Chapter 42: The Age of Stark Has Arrived
Where there are those who rejoice, there are naturally those who worry.
Hearing the report up to this point, Tony's expression also turned solemn.
And he immediately seized upon the core issue within it.
"Wait, Jarvis. Containers all have limits. If energy is absorbed without any restraint, problems are bound to happen, right!"
"You have pointed out the crux of the matter, sir." Jarvis replied.
"This is the biggest drawback. Mr. Luca must constantly be careful not to absorb an excessive amount."
"If the absorbed energy exceeds the rate of cellular conversion, it is very prone to causing energy accumulation that cannot be digested. The final result... will be extremely terrifying things happening, potentially leading to cellular collapse and even triggering an explosion."
Hearing that it could explode,
Tony immediately looked at Luca and mercilessly began to mock him.
"Did you hear that? Glowing boy!"
"You're just like an endlessly hungry fat man. If you stuff yourself too full, you'll explode into fireworks! Don't expect me to collect your corpse when the time comes, because I won't be able to find your chunks of flesh!"
Jarvis then announced the final piece of data.
"In addition, to answer Mr. Tony's previous question regarding flight friction: around Mr. Luca's body, there is constantly a layer of bio-energy field whose composition cannot be analyzed."
"This energy field is just like an invisible shield."
"This seems to be the fundamental reason why Mr. Luca possesses such powerful strength, yet during high-speed movement and collisions, he does not cause damage to his own clothes or the surrounding environment."
Having listened to Jarvis's analysis,
Luca finally smiled with satisfaction.
"Did you hear clearly, Tony? This is what's called true power."
"No external object can compare to one's own evolution. I'll say it again: don't waste a clever brain on hammering scrap metal, and don't trap yourself in an iron shell refusing to make progress."
"Just listen to me and let me draw some blood."
"We can replicate the serum's data. With the two of us combined IQ, we can definitely develop a version suitable for you. By then, we'll make you into a super-human as powerful as me. Won't it be great if we're directly invincible?"
"Whoever you don't like, just blast them. Isn't that much cooler than you beating on scrap iron?"
Hearing this, Tony curled his lips in utter disdain.
"Forget it! I certainly don't want to turn into a plant that needs to bask in the Sun to survive!"
"True power never relies on mutation, nor does it rely on external objects! I'm going to rely on my brain and hands to realize my dreams!"
Tony proudly lifted his chin.
"In addition, I want to correct your erroneous statement. My armor is definitely not junk!"
"Don't get too full of yourself, Luca. Just give me a little time, and I will personally craft a set of armor that can pin you to the ground and beat you up! I've even thought of a name: the Anti-Luca Armor!"
Tony poked Luca's chest with his finger.
"Technology is the most powerful and controllable thing! No matter how strong you are, can you really resist a direct bombardment from a nuclear bomb?"
"Forget about it, Luca! The mortal flesh of humans has limits, while the potential of technology is limitless!"
Faced with Tony's bold declarations,
Luca laughed heartily without a care in the World.
"Alright, I'll wait for your armor. But let me remind you, I am evolving every day by basking in the Sun."
"Can your research progress keep up with the speed at which I grow stronger? Don't make it so that when you finally build it, you're still getting beaten down by me."
"Just you wait, I will definitely make you experience the overwhelming crushing power of technology!" Tony responded through gritted teeth.
The two of them once again went head-to-head over their differing paths.
Luca advocated physical evolution, while Tony insisted on mechanical armament.
This was the distinct pride they held as geniuses.
But in truth,
beneath the surface of Tony's loud retorts, his mind was rapidly calculating other thoughts.
As a scientist,
Tony of course knew just how terrifying Luca's current power was.
On the surface, he claimed he wanted to build armor to defeat his younger brother, but in his heart, he actually wanted to thoroughly research Luca's serum.
After experiencing this kidnapping incident, Tony profoundly understood one truth.
Enemies won't reason with you.
They had to arm themselves! They had to have enough power to fight back!
Especially regarding Luca.
Back when Tony thought Luca had been taken away and killed by Terrorists,
that feeling of terror from losing the only family member he had left in the World made him extremely distressed.
He swore that he would never let anyone hurt his family again!
Therefore,
Tony wanted to thoroughly study the serum.
He wanted to see if he could help Luca eliminate the hidden danger of energy absorption overload and explosion.
Furthermore, he wanted to use technological means to help Luca undergo a secondary evolution.
To make Luca become even more perfect and even more powerful!
He was an older brother.
It was only natural for an older brother to protect his younger brother.
It's just that Tony, with his proud and aloof nature, would rather die than speak these caring words aloud.
Since someone was fine, someone else was about to go crazy.
Pepper, standing between the two of them, felt like her head was about to explode.
How could they start arguing anytime and anywhere?
"Enough! Gentlemen!"
"What on earth are you two talking about? What nuclear bomb? What mutation? What on earth did you guys experience in Afghanistan?!"
Pepper's eye sockets were slightly red.
Seeing two bosses who usually only knew how to carouse now discussing how to counter a nuclear bomb, she felt a lingering fear.
Seeing that Pepper was genuinely anxious,
Luca also put away his joking expression.
He walked over to a nearby chair and sat down, picked up a glass of red wine, took a sip, and said casually,
"Don't be nervous, Pepper. Things are actually very simple. We went to showcase weapons, and then we were kidnapped by Terrorists. Obadiah bribed them to kill us."
"But who are we? We are the Starks. Moreover, relying on our unparalleled wisdom, we successfully saved ourselves."
"I used the equipment there to whip up a tube of serum for myself, and then after basking in the Sun, I turned into the glowing Superman I am now."
"As for Tony..."
Saying this, Luca made a gesturing motion, signaling Tony to explain it himself.
Tony didn't refuse either, taking the opportunity to put down his wine glass.
Gazing at Pepper, whose face was full of worry, he hesitated for a few seconds.
But in the end, he still reached out, lifted the hem of his short-sleeved shirt, and showed Pepper the secret that had always been hidden beneath his clothes.
At the location of Tony's heart,
a circular metal device emitting a faint blue glow was deeply embedded in his flesh.
It was just like a small engine, radiating the coldness of technology right from Tony's chest.
"Do you see it, Potts? This is my evolution."
Tony's tone was somewhat low.
"This is also one of the greatest inventions of my life! I call it the Arc Reactor!"
"Back then, a piece of shrapnel burrowed into my chest. To stay alive, I had no choice but to shove this thing into my body. It uses magnetism to hold onto the metal fragments that wanted to flow into my heart."
Seeing this scene,
Pepper froze for a moment.
Her gaze stared fixedly at the glowing blue reactor, and her body couldn't stop trembling.
Tears blurred her vision, sliding down her cheeks.
She trembled as she reached out her hand, wanting to touch that cold device.
But fearing that she might hurt Tony, her fingers stopped mid-air, not daring to land.
"Oh God... Tony..."
Pepper's words carried a crying tone, filled with heartache.
"You suffered such a serious injury, a hole this big was carved out of your chest! Why didn't you say anything after coming back? Why didn't you tell me?"
Pepper grabbed Tony's arm.
"Let's go! We're going to the hospital right now! Contact the best cardiothoracic surgeons in the World immediately! Take this thing out!"
"I know a surgeon named Strange; his skills are very good!"
Seeing Pepper looking with teary eyes, Tony felt somewhat uncomfortable.
He hated sentimental scenes the most.
This would make him feel at a loss, and also make him feel like he was showing weakness.
Therefore, he immediately lowered his clothes to cover the reactor and gently broke free from Pepper's hand.
"Listen, Potts, calm down."
Tony forcefully changed the subject, his tone pretending to be relaxed.
"I know my own body very well! This is not an illness at all; those quacks at the hospital can't solve this problem. Besides, Ethan, who came back with me, already helped me deal with it. I am doing just fine."
Tony clapped his hands and walked straight toward the depths of the laboratory, shouting loudly by the way.
"Forget about this little toy. Hurry over! Come and see a real big scene! Come and see my latest painstaking creation!"
Pepper wiped her tears. Although she was still very worried in her heart, she also understood Tony's stubborn personality.
Taking a deep breath, she could only follow helplessly.
Luca also stood up from the chair and walked over leisurely.
