Stark drew a deep breath, then looked at Bucky and asked, "You said there was a safe with a classified docunt in the wreckage of the car. What was in there?"
Bucky shook his head, "I don't know, by the ti I saw the safe, it was already charred fragnts."
Yet, Stark sharply sensed the issue, "A safe created by Stark Industries is turned into fragnts by a car explosion and fire? Even if it was in 1991, that's impossible..."
Bucky thought carefully and said, "No, it didn't look like sothing Stark Industries would make, it wasn't even in the Arican style."
Stark hesitated and uttered one word: "Soviet Union?"
After leaving Bucky, Stark cast aside all philosophical questions; he had a more pragmatic problem to consider: the possibility of hidden facts behind Howard's death.
Back at Stark Building, Stark began to comb through past records, but the production records of that ti were not detailed, and there was no ntion of a safe box. With no other options, Stark sought out Obadiah, the old friend who had accompanied Howard all along.
Obadiah had been dealing with the Stark Group's business affairs and showed no surprise at Stark's return. In response to Stark's question, he didn't provide an explicit answer, he just said:
"Tony, at that ti, you hadn't officially inherited the group and you may not know that around 1990, Stark Group faced the largest sanctions in history."
"I've heard before that the military tried to force you to hand over technology, but have you ever thought that your father might have faced the sa thing?"
Obadiah tapped the desk lightly, his tone sowhat full of regret, "At that ti, the world order had already been established, the massive Soviet Union was already headlong towards its death. It was a celebration."
"But so people were not satisfied with just carving up the carcass. Without any enemies, there was no sense of urgency. They wanted more, including Stark Industries."
"At that ti, the Stark Group had not yet developed into the giant it is today and primarily focused on the arms business. Since the Cold War could no longer heat up, so people thought that it was ti for the Stark Group to make more contributions to the country."
"So, a squeeze and sanction started. At that ti, the dia and public sentint were all condemning Howard, saying he was a cold-blooded hangman trading in arms and creating wars."
"Indeed, they weren't wrong, but even if we are hunting dogs, the master shouldn't pretend he hasn't enjoyed the prey."
"Those fools, after discovering the Soviet threat was gone, they could start wars at will and sell arms. They were no longer satisfied with their previous shares of profit; they wanted control of everything."
"At that ti, many extremists believed that the opportunity to unify the world had arrived. They needed power, technology, and lethal machines more urgently."
Obadiah sighed, stood up from the desk, looked out the window, and said, "I know you always resented your father. In the final monts of his life, he was often drunk, but you need to understand that the pressure he faced then was enormous."
"He was a shrewd businessman, chasing fa and profit all his life, but in his final ti, his suffering was because he still felt human."
"I'm sorry, Tony, for all these years, no one has told you that we had a premonition at that ti." Obadiah drew a deep breath, traced his fingers through the white hair at his temples, then said, "Maybe, you know that the technology of the original Ark Reactor was jointly researched by your father and a man from the Soviet Union."
"On the eve of the Soviet Union's dissolution, Vanke committed suicide. At that ti, he abandoned a peaceful environnt and returned to his holand with firm resolution but wasn't able to change anything."
"Before he died, he handed over the achievent of many years of research and improvents to the Ark Reactor to your father, Howard Stark."
Stark's eyes widened, this was incredulous to him because, in his mind, the Soviet Union and Arica were supposed to be enemies. How could a Soviet man hand over technology to an Arican?
"I know, you want to ask, why wouldn't he give such technology to his compatriots? Tony, If he still believed in his people, if he still had soone to depend on, he wouldn't have committed suicide in despair."
"Even in his last letter, he hated his so-called compatriots more than he hated the Aricans."
Stark had a feeling in his heart, so he asked, "So, the technology..."
"Unfortunately, their country was in turmoil at that ti, Vanke thought he had kept it a secret, but in fact, he had long been under surveillance. As soon as Howard received this technology, the CIA found him, and the military also learned the news."
Obadiah turned around and stood in front of Stark, "You and your father are very alike. What would you do in such a situation?"
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