Ghostrider0002

-Chapter 16-

Added 2024-08-07 23:51:10 +0000 UTC

-Chapter 16-

-POV Justin Hammer-

“I’ll give you this point: when you suddenly proposed this ‘alliance’ between us,” I said, making air quotes with two fingers on each hand, “I was really ready to do anything to get rid of you because I didn’t trust you. I thought you were trying to make money off my back, but our business partnership has exceeded all my expectations.”

“I know,” said the bastard who was going to make me the richest man in the world and maybe even Hammer Industries the most powerful financial partner of the U.S. government.

My excited smile while listening to the increasingly bad news about Stark Industries in the media shrank as I noticed the disinterested look on my interlocutor’s face.

“What’s the matter?” I said, clearly seeing that David seemed distracted.

“Nothing, I just started a mission and I can’t solve it,” he said in a practically trance-like state, preoccupied with solving a problem in his mind.

“A mission?” I asked, waiting for him to elaborate, which he did not, as he replied with, “Hmm.”

“What kind of mission?”

“The kind that remains secret.”

“Even for me?” I said, since I knew practically his entire life story, including his little brushes with the law.

He lifted his eyes, this time his attention fully on me, then said, piercing me with a cold and indifferent gaze, “Be careful, Justin.”

I raised both arms in the air before saying, “Don’t worry, it was just a little joke. When will we start the GUARDIAN project?”

“In less than a year,” said David, resuming his absent look, which was seriously starting to annoy me. So I said, getting up and pretending to leave the room, “That’s perfect. I’ll come back in a week so we can discuss this in more detail.”

David nodded, and then I left, controlling my facial expression to not show my irritation.

---

-POV MC-

“I just saw Justin Hammer leaving your office. I didn’t know you knew him!” said Ryan as he entered my office.

“Hmmm.”

“Man, listen, I generally respect your desire to separate and compartmentalize parts of your life that you don’t want to involve me in, but I’m the CEO of Copperfield Weapons. You know perfectly well that I’m aware of some little unofficial deals you have with certain foreign governments,” said Ryan, sitting in front of me.

“And?” I said, looking at my ‘self-proclaimed right-hand man.’

“And what I’m trying to say is that you clearly need an external opinion.”

I frowned, thinking, then I told myself: ‘It wouldn’t hurt to talk to someone. Anyway, I can’t decide.’

“Let’s imagine that in a parallel world...”

“Seriously, a parallel world?”

“That or nothing.”

“Very well, a parallel world then.”

“So, let’s imagine that in a parallel world someone decides to kidnap Tony Stark and I knew about it, and I capitalized on it to acquire a large number of Stark Industries shares while the rats are abandoning ship. Should I intervene in exchange for a good reward from a third party or stick to my original plan and stay out of this shitstorm?”

“What kind of rewards?”

“The kind of reward that could open a market of several tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars.”

“The question doesn’t even arise.”

‘For you, but if SHIELD finds out about my existence, I’ll end up on their watch list and could even lose everything I’ve accumulated so far,’ said an internal voice that was immediately contradicted by another.

‘Who says I’m not already on Fury’s radar? After all, I’ve already used strength and speed far beyond what I should normally be capable of, not to mention my sudden fortune as well as my travels and my ties with organized crime that they probably haven’t missed, although I doubt they could find proof that I’m a criminal.’

“You’re not telling me everything,” said Ryan, squinting.

‘Of course I’m not telling you everything, not to mention the fact that I don’t fully trust you. There’s also the risk that you’re nothing more than a Skrull or that a bug has been placed near here to spy on my conversations.’

‘I’m starting to get paranoid.’

“You’re seriously starting to get paranoid…”

‘And on top of that, he reads my mind.’

“…So I’ll give you a little advice: only children make choices. You’re a man, and an exceptional one at that. Take everything, take everything you want, maximize our profits and minimize our losses. Stay cautious and learn to trust,” said Ryan, immediately getting up after.

Once he left my office, I turned my gaze to the right where my mission display panel floated in the air.

[GLOBAL MISSION: CHANGE THE COURSE OF TONY STARK’S LIFE]

[Reward: Cosmic Awareness]

[Cosmic Awareness: Cosmic awareness allows you to gradually increase your intelligence, perception, and intuition (the enhancement of intelligence, perception, and intuition is proportional to the energy the cosmic awareness has access to)]

‘Cosmic awareness will solve the problem I’m facing right now thanks to my substantial Chi reserves,’ I thought, looking at the glaring imbalance between all my skills.

[Accomplishment System]

{Attributes}

[Strength: 1.000]

[Speed: 1.000]

[Agility: 96]

[Intelligence: 81]

[Wisdom: 82]

[Perception: 75]

[Endurance: 1.000]

[Constitution: 81]

[Chi: 1.000]

{Skills}