This was the latest research achievement of his and Tony's.
Tony walked over to a huge wall.
He adjusted his tie and confidently snapped his fingers.
"Jarvis, open the hatch."
"As you wish, sir."
Accompanied by a low whirring sound,
the wall slowly slid open to both sides, revealing a sci-fi-themed illuminated display stand inside.
Inside the display case, lights turned on.
And under the illumination of the lights,
a set of mechanical armor glowing entirely in silver-white stood quietly inside!
The streamlined design perfectly fitting ergonomics, along with the metal armor plates filled with a sense of power,
this was the embodiment of technological violence.
This was the mark ii armor!
Tony raised an eyebrow, revealing a proud and arrogant smile.
He spread his arms wide, as if about to embrace the entire World.
"How is it, Potts? Do you realize anything now?"
"This is the grand direction for the future of Stark Industries! The crappy guns and rotten cannons previously sold to the Military are simply trash!"
"This set of armor, I name it the mark ii! However, this is just a private armor belonging to me, Tony Stark!"
"Obadiah is dead, and the troubles of the past are over."
"Of course, none of that is important. What's important is that starting from today—"
Tony paused for a moment, a blazing radiance bursting forth in his eyes.
"The age of Stark! Has officially arrived!"
Chapter 43 You Can Call Me, Iron Man
Although Tony's declaration was indeed very passionate.
But Pepper did not fall speechless as usual because of Tony's arrogance.
Instead, her gaze remained locked on the armor inside the display case.
She was a clever woman, and even more so the actual chief steward of Stark Industries.
When Tony said that this was private armor and not for sale to the outside World, Pepper understood.
Indeed, the armor was too dangerous to casually sell to the Military or others.
But the question was, what about this underlying technology?
What if instead of making combat armor, they used this technology to invent similar civilian robots?!
For example, rescue robots that replaced humans in dangerous work?
Or ordinary household robots that entered every household?
Or even advanced medical robots with extremely high precision requirements?!
Pepper's breathing began to grow rapid, her eyes grew brighter the more she thought, and her eyes had already started turning into dollar signs.
This path was completely viable!
And it was a path that no one in the World had ever walked before!
Once Stark Industries announced its entry into the field of civilian intelligent robots, it would definitely trigger a technological revolution that would change the way humans lived!
By that time, the plunging stocks would definitely usher in an epic rebound!
No! It might even be higher than before!
This was a tremendous stroke of good fortune!
Thinking of this, the worried look on Pepper's face was swept away, and she couldn't help laughing.
"Good god, Tony, you really are an unexpected genius! This technology is simply fantastic, it can definitely save the company's stock."
Hearing Pepper's praise, Tony raised his chin and calmly accepted the praise.
"Potts, no need to be so surprised. I've always been like this; a genius's mind is always filled with ideas to change the World, this is just routine operation for me."
However, Luca would not indulge his arrogant appearance.
"Save it, Tony. Stop narcissistically obsessing over yourself there."
Subsequently, Luca pointed at the armor and began to accuse with a face full of disgust.
"I told you this morning to spray the color of the tin can black, or some other color that looks a bit more textured. But you just wouldn't listen!"
"Look at that, now the whole body is shiny silver."
"Do you think this is the set of Transformers? Or are you trying to package yourself into an oversized stainless steel pop can?"
Hearing Luca belittle his artwork, Tony instantly became unhappy.
What a joke, he would absolutely not allow anyone to question his taste.
Although this was because he really hadn't figured out how to match the colors.
"What do you understand! Black is too monotonous, it looks like an honor guard at a funeral! It doesn't suit my style at all!"
"I am Tony Stark! What I want is the most eye-catching existence in the whole audience, what I want is the gaze of the entire World focused on me!"
"If Iron Man doesn't have a handsome and dazzling armor, how can it match my identity?!"
Speaking of this, Tony glanced at Luca and curled his lips.
"Only someone like you who completely lacks artistic cells and aesthetic appreciation would go to like monotonous and boring black."
"So I don't hold any hope for the armor you're going to display later. It's definitely ugly enough to make people unable to look straight at it."
Tony spread his hands, making an expression of heartbreaking grief.
"If it weren't for us upgrading Jarvis's core system and working capacity together last year, letting it automatically control various machines to work... No, no, I shouldn't say it like this."
Tony shook his head and self-corrected.
"I should say, if it wasn't because Jarvis is a polite artificial intelligence, it would definitely be unable to help jumping out to fiercely roast your terrible aesthetics!"
Luca just wanted to open his mouth to snap back.
As a result, before he even spoke, Jarvis's calm words had already transmitted out.
"Sir, pardon my frankness. According to the information collected on the internet, the ranking of colors with the largest number of people liking them in the World shows that black seems to be the color most liked by the public, representing mystery and steadiness."
Jarvis paused, intimately dealing a finishing blow.
"Therefore, from the perspective of big data analysis, Mr. Luca's aesthetics has no problem."
Hearing this, Luca immediately laughed out loud with joy.
He immediately raised a thumb and started praising.
"Well done, Jarvis! This is scientific data!"
Subsequently, Luca looked at Tony, whose face had turned dark, and couldn't help sneering.
"Did you hear that, Tony? Even the artificial intelligence you personally wrote thinks your taste is like an old antique. Admit it, your armor is just a glowing toy!"
Tony's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
He pointed at the camera in exasperation and threatened loudly.
"Jarvis! Whose side are you on after all! It seems tonight I am going to drop your computing power to the lowest level! Making you only able to calculate how to play Minesweeper!"
Hearing this, Luca immediately mocked again.
"Whoa, provoked into anger out of shame? The dignified World's richest man is actually starting to bully an artificial intelligence, this is truly a big news."
The two of them exchanged words, seeing that another round of quarreling was about to begin.
But Pepper couldn't bear it anymore and hurriedly shouted to stop them.
"Wait! Wait!"
"I haven't reacted yet, what on earth are you two talking about? What Iron Man? What armor? Could it be that Luca also built a set of this what... armor?"
Pepper pointed at the display case, for a moment not knowing how to describe that thing.
After all, she didn't know whether it was better to call it battle armor or just armor.
Thus, she let out a long sigh and said helplessly.
"For God's sake. How many crazy decisions have you two kept from me behind my back?!"
Hearing Pepper's interrogation, Luca and Tony exchanged glances, and then laughed simultaneously.
Luca shrugged his shoulders and stepped aside.
"Come on, this is your highlight moment, you tell it."
Tony didn't beat around the bush either.
Straightening his collar, he flashed a confident smile at Pepper.
"You didn't hear wrong, Potts."
"I have made a decision. Starting today, I will become the greatest superhero in the World!"
"You can call me, Iron Man!"
Pepper:???
Superhero?!
Are you alright, Tony!
Seeing Pepper's dumbfounded look, Tony felt a slight trace of awkwardness.
He cleared his throat, trying to make this matter sound more reasonable.
"Ahem... Simply put, it's like this. Luca and I made a joint decision last night."
"Starting today, we are brand new superheroes in this World! That's right, that kind of superheroes in the literal sense. Just like Captain America."
Tony pointed at himself.
"For the convenience of public address, my nickname for myself is Iron Man. This name is extremely cool right?"
"As for Luca..."
Tony frowned and thought carefully for a moment.
"He can emit energy, and he can fly... How about calling him Flash Boy? Or Human Flashlight?"
Obviously, Tony hadn't thought of a suitable nickname yet.
He looked at Pepper again, spreading his hands.
"Anyway, that's how it is, do you understand, Potts?"
Listening from the side, Luca rolled his eyes straight, speechless to the extreme.
"Go to hell with your Flash Boy! I don't need flashy nicknames, I am Lucas Stark, I am myself."
"Also, regarding the name Iron Man. Up until now I still want to fiercely roast you, this name is really too cheesy, it sounds like a worker working at a scrapyard."
However, at this time Pepper could no longer listen to their debate about nicknames at all.
Dumbfounded, she wore a completely dumbfounded expression.
How should I put it...
Do you know the feeling when two capitalists worth hundreds of billions are now telling you that they are going to be superheroes like Captain America?!
WTF!
Is this reasonable?!
This is outrageous to the extreme!
