Walking down the street, Morin felt something was off.
Had he... forgotten something?
He stopped and thought carefully.
Right. He had forgotten one thing.
A moment later, he ducked into a small alley without cameras, took a step forward, and vanished.
Inside a house, Yinsen was cooking.
He hadn't left for the past two days, mostly because his worldview had been shattered-both scientifically and magically.
Scientifically, he had watched Tony Stark build a miniature nuclear reactor-a cold fusion reactor-out of missile parts in a cave.
The shock of that surpassed even the hand-built armor.
Anyone in the field understood the magnitude of what Tony had created. Since the Steam Age, humanity's way of using energy hadn't fundamentally changed-boiling water.
But the reactor in Tony's chest was on a completely different level.
It was an energy revolution.
If the world learned of this technology, Yinsen wouldn't be surprised if World War III broke out just to seize it.
Honestly, Yinsen had once thought Tony was just a war profiteer... maybe a bit smarter than average.
After this, he realized Tony wasn't just smart.
His IQ was leagues beyond his generation.
He was a treasure to humanity.
This was the kind of intelligence that could lead the human race into the future.
Once Yinsen understood that, shock turned into regret.
Why had such a genius wasted years indulging in cover girls and missiles?
It was ridiculous.
Because of this realization, Yinsen became obsessed with making sure Tony survived.
Since he had no will to live anyway, he had planned to charge out and stall for time.
His dying words were meant to wake Tony up-to make him stop squandering his brilliance.
And then came the second thing that shattered his worldview.
The magical part.
As a scientist, Yinsen firmly believed magic was fantasy.
But after witnessing it, and experiencing it himself, he was lost.
He looked down at his chest.
More than ten bullets had entered there.
Now, there wasn't even a scar.
Just a dozen smooth circles on his hairy chest, strange and unsettling.
If Morin had been holding some mysterious high-tech device, Yinsen might have felt better.
He could have convinced himself it was just advanced science.
But he saw it clearly.
Morin waved his hand.
Light fell.
And Yinsen began to heal.
Magic was the only explanation.
It broke him.
Was this "Life Online"?
Were they playing a cracked version while he was stuck on the standard one?
Where was the VIP top-up button?
Coach, I want cheats too.
"So how many more days am I staying here?" Yinsen wondered as he cooked.
The man with the miraculous powers called himself Morin.
In the blink of an eye, Yinsen had been moved from Afghanistan to this house.
He didn't need the internet to know he'd crossed thousands of miles.
It was snowing outside.
It was summer.
Had he crossed hemispheres?
Or was this near the Arctic or Antarctic Circle?
Either way, it was terrifying.
When they arrived, Morin said he had things to deal with and would come back later to arrange things for him.
He hadn't returned yet.
Yinsen didn't dare go out.
Technically, he was undocumented.
His ID was still valid, but it wasn't on him.
Just then, he heard the door open.
"Who is it?"
"Me. Morin."
Morin entered, sniffed the air.
"Your cooking isn't bad."
"Thank you." Yinsen brought the food out. "I was just about to eat... want to join?"
"No thanks. I'm just here to drop some things off."
Morin placed a stack of documents on the table.
"Your identification. Brand new. I've been busy with this the past few days."
Definitely not because he forgot and handled it in an instant.
"...Thank you."
Yinsen was confused.
Did it really take that long for a magic user to do this?
He didn't ask.
Maybe altering things online was the hard part.
Magic was strong, but perhaps it couldn't directly change digital records.
"So, what do you plan to do next?" Morin asked.
"Me?"
"You didn't think I saved you just to make you work for me, did you?"
Morin smiled.
"No need. I saved you because you're a good man."
The implication was obvious.
"I see... I'd like to study for a while," Yinsen said. "During my captivity, I missed so many new inventions and research papers. I hate to admit it, but I'm a bit out of touch."
He scratched his head, embarrassed.
He was smart.
Even if Morin didn't say it, he knew he wasn't much use right now.
"At least not yet."
"What's your field?"
"Biochemical research."
"In that case, I suggest a university position."
Morin's smile widened.
"How about Culver University in Virginia?"
"Thank you."
Yinsen felt genuine gratitude.
Culver University ranked top ten in biological research.
Excellent, but not so elite that he'd be under constant scrutiny.
His foundation was solid, but he wasn't world-class.
Even a genius would struggle after years without access to new information.
Morin smiled.
The reason was simple.
That was where the main plot of Hulk 2 took place.
He wasn't sending Yinsen to his death.
It just made it convenient to jump into the story later.
"Hulk 2 happens after Iron Man... probably after Iron Man 2..."
Morin recalled the post-credits scene from Hulk.
Tony Stark, in a suit, talking to General Ross about a team he was assembling.
That likely happened around Avengers 1.
The Harlem battle happened earlier.
So after Iron Man 2.
That was when Tony knew about the Avengers Initiative.
"It might overlap with Thor..."
"Or maybe all three happen at the same time?"
Morin raised an eyebrow.
He could probably farm a ridiculous amount of experience then.
"Jarvis?"
Tony stood in his villa, frowning.
After returning, he immediately held a press conference and shut down the weapons division.
As expected, it caused an uproar.
Everyone was confused except Pepper Potts.
Including Obadiah Stane.
Tony had to show Obadiah the arc reactor embedded in his chest.
Only then did Obadiah believe Tony's claim of "finding a new path for Stark Industries."
Honestly, when Rhodes told him earlier, Obadiah hadn't wanted to believe it.
