Chapter 35: The Opening Ceremony

Chronos Charity Hospital has finally officially opened its doors, marketed to the public as a comprehensive medical facility that is reasonably priced, staffed by highly skilled physicians, and equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

Throughout the first day of operations, the majority of patients brought in were emergency cases resulting from shootouts or gang warfare within Hell’s Kitchen. Most hospitals in Hell’s Kitchen have their own affiliations, firmly controlled by local gangs, and their pricing structures are in a league of their own compared to the rest of the city. For those unfortunate enough to suffer gunshot wounds, if their lives are not in immediate danger, they would much rather dress their own wounds and seek treatment elsewhere or visit unlicensed back-alley clinics.

However, from Lynn’s perspective, the volume of patients was quite significant. He sat in the fried chicken shop downstairs, watching the two ambulances assigned to the hospital shuttling back and forth incessantly. There were also people driving themselves in for treatment; they appeared to be individuals with some disposable income but not a great deal, unwilling to deal with back-alley doctors yet too afraid to go to the local hospitals in Hell’s Kitchen. Consequently, they had no choice but to drive to the relatively safer East Midtown. This resulted in a rather booming business for Chronos Charity Hospital.

A few days later, Lynn’s fried chicken shop finally opened as well. He took on the role of store manager for the time being, and business was good. After his morning classes in Midtown, he would bring Jessica to the shop. Today, he noticed someone who looked somewhat familiar sitting in the store, holding a burger and checking her watch, seemingly waiting for someone.

"Remember, keep the shop clean. Don't let there be any stains where customers can see them, understand?"

"Understood, Mr. Sidis."

"Good."

Having said that, Lynn walked over to Betty. He had received an invitation from her requesting an interview, and judging by the time, Betty should have already finished her interview with Kara. That was why she was eating fried chicken at Lynn’s shop.

"How’s the fried chicken? Any room for improvement, Ms. Ross?"

"Oh, Mr. Sidis." Betty wiped her mouth, flashing her approachable smile. "It’s very good. To be honest, I’m not usually fond of greasy food, but the crust is fried very crisp, and the oil is fresh."

"That’s wonderful. How did the interview go today? Any breakthroughs?"

"To be honest, it was incredible. But this is classified information, Mr. Sidis, so you’ll just have to look forward to my program tomorrow."

Betty was confident in her report; perhaps this time it would finally get Banner to meet her, especially since she had obtained Ms. Kara’s phone number and other contact details.

"But how were you able to get in touch with the Executive Director of Chronos Charity Hospital? Some of my industry friends thought this was a minor news story and tried to interview her, but they all failed. I actually thought it was a dead end at first."

"About that, I won't lie to you—Ms. Kara and I have a rather special relationship. There’s some, um..."

Observing Lynn’s somewhat awkward and bashful expression, Betty seemed to grasp something. Combining this with the context of the fried chicken shop, she had an epiphany, nodding and waving her hand, seemingly understanding what Lynn meant.

"I see."

"If you're going to write any gossip, please remember to scratch my name off."

"Hm? No, no, no. I’m not one of those paparazzi obsessed with celebrity scandals, Mr. Sidis. I have no interest in such trivial articles."

While they were talking, Betty finished her last chicken drumstick. She slung her small bag over her shoulder and shook hands with Lynn.

"In any case, I am very grateful for your help, Mr. Sidis."

"You're welcome. If you have the chance in the future, I can help you contact Kara again. Just come to me."

"Here is the payment for the trouble. Thank you for arranging this!"

Leaving a paper bag behind, Betty departed from Lynn’s fried chicken shop. Just then, Jessica, who had been wiping tables, leaned over, holding a small rag and cleaning a pepper shaker.

"Lynn, wasn't that person here a few days ago?"

"Yes. And her identity isn't simple, either. Want to guess who she is?"

"I don't know. She isn't Snow White, is she?"

"Hm?" Lynn looked at Jessica. She wasn't exactly right, but she was close. "No, but you're getting warmer. She’s the daughter of a General in the Army."