But seeing Tony's serious gaze, as well as Luca's matter-of-course expression.
Pepper understood that these two lunatics were definitely not joking, this was serious!
Thus, she helplessly covered her forehead, feeling a splitting headache.
"Tony, are you serious?"
"Although Captain America has disappeared for more than half a century, and this World really hasn't seen that kind of person for a long time."
"But, are you also going to wear tight clothes like him and go be a circus promotional actor?"
The two of them were somewhat awkward and didn't speak for a moment.
Pepper sighed and continued to ask back loudly.
"And, you said superheroes? Then please tell me, what are you going to do?"
"Could it be flying in the sky everywhere patrolling every day? Or go be a kind person who helps an old granny cross the street on time every day? Don't tell me you're going to catch those thieves snatching wallets on the street?"
The two still didn't speak.
Pepper had no choice but to shake her head, somewhat speechless.
"Listen, the Starks. This World is very complex, and very realistic. This World does not need superheroes! You will only bring endless trouble!"
Although Pepper's earnest advice and discouraging words hit hard, the two knew this was out of care for them.
Therefore, Luca smiled very happily.
But he felt it necessary to explain their purpose.
"Potts, my good sister. This is where you don't understand."
Luca walked in front of Pepper, put away his joking expression, and his gaze became profound.
"How could we possibly go be boring superheroes? Helping an old granny cross the street? Catching thieves? That's a plot that would only exist in fairy tales."
"What we are going to do is simply build such an idolized character image. To be precise, this is not saving the World at all, but a commercial strategy of ours!"
Pepper was stunned for a moment, unable to turn her mind around.
"Strategy? What do you mean?"
Luca smiled and patiently explained.
"First of all, our stocks have been plummeting."
"So besides developing businesses, we also need to use the haloed identity of a superhero to make a big deal out of it."
Luca walked to the display case and patted the glass.
"I believe you already guessed the intelligent robot project just now. That's right, Tony and me made a decision. In the future, besides the pharmaceutical department continuing to develop new drugs, the company's focus..."
"...the direction of the main company will all be changed to launching clean energy projects and intelligent robot projects."
Pepper was listening nicely when suddenly she was dumbfounded again.
"Wait, intelligent robots I understand. But what on earth is clean energy? The company has never been involved in this aspect of business before."
Luca didn't speak, but instead pointed at Tony's chest.
Pepper looked along Luca's finger, and then, she opened her mouth wide in surprise.
"You mean... this life-saving thing?"
Tony chimed in, stating with a face full of pride.
"That's right, Potts. The reactor is not just as simple as holding shrapnel for me. It is even more a truly pollution-free infinite clean energy!"
"It utilizes cold nuclear fusion to generate unimaginable electrical energy within an extremely small volume."
"Do you understand what this means? If you magnify it and build a large-scale Arc Reactor, it can even provide electricity for the entire Los Angeles for a whole year!"
Chapter 44: You Call This a Superhero?!
Pepper gasped in shock.
If this were pushed to the market, it could instantly upend Earth's energy landscape!
Tony nodded in satisfaction, then steered the conversation back to superheroes.
"As for us becoming superheroes, that's just a means for us to promote these projects."
"What's the most important thing in the World right now? Traffic! Global public recognition!"
Tony spread his hands with a calculated look.
"If the two of us became dazzling superheroes flying around in the daily news headlines, tell me, what would Stark Industries' stock turn into?"
"As long as we are around, the company's stock will shoot straight to the skies!"
Tony took a sip of red wine, leaving Pepper to slowly digest the information.
Luca also nodded and added from the side.
"To put it bluntly, it's equivalent to us not needing to face real danger, nor do we need to bother with those trivial, petty matters."
"Instead, we just need to show our faces in front of the public at the right time and defeat a few unlucky bad guys."
"As long as the people of the World remember us and worship us, they will naturally be more than willing to buy the company's stock and products."
"And that's enough. As for those truly troublesome things, are they important? Not important at all."
A dazed Pepper still wore a dazed expression.
She hadn't quite reacted yet.
No way!
Is that... how you act as a superhero?!
You call this a superhero?!
Using a superhero's fame to pump up their own company's stock? Turning saving the World into a commercial marketing campaign?!
After a long while, Pepper finally couldn't help laughing.
She laughed so hard she was rocking back and forth, almost tearing up.
It seemed she really had worried for nothing.
Tony and Luca were still the same as before; their true natures hadn't changed at all.
When she first heard they were going to be superheroes, she really thought their bodies had been possessed by aliens in Afghanistan.
After all, what billionaire would think of being some selfless, dedicated superhero?
Now it seemed she had completely overthought it.
They were still bastards.
Thus, Pepper wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and chimed in with a teasing remark.
"Shouldn't superheroes all be like Captain America? Doing good deeds all day, kind and upright in character, brave and righteous, willing to sacrifice themselves for others."
"Aren't you afraid of ruining children's hero dreams by doing this?"
Luca rolled his eyes, as if he had heard something incredible.
"I'm sorry, Pepper. We've never been that kind of people. What is kindness and integrity? Can they be exchanged for numbers in a bank card?"
Luca pointed at himself and shook his head.
"Please, get our identities straight. We are the richest men in the World! I am a capitalistic scumbag without any bottom line! Don't even think about using those illusory morals to emotionally blackmail me!"
Tony had been listening quite enjoyably, but the second half displeased him.
"Hey! Luca, you're the cold-blooded capitalist. I'm not."
Tony straightened his clothes and struck what he thought was his most handsome pose.
"I am an infinitely charming playboy, I am a billionaire, a genius inventor, a philanthropist, Iron Man! Even more, I am the savior of this World!"
Luca:...
Damn it!
This made it seem like he was just a money-making villain while Tony was a dazzling protagonist.
"Go to hell with your savior of the World! You can't even make a fried egg, yet you're saving the World? You're just an old geezer who can't even twist open a bottle cap!"
"Who are you calling an old geezer! My physical stamina is much better than Happy's!"
"Is that so? Then why don't you try it with me?"
"Brute! A savage with muscles growing in his brain!"
Pepper watched from the side with utter helplessness.
However, in her heart she felt a long-lost sense of relief.
She probably understood the two men's plan by now.
As long as they weren't going to throw their lives away, they could mess around however they wanted.
She lowered her head and glanced at her watch, finding that it was getting late.
Alright, work time had arrived.
She wasn't as leisurely as these two hands-off bosses.
There was still a pile of messy business waiting for her to handle back at the company.
Thus, she waved her hand at the two still arguing men.
"Alright, gentlemen. You stay here and slowly research these great inventions."
"I have to go to work. Remember to rest early, and don't overwork yourselves."
With that, Pepper turned around and prepared to walk upstairs.
Hearing that Pepper was leaving, Luca immediately snapped out of the argument.
He hurriedly shouted out.
"Don't leave yet, Pepper! You haven't seen my armor yet!"
Luca pointed at the sealed hatch on the other side of the laboratory.
"I guarantee that the battle suit I designed is definitely better than Tony's garbage! You'll definitely fall in love with it once you see it!"
Without even turning her head, Pepper replied helplessly as she walked up the spiral staircase.
"You guys can look at it slowly yourselves, my young master Luca! I really don't have time. Someone will deliver your burgers to the door in a bit, remember to eat them while they're hot!"
Hearing that Pepper wasn't even going to look at Luca's armor, Tony immediately burst into triumphant laughter.
"Hahahaha! Did you hear that, Luca? Potts has no interest in your suit at all!"
"She's a woman of taste, she only likes my mark ii!"
Listening to the commotion coming from behind, Pepper shook her head helplessly.
These two men were truly as they always were, not changing in the slightest.
She quickened her pace, left the laboratory, and began walking towards the living room upstairs.
After Pepper left.
Only the brothers were left in the laboratory.
Luca couldn't be bothered to continue meaningless banter with Tony either.
As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.
He walked up to the console and directly issued an order.
"Jarvis, open the number two hatch immediately. Let a certain ignorant blacksmith take a good look at what true technological aesthetics are!"
"Understood, Mr. Luca." Jarvis immediately responded.
Accompanied by a faint hissing sound of air release.
A wall on the other side of the laboratory slowly parted to both sides.
