Chapter 54 The Twelve Round Table Council—Dark Currents Within Stark Industries

Clad in his Mark II armor, Tony stared dumbfounded at Ethan waving to him from the neighboring cockpit.

The advanced fighter possessed an exceptionally streamlined aerodynamic profile.

It moved with the agility of a bird, displaying maneuverability and responsiveness that were in no way inferior to his Mark II armor.

Tony couldn’t take his eyes off it.

“What the fuck?

Where did you get this kind of technology?

Holy shit, this thing is incredible!

How about I trade you my Mark II and take it for a spin?” Ethan made a dismissive gesture and rejected him without hesitation.

“Not a chance, buddy.

Nobody gets to borrow my wife!” “But once you’ve finished dealing with your current problems, the Foundation is still waiting for you to help develop some new equipment.” “Sure.

I’m available anytime.” Looking at Tony in his Mark II armor, apparently returning from somewhere thousands of kilometers away, Ethan suddenly recalled the plot of the first *Iron Man* movie.

Had Tony just returned from dealing with the Atala organization?

According to the Marvel storyline Ethan remembered, Atala should have been a minor subsidiary of an organization known as the Ten Rings.

However, this Marvel universe seemed somewhat different from the one in his memories.

After acquiring the Foundation’s power, Ethan had investigated several organizations involved in the original storyline.

He discovered that the Ten Rings didn’t exist.

In its place was a mysterious organization known as the Twelve Round Table Council.

Its history was said to rival that of HYDRA.

Like HYDRA, the Council had always sought to rule the entire world.

Its shadow could be found behind nearly every major event in Western history.

Rumor even claimed that the first president of the United States had only succeeded in founding the nation with the Twelve Round Table Council’s assistance.

The reason Ethan suddenly thought of the Council was because of something he had learned while exchanging intelligence with Ophelia that night.

When the Chaos Insurgency was first established, it had secretly received funding from the Twelve Round Table Council.

One Chaos Insurgency faction that frequently clashed with Ophelia maintained particularly close ties to the Council.

That faction now seemed to be secretly contacting several Stark Industries shareholders.

Among them was Obadiah Stane, who was currently doing everything possible to replace Tony as chairman.

Just as Ethan was about to ask Tony about the matter, Yukikaze’s voice sounded through his headset.

“Commander, two armed targets are approaching our position.

Should I seize control of their electronic systems or shoot them down directly?” Ethan glanced at his radar.

Two F-35As?

They belonged to the United States Air Force.

He looked at the Mark II leisurely flying beside him and shook his head.

It seemed Tony’s trouble had finally caught up with him.

“You’ve got guests.

You can deal with them yourself.

We’ll find a bar tonight and talk in detail.” With that, Ethan pulled back on the controls.

The FFR-41MR Yukikaze spread vapor around itself like a fairy unfurling wings of light and rapidly left the Mark II behind.

“Oh my God!

Where the hell did that bastard find a fighter like that?

That thing is incredible!” Tony had been thoroughly satisfied with his Mark II only moments ago.

Now, as he watched the fighter disappear into the distance and was left choking on its exhaust, the armor he was wearing suddenly seemed far less impressive.

At that moment, JARVIS issued another warning.

“Sir, it appears someone has locked on to you.” “What?” “Command, we have located one unidentified flying object.

The second unidentified object has disappeared.

Do we have permission to engage the remaining target?” “Permission granted.

Shoot it down!” Tony froze.

The next instant, two F-35As moved into position on either side of him.

One of the fighters immediately launched a short-range air-to-air missile without the slightest hesitation.

“What the fuck?

What the hell is going on?

JARVIS, get Colonel Rhodes on the phone!” Back at the Foundation base, Yukikaze landed elegantly in the underground airfield.

Feeling thoroughly refreshed, Ethan jumped out of the cockpit.

“See you later, Yukikaze.

We’ll go for another flight when I have time!” Miss 2B approached and handed him a chilled bottle of cola.

Ethan twisted off the cap and gulped it down.

Once he had finished, he handed back the empty bottle and spoke to her casually.

“Prepare a civilian car.

I’m heading out tonight.” Unlike the completely relaxed Ethan, Tony’s joyride in his armor didn’t end nearly as smoothly.

It took him considerable effort to return home safely.

“JARVIS, prepare a sports car.

Tell Pepper she doesn’t need to make dinner for me.” The Afterlife.

It was a strangely named bar, but an extremely popular one.

Ethan sat at the counter as comfortably as a regular customer.

The moment Tony entered, he spotted him sitting by the bar.

“Hey, buddy.

Where did you find this place?

It’s pretty good, though the name’s a little strange.” Ethan smiled.

“I have a knack for finding places like this.” He turned toward the bartender.

“Two David Martinezes.” Tony looked curious.

“What kind of drink is that?

That’s a weird name.” Wearing the composed expression of a regular who would never steer him wrong, Ethan explained, “Simply put, it’s vodka and whiskey over ice, topped with cola.” “There’s a story behind the drink.

Want to hear it?” “What story?” The bartender prepared the drinks with a series of flashy movements.

Before long, two David Martinezes were placed in front of them.

Ethan picked up his glass and took a sip.

“It’s a story commemorating a driven young man who wanted to take the girl he loved to the moon.” “He never succeeded.

But with his own fists, he blasted open a path to the sky for her.” Fifteen minutes later, tears streamed down Tony’s face as he raised his glass and drained it in one gulp.

“Fuck.

Adam Smasher really is a piece of shit.” Ethan patted the tearful Iron Man on the shoulder.

“Yeah.

Tony, your company is about to get an Adam Smasher of its own—and he’s coming to smash you.” “Who?

Stark Industries couldn’t possibly have that kind of treacherous bastard inside it…

Wait.

I can think of someone.” With Tony’s intelligence, his thoughts immediately turned to Obadiah, whose recent behavior had become increasingly suspicious.

“So you’ve finally realized there’s a traitor inside Stark Industries?” Tony sucked in a sharp breath.

“I just never expected it to be him.

Can someone really throw away their conscience for profit?” Ethan gave Tony a strange look and took another sip of his drink.

“As an arms dealer, are you sure you’re the right person to say that?” “That’s in the past.

Stark Industries is no longer involved in the weapons trade.” “In other words, part of Stark Industries is already outside your control?” Ethan drained his glass, stood, and patted Tony on the shoulder again.

“I think you should increase your security.

Otherwise, your Pepper might become the next David.” “Oh, and one more thing.

David didn’t actually like carbonated drinks.

Lucy did.” “Remember to pay the bill.” Tony had only just recovered from the tragic story and the explosive intelligence when Ethan twisted the knife in his heart once again.