manynovel Page 87
Page 87
"Relax, relax, we're all men, what's there to be embarrassed about?" Hawke said with a grin. "Thirty is Microsoft, forty is Panasonic, fifty is Lenovo... Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret for you."
"Secret my ass! I said there's no problem, and there's no problem." Tony's face flushed red as he said, "Hawk, you're fluent in Chinese, so you should know that a man should be established by thirty, and his abilities should be even stronger at that time. Don't use your nasty eyes to speculate about me, you bastard!"
"Hey, when did you start learning Chinese?"
Hawke looked at Tony with surprise.
"Can't I learn it?" Tony said. "Anyone can see that with its huge population dividend, it's definitely a blue ocean with a vast market, okay? Stark Industries will definitely follow the trend and make some investments there in the future. What's wrong with me learning Chinese in advance?"
In the Marvel universe, Stark Industries is almost a combination of Lockheed Martin (Hawk's previous incarnation) and Thor. Both Lockheed Martin and Thor have deep collaborations with China, spanning industries such as medical devices, mining machinery, heavy machinery, engines, and daily necessities. The relationships between them are extremely complex, and the Stark Industries in this world are no different.
With Tony's intelligence, learning Chinese is really not a difficult thing for him.
"Hmm, there's also the principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket, right?" Hawke laughed. "Tony, it seems you're not as patriotic as I thought, unwilling to wholeheartedly and firmly support America!"
"That's the normal mindset of capitalists, okay?" Tony said irritably. "How dare you say that to me? Don't think I don't know that among the American financial giants, your Ryan Group's investment in China is definitely one of the largest. There are quite a few Chinese executives in your company, and even the CEO of your Ryan Group is Chinese."
"You know about what happened at Roxson lately, right?" Tony changed the subject, saying gleefully, "I wonder which big shot those Roxson guys offended to have two of their large factories blown up. It's a cause for celebration, a cause for great joy."
"Why are you so happy?" Hawke glanced at Tony. "Did Roxson offend you too?"
“Nonsense! Given Roxson’s previous domineering style, there are few giants in the entire United States they haven’t offended,” Tony said. “A while ago, I meticulously developed a new missile, the Jellico missile, and was discussing orders with the military when Roxson suddenly appeared, produced some kind of garbage missile, and snatched a large order for the Jellico missile from those ignorant old fogies. I don’t care about the amount of money; I’m just very annoyed by Roxson’s hijacking tactics!”
Mudd!
loss!
Hawke's expression changed immediately. He had dealt with Roxon without even asking for a fee from the many companies Roxon had offended.
Before taking down Roxson, Hawke had anonymously approached each of the tech giants Roxson had offended, asking if they wanted a ride-hailing service. For just ten million dollars, they could experience Roxson's heartbroken expression, pay later. Hawke probably could have earned hundreds of millions of dollars in service fees even if only a small number of the giants were interested.
As for refusing to pay after trying the service... haha, the last person to enjoy this kind of service is right in front of you!
Uncomfortable!
Without realizing it, we've lost several hundred million dollars again!
"Even before this, your Ryan was being poached by Roxson like crazy. Your old man must have been furious."
"Perhaps this is what they mean by 'those who do many unrighteous deeds will surely perish.'"
Hawke said somewhat listlessly:
"I've also heard that when Roxson fell from grace, Stark made a fortune, didn't they? They acquired Roxson's military industry, which Roxson had painstakingly built up over decades."
"Hehe, according to Stark Industries' CFO analysis, Stark Industries made a profit of $32.45 billion from this deal."
Tony smiled.
“You’ve made so much money, you should treat us!” Hawke said without any hesitation. “Next time we have a silver party, you pay.”
"no problem."
Tony gave an "OK" sign.
"I want to take on twenty."
"Well... it's not that I'm worried about the money, I'm just afraid that if you die on the spot, John Lane will come after me and fight me to the death."
"Are you underestimating me? Thirty of them."
"..."
"Hey, Tony."
The Wall Street tycoons who had greeted Hawke earlier gathered around and greeted Tony warmly.
It was more enthusiastic than greeting Hawke.
To be honest, Tony's social status is higher than Hawk's, not only because Tony is the first generation and Hawk is the second, but also because... Tony is a high-ranking member of the military-industrial complex.
The military-industrial complex is a super-interest group composed of the military, defense companies, members of Congress, lobbyists, and the media (Li Hao Zhao).
Driven by a massive flow of money, these parties have been forged into a tightly integrated complex of interests.
The United States is a very complex entity, and the military-industrial complex is undoubtedly the group with the most influence within it. It can be said that the military-industrial complex is a force that surpasses other capital complex groups.
In any political group, the most powerful force is always the one who wields violence.
What are people who make money anyway? They can make you money and then bring you down. The core of politics is the gun.
