Liu A'dou squatted next to Tony and knocked on his iron head. "Still alive?"
Tony waved his hand, brushing off A'dou's touch, signaling that he was still alive.
"Iron Man, what's happened to you? You look so disheveled after just one day?" Liu A'dou laughed.
Tony finally recognized the voice. "You're Kaitou Kid."
"You remember me, I'm so happy. But don't you think it's impolite to talk to someone while wearing a helmet?"
Tony struggled to stand up. "You didn't show your real face either, so we're even." With the Iron Man suit on, Tony wasn't afraid of Liu A'dou. "You're quite brave, aren't you? Aren't you afraid I'll arrest you?"
"If you do that, you'll lose your chance for self-preservation, Tony Stark. I can cure you," A'dou said, never missing an opportunity to make a shocking statement, prompting Tony to raise his mask and reveal his face.
"You can really save me?"
"You're suffering from palladium poisoning. As long as we replace the palladium in your reactor with a harmless element, it'll be simple, won't it?"
"..." Tony knew this was nonsense: "But I've already tried all known elements."
"You've only tried the known elements. You don't even know how much wealth your father left you. You don't realize that your future is in my hands."
"That model?" Tony said uncertainly. "You're saying that model is the new element?"
Liu A'dou nodded. "It should be delivered soon."
No sooner had he spoken than the doorbell rang. The guests outside had already fled, and even Pepper had been forcibly sent back to the company by Hogan. Who could be knocking at this hour?
"It's the moving company. Please open the door."
"The stuff has arrived!" Liu A'dou smiled slightly. "Go ahead and sign for it. I paid a lot of money to have them deliver it at midnight."
Iron Man, wearing his suit, walked to the door. The delivery person stood there for a moment, stunned. "Iron Man, hello, we have your package."
Tony signed for it, making sure to hide the receipt as if it were a treasure.
A flat, large box inside contained the model.
"You brought it back to me?" Tony said, puzzled.
"I'm Kaitou Kid, of course, I'll return what I've stolen. Didn't you know?" Of course, A'dou had already placed the new element inside.
Tony nodded and looked at the model, though he still couldn't see how the new element fit into it.
"This is Howard Stark's second greatest work, which he called 'The City of the Future.'"
According to A'dou's explanation, Stark finally understood why Kid had called the model "Iron Man's future." "My future? Father's second greatest work? Then what was Father's first greatest work?"
Liu A'dou chuckled. "Of course, that would be you, Tony Stark. You have the potential to surpass Howard."
Tony felt a little embarrassed but continued to examine the model. Slowly, he began to figure it out. "How did I not think of this? If we remove the roadways and green belts, and compress the surrounding exhibition halls and decorative statues, we'll have a completely new element." Tony suddenly had an idea. "Jarvis, start the modeling."
"Yes, sir."
It was truly Tony—once he had a hint, he could see it all clearly. Within minutes, the atomic model for the new element was ready. Tony had already formed a plan in his mind.
"So, do you mind if I give you a hand?" Liu A'dou suddenly asked.
Tony looked at the disguised face in front of him and asked, "Kaitou Kid, what do you want now?"
"Of course, I want you to owe me a favor." A'dou already had the Ark Reactor, and now he held the new element in his hand. He didn't need to waste any more time talking to Iron Man. But he came back specifically to make sure Iron Man owed him a favor. A debt of favor was hard to repay.
"..." Tony smiled wryly. It seemed like he couldn't avoid this debt after all. Even if he sent Kid away now, he still owed him something. It was better to keep him around and get to know the mysterious Kaitou Kid better. "If you're willing, you can stay and help."
Without hesitation, Tony went back to the basement to take off the Iron Man suit. He couldn't afford to worsen his poisoning further. If he died while developing the new element, it would be an unfair death.
"We'll need these things. I have them in my basement, but we also need to modify the house a bit. I'll mark the spots where we need to drill. You'll be in charge of the drilling, and we'll also need to dig out the electrical box. Can you handle that?"
"No problem."
