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Dan knew there was no point pretending around Stark, so he just laid it all out.
He slouched on the couch, mimicking Stark's posture.
"How'd you find out?"
"Was it hard?" Stark raised an eyebrow. "Come on, this is New York—the most tech-advanced city in the world right now. Tracking someone isn't exactly rocket science. And Stark Industries is basically the top in the entire country."
Dan chuckled to himself. Most tech-advanced city? Wakanda would love to have a word with you.
Seeing Dan smile, Stark shrugged and continued.
"Plus, even though there are a lot of modded cars in New York, yours is way too eye-catching. Hard not to notice it. And don't forget, I even took the heat for you once."
"Took the heat? For me?"
Dan was getting more and more confused. He'd only met Stark twice—how the hell did he end up taking the blame for something?
Without breaking a sweat, Stark tapped on his watch. The 3D projection changed to the scene from Dan's first transformation—his first run-in with the blood thralls. It didn't capture his face, but just watching it made Dan squirm in his seat.
Dan's face darkened.
"You filmed this?"
But Stark shook his head.
"Nope. And here's the crazy part—it was given to me by the vampires."
"What?!"
Dan stared at Stark in shock. His first thought was that Stark had made some shady deal with the vampires.
"Hey, kid, don't give me that look. I'd never stoop that low."
Seeing Dan's murderous glare, Stark casually tossed a bag of snacks at him.
"Listen, remember how I said I took the blame for you? Those vampires came to me with this footage, asking if this guy had anything to do with me. In their eyes, I'm the only one in the country capable of making that kind of suit."
"So… you admitted it?"
Dan raised an eyebrow.
Stark stroked his goatee and smirked.
"Honestly, it's a pretty awesome design. I didn't know what their angle was, but I flat-out denied it. Thing is, the more I denied it, the more convinced they were that it was me. So yeah, that's why I said I took the heat for you."
"Heh. Well, thanks—I guess."
Dan gave him a half-hearted smirk that clearly said "not really."
Of course, Stark didn't get the sarcasm.
"No need to thank me. But if you really want to show your appreciation, how about letting me take a look at your suit's schematics?"
"So that's your real motive, huh? You're here for Drive. All that crap about protecting people was just a cover. Pepper Potts is just your employee—like hell you'd beg anyone just for her."
Dan grinned.
"But too bad for you, the suit's not mine. If you want to see the blueprints, you'll have to ask the real owner."
"Owner?"
"Hey, Mr. Belt—Stark wants to see Drive's blueprints. You okay with that?"
Kurimu, who'd been dormant in sleep mode, suddenly lit up, and a big angry emoji popped up on his screen.
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Whoa! What the heck is that? An AI?!"
Stark jumped back, eyes wide with curiosity. His first instinct? Artificial intelligence.
"Fascinating. I didn't think I'd see another AI on this level outside of JARVIS."
Dan really wanted to tell him Kurimu wasn't an AI—but how would he even explain it?
So he played it cool. Neither confirmed nor denied. Stark's a smart guy—let him figure it out. If he can.
"What can I say? If the owner says no, I can't exactly go behind his back, right?"
Stark rubbed his nose, looking like he was already more than satisfied with what he'd seen. Even if he couldn't get the blueprints, it was no big deal. After all, he believed in his own genius—if someone else could make it, then so could he.
Hell, he could probably make it even better.
"Alright then, Mr. Stark. Let's focus on the real issue. How about we finish installing the detection system?"
Stark nodded. Whether it was for personal reasons or for the sake of humanity, helping to wipe out the vampires was a win-win.
While Stark worked on loading the system, Dan stood beside him, occasionally throwing in a suggestion or two.
At first, Stark didn't take him seriously. A kid trying to tell Tony Stark what to do? Please.
But after a few comments, Stark realized Dan actually made a lot of sense. Before long, they were deep in discussion.
Dan's knowledge came from none other than Grandpa Rick. Stark was a genius. So was Rick. Dan hadn't mastered everything Rick taught, but it was more than enough to hold his own with most of this world's top scientists.
"Cool! That's actually a super creative idea!"
By the time they were done, the entire base had been overhauled—it looked way more high-tech and futuristic.
Stark looked around, nodding in satisfaction.
"Honestly, if it weren't for how cramped this place is, I'd consider moving my office here."
Dan just gave him a dry laugh. As if everyone was as filthy rich as him. Actually, scratch that—Stark probably was richer than most filthy rich people. Damn capitalism.
"Alright, now let's test out this new system we built together."
Stark snapped his fingers, and several 3D projections lit up. It was a full map of the Free Nation. Thanks to their upgrades, the detection system now covered the entire country—and if they wanted, they could expand it to cover all of North America.
One by one, red dots began popping up across the map. They were everywhere—and New York was nearly drowning in them.
Dan's scalp tingled.
"They've already infested America this badly?"
Stark's face darkened.
"This is worse than I thought. I seriously underestimated them."
The mood in the base instantly turned heavy.
"Whoa, what the hell did you guys do while I was gone? Renovate the whole base?"
Erik returned after a round of hunting, and he genuinely wondered if he'd walked into the wrong place. If Dan and Stark weren't standing there, he would've seriously questioned it.
"What's wrong with you two? Why the long faces?"
Erik walked into the control room and saw the giant projected map—his face instantly froze.
"....."