Some kids think that if they make money through new money, they'll be more powerful than those with guns and military-industrial complexes, and have more say... Haha, that kind of thinking is incredibly stupid.
Companies like Flag are nothing compared to the real big heads.
Chapter 157: The Eve of Iron Man [Please Subscribe and Receive Flowers]
Anne Hearst looked at the person who had just returned to her, but after saying only a few words, she ran back to Hawke. Her gaze towards Hawke was like a knife, and her teeth were practically grinding to powder.
They're just two spoiled brats. Why do you people keep fawning over them?
A bunch of opportunists who bend whichever way the wind blows!
It took Tony some time to get rid of these people.
Tony's eyes scanned the banquet hall, searching for a target for the night, as he spoke to Hawke:
"I'm going to Las Vegas in a couple of days to collect some kind of top prize. Want to gamble a few rounds together? The atmosphere there is great, perfect for a silver party."
"forget it."
Hawke, still preoccupied with how much money he'd missed out on, didn't react immediately and casually waved his hand.
"I have always been sworn enemies of drugs and gambling!"
Tony glanced at Hawke sideways.
Good guy.
You didn't mention 'Huang' at all!
"Wait a minute." Hawke realized what he meant and frowned as he asked, "You just said you were going to Las Vegas for what?"
"Let's collect the top prize, shall we?" Tony said, taking a sip of red wine. "What's up?"
"So, are you going to Afghanistan to sell arms next?"
"Yes, those old fogies don't know what's good. I have to conduct a test explosion to open the eyes of those gentlemen."
Uh... if you go to Afghanistan, it's probably not you who will open their eyes, but they who will open their eyes to you!
Hawke began to think.
no doubt.
The day before Iron Man is born.
So what can I do about this?
As the chairman of Stark Industries and currently the world's smartest man, Tony's research and development capabilities alone are equivalent to the entire Stark Industries research and development team. Once Tony disappears in Afghanistan, Stark Industries' stock will definitely plummet. If Lane Capital is fully prepared, it can definitely make a profit of more than $100 billion in a short-selling wave and make a fortune.
Then, after Tony returns and announces the closure of Stark Industries' military division, leading Stark Industries' transformation, Lane Capital can quietly acquire a large number of Stark Industries shares at low prices. When Stark Industries becomes an energy giant, Hawke can make a fortune, with at least $100 billion in profits.
The financial benefits are countless, and Hawke is too lazy to list them all. In addition to the financial benefits, there are also many other advantages.
After Tony went to Afghanistan, Iron Man was born. If the head of the family planning office does something wrong in the future, and Hawke fails to stop it, someone will need to snap his fingers. Who will be the one to do this?
When the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up.
In any case, Hawke himself doesn't have that kind of selfless dedication to sacrifice himself for the greater good.
……
In short, Tony's trip to Afghanistan was beneficial to Hawke in many ways.
He had absolutely no reason to stop Tony, since he wasn't going to die anyway.
only……
"Hey," Hawke said jokingly, "can't we skip arms sales?"
Tony looked at Hawke with a puzzled expression:
"Not going? If I don't go, will you support me?"
"Right now, I'm preparing to organize a super big party, and without you, the party will be a lot less interesting."
"Ah this..."
Tony hesitated for a moment, then said:
"It still won't work. The Jericho missile cost Stark Industries over a billion dollars to develop. If we don't recoup our costs through arms sales, not only will Stark Industries' shareholders want to tear me apart, but a large number of engineers will also starve!"
"When did you become so compassionate?"
Hawke looked at Tony with surprise.
"I just don't want to be a bad teammate."
Tony said arrogantly.
Hawke paused for a moment, then smiled and said:
"Then don't blame me if I don't invite you to my silver parties in the future."
Hawke figured this out.
Unless he kidnaps Tony and hides him in a place where no one can find him, he shouldn't have any way to stop Tony from going to Afghanistan with a plausible excuse.
Because while Tony appears powerful and invincible, he is also responsible for a huge interest group. Many people are pushing him to do things, just like a machine in a factory. Stopping it even once would incur huge costs, which would make many people, including Tony himself, feel the pinch.
Arms sales to Afghanistan cannot be stopped simply by Hawke's word.
Revealing his identity as a time traveler? Impossible, that's something Hawk would never tell anyone!
Kidnapping Tony? He must have nothing better to do than something so thankless and exhausting.
Forget it, let Tony go.
Living a life of luxury and never experiencing hardship might not have been a good thing for Tony.
As Ethan once said to Tony, "You have everything, yet you have nothing."
As Obadiah Stane said, "Tony came back and wasn't the same person he used to be; he left his soul there."
Tony might deeply regret going to Afghanistan, but if he had to choose again, he would probably still choose to go to Afghanistan.