"Isn't that a big deal? Why would she come here?"

"Well, we’ll know in a couple of days. By then, you’ll even get to see a 'Beauty and the Beast' story."

"Is that so? Then I’ll look forward to it. Will I have a chance to make an appearance then?"

"You?" Lynn thought for a moment, then nodded. "Indeed, I’m quite interested in that matter as well, Jess. You will indeed have a big battle to fight."

***

After overcoming his initial terror, Tony Stark gradually regained some inner peace while working to maintain order in regions ravaged by war. He declined all galas, charity events, hearings, and press conferences.

Tony was currently lying in his Manhattan villa, but unlike in the past, the person lying in his arms was not one of those reporters whose names he could never remember. Nor was it a cover girl from a fashion magazine or a supermodel from the catwalk of some high-end party. It was a rare occasion for Tony Stark to wake up alone; the only thing appearing by his side was the food delivery cart controlled by Jarvis.

Two days ago at the gala, Pepper had worn the dress Tony had inadvertently gifted her. It was the first time since this playboy had turned over a new leaf regarding his womanizing ways that he felt something different. However, Tony had not yet realized the true feelings he had never before experienced. At the same time, another matter weighed on his mind, preventing him from sleeping well for days: why would someone attack the Marine convoy? He still remembered the soldier asking to take a photo with him. The video shown on television had been staged in advance; very few people knew the actual location of their transaction. It was a classified file—the Ten Rings could not possibly have known.

"Jarvis, do you think the incident with our convoy was merely an accident?"

"Mr. Stark, based on the intelligence you previously provided, the Ten Rings in the Levant and Sinai Peninsula do not possess such vast power. The probability of them finding you in the desert was only 0.98%; it was an almost impossible task. If you are asking who might have sold them the information regarding that convoy, I have listed some possible candidates below. All of them have, to some extent, a grudge against you."

Jarvis then displayed a dense list on the large screen in Tony’s bedroom. It seemed Tony Stark’s unfiltered mouth was not as endearing as a "friendly neighborhood" hero. This list of grudges, narrowed down by specific criteria, made Tony reflexively pinch the bridge of his nose.

"I don't remember offending this many people. Jarvis, let me see your algorithm."

"No problem, Mr. Stark. However, I must remind you that over the past decade, your unfiltered remarks have offended three generals, a dozen media figures, countless researchers, and numerous entrepreneurs."

Tony muttered to himself while looking at the list. "Hammer, Trask... Jarvis, I’ve never even heard of these people. How do I not remember offending them?"

"Mr. Stark, I suggest that in the future, you let Ms. Potts speak on your behalf when attending important occasions. This would be more beneficial for your long-term personal safety."

Tony waved his hand to pause Jarvis. Since Tony had upgraded his artificial intelligence, this AI butler had become increasingly chatty, often saying things that made his eyes go dark. Tony waved his hand again to shut off Jarvis’s voice function, telling him not to nag like an old mother.

However, Jarvis’s voice emerged from the food cart again. "Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts is here to see you. She brought a guest, and they are already in the living room."

"Fine, I suppose it's time to wake up. Let me see what's for breakfast."

Opening the food container, Tony only saw a large cup of aloe juice. He looked up, stared at the mechanical arm of the food cart controlled by Jarvis, and said with a look of doubt, confusion, and extreme reluctance: "Damn it, Jarvis, it's early in the morning and you’re giving me this swill? Where’s my cheeseburger?"

"This is the diet plan you and Ms. Potts developed together. Starting today, you must drink at least 2 liters of chlorophyll paste juice daily while strictly controlling your dietary activities."

Jarvis’s voice was devoid of emotion. Tony couldn't complain to his own artificial intelligence, so he picked up the large bottle of paste from the cart and chugged it down. Afterward, he glanced at the list again, lingering on the name at the top: Obadiah Stane. He set the bottle down, his lips trembling slightly as he looked at his mechanical butler. But in the end, he said nothing more.

"Jarvis, turn off the big screen."