Tony crossed his arms over his chest, still looking unimpressed.
"Don't waste your effort, Luca. No matter what tricks you pull, mark ii is definitely the best-looking! I am the god of the combination of machinery and art!"
However, when the hatch fully opened and the lights inside lit up,
Tony's words came to an abrupt halt.
Inside the display case was a set of sharply lined black battle suit!
This suit was made from a mixture of unknown materials.
There wasn't a single trace of redundant clutter from top to bottom; every part was just right, filled with an explosive sense of power.
However, unlike Tony's heavy armor that wrapped the entire body tightly,
Luca's suit did not have a helmet setting.
Because current him possessed super physique and a bio-force field, he didn't need windproofing or bulletproofing at all, let alone a breathing mask.
Exposing his face actually allowed him to release energy even better.
Attached behind the suit was also a black cape!
Overall, this armor looked breathtakingly handsome, just like a dark god of war walking out of hell.
For a moment, Tony couldn't help but stare in a daze.
This design... This texture... Damn it, how could it be so cool!
What Luca wanted was precisely this reaction from Tony.
Ever since they were kids, he had never lost when it came to competing with Tony in aesthetics.
"How is it, Tony? Stunned, aren't you?"
"I told you, my design is still the best! mark ii is nothing but a toy in front of it!"
Mocked like this by Luca, Tony immediately snapped back to his senses.
Although he admitted in his heart that the suit was very handsome, his competitive nature meant he could never admit defeat verbally.
"What's the use of being handsome! That doesn't mean you're the strongest! I am the one-and-only genius in the mechanical field!"
He pointed at the armor, attempting to find a flaw.
"Jarvis must have provided a lot of assistance and modifications for you to finish this so quickly!"
"Otherwise, with your drawing skill level of only being able to draw stick figures, how could you possibly design blueprints like this!"
In order to win back his dignity, Tony intended to play the rogue.
"If it were Jarvis from a year ago before he upgraded his abilities, you definitely wouldn't have been able to finish it! Therefore, this isn't entirely your own credit!"
Hearing this, Luca smiled and spread his hands.
"Just accept your fate, Tony. Making excuses is the behavior of the weak. Being handsome is a lifelong thing, and your armor will eventually be phased out by the times."
Tony was so angry his teeth were itching, but he was also speechless.
He took two deep breaths and silently comforted himself in his heart.
"I'm the older brother, I'm a mature man, I can't get angry with my childish younger brother. I can't get angry."
Afterwards, Tony forcefully shifted his gaze back to mark ii.
After thinking for a moment, he confidently raised the corners of his mouth and threw out a proposal.
"Let's put aside the topic of whose design looks better. I'm going to start painting the armor right now."
"That's it, two hours later, let's go out together to test them out. Do you dare to have a real contest?"
Luca gave Tony a peculiar look.
"Are you sure, big bro?"
"Jarvis said that when I fly, my speed is at least Mach 5. Are you sure you want to race me in speed?"
Who would have thought that Tony actually waved his hand and didn't argue with Luca.
"Didn't you say it yourself? You're a mutated superhuman, and I'm just an ordinary human. Isn't it completely normal for a human to not match you in speed?"
"Besides, this is just the mark ii prototype. My armor can be constantly upgraded and iterated!"
Tony's eyes flashed with a competitive light.
"And tonight, what I want to compare isn't speed!"
Luca was stunned.
What did this mean?
If not speed, then what was it?
Comparing whose armor was tougher?
Seeing his expression, Tony knew what he was thinking and immediately added a sentence.
"How about this, after the two of us make our first debut as superheroes in downtown Los Angeles."
"Let's see whose name is shouted by the public the most! Let's see who has more fans! Whoever has the greater influence wins this bet!"
Luca raised an eyebrow, instantly growing interested.
"Oh? You want to go straight out and make a debut in a bit? So impatient?"
"Alright! I accept your challenge!"
"I believe the citizens of Los Angeles will definitely prefer a powerful man like me. After all, I'm showing my face directly, whereas you're just a face-less tin can."
Thinking of this, Luca confidently asserted.
"You can't win, Tony. When it comes to personal charm, I've always crushed you."
Tony refused to show weakness either and immediately started preparing spray paint coatings for his armor.
"Then let's wait and see! Two hours later you'll know just how absurdly wrong you were!"
"You simply don't understand the charm emitted when machinery roars! That's a man's romance!"
Luca unyieldingly retorted.
"A man's romance is the impact of punch-to-flesh combat; what kind of ability is it to hide inside an iron shell."
Chapter 45: Human Bomb
After the two of them made a bet, the atmosphere in the laboratory actually became much more relaxed.
However.
Right as Tony was about to set the painting program for the armor,
Luca suddenly thought of something.
He walked over to the console and casually asked,
"By the way, Tony. Do you still remember how we planted a micro-bomb inside that assassin's heart last night?"
While adjusting the data of the spray gun, Tony dismissively waved his hand.
"Oh, seems his name was John or something, right? I remember, what's wrong?"
"Wasn't that guy forcibly sent back by you to instigate the infighting between S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA or whatever? Is there a problem?"
Luca nodded and rubbed his chin.
"It's nothing, I was just wondering how this guy is doing right now. Did he obediently do as I said?"
Tony, on the other hand, indifferently expressed,
"How else could he be? Jarvis's system hasn't alerted me to any abnormal movement trajectories or disarming warnings for the bomb. Looks like he's still somewhat sensible and should have honestly gone back and followed instructions."
Upon hearing this, Luca thought it made sense, so he shrugged and spoke casually.
"Alright, that's not important anyway. As long as he can deliver the message, I don't care how he explains it."
"Anyway, the harder these two organizations fight each other, the better it is for us. It would be best if dogs bite dogs and they both end up injured."
Tony stopped what he was doing and approvingly nodded.
"Of course. If they don't start infighting, how will we get the opportunity to investigate their background in secret?"
"Once I'm done with these few days, I'm going to take a good look at what kind of freaks these guys really are! How dare they target the Stark Family!"
Luca thought about it, and a brilliant yet extremely sinister idea suddenly flashed through his mind.
He turned his head to look at Tony.
"Bro, you should have installed a positioning system inside the micro-bomb, right?"
Hearing this, Tony immediately raised his head.
He wiped the stains off his hands, his eyes lighting up.
"That reminds me. Of course there's a positioning system, that's Stark Industries GPS after all."
Subsequently, Tony issued a command.
"Jarvis, open the tracking program immediately. Let's see where he actually is right now. Maybe we can directly find HYDRA's lair."
"Understood, Sir. Retrieving signal location for you."
A few seconds later.
A detailed map of Los Angeles and its surrounding areas appeared on the holographic projection.
However, the red dot on the map stopped at a very remote location.
Jarvis could only reply with regret,
"I am sorry, Sir."
"The signal disappeared near an abandoned mine in the suburbs of Los Angeles."
The red dot on the map kept blinking.
"This is the last location coordinate he left five minutes ago. Deep underground in that place, there seems to be strong multi-signal interference shielding."
"Current satellite bands cannot penetrate the strata to obtain an accurate location. He should have already entered an underground bunker."
Hearing this result, the two of them didn't feel too surprised.
It wasn't a problem for these organizations to have such means; if they didn't, that would truly mean they lacked competence.
Jarvis then reported some good news.
"However, the good news is that although precise positioning is impossible, I can still remotely control the bomb's startup and shutdown programs. This point has not been interfered with."
Tony raised an eyebrow and sneered.
"Disappeared? It seems this group of rats has quite the talent for digging holes. They're hiding deep enough."
Luca also became interested.
He walked up to the map and carefully looked at the last disappeared coordinate position.
"Looks like he has successfully arrived at the secret Base."
"Jarvis, record this location coordinate immediately. When we have time, we'll go there and pay them a nice visit."
Subsequently, Luca looked at Tony, his smile somewhat meaningful.
"Tony, since the bomb's control is still in our hands, it means this guy only just got to the Base not long ago."
"If I guess correctly, he must be kneeling in front of some big figure right now, trembling as he reports the mission situation."
Tony also approvingly nodded.
"That's right. Since the signal is still moving, it shows this guy hasn't been wiped out by his superiors yet. You're right, he might be telling a vivid story right now."
