as if he was about to suffocate to death on the spot.
"Oh, I almost forgot... because the previous acquisition of too many scattered shares might have affected Tony's influence in the company, after consulting with Tony, I decided to transfer a portion of them to Ms. Pepper and Mr. Happy."
Yes, that's right, if we don't split some of the stock...
In fact, under normal circumstances, Stark Industries should now be renamed Parker Industries.
After all, Riley had been scheming to make a fortune from Tony's disappearance ever since the newspapers published the news.
However, in the beginning, when he was just an ordinary person with no money, Riley only wanted to be a small shareholder.
So that when Tony leads Stark Industries to a resurgence, they can sit back and wait for a share of the profits.
This ensures that even if Peter becomes disillusioned with society someday and no longer wants to be "Spider-Man," he won't end up like in the original story, living alone in a rented apartment and suffering a tragic fate of having no one to rely on in his old age.
Instead, he transformed himself into a moderately wealthy man in New York City, enjoying a carefree and comfortable life!
However, as things progressed, the forces following him grew stronger and stronger. Even before Tony returned, he received a “kind” investment from S.H.I.E.L.D., making Riley’s current assets, if not enough to make him richer than a country, certainly beyond Obadiah’s imagination!
In this situation, Riley, who was familiar with the plot and knew that he would announce the closure of the weapons department on the day Tony returned, had already prepared to buy a large number of shares in the stock market!
Not only did they manage to sell off a large amount of previously accumulated stock during the brief period before Tony's return and the public announcement of the closure of the weapons division, causing a temporary rebound in the stock market, but they also made a small profit. This ensured they could buy even more stock when the real action was taken later…
In fact, to better achieve this goal, Riley and Tony had already discussed it in advance.
On one hand, Tony was kept in his villa 24 hours a day, never leaving the house. This was so that while Tony was secretly working hard to build the Iron Man suit, the outside world would be presented with the illusion of a "fallen genius" and "giving up on himself."
Riley personally intervened, leveraging his past favor of saving John Jameson, and easily established a secret partnership with J. Jonah Jameson!
This led to the sensational news that Obadiah mentioned at the beginning of the meeting, which was publicized by the Daily Bugle as the collapse of Stark Industries, and which garnered a lot of support!
The Daily Bugle's efforts to stir up trouble are not only due to J. Jonah Jameson's professional nature—always wanting to create a big story—but also...
This was all in order to stimulate those hesitant stock market investors, according to Riley's plan.
After seeing the news, they all believed that Stark Industries was completely beyond saving. Hoping to cut their losses, and fueled by the fear created by the Daily Bugle, they all followed suit and sold off their stocks.
To ensure Riley could secretly amass wealth and continuously increase his shareholding, he also wanted to provoke Obadiah and his gang of old foxes to reveal their ambitions sooner rather than later.
Through this farce of uniting to remove Tony, they can screen out those within the company who truly side with Tony!
Yes, of course, this move will inevitably harm ordinary shareholders who, under normal circumstances, might have continued to hold Stark Industries stock and thus made a small profit.
This led Riley, who often jokingly referred to himself as a modern-day Jia Xu (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for his cunning and ruthlessness), but who had never harmed ordinary people, to certainly not adopt such a plan...
But there are some people even braver than the symbiote, eager to turn Riley into a villain!
Therefore, even today, Riley, who seems to be doing normally and maintaining his "superhero" identity, is actually still positioned as a "villainous BOSS," just like the real Jia Xu.
In terms of using tactics and considerations, they have clearly gone completely off the rails!
It is acceptable to offend the natural order, but not to offend my culture!
Not to mention, in Riley's mind at this point, the little bit of blood he'd sucked was nothing more than a superficial wound to the average stock market investor...
To draw a parallel, it would be like if every one of the 1.3 billion people gave Riley a dollar, helping him become a billionaire.
Apart from Happy, this group of shareholders present are all ruthless capitalists who prey on people without spitting out the bones! They should all be hung on a pillar and burned as sky lanterns!
But Dad said we have to use magic to defeat magic...
If we do the math, then in order to defeat these evil capitalists, it's not unreasonable to use some capitalist methods, right?