63 Halo [200 PS]

— New York, Rhodes Island Industries Headquarters

Kagura Hitomi walked into the CEO's office and shut the door behind her.

The spacious and bright room had an empty desk, with no one sitting behind it.

Kagura placed the documents she was holding on the table and took a seat in the chair that was supposedly reserved for Bruce Wayne.

After all, the CEO of Rhodes Island Industries, Bruce Wayne, didn't exist.

The real owner of the company was the silver-haired girl sitting at the desk.

"The Senate Security Committee's hearing ended with Tony Stark's complete victory," the television on the office wall broadcasted the news.

Kristi, the blonde reporter, was presenting the updates.

"We were fortunate enough to speak with a spokesperson from Rhodes Island Industries, where we learned their position."

She continued, "Rhodes Island Industries is currently the largest weapons supplier to the U.S. military, and they believe that global security is indeed improving. Iron Man is doing his job, and the organizations attempting to develop Iron Man-like suits are just a joke. The U.S. military should not be rushing to acquire such advanced technology."

The screen displayed a Rhodes Island representative echoing Kagura's stance:

"Rhodes Island Industries trusts Iron Man. We have a comprehensive evaluation system in place to monitor Tony Stark and are working closely with him. Therefore, the country should trust Iron Man as well."

Sighing, Kagura shifted her focus back to her work.

"Cortana, give me an update on the development of the Global Rapid Deployment System."

"The Global Rapid Deployment System 'Halo' has completed all testing and is ready for deployment," Cortana reported.

In addition to her responsibilities at Rhodes Island, Kagura never stopped improving herself.

As an automated humanoid, she possessed formidable abilities.

After developing her own combat gear, her combat power was enhanced even further.

But unlike Iron Man, who could appear anywhere around the world in a heartbeat, Kagura didn't yet have a method for long-distance rapid deployment.

To become a superhero like Iron Man, she needed a way to be able to quickly reach anywhere in the world.

A global weapons monitoring network required this capability as well; she couldn't leave everything to Iron Man.

Although activating flying skills with QP (Quantum Points) seemed feasible, QP was still quite precious.

Besides, her current gear was all connected to her core energy, and Kagura didn't believe her core could handle global-level flight skills before upgrading.

Thus, she developed the "Halo" Global Rapid Deployment System using Rhodes Island's technology.

The system consisted of multiple high-speed transport vehicles with custom-built scramjet engines.

Each "Halo" transport could carry 4-5 fully equipped personnel and achieve Mach 7 global cruising at 40,000 meters above ground.

This system was not for mass production, not sold externally, and was solely used by Kagura.

She hoped the "Halo" system would be the foundation for a way to quickly transport members of her future superhero organization.

However, since the members hadn't been confirmed yet, the "Halo" system currently only served Kagura herself.

"Since development is complete, let's find an opportunity for a field test," Kagura said.

"Maybe we could intervene in an armed conflict somewhere..."

"Command confirmed, Master," Cortana replied.

"However, I must inform you that armed conflicts around the world have significantly decreased recently, so such opportunities may be rare."

"Well, that's a good thing, Cortana," Kagura smiled.

"It means our efforts are starting to show results."

"Your analysis is very logical, Master."

"Thank you for the compliment. Also, has there been any abnormal flow of funds in the company recently? Have any of our weapons been illegally resold?"

"All orders from Rhodes Island Industries are legitimate military orders. No illegal weapon leakage has been found, and the company's financial flow is normal. However, there is some concerning intelligence. Would you like to read it?"

"However? I don't like hearing that word." Kagura frowned.

"Go ahead and pull up the relevant investigation data. Let's see what's going on."

"Command confirmed, Master." Cortana paused briefly.

"According to reports from our agents in Russia, unusual funds and metal supply materials have been flowing from the U.S. to Russia. Both the identities of the parties involved and the locations have been technically obscured, making it difficult to trace."

"Oh?" Kagura frowned.

"What kind of materials are we talking about?"

"Based on the intelligence we have, the material list includes, but is not limited to, tungsten alloy, superconducting materials, and palladium."

"Palladium?!" Kagura was startled, realizing the seriousness of the issue.

Though it was still speculative, Kagura could already guess the origin of this "abnormal" funding.

Someone was secretly funding Whiplash Ivan Vanko.

Ivan Vanko...

The son of Anton Vanko.

Anton Vanko had worked with Howard Stark, Tony Stark's father, to develop the theoretical framework for the Arc Reactor.

However, after the theory was formed, Anton believed the Arc Reactor could be sold for massive profit.

Due to differing philosophies, Howard Stark eventually kicked Anton out of the research team.

Now, Anton Vanko's son, Ivan, possessed the Arc Reactor technology and might be seeking revenge on Tony Stark at any moment.

Kagura had been trying to track down Ivan for a long time but couldn't find much.

He had been hiding very well. Recently, it seemed like he was finally starting to make moves.

Hmm, the timeline seems to match up, but something's off.

In the original world, Ivan Vanko didn't receive anonymous aid from the U.S.

"Regarding Tony Stark, we've received the latest news. He is currently at the Monaco Grand Prix," the television continued with updates about Tony Stark.

Racing...

Kagura fell into thought, piecing together the fragments of her memory.

In the original Marvel universe, Tony Stark, suffering from palladium poisoning from his chest arc reactor, decided to blow off steam by entering an F1 race in Monaco.

During the race, he was attacked by Whiplash Ivan Vanko.

But this world had already been influenced by Kagura.

In this version, Tony Stark didn't have a chest injury, so he wasn't poisoned.

Most likely, he'd just enjoy the race from the stands…

"Oh my God! Tony Stark himself is getting into the race car!"

Meow?

Kagura blinked in confusion.

Forget it... if he's happy, that's all that matters.

She propped her chin in her hands, "Anyway, he brought the Mark 5, so he should be fine..."

Wait.

Kagura realized the flaw in her thinking.

If Ivan Vanko was indeed being funded by some force, then his equipment might be stronger.

Would the Mark 5, which sacrifices a lot of performance for portability, be able to handle it?

[New Task Added]

[Save Tony Stark from the attack at the race / 10 QP]

Of course!

Kagura jumped up, "Cortana, deploy the 'Halo' system immediately, target Monaco!"

.............

[TL Note]

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