A technology stagnant for thirty years suddenly leaping forward?
Built by Tony.
In a cave.
Obadiah was tempted.
As a businessman, he understood the value instantly.
He didn't care about physics.
He knew it would sell.
Billions.
A new energy source that could replace oil.
Cleaner.
More efficient.
What could be more valuable?
Alongside the shock came regret.
If he had known Tony was capable of this, he never would have worked with terrorists.
Never would have tried to kill him.
But it was too late.
Every crime leaves traces.
One day, the truth would surface.
As long as Tony was alive.
If that day came, Obadiah would lose everything.
He couldn't allow that.
So he left Tony with a warm smile, promising to handle the weapons division backlash.
Secretly, he took a team straight to Afghanistan.
Tony had told Rhodes the story of his escape.
Obadiah learned it from Rhodes.
Rhodes saw no reason to hide anything from "Uncle Obie."
Obadiah was going to retrieve the "weapon."
The thing that let Tony escape dozens of armed men alone.
"After that..."
"I won't need you anymore, Tony."
Tony wasn't a mind reader.
He returned to his villa and immediately noticed something wrong with Jarvis.
Pepper had urged him to come back.
Red warning lights were flashing.
That wasn't normal.
"Sir, some of my functions are restricted," Jarvis reported. "I have detected 156 vulnerabilities. For your safety, please perform an upgrade and repair immediately."
"What?"
Tony blinked.
"What happened? Did every hacker in America decide to take a shot?"
"I would prefer to say they succeeded, Sir."
Jarvis explained the situation.
Tony immediately started repairs and upgrades.
The more he listened, the more alarmed he became.
He hadn't updated Jarvis in a while.
Even so, people capable of exploiting his system should have been rare.
Yet three or four appeared at the same time.
But...
They were garbage.
As a genius, Tony was arrogant.
If they couldn't even breach his outdated system cleanly, that said enough.
What unsettled him was something else.
These multiple forces lined up with Morin's warning.
Which meant there really were big players targeting him.
And others trying to protect him.
Tony quickly patched the vulnerabilities, wiped the viruses and trojans, and rebuilt Jarvis's security from the ground up.
"Sir, the new security system requires reauthorization of trusted personnel," Jarvis said. "Do you wish to make changes?"
"No-wait. Change that."
Tony paused.
"Downgrade Obadiah Stane's permissions. He'll need my explicit approval to enter."
"Permissions downgraded."
Tony fell silent.
Between Morin's warning and Jarvis being compromised, his distrust was at its peak.
Even so, there were two people he trusted without reservation.
James Rhodes.
And Pepper Potts.
If Pepper ever betrayed him, Tony felt his life wouldn't be worth living.
It would mean he'd failed completely as a person.
But Obadiah Stane...
Tony had always known what he was.
A pure businessman.
And for businessmen, as long as there's profit, anything can be sold.
With the arc reactor involved...
Tony sank into thought.
Eventually, he snapped out of it.
"Jarvis, you launched a counterattack, right?"
"Yes, Sir. I left trojan access points in 16,054 valid IP addresses. Most allow full control at any time. Post-upgrade, I can further track and deduce based on existing data."
"Ignore the small fry. Focus on the big fish."
Tony paused.
"But that's not the priority."
"I need materials."
"Don't touch the company warehouse. Use shell companies."
"Those dummy addresses we made for fun finally have a purpose."
Tony rattled off a massive list.
Including an absurd amount of palladium.
An arc reactor-even the crude first-generation one in his chest-could technically power his heart for fifty lifetimes.
But for certain activities...
It wasn't enough.
For example.
The armor.
"Jarvis, use the data I just created to build a full simulation," Tony said as he typed relentlessly. "Name it Mark 1. Project it onto the console. The modified version will be Mark 2."
"Sir, should I store the data on the Stark Industries central server?"
"No."
Tony shook his head firmly.
"Private server only. Maximum security."
"As you wish."
A folder appeared in the holographic display.
Mark 1.
Then, directly in front of Tony, Mark 2.
A holographic suit.
Based on the armor he built in the cave.
"Alright," Tony said with a smile.
"Let's begin."
Back then, he had scrap metal.
A hammer.
And a dying computer.
Now, he had precision lathes.
Unlimited materials.
And an AI supercomputer.
For a craftsman, tools decided everything.
As Tony plunged into a feverish state of modification, Obadiah-unaware his access had been revoked-was busy "negotiating" with the bald terrorist leader.
By negotiating, he meant listening to the man brag about the Mark 1 wreckage.
Then paralyzing him and his men with a sonic weapon.
"You said ten of these could flatten America," Obadiah said calmly. "Now I can tell you that's impossible."
"Because you're hopelessly stupid."
"Even the best equipment is wasted in your hands."
His fingers brushed across the circular cavity in the armor's chest.
The shape was familiar.
So was the position.
"This is just a suit," Obadiah continued. "The most important part is missing."
"The core."
He smiled.
"But knowing that won't help you."
"Because you're about to die."
Obadiah waved his hand and left the tent.
Behind him came gunfire.
And bodies hitting the ground.
All of it was recorded.
By a certain photographer named Morin.
After all, for a photographer, instantly jumping from New York to Afghanistan without being seen was perfectly reasonable.
Morin cheerfully sent Tony a short video clip.
Just the beginning.
Just enough to show the bald leader's face.
The title was simple.
"Shocking! For Only One Million Dollars, You Can Save Your Own Life!"
A video like that had only one buyer.
After all, not everyone could afford a million-dollar life insurance policy.