A week later, Tony finally emerged from his 'human salted fish' state and could move freely.
He was currently standing in the underground laboratory, gazing at two distinctly different suits of armor with Chen Tian, who was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Sword Qi harms people, no responsibility taken."
"Seriously," Tony poked the shell of the Mark-2 - Devil Edition, "this thing is much cooler than the Mark-2."
The Devil Armor's dark red coating gleamed eerily under the laboratory lights, its mechanical devil wings hung quietly on its back, and a thorny mechanical tail coiled around its waist, like a venomous snake ready to awaken at any moment.
In contrast, the Mark-2 next to it looked like a well-behaved kindergarten child.
Chen Tian gnawed on the last piece of bread he had rescued from the kitchen, muttering indistinctly, "If you can't bear to part with it, just keep it as a collectible figurine."
"And then get choked to death by it in the middle of the night?" Tony rolled his eyes. "Thanks, I'm not interested in a 'Chucky' sequel."
Chen Tian chuckled, "Don't worry, this is just an inanimate object. The Purgatory Runes on it have already been cleared by Diablo, so what you're describing won't happen."
Tony curled his lip, "The most untrustworthy things are devils."
As he spoke, he walked around the armor once, then suddenly stopped: "Jarvis, how much do you think this thing could sell for?"
"Sir," Jarvis's voice carried a rare hesitation, "I'm not entirely sure what kind of chaos this armor would cause if it fell into the outside World."
Tony took a deep breath and turned to the control panel: "Initiate permanent archival procedure. Password: 'I will never make a deal with a devil again'."
With Tony's dispirited command, and the hum of hydraulic mechanisms, the Mark-2 - Devil Edition slowly sank into a specially made lead alloy container.
Tony stared at the sinking armor, his expression like a prodigal son forced to give up his beloved sports car: "Sigh, I really love this armor..."
Chen Tian stuffed the last bite of bread into his mouth, then suddenly lunged forward, putting his arm around Tony's shoulder in a brotherly fashion: "Hey, don't make that face!"
Crumbs still clung to the corner of his mouth, but he smiled like a high school student about to play a prank. "We Chinese have an old saying—out with the old, in with the new!"
Tony squinted at him: "Do your Dragon Kingdom proverbs say anything about 'don't touch my fifty-thousand-dollar custom shirt with hands covered in breadcrumbs'?"
"Well..." Chen Tian pretended to think for two seconds, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "But they definitely say 'you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child'!"
He clapped Tony on the back, "Don't worry, something even more awesome will come soon!"
Tony narrowed his eyes, his gaze passing over Chen Tian's shoulder to land on the mysterious figure behind him.
"So," he said slowly, "before you talk about 'something even more awesome,' can you first explain—"
He pointed at the white-haired maid-dressed girl, "Who is this?"
Chen Tian looked back and instantly froze: "Uh..."
The girl stood quietly, holding Chen Tian's first generation ghost cutter in her hands, while another Japan sword on her back gleamed coldly under the laboratory lights.
Her eyes were covered by a black blindfold, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she was enjoying the sudden awkwardness.
Tony crossed his arms: "Let me guess, this is your... special hobby?"
He scrutinized the girl's Gothic maid outfit, "I didn't realize you liked this style."
Chen Tian gave a dry laugh: "Well..."
"Don't tell me this is a bodyguard you found from some underground fighting ring." Tony raised an eyebrow. "Though this outfit certainly... has character."
The girl tilted her head slightly: "Master, do I need to explain?" Her voice was calm and elegant, with a hint of mechanical texture.
Tony's eyes widened: "Wait, what did she call you?"
Chen Tian immediately waved his hands: "No, no, no, this is... uh... professional habit!"
"Professional habit?" Tony's eyebrows nearly flew into his hairline. "What profession makes a girl call you 'Master'?"
The girl took a step forward and bowed slightly: "I am 2B. According to the contract, I am currently serving as Master's guard."
Tony stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly turned to Chen Tian: "What exactly have you been up to this past week?"
Chen Tian scratched his head: "Actually... 2B, like Diablo... was summoned by me..."
Tony's expression instantly froze. He slowly turned to look at Chen Tian, his eyebrows practically reaching his hairline: "Wait... what did you say? She's also from another World that you brought here?"