"Then I'll go downstairs to get the stuff, and you can start drilling according to the blueprint," Tony said. He went down to the basement, dragging two large boxes out on a dolly, but when he returned, he found Liu A'dou already sitting on the damaged sofa, sipping a drink.
"Did you finish your work?" Tony asked, clearly annoyed. He hated it when people slacked off during important tasks.
"Of course," Liu A'dou replied. "You can check it yourself."
Is this for real? Tony thought. He had only been downstairs for a few minutes. How could Kaitou Kid have already completed so many drilling tasks? But when Tony walked around the mansion, he found that the walls that needed modification had perfectly round holes drilled into them, and the height was just right.
"How did you do this?" Tony thought to himself, surprised. There was no way he could have gotten familiar with the tools in such a short time.
"No more talking, just continue!" Liu A'dou was very eager. These instruments for the accelerator were expensive, and he normally didn't get the chance to use them.
In Tony's surprised gaze, Liu A'dou effortlessly lifted the heavy metal tubes like they were toys. He muttered, "So, you're a mutant. If you're so strong, why be a thief?"
"Why can't a strong person be a thief? Should I use my strength to rob people? I despise that kind of robbery with no skill involved," Liu A'dou said.
"..." A thief with professional ethics, Tony thought. He didn't like low-skill activities either. In fact, he agreed with Kid on this point. He realized Kid was an interesting person. Even though he was very powerful, he enjoyed delicate and intricate tasks, which was a bit like seeing a muscular man embroidering—odd, but charming in its own way.
"So, did you use hydrogen balloons to lift the heavy objects and escape last night?" Tony asked.
"You saw through it, huh?" Liu A'dou was not surprised. "Yes, I wouldn't mistreat my pigeons."
"Your pigeons are great actors," Tony said.
They began working together—Liu A'dou moved the heavy objects, and Tony set up the wiring. Soon, they completed the accelerator.
"Accelerate the electrons, hit the target in the impact restraint, and the new element will be created. According to my calculations, it should work like this."
Liu A'dou had to admit that Iron Man was indeed the most overpowered Avenger. With his astonishing analytical skills, he could almost create anything. When facing enemies, if given another chance, Tony would always come up with a way to counter them. The extent of his abilities was evident.
Tony had created everything from the Hulkbuster armor for Hulk, the mystical armor for Thor, to the spider-sense armor for Spider-Man—amazing works that were born from his hands.
The particle flow accelerated into a laser and slowly shifted toward the restraint. It hit the target, and the particle flow began altering the target's atomic structure. A new element was about to be born.
Witnessing it with his own eyes, Tony marveled at the process. Turning off the accelerator, the new element was created. Although it was only a few grams, it contained rich energy—truly a great creation.
"Step back!" Tony suddenly said. "Stay away from the new element."
Liu A'dou turned around and saw that Tony had already attached a glove from the Iron Man suit to his hand. "If you get any closer, I'll fire."
"You never trusted me," Liu A'dou said.
"Why would I trust a thief?" Tony replied seriously. He had already felt something was wrong when he saw Liu A'dou inching closer to the new element.
The two stood face to face. Liu A'dou suddenly smiled. "Iron Man is truly smart, but you're wrong. I can make the new element too. I don't need to steal it."
"..." This time, it was Tony who had been overly suspicious.
Liu A'dou, being a man of many skills, found it easy to make the new element. He had simply wanted to experience the power contained within the new element. "Remember, you still owe me a favor. If the opportunity arises, I'll ask you to do something for me. I wonder if you're brave enough to agree?"
"You want me to do something for you, a thief?" Tony could tell from Liu A'dou's gaze that he wasn't planning to steal the new element. He breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the new element was a life-saving resource. "As long as it's not too unreasonable, I'm willing to do it for you."
"It won't be unreasonable," Liu A'dou smiled faintly. Suddenly, he ran toward a hole in the damaged wall and leaped out. Tony looked out and saw Kaitou Kid remove his disguise, revealing his true form, leaping from the coast, soaring through the skies. His glider vanished into the sunrise.
Tony had no idea what Kid would ask him to do.