No one, perhaps, would complain about having too much money. For Justin Hammer, this was especially true.
However, the thought of stomping Tony Stark into the ground and spitting on him, a truly iconic scene, made Justin incredibly excited.
Furthermore, Justin believed that the core competitiveness of Stark Industries' weapons division lay in the weapons developed under Stark's leadership. Without Tony Stark, what could Stark Industries use to compete with Hammer Industries?
Justin finally agreed, and for the sake of appearances, he proposed a few inconsequential conditions. Obadiah readily agreed.
Obadiah felt that Hammer Industries was nothing special; it was just about playing dirty, and everyone else was just as cunning.
"Happy cooperation!" x 2.
The video ended, and the two smiling men simultaneously sneered with disdain.
A kidnapping targeting Pepper was quietly progressing, while Stark, completely oblivious, was busy tinkering with his Iron Man Suit. He was improving the joint connection mechanisms to make the suit more flexible.
"You don't think it's good?" Stark noticed Mike's absentmindedness.
"Not really, I just think the suit doesn't have a high demand for close combat." Mike felt that the Iron Man Suit's greatest value lay in the Arc Reactor and the strategic support provided by the AI.
With these two treasures, the Iron Man Suit could be completely modular, allowing it to adapt to the changing nature of the battlefield.
"Hehe, just for fun." Stark suddenly looked Mike up and down, smiling mischievously, "You're not afraid you won't be able to beat me later, are you? Oh, well, if you can't beat me, you can't beat me. Who told me I'm a genius? Losing to a genius isn't shameful... And generous as I am, how could I possibly mock you, right?"
Mike finally understood why Stark was so obsessed with the Iron Man Suit's combat capabilities: he simply wanted to defeat him in combat and then mock him.
This reason sounds childish, doesn't it?
Is Stark such a childish person?
"An overgrown brat really lives up to his name," Mike couldn't help but inwardly complain.
"I told you, didn't I, about the limitations of traditional combat."
"You did. What about it?"
"My point is, since there's traditional combat, there's naturally non-traditional combat."
So-called non-traditional combat is a broad term. Wolverine relies on his wolf-like wildness and intuition. Spider-Man fights by relying on the changes in his physical qualities due to his spider genes. Iron Fist relies on various Heavenly Dynasty boxing techniques combined with superpowers from the Immortal Dragon... This type of combat has already transcended the realm of ordinary humans, and its power has exceeded the ceiling of normal human capabilities.
"I took fifty thousand dollars, so out of professional ethics, I'll let you see something special."
"Use card." Mike silently chanted in his mind, using the Zoro Possession Card.
Observation Haki...
The already not-so-fast attack trajectory appeared like slow motion in Mike's eyes; the alloy steel of the suit's material seemed to have a peculiar rhythm.
"So fast!"
With the naked eye, Stark couldn't see Mike's movements at all; he only felt a slash across his chest.
He didn't feel anything special.
Just as he was about to counterattack...
Jarvis warned, "Suit severely damaged!"
Stark looked down and found a gash across his chest. Through the gash, he could even see his T-shirt.
"Ah!"
Stark was surprised; he hadn't felt much force in that slash.
He incredulously tried to reach out and touch the gash, but as soon as he raised his hand, the suit's shoulder joint gave out.
The first sleeveless Iron Man Suit was born, hurray...
Stark: "..."
He had only seen Mike make one slash, and this... this was beyond shocking.
After a moment of silence.
"Jarvis, replay Mike's movements at one thirty-second speed." Fortunately, the suit was equipped with high-speed capture cameras.
Even at one thirty-second slow playback, Mike's movements still didn't have the sluggishness of slow motion.
He seized an extremely tiny gap, making an ordinary 袈裟斬 slash across the suit's chest plate, then, following the momentum of the blade, he squatted down, and then, like a fully compressed spring, his body shot up, and the blade, continuing the body's kinetic energy, reverse-slashed the shoulder joint.
Next, the blade traced an arc, cutting off the other shoulder joint.
His movements were fluid and impossibly fast for a human.
"Amazing!"
Even Stark, arrogant and conceited as he was, had to admit it.
"Hey, wait."
Stark took Mike's katana, "This sword... it's very ordinary."
"How is it ordinary? It's much better than a mass-produced item."
The "Sharp Katana" produced by the system could cut steel bars without dulling its edge.
Stark decided to ignore Mike, "Jarvis, create a new document: Mark III, filter for new materials and place an order."
"Also, we need to consider the complexity and variability of the battlefield. What if the enemy is underwater? The suit needs to be able to dive and move quickly underwater. What if the enemy is ten thousand meters high? Should we consider low-temperature resistance and oxygen generation? If fighting in a volcano, should we consider high-temperature resistance and heat insulation?" Mike reminded him from the side, lest Stark turn into an ice block and fall from the sky later.
"Good idea, almost as smart as my average intelligence."
Stark's mouth was running again.
Mike rolled his eyes, "I'm too lazy to bother with you."
The Mark II matter was concluded. Now, they just had to wait for the ordered materials to arrive, and the system prompted that the mission was complete.
Soul Energy + 1.
Fate Energy + 1.
Satisfied.
"Let's go, time to go home." Mike had stayed at the cliff Villa for three days. The sea view was nice at first, but after seeing it so much, it was just okay.
"...You're leaving? I'm not stopping you."
"You're not planning on making me walk home, are you?" Mike prepared to draw his sword.
He needed a helicopter for pickup and drop-off, but when he didn't need it, he had to find his own way home?
Heartless!
"Oh, I forgot. Take a helicopter or pick a car and drive yourself back." Stark pointed to the row of cool sports cars behind him.
Mike didn't hesitate, picking the golden saleen s7.
"Oh, whoo~"
One step on the gas, the golden sports car shot out, the roar of the engine, the exhilarating push-back feeling—no wonder so many people loved sports cars; the feeling of speeding against the wind made one's blood boil.
Back in New York, it was just around noon.
The phone rang.
"Trish, long time no see, I miss you dearly... ^Of course. I should say, how could I possibly forget. Oh, oh, okay... Send me the address."
Trish Walker invited him to lunch, probably wanting to apologize in person. Actually, Mike didn't mind, mainly because Jessica Jones hadn't done anything excessive.
According to the address Trish provided, Mike parked the car under a tall building.
While parking, beautiful women frequently flirted, and bolder ones directly approached to express availability and ask for contact information.
As expected of a TV station, it was filled with beauties.
As he entered, Mike saw a poster—"Trish Talks," with a sweet-smiling Trish in a suit skirt next to it.
Arriving outside a studio door, Mike knocked.
"Why is no one here?" The entire floor was empty.
"Lunchtime."
"Oh." Mike looked inside, "Is this where you work?"
"Mm, want to take a look?"
"Sure." Mike was a little curious.
Mike sat in the anchor's chair, sitting upright, pretending to be the host.
"I think I should apologize to you."
"Uh, you've already apologized. It's not as serious as you think, and it was your sister who acted on her own..."
Trish suddenly squatted down, "I think an apology should be sincere."
Mike swallowed, whether it was sincere or not was beside the point, but it was too... wet.