[TN: This is the last of the three chapters of this week After this, we go back to our regular schedule of one chapter a day, 5 times a week]
Graveyard. Erik Steven's body was being laid to rest.
"That fuel still isn't enough," Tony stared at the descending coffin, his voice low and guttural like a beast.
To him, Erik wasn't just a life-saver — he was a true brother. And yet, he had died an unclear death at the hands of traitors in Somalia.
Dario, newly promoted CEO of Roxxon Energy Group, patted Tony's shoulder with a show of false grief.
"He was a good soldier. He made his final sacrifice for his country."
Tony looked up at Dario. "That fuel is impressive, but its energy density still isn't enough."
"You have something better?" Dario raised an eyebrow.
"I might. But I need to observe vibranium up close."
"That's... tricky." Dario frowned. "The American government has designated Atlas Group to salvage the site. They're officially in charge."
"Then we take it from them."
Tony's tone was resolute and sharp. "Let's be clear — they're traitors. They attacked our own warships. Our own soldiers.
If they've set up shop in Africa, then we intercept them in Africa. I want to mass-produce Iron Soldiers.
I'll handle the African front. Vibranium is an American asset — I'll reclaim it."
A nearby congressman was stunned to hear this. Dario, however, was secretly thrilled.
This was better than Hydra's indoctrination!
The "Information Cocoon" was a large-scale information manipulation technique proposed by Zola. By using their absolute dominance in the digital world, they fed carefully crafted ads to selected individuals, subtly reinforcing certain ideas.
People judge others as good or evil — but in society, the line is often blurred.
A man who wants to provide a better life for his family might be a good father and husband.
But if you use information manipulation to make him believe the only way to do that is by eliminating Middle Eastern oil barons, he'll turn into a fanatical warmonger.
To his family, he might still be a good man. But to others, he's anything but.
Information asymmetry was the core principle behind this technique.
With Tony Stark, Zola implemented a tailor-made operation — they had discovered Jarvis, Tony's AI butler.
A paranoid man. An egotistical man. A man who trusted his AI completely. Zola used his immense computing power to lock onto Jarvis, enabling even deeper manipulation than with ordinary people.
When Zola was shut down, this control faded. Hydra raised their alert level regarding Tony, but thanks to Dario's subtle maneuvering, Tony became even more extreme!
Not long ago, Tony still had reservations about full-scale war.
"Excellent," Dario patted Tony's shoulder again. "Actually, we've just completed another round of fuel refinement. I'll prioritize supply to Stark Industries.
I'll go arrange another production batch right away."
Perfect timing. It would help explain why production was slowing down.
The production capacity had been shifted to refining ultra-high-energy fuel.
Roxxon had monopolized over 80% of the petroleum industry's value chain.
A staggering number — but once you exclude war-ravaged Middle Eastern nations, their unstable neighbors, and underdeveloped African countries, Roxxon essentially monopolized the entire energy sector of the U.S. bloc.
Its CEO could crash the whole economy with the flick of a finger.
Monopolizing oil was equivalent to holding modern society hostage.
Oil wasn't just important — it was foundational to industry.
For example, setting aside the machinery powered by fuel, many cutting-edge materials used by companies like the International Gene Consortium — such as bioplastics and carbon nanotubes — were petroleum-based.
Even if raw material companies didn't produce oil themselves, their production costs would skyrocket due to rising oil prices. That inflation would ripple across every aspect of society.
When a loaf of bread costs thousands of dollars, war becomes inevitable.
A monopoly like Roxxon could easily do that. By controlling oil, they essentially controlled the prices of almost all consumer goods —
And that's putting it conservatively. Even agriculture is now dependent on industry.
Fertilizer production, the chemicals needed for synthetic fertilizers, farming machinery — all required energy at their core.
Times Square was broadcasting about what might be the largest company of the 21st century. But Leo only felt one thing:
After monopolizing the U.S. oil market, the next step was to silence the rebellious oil barons.
A storm was coming.
Hell's Kitchen. Lee Financial Group had just built a new community facility here.
The slums had been relocated to new apartment complexes. The former slums and garbage heaps were transformed into a park—
"New York Workers' Assembly Park," a large community center featuring pet parks, sports areas, and more.
A speech was taking place. The speaker on stage was Anthony — Leo's former neighbor.
With the New York mayoral election nearing its end, Anthony had become a compelling candidate.
Who would've thought just six months ago he was struggling to find manual labor? Back then, even his listeners were considering joining gangs.
Maya was also in the crowd, surrounded by former neighbors and friends who once helped her family.
Though many had since moved due to new jobs, they still gathered here on occasion.
Leo sat on a bench further back. Behind him sat a white man.
"I understand now why you fled to Africa," said the man. He wore plain work clothes, blending in with the workers of Hell's Kitchen.
But in fact, he was Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.
[TN: This part is weird, the author wrote that Nick Fury speaks an African American accent but is white, so I just got rid of it. Should I keep him white or leave him blac,k like in the original MCU?
"I know," Leo replied.
Roxxon had risen. In recent events, Carter captured, the shield missing — Leo had gained a slight upper hand.
But Roxxon's CEO had also achieved his main goals. Leo had no way or energy to interfere with that.