Chen Tian scratched his head, revealing an awkward but polite smile: "Uh... to be precise, 2B comes from a highly technologically advanced World..."
"She is a combat-type android, human-like in appearance, but with a mechanical structure inside."
Tony took a deep breath, his single eye wide: "Let me get this straight—" He pointed at 2B, "This beautiful girl who looks like she walked out of some cosplay event is actually a... robot?"
"Bingo!" Chen Tian snapped his fingers. "But she's far more advanced than those clumsy robots in your lab."
2B bowed slightly at the remark: "Master exaggerates." Her voice was as calm as Water, but a faint curve played on her lips.
Tony circled 2B, as if admiring a work of art: "The craftsmanship... the detail... simply perfect."
He suddenly stopped, looking suspiciously at Chen Tian: "Are you sure this isn't... this isn't a Coser from some special studio?"
Chen Tian almost choked on his own saliva: "Hey! She's a legitimate combat-type android!"
At this, 2B suddenly spoke, "If Master requires it, 2B can also cooperate with Master in the reproduction process."
Both Chen Tian and Tony had strange expressions upon hearing 2B's words, and Tony burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
Chen Tian, blushing, said to 2B: "Don't say that in public!"
Tony suddenly leaned closer to Chen Tian, lowering his voice: "Honestly, old man, if you like this cosplay style, I can introduce you to a few high-end custom studios..."
Chen Tian rolled his eyes: "Tony, she's really not a coser!"
"Oh, come on," Tony scoffed, "I can understand a devil, after all, they're in myths and legends. But a living, breathing beautiful girl? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"
Chen Tian sighed and turned to 2B: "Show him your 'true form'."
2B nodded slightly and gracefully raised her right hand. With a soft whir of mechanical operation, the skin on her forearm suddenly parted to reveal the intricate mechanical structure within. Blue light flowed between metal bones, and countless miniature parts rotated at dazzling speed.
Tony's coffee cup dropped to the floor.
"This..." he stammered, "This is impossible..."
"Welcome to future technology," Chen Tian said triumphantly.
"2B comes from a civilization at least 200 years more advanced than ours. Her mechanical core, combat system, energy supply... any one of these technologies could improve the performance of our armor tenfold or more."
Tony circled 2B like a curious child, wanting to touch but not daring to: "So... she really is a robot?"
"Combat-type android," 2B calmly corrected, "My body uses bio-mimicry technology; my exterior is indistinguishable from a human's, but my interior is entirely mechanical."
Tony's eyes suddenly lit up: "Wait! If we can apply her technology to the Mark series..."
"Bingo!" Chen Tian snapped his fingers. "Imagine, an Iron Man suit with 2B's World combat technology, plus your energy technology..."
Tony was already furiously sketching designs on a virtual screen: "We can redesign the joint structure... improve the power transmission system... My God, this is just..."
"Crazy?" Chen Tian added with a smile.
"Genius!" Tony corrected. He turned to 2B, "My dear, do you mind if I scan your internal structure?"
2B looked at Chen Tian, who nodded: "Just don't take her apart."
Tony carefully operated the scanner, and a three-dimensional model of 2B's internal structure gradually appeared on the holographic projection.
As the scan deepened, his expression transitioned from excitement to shock.
"This... this is impossible..." Tony's fingers trembled slightly as he zoomed in on the details of a joint. "Her nanoscale hydraulic system is ten times more precise than our most advanced micro-motors!"
2B stood quietly on the scanning platform, blue data streams flickering beneath her mechanical eye mask: "Do you require me to demonstrate more functions, Mr. Stark?"
"No, wait..." Tony suddenly turned to a data node. "Jarvis, analyze this energy conduction system!"
"Sir," Jarvis's voice carried a rare hesitation, "This method of energy transmission completely violates known physical laws. According to calculations, this design should theoretically lead to energy leakage, but the actual scan shows an astonishing 99.9% efficiency."
Chen Tian leaned against the control panel, triumphantly munching on a freshly acquired sandwich: "How about that? I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Tony ignored his teasing, fully engrossed in studying 2B's skeletal structure: "This alloy... My God, its molecular arrangement... Jarvis, record this crystal structure!"
