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The two chatted for a while, and soon the car was en route to the press conference. Amid the cheers and applause of the crowd, Obadiah Stane saw the vehicle stop and stepped forward to open the door, exclaiming:
"Look, Tony's here!"
Seeing Tony step out, Obadiah walked up and embraced him, softly calling his name.
After the hug, Obadiah smiled and released Tony, patting his shoulders.
"I thought I'd have to take you to the hospital myself."
Tony Stark turned and glanced at Pepper in the car.
"No, no, no. I'm fine."
Obadiah patted his shoulder again.
"Let me take a look at you first."
Tony replied:
"Let's hold the press conference first."
Obadiah nodded.
"Follow me."
When they arrived at the press conference, Tony and Obadiah waved to the crowd. Obadiah even shouted:
"Hello everyone, welcome!"
Pepper Potts stood off to the side with a smile, watching Tony Stark step forward with satisfaction.
At that moment, someone beside her spoke:
"Miss Potts."
Pepper turned toward the voice and answered:
"That's me."
Phil Coulson looked at her and said:
"Can I speak with you privately?"
Pepper shook her head.
"I won't be attending. If you have questions, the press conference will start shortly."
Coulson glanced at Tony Stark, then turned back to Pepper:
"I'm not a reporter. I'm Agent Phil Coulson. I work for the Strategic Homeland Defense, Attack, and Logistics Bureau."
After introducing himself, Coulson handed Pepper a business card.
Pepper looked down at the card and said:
"That's a long name."
Then she took the card. Seeing her accept it, Coulson said:
"I know. We're working on it."
Pepper put the card away and said:
"The Department of Defense, FBI, and CIA have all contacted us."
Coulson replied:
"We're a more focused, independent unit. We'd like Mr. Stark to describe in detail how Smith Doyle rescued him."
Pepper's expression changed; her smile faded. She said coldly:
"I'll arrange for you to meet Mr. Stark."
Coulson smiled:
"Thank you."
Meanwhile, Obadiah stood at the podium, unsure what to say, while Tony sat below the press stage. He called out:
"Hey, can everyone take a seat?"
He gestured for the crowd to sit and continued:
"Please have a seat so you can see me, and I can be more comfortable too."
Seeing many journalists and media personnel squat or sit on the ground, Obadiah stepped down from the podium and sat beside Tony.
Rhodes, who had just arrived at the press conference, crouched next to Pepper Potts and asked curiously:
"What is he trying to do?"
Pepper glanced at him but kept her eyes on Tony:
"Don't look at me. I don't know what he wants to do."
At the podium, Tony looked at Obadiah:
"Good to see you."
Tony didn't know Obadiah was behind the scenes orchestrating things. To him, being alive and seeing a family member was happiness enough. He regarded Obadiah as an uncle.
Obadiah placed a hand on Tony's shoulder and smiled.
"I feel the same."
Tony stared at him and said slowly:
"I didn't even get to see my father one last time."
Then he turned to the reporters, his tone serious:
"I didn't even have the chance to say goodbye to him. I had a question I wanted to ask."
"I wanted to ask his opinion on weapons production. Did he ever have doubts or second thoughts? Or was he truly, as the media reported, a hard man?"
"I witnessed young Americans being killed by the weapons I tried to create to protect them. I realized this system tolerates irresponsibility, and I was part of it."
After Tony spoke, a reporter raised a hand.
"Mr. Stark?"
Tony looked at him.
"Go ahead, Ben."
Ben asked:
"What exactly happened to you?"
Tony stood up:
"I've completely woken up to the truth. I realized the contribution I need to make to the world isn't building explosive weapons, but doing more good."
"So, I've decided to shut down Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing division. Effective immediately!"
The announcement caused an uproar. Pepper Potts gasped, and Obadiah stood, startled, moving forward to steady Tony.
Tony continued:
"Before I decide on the company's new direction, I believe this news will make today's newspapers sell like hotcakes. I will pursue a direction I deem suitable and in the best interests of the nation."
Rhodes watched Tony intently, his expression serious. He knew that once Stark Industries stopped weapons development, Tony's influence in the military would plummet.
After finishing his speech, Tony stepped down, but Obadiah quickly addressed the microphone:
"The news to focus on is that Tony is back! This is good for everyone. We'll discuss further and announce the final outcomes as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, Smith Doyle, just returned from the lab, saw Fox rush into the office shouting:
"Smith, it's too fast!"
Smith paused.
"What do you mean, too fast?"
"Why?"
Fox quickly explained:
"Tony—Tony just announced that Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing division is shutting down. He announced it too quickly. Many contracts we were negotiating have been canceled."
"We only signed contracts with two previously negotiated institutions, and even a securities company defaulted just before signing."
"If we'd been three days later, we might have signed over a billion dollars' worth of stock."
"Some media even reported that Tony had head injuries during his disappearance."
Hearing this, Smith understood. While he hadn't signed more deals, there was nothing he could do. He asked:
"How many shares have we borrowed so far?"