Still, his deployments weren't limited to Africa. He had other outposts — poor, remote, underfunded ones that had gone unnoticed amid the chaos.
Suddenly, a golden retriever ran wildly across the grass, followed by a little girl. In their excitement, they didn't notice they were heading toward Leo.
The dog stopped abruptly in front of him, sniffing at him.
"Bobby! Wait—don't run off!" the little girl shouted.
She looked about five or six, baby-faced. She hugged the dog and smacked its head.
The dog lowered its head, whining and circling behind her.
The girl then bowed apologetically to Leo. "Sorry, sir, I didn't mean to let Bobby run loose."
Leo smiled and scratched the dog's head. "It's no big deal. What's your name?"
"Emma." Then she stared wide-eyed. "You're... Leo Lee!"
"You know me?"
Emma nodded. "I know you. You built this big park. Can you put in a giant slide? Then I could—"
"Emma!" Her mother rushed over, apologizing. "Mr. Lee, sorry for the disturbance."
"It's fine. Emma's a sweet girl." Leo waved his hand. "How big a slide do you want?"
"This big!" Emma stretched her arms — one to the sky, one to the ground.
"Can we?" she asked.
"We can." Leo pointed to an empty lot. "We'll build it right there. A slide that big — like a castle."
"Then I can slide with Mommy!"
"With your mommy and your friends. Tell them the good news."
Emma lit up, bouncing across the grass, calling her mother's name.
Her mother gave Leo a grateful smile. "Thank you."
Leo shrugged. "That spot needed something for kids anyway."
"No — I mean, her father works for you. She's enrolled in Lee Financial's preschool. Without the job...
We'd probably be sleeping on the streets. Last year, she didn't even have clothes that fit..."
She got emotional, struggling for words. "I just wanted you to know how much we all appreciate you."
Then she saw Emma trip and ran to help her.
The park was filled with families.
Leo sat on the bench, watching the flowers and trees.
Fury said, "You've done what few others ever could."
"Don't be too pessimistic. If many before me hadn't done similar things, I wouldn't have had the chance."
Fury looked surprised. "Our reports say you're arrogant and proud."
"That's because you're too arrogant and proud."
Fury was silent for a while. Then sighed deeply — because he knew Leo was right.
Leo asked tentatively, "Since you're here in person, does that mean the situation is easing?"
"Of course not. It's getting worse. So bad I had to come see what kind of person you are.
Remember when I told you the skies weren't safe? It's Roxxon. They've developed some kind of airborne assassination weapon.
Small, radar-invisible, fast, agile, and deadly.
Since the 1950s, 90% of plane crashes, train derailments, and large vehicle accidents may be linked to it."
This monopoly had taken decades to build. Roxxon and Hydra both profited from these stealthy, untraceable assassinations.
Most active during the Cold War, by the time the killing spree ended, they had secured a major pillar of the new world order.
Leo realized: Iron Man could do this — but in this world, there was no Iron Man.
However, during WWII, Howard Stark had used vibranium to create a massive mech suit—
"Hydra Stomper."
"There's no hard evidence," Fury said, "but it's highly likely. In recent decades, Roxxon used these weapons to kill their rivals, eliminate regulators.
Only now do I see who benefited.
Aside from Roxxon, another group profited too — people in American politics, intelligence, military — even... my agency. It's global infiltration.
They even tried using a threat-monitoring algorithm to expand their target list.
But that program was suspended during the recent cyber upheaval."
Leo nodded slightly. AI tech had helped immensely.
In his cybernetic eye HUD, a little octopus popped up and began blowing a tiny trumpet with its tentacles.
After a moment of silence, Fury stood and stretched like any tired worker.
"All the data's on this hard drive. You were right. I was too proud.
So here's my advice:
People call you a coward, a bleeding heart online. But maintaining fragile peace takes far more strength and courage than starting a war.
You are our last hope.
Also, I've got some money — $40 million. You can talk to Natasha about it."
"Forty million?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. lied to you, but you're not so innocent either—you're quite the expert at embezzlement."
Fury strolled away casually. Underneath Leo's coat, a thin mechanical tentacle grabbed the hard drive from the chair and pulled it inside.
Using the small octopus's tendrils to read the data, Leo muttered to himself as he watched:
"Those who casually start wars are either naive children who think they won't get hurt… or fanatics blinded by ideology."
The hard drive contained all the clues Fury had compiled—everything potentially connected to the illegal activities of HYDRA, Roxxon, and associated organizations or individuals.
HYDRA screened for threats to their "dominion" using surveillance. Now, with this detailed intelligence and the vast reach of the ctOS system, Leo could track them down.
These people were madmen—there was no need to show mercy.
Fury was wrong about one thing:
Did the enemy not want peace? Of course they did.
But everyone wants their version of peace—and that's why wars are fought.
[Information Technology Lab Task Deployed: Surveillance Network]
[Information Technology Lab Research Initiated: Behavioral Targeting (HYDRA)]
"Even though these are defensive measures… they're still preparations for war."
A gentle breeze blew. The sun was bright.
Children ran across the grass, thriving under the hopes of their parents. Around the podium, people waved their hands, envisioning a better tomorrow.
Leo didn't want war. He didn't want everything before him to be swallowed in flames.
But if war was inevitable…
Everyone had to be ready.