He paced back and forth around the projection, sometimes excitedly waving his arms, sometimes frustratingly ruffling his hair: "This is incredible... but also the most frustrating!" He suddenly stopped and slammed his hand on the table.
"What's wrong?" Chen Tian asked, puzzled.
Tony pointed at an intricate component in the projection: "Look at this quantum processor! Its computing power is a hundred times that of Jarvis, but its volume is only the size of a fingernail!" His voice carried a rare frustration, "I completely understand its principle, but with Earth's current industrial level..."
"Can't be built?" Chen Tian interjected.
"Forget building it, we can't even refine the materials!" Tony irritably scratched his hair, "It's like showing a smartphone to a primitive man; they can't even make glass!"
2B tilted her head slightly: "According to my database, my World is indeed about 247 years ahead of yours."
Tony suddenly turned to Chen Tian: "Wait, since you can summon her, can you also summon some manufacturing equipment?"
Chen Tian spread his hands helplessly: "Don't be silly, Tony, summoning 2B has already exhausted my primordial power."
After hearing Chen Tian's words, Tony suddenly fell into a brief silence.
But soon, the corners of his mouth began to curl upwards, and that characteristic, almost arrogant, gleam rekindled in his eyes.
"Ha!" He suddenly let out a loud laugh, startling Chen Tian, "Jarvis, write this down—'There's nothing in this World that can stump the great Tony Stark!'"
He spun around abruptly, his hands flying across the virtual keyboard, and the design blueprints in the holographic projection began to frantically reassemble: "Since there's no factory that can manufacture these parts..." His voice trembled slightly with excitement, "Then we'll build them ourselves!"
Chen Tian stared dumbfounded as Tony conjured up a dozen new design interfaces like magic: "Wait, you mean..."
"I mean," Tony continued to operate without looking up, "we're going to build a completely new nanoscale manufacturing system from Zero." He snapped his fingers, "Jarvis, name this project 'Genesis'."
"Sir," Jarvis's voice carried a rare hesitation, "according to calculations, this project will require at least..."
"I don't need to hear probability calculations," Tony interrupted, "I just need you to tell me what the first step is."
2B stood quietly to the side and suddenly spoke: "Mr. Stark, my database contains some manufacturing process data. Although incomplete, it might provide some reference."
Tony suddenly looked up, his eyes frighteningly bright: "Really?" He rushed to 2B in three strides, "Can you access our system?"
2B looked at Chen Tian, who scratched his head: "It should be fine."
"Allow access," Chen Tian added, "but don't let Jarvis peek at 2B's private files."
Tony rolled his eyes: "Please, my AI is a gentleman, okay?"
As 2B connected, the main screen of the laboratory began to cascade with a flood of data.
Tony, like a child with a new toy, excitedly moved between the various screens.
"Look at this!" He pointed to a set of molecular structure diagrams, "They actually solved the metal fatigue problem with this arrangement! And this quantum entanglement conduction technology..." He suddenly stopped and turned to 2B, "Wait, how did the scientists in your World come up with this method?"
2B tilted her head slightly: "According to historical records, it was developed by Resistance scientists during the 14th Machine War under extreme resource scarcity."
Tony's expression became serious: "War drives technology... what a familiar script."
He shook his head and returned to work, "But this time, we're going to use these technologies to do some good."
Chen Tian lounged lazily on the laboratory sofa, remote control in hand, idly flipping through TV channels. Various boring programs flashed across the screen—cooking shows, shopping commercials, news broadcasts... He yawned, his peripheral vision catching Tony, who was working frantically.
"Hey, Tony," he called out to the center of the lab, "want to take a break? SpongeBob reruns are starting."
Tony didn't look up, his hands flying across the holographic keyboard: "No time! I'm breaking through the limits of human technology!"
Chen Tian pouted and changed the channel again. This time it was "Animal World," showing a documentary about penguin mating.
He secretly glanced at 2B, who was standing quietly beside Tony, like a perfect assistant.
"2B," Chen Tian suddenly said, "do you ever feel bored?"
2B turned her head, the expression beneath her black eye mask unreadable: "Androids do not feel boredom, Master."
"Oh..." Chen Tian scratched his head, "Then do you watch TV?"
2B tilted her head slightly: "I can receive and analyze video signals, but this is not part of my core function."