Luca had a change of thought and put forward a suggestion.
"Tony, since these guys dared to run over in the middle of the night to assassinate us, we definitely can't let them off easily. We are not some broad-minded, great philanthropists."
"How about this. You immediately set a five-minute countdown right now."
"Make the bomb explode precisely after five minutes!"
The more Luca talked, the more excited he became, gesturing with dancing hands and feet.
"Although we still don't know who HYDRA's leader actually is, we must gross them out!"
"Just think about it, John is making solemn vows in front of the leader reporting that S.H.I.E.L.D. people assassinated them."
"As soon as the words leave his mouth—bang! He explodes right in front of those leaders into a pile of minced meat!"
Luca burst out laughing.
"With John's death, there will be no proof left! They will only become even more firmly convinced that S.H.I.E.L.D. tampered with John, deliberately staging a terrorist attack inside their Base!"
"That way, this blame can be thrown onto S.H.I.E.L.D.! And then we can make them fight to the death, isn't that right?"
Luca's plan sounded pretty good.
The more Tony listened, the more he felt there was potential, and his gaze towards Luca grew increasingly shocked.
Damn it, why is this younger brother of his getting more and more sinister!
Why hadn't he noticed before that there was so much malicious scheming stored in his belly?!
His heart is simply so black...
However... he's right!
The enemy was about to kill them, were they supposed to send warmth and care instead?
So what's wrong with heavily grossing out the opponent? This is completely reasonable and justified!
Tony had zero psychological burden, and instead increasingly felt that the feeling of lurking in the shadows and plotting against people was simply too awesome!
Isn't this much better than wearing armor to fight himself?
Therefore, Tony didn't hesitate at all, and immediately tapped rapidly on the control panel a few times.
"Beep!"
Seeing the numbers starting to jump on the screen, Tony showed Luca a tacit smile.
"Countdown: five minutes."
"Then, let's wish them a pleasant day underground in advance."
Chapter 46: Stark! You have no heart!
Meanwhile.
In the suburbs more than a hundred kilometers away from downtown Los Angeles.
Inside a secret HYDRA Base.
The interior decoration style here was cold and oppressive, with guards fully armed everywhere.
Inside a heavily guarded office.
John, looking miserable, stood tremblingly in front of the desk.
His legs were still trembling slightly due to the trauma.
Yet he dared not make any move to sit down, and could only clench his teeth and forcefully sustain his standing position.
Indeed, having gone through countless hardships, he finally returned to the Base.
How bitter John felt in his heart!
Heaven knew what inhuman torture he, with his crippled legs, had experienced to escape back here!
Right now, he just wanted to quickly finish reporting his work and then await the superior's disposition.
As long as he could survive, he would accept even going to wash toilets!
Damn Stark!
Those two fellows were simply not human!
Sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged man wearing a black uniform.
With sharp eyes and a gloomy expression, he was clearly a senior leader of HYDRA at this stronghold.
After observing the miserable John for a moment, he spoke coldly.
"Speak. You went to execute a simple assassination mission. Why is it that only you managed to escape back?"
"What is the situation of the mission?"
John swallowed a mouthful of saliva and began to report.
"Officer! The mission... the mission failed!"
"The Stark Brothers did not die."
John put on an appearance of grief and indignation, loudly accusing.
"It is S.H.I.E.L.D.! It was S.H.I.E.L.D. people who ambushed us!"
"They seemed to have known our plan long ago. They deployed heavy firepower in the hotel corridor in advance, and even used micro-missiles!"
"Jack and Mark were killed on the spot by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents while completely off guard! I broke through at the risk of my life just to bring this important intelligence back to you!"
Hearing John's report.
The leader slammed the table and stood up, his face full of anger and murderous intent.
"Damn S.H.I.E.L.D.! It is them again!"
"This group of haunting flies! Repeatedly obstructing HYDRA's plans!"
Indeed.
In his view, besides S.H.I.E.L.D., there was practically no one else who could deploy missiles and anticipate the assassination plan in advance.
He completely believed John's rhetoric.
And he believed that S.H.I.E.L.D. had fully detected HYDRA's assassination network, and this was issuing a warning and provocation to HYDRA!
The leader paced back and forth in the office, his heart already planning to launch retaliatory actions against S.H.I.E.L.D.
However, when he saw John, covered in blood yet still standing straight.
The thought of executing this fellow also diminished accordingly.
With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s such powerful firepower, this fellow was still able to risk his life to bring back intelligence.
This showed that this person was quite useful, and was definitely loyal to HYDRA.
Leaving him a dog's life, he might be useful as part of a suicide squad in the future.
Thus, the leader's expression softened slightly.
He stared at John and nodded.
"You did very well. Bringing the intelligence back counts as a major contribution for you."
"You may step down first. I will arrange for someone from the medical department to treat you immediately. When your wounds heal, the organization will still reuse you."
Hearing these words from the leader.
John's tense nerves also relaxed along with it.
He felt as if he had returned from hell to heaven.
Great! He didn't have to die!
The Officer believed his words! He survived!
As long as his wounds healed, he could continue to serve the organization again!
John was extremely excited, with tearful eyes, and responded loudly.
"Thank you, Officer! For HYDRA, I am willing to give everything!"
However.
Just as he was about to turn and leave the office.
Suddenly!
John felt his heart twitch!
An indescribable sense of palpitation instantly spread through his whole body.
His complexion began to turn pale, and bean-sized sweat beads rolled down from his forehead.
"Ugh..."
John painfully covered his chest, and the footsteps he was about to take also stopped mid-air.
The leader also sensed something was wrong.
Frowning, he quickly stepped forward to ask.
"What is wrong with you? Is your wound inflamed?"
John widened his eyes, feeling the increasingly rapid beating in his chest.
He instantly guessed what the situation was!
It must be that the damned bomb had activated!
But the severe pain made him completely unable to speak.
"Damn Stark! A completely untrustworthy liar! Didn't you say that as long as I obeyed, I could save my life?!"
"You actually deceived me!! You are not human!!!"
However.
Before he could finish cursing the eighteen generations of ancestors of the Stark Brothers in his heart.
The five-minute countdown ruthlessly ticked down to zero.
"Beep!!"
In John's despairing and terrified gaze.
"Boom!!!"
A muffled explosion suddenly resounded inside the office!
The micro-bomb released terrifying high temperature and destructive power.
John turned into brilliant fireworks in just an instant!
Flesh and blood flew everywhere! Bone fragments splattered in all directions!
The huge impact force not only blew John into ashes,
But also directly blew the leader standing in front of him flying away.
Scalding blood and fragments smashed all over him head-on!
"Ah!!!"
The leader let out a miserable scream and crawled up from the ground.
His face was covered in blood, and his ears were buzzing from the shock.
A large pit was blown out in place, and chunks of flesh were everywhere around.
Where is the person?!
How did this guy suddenly blow himself up right in front of him?!
The leader was stunned for quite a while before barely wrapping his head around it.
Immediately afterwards, a sense of humiliation and fury instantly occupied his brain!
"S.H.I.E.L.D.!!! You guys go too far!!!"
The leader roared furiously.
He took it for granted that this was definitely S.H.I.E.L.D. planting a human bomb on John and deliberately letting him back.
The purpose was to carry out a terrorist attack and assassinate high-level personnel inside HYDRA's Base!
What a vicious means!
Hearing the explosion, the subordinates outside the door hurriedly rushed in with guns raised.
"Officer! What happened?!"
The leader didn't care to wipe the blood on his face, grabbed his subordinate's collar, and shouted angrily.
"Go check for me! Did S.H.I.E.L.D. suddenly attack our stronghold this morning?!"
The subordinate was frightened by the Officer's ghost-like appearance and hurriedly replied tremblingly.
"Y-Yes, Officer! Just half an hour ago, news was received from a spy inside S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. suddenly dispatched the Defenders squad to wipe out one of our supply transfer stations!"
Hearing this news, the leader became even more convinced.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was waging a full-scale war!
"Now! Immediately take the field team to investigate! Find me the trace of Nick Fury! Then kill him for me!! I want him to die!!!"
The subordinate was dumbfounded after hearing this.
Kill Nick Fury?! Really or fake?!
