Superman from the comics: Starting with the Black Robe

Chapter 39 Would you feel better if I apologized?

Tony felt the scenery blur before his eyes, and in an instant he found himself on a bustling street. The narrow cobblestone street was filled with the scent of various spices. A cat sniffed at his trouser leg, making Tony almost gag on the spot. Then it wiggled its butt and made a poop-digging motion.

The caves where terrorists are held captive are far from having proper sanitary conditions.

"Where is this? How did you get here...?"

"This is Constantinople, the city with the most CIA agents in all of Asia."

Joey interrupted Tony's question, having already removed his conspicuous cloak and donned a light-colored linen shirt and dark green jeans.

"We just need to show our faces briefly, and I believe someone will soon step in and take you back to the United States."

Tony then realized that he had arrived at the Mediterranean coast, thousands of miles away from the Yuezhi Kingdom.

"You can bring me here in an instant, but can't you just go straight to New York? Besides, can we grab a bite to eat first? I'm starving!"

···

Inside a KFC restaurant by the roadside, Joey watched speechlessly as Tony Stark devoured a hamburger.

"You've come all the way to Constantinople, with kebabs, ice cream, pizza... so much delicious food, and you only eat KFC?!"

"It was you who insisted on coming here, not me."

Tony was already getting ready to start eating his second burger:

"Also, hold your tongue. I'm considering the future of Stark Industries—as a reward for saving me, how about I give you some inside information?"

Joey didn't care about any inside information; he just wanted to take a look around Constantinople and then find a way to get Tony Stark to use his clever little brain to recharge his time watch.

Even without waiting for Joey's reply, Tony continued to speak on his own:

"You could short Stark Industries stock within the next month and then sell it immediately. You could make a fortune because..."

Joey interrupted Tony precisely, picking up where he left off: "Because you're preparing to shut down all of Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing and sales operations."

"Wait, how did you know?!"

"I know more than you can imagine, including the fact that you were almost blown to pieces by the weapons you produced."

Joey pointed to his eyes: "For example, I can still see that the Iron Man suit you left in the desert has been taken by the group that captured you."

Tony was utterly astonished by Joey's existence: "What are you? Some kind of secret weapon developed by the military?"

"Of course not. If I were, a manufacturer of substandard weapons like yours would never be on the military's procurement list."

"Hey, is there some personal grudge between us?"

Tony could clearly sense the unexpected hostility in Joey's words:

"But don't worry, I'll soon stop supplying weapons to the military, because..."

Joey chimed in again: "Because you're a hypocrite."

"Now I'm convinced that we definitely have some personal grudge that I don't know about."

Tony would not accept the accusation of "hypocrisy." After the weapons he produced were almost used by the enemy to kill him, he sincerely wanted to stop producing weapons and do some good.

"I'm doing this absolutely for a better tomorrow..."

"Let me tell you what happened, Tony Stark. Your decision to halt weapons production isn't some sudden change of heart; it's simply because you were crippled by one of your own company's missiles a few days ago!"

Joey's anger was not without reason. He had just traveled through two worlds and couldn't find his way back. In addition, he remembered how he was sent to these messed-up universes by a cannonball. He had no good feelings towards Stark, the "merchant of death".

"When the military was using your weapons to slaughter local people on their own soil, you showed no remorse. Then one day, a missile struck you right on the head, nearly sending you to hell. Only then did you realize your mistake?"

Tony retorted to Joey, "They're dangerous targets, destabilizing factors, and must be eliminated. Do you even know what a terrorist is?"

"Of course I know they should be dealt with. I've seen more terrorists than you've slept with women! I've witnessed how fanatical, extreme, and cold-blooded they can be!"

During his brief career in his previous life, Joey witnessed much of the brutality of extremist groups, but he also saw much more that wouldn't be reported in mainstream media:

"Where do you think they came from? Did they come from some kind of monster spawner like in a game? No! They come from local families, local farms, and local schools!"

They don't have the BBC or the NYT to speak for them. When outsiders use weapons made by you, Tony Stark, to plunder their resources, occupy their land, and slaughter their families on their own soil, what kind of reaction do you expect them to make?

Tony was speechless. If he had another thirty seconds, he could have come up with a brilliant angle to refute the other party's argument. But this was not a simple debate with winners and losers; it was a bloody reality.

But Joey's verbal attacks weren't over yet:

"So, Tony, stop with the bullshit about almost getting blown up by a bomb. You should have expected this day when you sold the weapons. You fucking deserve it!"

Seeing Joey escalate from reasoned arguments to personal attacks, Tony in Red Warmth chose the simplest way to refute him:

"I'm going to fucking punch you in the face right now!"

"Hehe, I recommend you don't try it lightly..."

Before Joey could finish speaking, Tony's fist came crashing down.

"Hiss~"

Tony clutched his fist and pulled it back. He felt as if he had punched a metal felt, and his hand was in so much pain that he could no longer pick up the hamburger he had just thrown down.

Joey was careless; he didn't dodge or bother to avoid the punch.

"You should be glad you're a playboy and not very strong, otherwise it wouldn't just be a dislocated finger."

To be honest, rationally speaking, Joey shouldn't have been arguing with Tony about these trivial things. If he angered Tony, he would have to spend his own time figuring out how to charge the watch.

At a time when the watch's timekeeping is malfunctioning, time may be extremely important; delay could lead to unforeseen consequences.

But having traveled through two wrong worlds and been trapped here, coupled with returning to the Mediterranean coast and the central region of the World Island, he recalled some old stories, and a nameless anger rose within him, with nowhere to vent his emotions.

After unleashing a barrage of attacks on Tony, Joey felt much better, even though Tony was now at critical health.

However, seeing Tony Stark's face flushed red, whether from pain or anger, Joey still tried to mend their relationship:

"Um, would you feel better if I apologized?"