Chapter 2: Under Iron Man's Surveillance

He also tried to get JARVIS to scan it, checking if there was any invisible ink or something that might reveal itself under certain special conditions or at specific times.

But ultimately, they found nothing. It was just an ordinary diary.

If there was anything special about it, it was that Tony discovered it was fireproof and waterproof, and it couldn't be written on.

However, after the most precise instrument scans, they confirmed that it was just an ordinary diary. But can an ordinary diary remain unharmed when burned?

Obviously not!

So, at this point, Tony finally confirmed he might be dealing with something supernatural.

Thus, he began to take the diary's content seriously.

If there was even a one-in-ten-thousand chance, could he really be kidnapped in the future, as the diary suggested?

Judging by the diary's tone, this person didn't seem like the mastermind behind a kidnapping plot. Instead, it seemed like they had some knowledge of the future or some kind of superpower.

A precognitive superpower?

Such power is common in Hollywood's clichéd movies, often portraying that people cannot change their fate and will ultimately fulfill the prophecy.

But Tony was precisely the kind of person who didn't believe in fate.

[Mr. Stark, the board just sent an email notification requesting you to go to Afghanistan next month to present our company's missiles to the generals at the Department of Defense!] JARVIS's voice interrupted his thoughts, making him jolt.

Afghanistan?

Isn't that the place mentioned in Marcus Lee's diary where he would be kidnapped?

But even he didn't know about going to Afghanistan because he usually left company administrative matters to Obadiah and Pepper Potts.

He mostly focused on research and appearances at essential events. The rest of the time, he indulged in eating, drinking, and having fun.

For instance, the Jericho missile they were about to sell to the US military was his latest pride and joy. Selling it to the US military would bring over ten billion dollars in profit, worth his personal attention.

After all, everyone knows how generous the US military is. Even a thermos can be sold for thousands of dollars. So why not his Jericho missile?

However, the board's last-minute decision to send him to Afghanistan had not been communicated to him before today. He usually avoided board meetings whenever possible.

After all, he trusted Obadiah and Pepper to handle things.

But today, this seemingly ordinary notification gave him a chilling feeling, as if someone had foreseen it in advance.

Puzzled, Tony unintentionally learned about a conspiracy against him. Looking at it now, it seemed entirely possible.

"JARVIS, have you found any information on this Marcus Lee we discussed earlier?" Tony inquired.

Because the name on the diary's cover, Marcus Lee, was in Chinese characters along with some kanji too, Tony initially couldn't understand it. It was only after JARVIS scanned it that he knew what it meant and how to pronounce it.

[Based on the name's characteristics, it's more in line with the naming customs of East Asians, specifically more accurately reflecting the habits of single-character surnames in China and Japan. However, judging by Japanese naming habits, this name doesn't seem Japanese, with only a 20% probability. The remaining 80% probability suggests it's Chinese.] Came JARVIS's mechanical voice. [According to the data previously searched, if it's Chinese, I have invaded various civil registration websites worldwide and found many relevant Chinese records matching the name Marcus Lee, totaling approximately 283,765 people.]

Hearing such a large number, Tony felt a headache coming on. There were truly a lot of Chinese people, and this name was exceptionally common.

[Within these, 273,560 are in China, and the rest are among the Chinese diaspora worldwide!] JARVIS continued.

"Start by excluding those outside the country!" Tony ordered. "From what's recorded in the diary, it seems like someone who can see news about me every day. Most likely, they are local, probably within the United States. After all, foreign media might not be so interested in my gossip news!"

"I've been on the front page headlines quite a few times. It's normal, but seeing gossip news frequently suggests it's probably within the US, as only American paparazzi would track my every move like that." Tony pondered.

"Retrieve information on all Chinese-Americans named Marcus Lee within the United States." Tony instructed.

Currently, there were approximately four to five million Chinese-Americans within the United States, not a small number. The fact that JARVIS could instantly narrow it down demonstrated the algorithm's and computational power's strength.

[Currently, there are 138 individuals named Marcus Lee within the United States!] JARVIS promptly replied.

"Among them, how many come from well-off families, or at least belong to the upper middle class?" Tony asked.

[There are sixteen who are upper middle class, and one among them is wealthy—a third-generation immigrant with a family wealth exceeding a billion dollars.] JARVIS replied directly.

"Lock onto this wealthy third-generation immigrant," Tony instructed. "Keep an eye on the other upper middle class, Marcus Lees, as well, but minimal attention for the rest."

 [Sir, how did you come to this conclusion?] JARVIS inquired.

"Because in the diary, it's written that he is waiting every day for me to be kidnapped in Afghanistan, and then waits for the stock price to plummet, after which he plans to buy low. If he plans to buy low, he must have some money on hand. Otherwise, if his financial situation were poor, how could he afford to buy stocks? What was our stock price yesterday? $98 per share. It's not that I look down on them, but even if ordinary people knew this information, they wouldn't have enough capital." Tony explained his analysis.

This was also the current situation for most Americans—every penny was allocated transparently. Suddenly needing to come up with five hundred dollars could strain them, causing their financial chain to collapse. Buying up their stocks after that would be out of the question.

If someone only had a few hundred dollars on hand, even if they bought low later, how much could they really profit?

(AN: I have changed names so don't ponder over the analysis. It won't cause problems in the future.)