That was the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Was he someone you could just kill by casually saying so?!
But seeing the leader's devouring gaze, the subordinate didn't dare to retort and could only bite the bullet and agree.
"Yes, Officer! We will handle it immediately!"
Subsequently, the subordinate scrambled out to issue orders.
Soon, several logistics personnel wearing gas masks ran in and began cleaning up the aftermath in the office.
The leader walked to the restroom and angrily washed the blood off his face with Water.
Seeing his disheveled appearance in the mirror, his anger still did not subside.
"Damn S.H.I.E.L.D...."
"Officer Pierce said nothing wrong at all! This group of self-righteous fellows is the biggest obstacle to HYDRA ruling the World!"
After washing his face, he gradually calmed down a bit.
He knew that ordinary assassination methods certainly could not easily kill that old fox Nick Fury.
But he simply could not swallow this foul breath! S.H.I.E.L.D. must be made to pay a painful price!
Subsequently, he made a decision.
He felt he must immediately report this matter to Pierce.
Nick Fury must be severely sanctioned!
He wanted Pierce to use his position in the World Security Council to heavily disgust Nick Fury!
For example, find an excuse to directly jam S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operational funds for the next quarter!
"Just you wait, Nick Fury. Provoke HYDRA, and I will make it so you don't even have the money to pay wages!"
Chapter 47: I Am One and Only Me
On the other side.
In sunny Los Angeles, Malibu Beach.
Inside the laboratory, the atmosphere was a bit different from usual.
Tony and Luca sat side by side on two high stools in front of the workbench.
In front of them was a holographic projection screen.
Various complex data scrolled densely across it.
Not far behind them quietly stood three newly completed armor suits.
Two of them were normal human-sized armor suits, one sprayed with a red and yellow color scheme, and the other black.
Besides that, there stood a huge behemoth standing fully three meters tall.
However, at this moment, the two brothers' attention was not on the armor.
This was a very rare scene.
Both of their expressions were somewhat serious.
Tony picked up a glass of red wine, took a sip, and then pointed at a long string of red data on the projection screen.
"Listen, Luca."
"Although I am not majoring in bioengineering and genetics, even a college freshman in science can understand what these data mean."
Tony put down the glass and glanced suspiciously at Luca.
"Did you really not lie to me? Are you sure you used these formulas to turn yourself into a superhuman back then?"
"Or did your brain accidentally get beaten during the kidnapping, causing your IQ to drop severely, making you even misremember the ratio of the potion you mixed yourself?"
Facing Tony's questioning.
Luca was uncharacteristically silent this time, not saying a single word.
He stared at the screen with a serious expression, his hands typing rapidly on the keyboard, constantly adjusting various data parameters.
"Jarvis, increase this, and at the same time lower the proportion of the fusion agent in the energy absorption serum slightly, and try again." Luca gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Alright, Mr. Luca. Conducting the forty-eighth fusion simulation."
Jarvis's calm words echoed in the laboratory.
A few seconds later, two spiral gene chains on the holographic projection began to slowly approach, attempting to combine together.
However, the moment they made contact, the model suddenly emitted a dazzling red light, and then rapidly collapsed and dissipated.
A prompt box popped up on the screen again.
[Fusion failed! Molecular structure collapsed!]
Looking at this result, Luca took a deep breath and couldn't help rubbing his temples.
Tony crossed his arms, stared at the failure prompt on the screen, and also began to think seriously.
"This makes no sense at all, Luca."
"The functions of the two serums are completely different."
"One is an improved version of the Super Soldier Serum used to strengthen basic physical qualities, and the other is a special serum capable of absorbing external energy to grow stronger."
"From a scientific logic perspective, the molecular structures of these two serums are completely repulsive! They are just like Water and Fire, completely unable to fuse in the same test tube, let alone produce an effect where one plus one is greater than two!"
Tony spread his hands with an incredulous look on his face.
"The possibility of fusion is theoretically infinitely close to Zero!"
"So, how on earth did you manage to fuse them together back then?!"
Luca ignored Tony, his brows tightly knitted together, constantly recalling every detail in his mind.
"This shouldn't be..."
"Jarvis, switch to another train of thought. Use another catalyst, cut the reaction time in half, and run another fusion simulation!"
"Understood, sir. Conducting the forty-ninth simulation."
The result was self-evident. A few seconds later, four big characters popped up ruthlessly on the screen again.
[Fusion Failed!]
Without exception, all adjustment plans ended in failure.
Seeing the full screen of red, Luca also stopped his movements.
He leaned against the back of the chair and sighed helplessly.
"It makes no sense, this is absolutely impossible!"
"Back then, I just casually poured these materials together, and it successfully fused directly on the first try! And there wasn't even any rejection reaction!"
"But now that I'm back home, using the World's most advanced instruments and having top-tier computing power support, how could it constantly fail?"
Refusing to give up, he once again brought up various data and carefully checked every corner, trying to find the error in the formula.
However, there were no errors whatsoever.
The formula was perfect, both serums taken individually were perfect, yet they just wouldn't fuse.
After checking for a long time, Luca suddenly smiled.
He really smiled, smiling a bit helplessly and a bit arrogantly.
"Tony, I understand."
Luca looked at Tony and began to complain with certainty.
"This is definitely not my problem, nor is it definitely the formula's problem."
"This must be God's problem. Or rather, this is simply a miracle that cannot be replicated."
Tony wore a face full of question marks.
God's problem?
Did you not wake up or did I not wake up?!
Luca smiled slightly and pointed at the two serum data to explain.
"The problem is very obvious now. With our current technology, we can separately create an enhanced version of the Super Soldier Serum, and we can also separately create a serum that absorbs energy to become stronger."
"However, we cannot use scientific means to fuse them together to create a serum identical to mine."
Tony:...
That's practically stating the obvious.
How is this any different from saying nothing...
But since Luca put it this way, Tony also understood this cruel reality.
He shrugged his shoulders, and his tone became somewhat flat.
"In other words, the serum inside your body, or this mutation of yours, is unique. It simply cannot be re-created."
"Even if someone else injects the two serums separately in the future, they will never possess such abnormal strength and defense like you do now. At most, they can only be considered a defective product."
Luca spread his hands and made an innocent expression.
"The facts are right in front of us. You've seen it too, they cannot be fused."
"Therefore, the plan to make you become just like me can be considered a complete failure."
Luca looked at Tony with a teasing gaze.
"If you want to become stronger, you can only choose to inject one of them separately. Do you want super strength, or do you want to absorb energy?"
Hearing this proposal, Tony raised an eyebrow and refused without hesitation.
"Come on, I'm not doing that."
"I don't need to inject those weird potions at all."
"The reason Tony Stark is able to stand at the peak of the World is always relying on a genius brain and relying on the technology created!"
Tony pointed at his own head.
"As long as I have a brain, I can use a wrench and blueprints to create a power even more powerful than serum! Technology is the answer to human evolution! Instead of turning oneself into a guinea pig!"
Luca curled his lip, knowing that Tony was just being stubbornly defensive.
"Besides being stubborn with your mouth, can you have any other skills?"
Luca stood up from the stool, walked over to Tony, and looked down at him.
"Yes, I admit your technology is very strong. The armor you built is indeed a good thing."
"However, no matter how indestructible the armor is, you hiding inside are still just a mortal of flesh and blood!"
"Think carefully with your genius brain. If, I mean if!"
"If one day you encounter an emergency and the armor is not by your side, or the armor is destroyed by someone, what will you do then?"
"If something happens to you, what about everyone else? What about me? What about Pepper?!"
Luca's words echoed in the laboratory, striking straight at Tony's soul.
"Don't forget what we experienced in Afghanistan! Enemies won't give you time to put on the armor every time!"
"And, to take a step back, even if you don't need it, what about Pepper?"
"Pepper is just an ordinary person with no power to truss a chicken. We are going to be superheroes now and deal with those dangerous guys, so enemies will definitely target her!"
"She must inject the strengthening serum! Otherwise, what will happen if she encounters danger in the future? Can you guarantee that the armor can protect her 360 degrees without blind spots?!"
Chapter 48: Th-th-this… Is this really okay?
Tony was stunned.
He opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but found that he couldn't say a single word.