He pushed the things he didn't want to admit out of his mind. After finishing the large bottle of breakfast that could only be described as abysmal, Tony went to the living room. Seeing Coulson and Pepper chatting and laughing about something, he sat down next to Pepper, feigning a relaxed demeanor, and said to Coulson, "What was your name again?"

"Call me Coulson, Mr. Stark."

Coulson’s temper was quite good, but Tony clearly didn't like him being in his villa, laughing and talking with Pepper. So, he spoke up: "Alright, Mr. Coulson, I don't care about your 'Bureau of whatever.' Pepper and I have company secrets to discuss now, so I’d like you to excuse yourself for a while."

"But Tony, Coulson has something very important to tell you..."

"It’s alright, Ms. Potts. I have other matters to attend to. You can just tell Mr. Stark directly about the investigation we conducted."

With that, Coulson stood up, intending to shake hands with Pepper and leave. However, Tony reached out first, pushed his way over, and while munching on a burger, placed his hand over Coulson’s. "Alright, since our business is finished, let me see you out. Goodbye, Mr. Coulson. Have a nice day. If you come here again, I might treat you to a burger."

As he spoke, he pushed and pulled Coulson into the elevator. Afterward, Tony stood at the doorway, smiled, gave a goodbye gesture, and closed the elevator doors.

"Tony, you were so rude!"

"I don't like him. Honestly, he’s been pestering me for nearly a month; he hasn't stopped since I returned. And what did you ask him to do? Let me see."

"It's nothing, just some investigative reports."

Tony wiped the cheese and grease off his hands with a tissue, then opened the file Coulson had given Pepper. After reading it for a while, he threw the documents into the trash bin with a dark face.

"Nonsense."

Pepper watched as Tony grabbed an apple and headed toward his basement workshop. She sighed helplessly and retrieved the file from the trash. "Obadiah Stane? But how is this possible?"

Pepper looked back at Tony, then hurried out of the villa. If Coulson’s investigation was correct, it meant that Tony’s own uncle was planning to murder him... "This... this is absurd."

"Pepper!"

Before Pepper could even digest the earth-shattering intelligence Agent Coulson had brought her, Tony’s voice came through the speakers beside her. Tony was always like this. Pepper rolled her eyes, but she walked over anyway, throwing the file into the trash heap again. Clearly, she didn't believe Tony’s uncle would do such a thing, and there was no evidence—only inferences based on mere traces.

Arriving in the basement, Tony handed Pepper a custom-made master key.

"What is this?"

"A master key that can hack into Obie's computer."

"Tony? Do you really believe your uncle wants to murder you?" Pepper’s eyes widened as she looked at Tony. "How can you be so unreasonable?"

"Murder? What are you talking about, Pepper? Why would I believe something like that? I want to hack into Obie’s computer because he’s been engaging in insider trading, constantly shipping weapons to the front lines."

"You want me to get those files for you?"

"I can't let him continue doing this. I said I’m going to put a stop to it, shut down all production lines. No weapons, no military orders, no Stark Industries."

"Tony, you can't just act on your own and continue doing this. I can help you with anything, but I can't keep helping you mess around like a child." Pepper looked into Tony’s eyes as she spoke. "If you continue like this, I can't keep helping you fight people who genuinely care about you while watching you self-destruct. I’m resigning."

"Pepper, I should have been destroyed in the desert long ago..." Tony sat in a chair, looking at Pepper with unprecedented seriousness. "I’ve destroyed so many things; it wouldn't be strange if I finally destroyed myself. I just... finally discovered what I want to do, what I am convinced I should be doing..."

"You know what will happen if you shut down the entire weapons division, right?"

"We’ll get through it. Trust me, even without weapons, there will be more things to come."

Pepper saw the resolve in Tony’s eyes. She knew he wasn't messing around this time; he truly wanted to change Stark Industries. She silently picked up the key Tony had given her.

"Let’s get one thing straight: you have to provide me with more bodyguards."

"I’ll wear the armor and escort you to and from work myself."

"Just go back to bickering with your uncle. Those witty pickup lines of yours don't work on me."