Tony suddenly interjected: "Don't disturb her, Chen Tian. 2B is helping me calculate the optimal solution for the quantum tunneling effect."
Suddenly, the TV screen switched to a news broadcast. On the screen, two images appeared: Obadiah Stane, dressed in a suit, smiling broadly in front of the Stark Industries building, and another image of a meticulously arranged banquet.
"Tonight," the news anchor's voice came through, "Stark Industries' new CEO Obadiah Stane will host the annual charity gala, expected to be attended by numerous political and business dignitaries..."
Tony's fingers paused on the holographic keyboard for a moment, and he looked up at the screen.
"Oh!" Chen Tian immediately perked up, turning to Tony with a mischievous grin, "Isn't that your 'dear' uncle?"
He deliberately mimicked the news anchor's exaggerated tone, "'The helmsman of Stark Industries,' 'philanthropist'...."
Tony continued to tap on the keyboard without looking up: "Uh-huh."
"What's wrong?" Chen Tian pointed the remote at the screen, "Not planning to attend the banquet? You might even run into Pepper."
Tony finally stopped his work and looked at Chen Tian thoughtfully: "Are you bored?"
"Huh?" Chen Tian was startled, "I..."
"You've been changing channels on the sofa for half an hour," Tony pointed to the remote control in his hand, "and you make that exaggerated sigh every time you change the channel."
Chen Tian looked down at the remote control, then up at Tony: "So?"
Tony suddenly showed a cunning smile: "Since you're so concerned about this banquet..."
Tony suddenly stopped his work, looked thoughtfully at Chen Tian lounging on the sofa, and snapped his fingers: "Jarvis, prepare a custom-made suit for our Mr. Chen Tian."
Chen Tian sprang up from the sofa: "Wait, what did you say?"
"I said," Tony slowly walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey, "since you're so concerned about this banquet..."
He took a sip of his drink, a characteristic Stark-esque smirk on his face, "Why don't you go in my place?"
"Are you crazy?" Chen Tian's eyes widened, "That's a Stark Industries banquet!"
Tony shrugged: "So what? You've seen big occasions before."
He put down his glass and patted Chen Tian's shoulder, "Besides, Pepper will take good 'care' of you for me."
Chen Tian's expression instantly turned horrified: "Uh... are you trying to get me killed by Pepper?"
"Hahaha, who told you to swing your sword around?" Tony burst out laughing, "Also, if you go to the banquet, I can focus on my work." He pointed to the mountain of parts piled up in the laboratory, "See? These all need me to personally debug them."
"Then why didn't you just say so?" Chen Tian protested.
Tony gave a fake smile: "But this is more fun, isn't it?"
"Alright," Tony pushed him towards the elevator, "your suit is ready."
He adjusted Chen Tian's collar, then suddenly lowered his voice: "Oh, and you can pick any car you want from my garage to drive over."
Chen Tian's eyes lit up: "Really? Even that limited edition Bugatti?"
Tony made an exaggerated "be my guest" gesture: "Just don't crash it."
He winked, "But even if you do crash it, it doesn't matter, I have insurance anyway."
2B suddenly appeared at the elevator entrance: "Master, do you need me to accompany you?"
Tony quickly replied: "Of course not!"
He pushed Chen Tian into the elevator, "2B needs to stay here to help me with the quantum calculations."
He waved at Chen Tian in the elevator, winking, "Have fun! There are always plenty of beautiful women at Stark Industries' banquets!"
Before the elevator doors closed, Chen Tian twitched his lips: "Tony, you bastard!"
Tony leaned against the laboratory control panel, watching the elevator descend through the monitor, a mischievous grin on his face: "Jarvis, send a message to Pepper, tell her I sent a stand-in to the banquet."
"Already sent, Sir." Jarvis paused, "Ms. Pepper replied that she will 'take good care' of your friend."
Tony laughed loudly and turned to 2B: "Alright, now I need your help to study the information on the quantum processor calculation formula."
Chen Tian stood in the room, adjusting his tie in the mirror, muttering: "Damn Tony... when I get back, I'm definitely going to..."
He suddenly stopped, his eyes lighting up, "Wait, he said I could drive that Bugatti..."
The elevator doors opened, and Chen Tian walked with a light step towards the garage, humming a tune: "Maybe tonight won't be so bad after all..."