That's right, Luca's words were facts.
Obadiah had betrayed them, and now he was dead.
Looking across the entire World, the people Tony Stark truly cared about could already be counted on one hand.
Aside from the younger brother in front of him who always liked to bicker with him.
The rest was only Pepper, who was busy running around for the company.
Needless to say, Luca was his own flesh and blood brother.
And what about Pepper?
For so many years, Pepper had always stayed by his side, helping him handle all kinds of trouble, and understanding him even better than he understood himself.
Tony was not a cold-blooded and ruthless person; on the contrary, his heart lacked a sense of security.
How could he not feel Pepper's emotions toward him?
He cared very much about Pepper; it could even be said that Pepper was an indispensable part of his life.
If he didn't trust or care, how could he possibly hand over the daily management authority of Stark Industries entirely into the hands of an assistant?
Of course, there was also Happy, who was loyal to them.
Whether it was Tony, Luca, or Pepper, they had actually long regarded Happy as family in their hearts.
If they went to be some kind of superhero and caused Pepper or Happy to be kidnapped and murdered by enemies.
Then Tony would definitely go crazy!
But who was Tony?
He would never admit his soft heart in front of anyone, let alone easily admit his weakness and worry.
Therefore, even though Tony's heart had already been persuaded by Luca, his mouth still maintained the stubbornness belonging to a genius.
Tony forcibly looked away, let out a soft hum, and replied stubbornly.
"Then I will invent a more powerful mark! I will also tailor a protective suit for Potts that no one can break! My technology can definitely protect her well!"
However.
After hesitating for a few seconds.
Tony's tone suddenly softened, and he added in a low voice.
"And… Even if we want to inject it, the serum cannot be manufactured that quickly, and it still requires a lot of safety testing. Let's talk about this matter after we finish dealing with this period of time."
After saying that, Tony immediately stood up, and as if trying to escape this topic, strode towards the mark in the back.
"Alright, the topic of the serum ends here. Now, let us take a look at the masterpiece belonging to a genius."
Luca was slightly taken aback.
But seeing Tony's slightly flustered back, he couldn't help laughing.
No one understood Tony better than him.
Although Tony's words just now sounded like he was still being stubborn, he had actually compromised.
Therefore, he agreed to Luca's proposal!
"Damn Tony, he really is as stubbornly tsundere as ever."
However, as long as he agreed, that was fine.
In the past, they never dared to touch things like the enhancement serum, largely because they were willing to follow the wishes of their father, Howard Stark.
After all, back then Howard left behind a huge mess because of the Super Soldier Serum matter.
But now the situation was different.
Since they had already reached this step.
Then there was no need to resist the means that could make people stronger.
As long as they could protect their family, whatever side effects, whatever historical legacy issues, they could all stand aside!
Luca shook his head and didn't think about it anymore.
He strode with his long legs and also followed towards the display case.
At this moment, Tony was standing in front of his mark.
This mark was originally a silver mark ii, but under Tony's emergency coloring just now, it now had a brand-new look.
He adopted a visually striking hot fire red, matched with dazzling gold.
Under the illumination of the lights, this red and gold alternating mark flashed with unparalleled radiance, full of technological sense.
Tony stood in front of the mark, his eyes filled with infatuation, just like looking at a lover.
"Look at these smooth lines, look at this perfect color matching! This is a true work of art!"
"My mark is still the most handsome! Moreover, there is completely no need to worry about it being stolen or snatched away by others."
Tony pointed at the various joint parts of the mark and said with full confidence.
"I designed a biometric recognition system and multiple trap counter-kill mechanisms inside."
"As long as it's not myself entering the mark, even if he is Captain America, I can make the inside of the mark release lasers, high-voltage electricity, and deadly poison gas. The enemy will experience what it feels like to have an unforgettable thrill."
Speaking of this, Tony seemed to remember something.
He slanted his eyes and glanced at Luca's black mark.
Then he intentionally drew out his voice and sarcastically mocked.
"Unlike a certain someone. Saying it's a mark with their mouth, but actually it's just a set of stitched-together armor."
"Aside from providing a bit of defense, it doesn't even have an auxiliary targeting system! It completely lacks any technological content!!"
Facing Tony's taunt.
Luca didn't care either.
He walked up to his mark and retorted righteously and confidently.
"Tony, do you have some misunderstanding about my strength?"
Luca pointed at his eyes and then squeezed his fists.
"My eyes can emit high-temperature lasers of several thousand degrees, and my fists can deliver hundreds of tons of force! My speed can exceed the speed of sound!"
"May I ask, with these abilities, would I still care about those fancy auxiliary systems?"
Luca patted the mark hard, which immediately made a loud noise.
"Besides, solely in terms of defense, the mark might not even be as hard as my body!"
"What is the most important function of a mark? It's to look handsome! Understand?!"
Luca made a contemptuous gesture towards Tony.
"You country bumpkin who only knows how to beat iron sheets don't understand at all what true superhero temperament is called!"
Tony was so angered by the word "bumpkin" that the corners of his mouth twitched.
But he couldn't be bothered to continue refuting on this unnutritious topic.
Because he knew that in terms of being shameless, he was indeed no match for his younger brother.
Therefore, Tony shifted his line of sight.
He looked with a peculiar expression at another display case in the corner of the laboratory.
There stood a huge mark with an exaggerated shape and all-black color!
Tony walked up to that mark and then shook his head.
"Seriously, Luca. I still don't understand."
"Why did you build such a strange thing out?"
Although he was complaining with his mouth, Tony's eyes still flashed with excitement for the manufacturing process.
He patted the huge mechanical leg and chuckled teasingly.
"To be honest, though, if those old antiques in the Military knew that we spent less than three hours building a brand-new heavy mark from scratch, they would probably be so envious they couldn't sleep."
Tony glanced at this mark again, unable to help clicking his tongue in wonder.
"Before this, I never thought building a mark could be so fast, it's simply as simple as building blocks!"
He looked at Luca, his eyes full of appreciation.
"This is simply too crazy. What on earth is the structure of your eyes? It looks like you just casually released it, but the metal has already softened!"
"And all I needed to do was shape them while they were hot, and then casually match it with a little drive system."
Tony touched his chin and put forward a suggestion with a straight face.
"Listen, Luca. Didn't we say we were going to establish a manufacturing department for civilian intelligent robots? How about you go to the manufacturing workshop and be the chief welder? With your work efficiency, one person can equal a factory of five hundred people!"
After listening, Luca was directly speechless and cursed with black lines all over his face.
"Go to hell with your chief welder! Do you think I'm a machine on an assembly line?!"
"Damn it! This is because of my power that the work efficiency was accelerated, okay! You actually want to trick Master Stark into doing illegal labor for you? Your true colors are exposed!"
Tony chuckled happily and continued to tease.
Luca couldn't be bothered to pay attention to Tony's teasing.
He also strode in front of the mark and looked it over with satisfaction.
The overall height of this mark was close to three meters, and its build was bulky.
But its shape was completely different from Tony's streamlined aesthetic style!
This was specifically requested by Luca before manufacturing.
The overall color of the mark was dark gray, and its appearance looked ferocious and evil.
The shoulders and arms were covered with sharp barbs, and the chest also had a large LED light emitting a faint green glow.
Besides that, the top of the helmet also extended backward into two devil-like sharp horns!
No matter who it was, as long as they took one look at this mark.
The first word that popped up in their head was definitely supervillain! Super supervillain!
Tony looked at it for a while and shook his head with disgust.
"This mark is too bulky and too tall. Its flexibility is terrible to the extreme."
"I really don't know what the use of building such a thing is? Are you planning to hide inside like a coward when the enemy attacks?"
Facing Tony's doubt, Luca sighed.
He turned his head, and the look he gave Tony was like looking at an idiot.
"Bro, sometimes I really don't know how Stark Industries became the World's number one enterprise based on the IQ of a single-celled organism like you? Is it entirely thanks to the incompetence of your peers?"
Luca pointed at the mark with an expression of disappointment at his failure to live up to expectations.
"Think carefully, what did we say before? We are going to build the persona of superheroes! We want to make citizens all over the World feel grateful to us!"
"However, if there isn't a supervillain who looks terrifying coming out to cause trouble, then who will set off our greatness?"
