"It's impossible for me to give up my skills. Goodbye, you happy people!"
Tony stood up amid cheers and blew a kiss to Senator Stern, who was already fuming with anger, before leaving.
Carl's real body left quietly with the crowd, but his shadow clone transformed into a security guard and stayed at the hearing.
"Damn Stark, sooner or later I'm going to kill him, just like I killed his father!"
Stern angrily slammed his fist on the hearing table.
He originally thought that this time, by putting pressure on Tony Stark, he could force him to hand over the manufacturing technology for the Iron Man suit. But not only did it fail, it turned him into a clown and a laughingstock.
"Why not just kidnap him and force him to hand over his technology? Nick Fury has already gone to war with us, so we shouldn't be afraid of exposure."
The Hydra agent who stood beside Stern, protecting him, asked in confusion.
In his view, kidnapping Tony Stark would be a much more direct way to get the battle suit technology, instead of going through all this trouble.
But Stern shook his head.
"Don't underestimate that guy. His iron suit isn't easy to deal with. Although we've been exposed, at least the people in the Security Council haven't made a judgment yet.
If the operation fails and Nick Fury finds us, we'll be in trouble."
The US government wants Tony Stark's technology. As long as Tony is willing to hand it over, they can copy it without anyone noticing. That way there's no risk and no suspicion.
"I'm not in New York these past two days. How's the Hudson Group going?"
Rubbing his knuckles, Stern walked toward the exit of the hearing room, surrounded by Hydra agents.
"There was some trouble. All those involved were killed in the past few days. The method was very professional and left no traces."
The lead agent nodded in reply.
Stern frowned.
"No wonder Garrett said the Hudson Group might be tough to deal with. I hadn't expected them to be this powerful."
"Wind Style: Air Flow."
As Stern and his men were about to push the door and walk outside, Carl's shadow clone performed a wind-style jutsu, sending a strong gust of wind directly toward them.
"What a strong wind!"
The abrupt gust made everyone raise their hands and close their eyes in surprise.
At that moment, a detonating tag was carried by the wind and fell quietly into Stern's suit pocket.
The strong wind soon died down, and Stern and his companions didn't give it much thought. They walked through the detector at the gate and headed toward their car outside.
Stern got in only after several Hydra agents carefully scanned the vehicle with instruments.
As a Hydra undercover who had become a senator, his safety was a top priority. The Hydra soldiers protecting him were the best of the best.
Some ordinary methods of attack, like stabbing or assassinations, were not enough to threaten him.
So when he heard that all the wealthy people who had gotten in the Hudson Group's way were assassinated, it surprised him, but it hadn't made him afraid.
When Stern was safely in the car and the vehicle had already started moving, Carl's shadow clone in the hearing room raised the corner of his mouth slightly and secretly made a seal to activate the detonating tag.
"Boom!"
There was a huge explosion, and the car that Senator Stern had just gotten into was suddenly engulfed in flames.
The power of the detonating tag isn't huge — at most it's equivalent to a small grenade — far weaker than modern explosives.
But there's a key advantage it has over ordinary bombs: it's undetectable.
No matter how sophisticated the instruments, a piece of paper with strange runes on it will not raise suspicion. Until the moment it detonates, it cannot be identified as a threat.
The person holding it will have no defenses against it.
If you were to put a detonator on the President's desk, it's likely he'd be curious and pick it up, thinking it was some kind of odd souvenir — until it exploded in his hands.
All you need to do is move a little farther away and perform a simple hand seal — then you can destroy your target effortlessly.
"Done!"
After witnessing the scene outside from a window, Carl dismissed his shadow clone.
Meanwhile, back on the private plane with Tony, the real Carl smiled when the clone's memories flowed back into him.
From now on, both those in the industry and those in Hydra will have to think carefully before causing trouble for the Hudson Group.
"Tony Stark refused to hand over his Iron Man suit technology to the country at a hearing in Washington."
"Congressman Stern was killed in a car bombing after the hearing. According to police, someone may have planted a bomb in his vehicle in advance."
"The Hudson Group held a press conference, announcing that it will launch a new Golden Pill — a medication that can cure cancer with just a single dose — making cancer no longer a terminal disease people fear."
"Dr. Tabor Freeman, what do you think of this?"
"Impossible. I admit the Hudson Group's Power Pills are effective, but a health products company developing a universal cancer cure?
Who's the lead researcher there now? Serioel Stern — someone who used to teach at Greyburn College and has never published a single noteworthy paper?
One pill that can cure all cancers — this is the funniest joke I've heard all year. They probably have no idea how many types of cancer exist in the world.
If there really is a pill that can cure all cancers, I, Tubbo, will run around the Statue of Liberty naked a hundred times!"
Carl sat in his office, looking at the latest news projected on the wall, and turned to Jack in front of him.
"Some of the Golden Pills have been produced. I've gotten through all the procedures that normally take a lot of time by using special methods. Now you can sell them according to your plan."
"Don't worry, boss. With the Golden Pill's immediate effects, as soon as we release it — even without promotion — every real cure will attract massive media coverage."
Jack was full of confidence.
Because he knew that once the Golden Pill went on the market, the Hudson Group would become the most powerful pharmaceutical leader in the world — a giant that no other company could match.
The Golden Pill would become a legend in human history.
Nodding, Carl turned to Amelia beside him and said:
"I want to see this doctor Tubbo on the news in a few days — running naked around the Statue of Liberty a hundred times."
"Boss, you will definitely see it."
Amelia smiled cruelly.