Chapter 256: Does Even the Emperor Have No Right to Judge?
In the eyes of a capitalist like Obadiah, other people's lives were nothing more than a string of numbers.
If the lives of those at the bottom could make the numbers in his accounts grow, that was their honor.
As for suffering and tragedy, that was simply their misfortune.
Why did they have to live in Sokovia? Why couldn't they have been born in America?
That had always been Obadiah's way of thinking. Things were very different from the early days when he first took over Stark Industries.
Back then, he had to personally establish the smuggling channels.
But after more than ten years, those channels had long since matured. Unless it was an especially large deal or an important client, he no longer needed to involve himself personally in the arms trade. All he had to do was review the summarized orders afterward.
Sokovia? He had never set foot in the place.
"Damn it all," Obadiah muttered, pacing restlessly across the living room. His naturally harsh features were twisted into a fierce scowl, startling Zeke as he stepped out of his bedroom.
Ezekiel, known simply as Zeke, was Obadiah's nineteen-year-old son. A genius in bioengineering and bionic technology, he specialized in medical prosthetics and biotechnology.
His grades at school far surpassed those of his peers.
But he was introverted and withdrawn. In fact, he had discovered long ago the dirty business his father, Obadiah, carried out in secret.
He hated it.
Yet because Obadiah was his father, he couldn't turn him in. As a result, the relationship between father and son had long been strained.
Seeing Obadiah so anxious and irritable, Zeke was startled at first and had no idea what had happened.
But after giving it some thought, and after noticing the Washington news and the White House press briefing playing on the large TV in the living room, he immediately guessed why his father was so agitated.
Zeke frowned. He couldn't tell whether he felt relieved or worried.
After a moment's hesitation, he gathered his courage and walked over to Obadiah. Meeting his father's sharp gaze, he spoke awkwardly but sincerely.
"Turn yourself in, Dad."
"What?"
Obadiah could hardly believe his ears. The look on his face seemed to say, Do you have any idea what you're saying?
His own son was telling his father, a giant of the military-industrial industry and a capitalist, to turn himself in?
Just hearing such a naïve statement was laughable.
Obadiah was almost angered to death by how "filial" his son was. Furious, he laughed instead.
"Is there something wrong with my ears? Zeke, are you actually telling me to turn myself in?"
Obadiah had the standard build of a strong man. At nearly 1.9 meters tall, his body alone gave off a powerful sense of pressure.
When he leaned forward and questioned someone with that expression, it was enough to make anyone feel fear.
Zeke was no exception. Seeing Obadiah like this, his gaze immediately began to wander, and the courage he had gathered nearly shattered.
Fortunately, Zeke was stubborn by nature. In the end, he still raised his head and faced his father's authority directly.
"If someone uncovers your illegal business, aren't you going to get arrested anyway?"
Obadiah let out a cold sneer. To him, the son standing before him was both a genius and an utter fool.
Although he had always harbored the ambition of claiming Stark Industries for himself and believed the company had prospered because of him, he had to admit that Tony Stark—that arrogant bastard—was a genuine genius.
Not only was he a genius in electronic engineering, military technology, and other research fields—
More importantly, his political mind was also excellent.
Although Tony did not like that side of things.
When speaking with politicians, he still moved through it with ease.
Compared to him, Zeke was a complete mess in that regard.
But Zeke's next words struck directly at the fear and panic gripping Obadiah.
"You're worried about that Emperor of Terra, aren't you, Dad? Was Sokovia part of your smuggling business?"
Obadiah's face instantly turned livid. He stared straight at Zeke. "How do you know that?"
"Did you really think I never looked into you?" Zeke asked in return.
Ever since that Emperor's miracle appeared in Sokovia and it was renamed Terra, he had noticed that his father, Obadiah, had become very unstable.
He often paced around the house deep in thought, and sometimes drank himself into a complete stupor.
He would frequently speak with certain people on the phone for hours, and Zeke could faintly hear him cursing.
It did not take much thought to figure it out.
After investigating Sokovia and reading through the records describing its wars, Zeke had completely understood what had happened.
"Turn yourself in, Dad. Maybe that's the only way you'll survive," Zeke tried to persuade him sincerely.
But Obadiah flew into a rage and roared, "Turn myself in? You want me to become a laughingstock?"
"Do you know who's involved in this?"
"You think turning myself in means I can live? What stupid thinking. If I turn myself in, Terra won't even need to make a move. Someone will make me 'commit suicide' in prison with eight bullets in my back. And you won't survive either."
After his outburst, he began muttering to himself, seemingly trying to convince himself to put his mind at ease.
"I'm just a businessman. There are so many people in the world who manufacture weapons. Yes, I sold arms, but I had no direct intention of hurting those people."
"It was their own greed and war. There have been too many people like that in history. They can't trace it back to me. And I'm an American. They have no right to privately use force against me."
Zeke stared blankly at his father, not knowing whether to laugh or feel sad. He made no further attempt to persuade him.
Zeke also did not know whether those people would eventually settle accounts with the ones responsible for decades of war in Sokovia.
Nor did he know whether Obadiah would be included.
But it no longer mattered.
He was tired.
Retribution would come sooner or later anyway, especially now that an Emperor no different from a god had appeared. He believed that even more firmly.
Although they were father and son, their relationship was no different from that of strangers. It was only maintained by blood.
"I'll be fine. I'm innocent," Obadiah muttered madly to himself in the empty living room.
…
"Tsk. You're in big trouble."
In Novi Grad, capital of Terra.
On the plaza of the newly established technology park, bathed in bright sunlight, Needy , Commander of the Grey Knights, walked a circle around Jean Grey before offering her assessment.
Beside her, Scott Summers and Logan, who had been anxiously watching on, immediately grew frantic upon hearing those words. They opened their mouths to speak, but Professor X quickly raised a hand to stop them.
Aside from Professor X and the X-Men, those present also included Magneto, Mystique Raven, Sabretooth Victor, and the simple, honest-looking Juggernaut, who was looking around curiously.
"Commander Needy , did you see something?" Professor X asked with utmost sincerity. His sole concern right now was resolving the issue within Jean.
...
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