"Without villains, how can we be heroes?! Are we really going to help old ladies cross the street?!"
Luca stepped forward, patted the mark, and the smile on the corner of his mouth became uninhibited.
"Later after we go out."
"We only need to let Jarvis remotely control the mark from the backend to fly to Los Angeles to pretend to cause massive destruction and intimidate the citizens!"
"When those citizens are scared into desperate screams!"
"We will then descend from the sky with the posture of saviors! In a few quick strokes, we'll beat the supervillain into a pile of scrap metal!"
The more Luca talked, the more excited he became, gesturing with both hands in the air.
"Finally, we will reveal our handsome faces in the ruins, enthusiastically wave and interact with the rescued citizens, and accept media interviews."
"You see! Hasn't the superhero persona been done perfectly like this?!"
Luca spread his hands with a confident expression.
"As long as the public knows that we are the ones who solved the disaster in times of crisis, that's enough!"
"As for how the disaster came about… Is this important? It's not important at all!"
Speaking of this, Luca gave Tony a disgusted look and shook his head.
"I always thought you were a smart person, Tony. But I didn't expect your thinking to still be so rigid."
After saying that, he sighed, looking like he was disappointed at his failure to live up to expectations.
Tony:???
He was a bit dumbfounded.
He, Tony Stark, a recognized peerless genius, was actually disliked by his younger brother to his face for having low IQ?!
And… What kind of insane thought process was Luca running on?!
Building a villain yourself to attack the city! And then showing up yourself to defeat it?!
I solved the disaster for you, and as for how the disaster came about, don't ask?!
This… Is this fucking really okay?!
This is just too shameless!!
Tony widened his eyes, carefully observing Luca, who was smiling all over his face.
He suddenly discovered that he was still too naive!!
Although he had recently started to slowly get used to Luca's unscrupulous way of thinking to trick people.
But how should he put it, Tony still felt completely unable to keep up with the other's rhythm.
Chapter 49 I am Iron Man!
Finally, after digesting it for a full two and a half minutes.
Tony took a deep breath and silently gave Luca a thumbs-up.
"I lost this time."
"Damn it, you are simply a pervert without any moral bottom line! Luca! You are a demon!"
Oh?!
Tony actually took the initiative to admit defeat.
Luca also raised his eyebrows in some surprise.
But it was only a surprise for a second.
Immediately, he nodded smugly.
"Thank you for the compliment, Tony. Don't make such a fuss, you have to get used to my excellence."
Tony rolled his eyes unhappily.
"Go to hell with your genius. If the citizens knew the truth, they would hang you from a street lamp."
But jokes aside.
Afterwards, Tony put away his thoughts, and his eyes became sharp.
He opened his arms, his tone full of anticipation.
"Alright, enough nonsense. Come on, Luca."
"The great Iron Man is about to put on his mark armor for the first time, to announce his birth to the World!"
Tony ordered loudly.
"Jarvis! Initiate the donning sequence!"
"Understood, sir."
Afterwards, the two walked to a donning platform in the center of the laboratory respectively, spread their arms and stood still.
Luca stood in his position and smiled slightly.
"You're wrong, Tony."
"Not just Iron Man. Me too."
The next second.
Accompanying a burst of mechanical operating sounds.
The surrounding floor split open, and dozens of dexterous mechanical arms quickly rose, then holding the various parts of the mark armor, began to put them on them.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The mechanical arm first locked the silver-based lining onto Tony's body, and immediately after, the leg armor tightly buckled onto his legs.
While watching the mechanical arms busy on his body and feeling the sense of power brought by the mark armor, Tony couldn't help letting out a comfortable sigh.
On the other hand, Luca's donning process was relatively concise and powerful.
The black mark armor was quickly fitted by the mechanical arms, outlining his explosive physique vividly.
Finally, a wide black cape was locked onto his shoulder armor by the mechanical arms.
Soon, all parts below Tony's head had been fully donned.
Finally, the mechanical arm holding the helmet slowly lowered.
With a soft click.
The helmet fit perfectly onto Tony's armor.
Accompanied by the mask slowly closing.
Inside the enclosed mask, the screen lit up, and Tony looked at the beating data interface, saying seriously.
"I am Iron Man."
The next second.
"Hum!!"
The mask's eyes emitted a White light, and the reactor on his chest also erupted with a powerful roar.
mark armor, officially activated!
At the same time, Luca's suit had also been completely donned.
Under his control, a layer of force field imperceptible to the naked eye instantly covered his whole body.
Under the surge of the force field, the cape fluttered slowly in mid-air, looking mysterious and domineering.
Luca clenched his fists and smiled with satisfaction.
"Feeling better than ever."
He raised his head, his gaze penetrating the ceiling of the Underground Room, as if he had already seen the sky outside.
"World, here I come!"
Then, he turned his head and looked at the fully armed Tony.
Tony also looked at Luca.
"System self-check complete, everything is running well."
"So..."
Luca's toes left the ground, slowly levitating.
"Let's begin."
Tony nodded, and the engines began to roar.
"Countdown of three numbers. Prepare for takeoff."
"3..."
"2..."
However, before the number 1 could be spoken.
"Boom!"
Accompanying the thruster erupting with dazzling Fire, Tony activated the armor first!
Then turned into a stream of light soaring into the sky!
The good news is, successfully activated.
The bad news is...
He didn't take the underground passage, but directly smashed through the ceiling!
"Bang!!!"
Amidst the deafening loud noise, a big hole was smashed into the ceiling!
Tony flew out of the Villa, rushing into the night sky outside!
Along with the ceiling being smashed open, a large amount of debris and dust fell down clatteringly.
As luck would have it, they all smashed onto Luca, who hadn't had time to take off yet!
"Clatter..."
Although these gravels couldn't cause damage to Luca, the insult was extremely strong.
And it also accidentally smashed a blue sports car.
Luca:???
No!
Damn you, Tony!
Fly if you want to fly, why the hell are you demolishing the house?!
This is my sports car!
Damn Tony! You untrustworthy bastard!
What happened to the agreed countdown of three numbers?!
Luca didn't waste time either.
He flew straight out through the big hole Tony had just smashed open.
The next second.
Luca came outside the Villa.
The cold sea breeze blew against his face.
He looked around, where was Tony's shadow in the night sky?
Damn it!
Tony had long used the advantage of a head start to run out of sight.
"Running quite fast."
Luca cursed inwardly, then closed his eyes and began to concentrate.
He turned his hearing to the maximum, filtering out the sound of waves, car horns... and so on.
Sure enough!
Roughly in the clouds a few kilometers away, Luca caught the sound.
At this time, Tony was flying at an altitude of several thousand meters, enjoying the pleasure of high-speed flight while excitedly chatting with Jarvis.
Of course, what Luca heard first was Tony's excited loud laughter.
"Hahaha! This is simply awesome! Jarvis! This is the happiest flight of my life!"
"This is even more exhilarating than driving a Ferrari!"
Jarvis helplessly reminded him.
"Sir, pardon my expression. Your action of starting early just now violated the competition rules you set before."
"Young Master Luca must be cursing you right now, and I think his cursing makes a lot of sense."
Hearing that Jarvis was still speaking up for Luca, Tony once again burst into smug laughter.
"Jarvis, you are still too rigid! You must remember that for a genius, sometimes not following the rules is the real rule!"
Tony rolled a circle in the clouds and shouted arrogantly.
"And so what if I got a head start?"
"Luca can never catch up! I've led by such a long distance, now even if God comes, he can only eat dust looking at my taillights!"
On Luca's side.
Relying on his super hearing, he heard Tony's arrogant declaration clearly.
"This idiot really thinks he's won for sure."
Then.
Luca's eyes suddenly narrowed.
His vision penetrated the obstacles of heavy clouds, clearly seeing Tony a few kilometers away.
I don't know why.
Just thinking about Tony being overtaken by himself later, and then having a dumbfounded expression in the sky...
He couldn't help wanting to laugh.
Shaking his head, a thought moved in his mind.
"Boom!!!"
A sonic boom that seemed to tear the sky apart exploded roaringly!
Luca had disappeared without a trace.
Leaving only a sonic boom cloud in the night sky!