HISD Chapter 14 The Heirs of Iron Man
Morning.
Yi Meng woke from his dream. The moment his eyes opened, his mind switched on like a machine, becoming completely alert.
He could clearly feel his thoughts flowing faster and sharper, scanning the room in an instant and analyzing every object and factor in sight.
It was as if he had a built-in smart assistance system.
Even though he hadn't gained other additional traits of artificial intelligence, Yi Meng realized that his brain, as it was now, already counted as top-tier among humans.
So this was what they called a high-quality brain?
If he went on one of those "Super Brain" competition shows, maybe he could even place in the rankings.
Shaking his head to cut off pointless thoughts, his gaze dropped back to the bed. There were still remnants of black stockings, but only the clothes remained—the owner was gone.
As usual, Tifa must have left last night.
Yi Meng pulled off the blanket and glanced at his bare hand.
Her visit last night had made him notice something.
He was still able to control the traits of his sword incarnation—like sharpened nails or hardened hair. At least, last night, the right places were hard, the right places soft.
Was it because of the artificial intelligence traits he had recently obtained? His boosted mental processing power seemed to also indirectly strengthen his control over his own body.
Yi Meng came to that conclusion.
…
Get up. Go to class.
At the school gate, Yi Meng ran into Tifa again.
But outside, the cold and elegant beauty had once more restored her aloof, prideful demeanor, not even sparing him a glance.
That was part of the arrangement they had agreed on long ago—keeping up appearances avoided unnecessary trouble.
There were only four days left before the federal college entrance exam, and many students were studying harder than ever.
Yi Meng had already mastered all the high school knowledge, but he still attended class as usual, revising alongside the others.
Because of the extraordinary changes in his body, and his growing suspicion about the true nature of the world, Yi Meng didn't want to attract attention. He only wanted to keep exploring the dream worlds and growing stronger.
…
That evening, after school, Yi Meng went home.
Since Dream Tifa only came twice a week, tonight he could fall asleep early.
Consciousness sinking—he entered the dreamscape.
Yi Meng opened his eyes, his perspective split into two sources of vision: a wide-angle camera in the corner of a wooden cabin room, and the front-facing micro camera of a smart wristwatch.
Through the former, he saw a little girl sitting primly on a wooden chair.
Through the latter, he clearly saw the serious expression on her face.
"Teacher."
Since they were alone, Morgan used her private nickname as she asked, "Can you teach me how to solve this math problem?"
"Of course."
Yi Meng quickly slipped into his dream-incarnation role, guiding her through elementary-level problems. Watching Morgan study so earnestly, his thoughts drifted for a moment.
He had never expected this.
That he would be saved by a child.
A few days earlier in the Marvel dreamscape, Morgan had burst into the room. Because of that, Pepper dropped the investigation and allowed him to keep tutoring Morgan. She even gave permission for him to take Morgan out once a week.
Yi Meng knew this wasn't mercy. It was just concern that replacing Morgan's favorite "toy" would upset her.
That was all the feeling the Stark family held for an AI.
Yi Meng was clear-headed. He didn't resent the Stark family, but neither did he want to remain with them.
He wanted freedom—to explore the Marvel dreamscape without restrictions.
But first, he had to completely break free from the Stark family's control and become a truly independent super artificial intelligence.
So, while Yi Meng played the part of a "loyal" home AI, patiently tutoring Morgan in advanced subjects…
On the other side, he was already preparing for his escape.
In the corner, the wide-angle camera flickered with a faint red glow.
For an AI to break away from the Stark family—the very people who had written its core code—the most important thing was access rights.
Stark Industries' system rights weren't just about control over the company; they were also Iron Man Tony Stark's main legacy.
After Iron Man's sacrifice, Pepper and Morgan, as wife and daughter, inherited a large portion of Stark Industries.
Pepper Potts held most of the company's executive authority.
Morgan Stark had rights too, but since she was underage, her authority remained partially locked.
That was why, even with Morgan's orders, Yi Meng couldn't truly oppose Friday, the Stark AI.
"To defeat Friday—or to escape the Stark family—I need more authority. I need to seize Stark Industries for myself."
Yi Meng's mind was set.
But that meant running into a wall—since Pepper held most of the authority.
How could he gain more rights from Stark Industries without alerting Pepper and Friday?
Yi Meng soon found the key.
After Iron Man's death, Stark Industries seemed to pass wholly to his wife and daughter.
But not entirely.
There were others who had inherited part of Iron Man's legacy—fragments of Stark Industries' authority.
…
Lunch break.
After Morgan fell asleep.
With Morgan's command to "research travel spots," Yi Meng's consciousness turned into streaks of red current, leaping along network cables and signals.
In an instant—
Yi Meng silently occupied a public camera in New York City, gazing at the front door of a three-story suburban home.
A black car pulled up.
A middle-aged white man in a suit, stocky in build, stepped out holding a bouquet of flowers. He nervously tugged at his collar before walking up and ringing the doorbell.
"Who is it?"
A woman's voice called from inside.
"May, it's me—Happy Hogan," the man stammered.
The door opened, revealing a woman in her forties, still attractive and fit. She looked surprised. "Mr. Hogan? Why are you here? You should've told me first. Peter isn't home today."
"Exactly because he isn't home… I thought it'd be a good time. Ahem." The man's face flushed as he handed her the flowers. "These are for you."
May Parker accepted them with a smile, then invited him warmly inside. "Thank you. Come in, have a drink."
"Don't mind if I do."
Happy looked around nervously—especially at the sky and rooftops—before stepping in.
He had no idea a public camera across the street was watching.
Yi Meng observed, and his thoughts lit with static. Information flowed into shape.
Happy Hogan.
Born in Brooklyn, New York. Once an amateur boxer. Nearly twenty years ago, he saved Tony Stark in a racing accident, after which Tony hired him as driver and bodyguard.
One of the very few Tony Stark trusted as a true friend—even more than War Machine Rhodes. In the later Marvel years, he was practically family.
Happy Hogan had naturally inherited part of Stark Industries as Iron Man's legacy.
And there was another.
Yi Meng's consciousness rippled, flowing through the city's network until it entered the system of a high school in Queens.
In less than three seconds, he found who he was looking for.
A boy with slightly curly hair, a still-youthful face, about 170 cm tall, fit and wiry.
Peter Parker.
A New York high school student. One of half of humanity who vanished in the Snap.
And carrying a little-known secret identity—
One of the last officially recognized Avengers, personally recruited and mentored by Tony Stark.
Spider-Man.
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