"But before we start researching, shouldn't we finish the race we started earlier?" Henry suddenly said with a mischievous grin.
"The race?" Tony was stunned for a moment, then realized.
"You mean the one from an hour ago? That doesn't count! You ambushed me! That's unsportsmanlike conduct!"
"Alright, fine, you lost that one," Henry said with an expression of magnanimity.
"Now, we start over. From here to the Malibu villa. The first one there wins. The loser can't date models for a month. What do you say, do you dare to play?"
"A month?!" Tony's eyes immediately widened.
"Are you insane?! That's too severe! That's an anti-human form of torture!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Henry raised an eyebrow, looking at him with scorn.
"I think you're just a sore loser. Whatever, if you don't dare, just say so. After all, a guy like you who can only fly in an iron can..."
"Damn it! Who said I don't dare?!" Tony was instantly provoked.
"It's on! Come on, little guy, let's start! I'll count to three!"
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three..."
Before he could say "three," Henry's figure transformed into a black bolt of lightning and instantly disappeared from his sight!
"..." Tony stared at Henry, who had vanished without a trace. He was completely stunned.
"F-ck! Unsportsmanlike conduct again! He ambushed me again!" he yelled in frustration.
"Jarvis! Full power! Catch that bastard! I'm going to show him who's the older brother today!"
With that, he also turned into a streak of light, desperately chasing after Henry in the direction of home.
...
In front of the Malibu beachfront villa, accompanied by a piercing sonic boom, a black streak of light descended from the sky.
It was Henry Stark, who had arrived early. He got up from the crater, brushed off the imaginary dust, and looked around. No one else was there. He shrugged smugly, speaking with a boastful tone.
"Jarvis, did you see that? Race over. I won. Tony couldn't even see my taillights. It just proves that 'pay-to-win' players will always beat regular players."
"Yes, Sir," Jarvis's gentle voice responded.
"Based on the calculation, Mr. Tony's Mark Armor, without considering energy depletion, has a maximum flight speed of only Mach 4. Theoretically, he could not catch up to you."
"Oh? Is that so?" Henry spread his hands, an innocent expression that implied, I wasn't even trying, on his face.
"Then I guess I was going easy on him. Seriously, I was just flying casually; it wasn't even a warm-up."
"According to your flight data, your maximum speed just now reached Mach 10, Sir."
"..." Why doesn't this Jarvis understand? He was truly an artificial intelligence who clearly didn't understand human emotions.
Henry didn't argue. He cleared his throat and forcibly changed the subject. He effortlessly tossed Bruce Banner and Abomination, who were still unconscious, onto the soft lawn like two sacks of garbage.
Just then, another sound of breaking the sound barrier was heard. A gold-and-red streak of light traced a flashy arc in the air, then, with a bang, landed perfectly on one knee right in front of Henry. Tony's faceplate slowly ascended, revealing a speechless expression. He looked at Henry, complaining relentlessly.
"You bastard! You're not human! You were teleporting! Jarvis, I strongly suspect he secretly installed some illegal warp drive in his Armor!"
"Come on, Tony, a loss is a loss," Henry countered mercilessly.
"Is it so hard to admit that you're a slow-flying iron can? Seriously, your speed is slower than my grandmother driving her old-person mobility scooter. Besides, I don't rely on the Armor to fly; I don't even have a propulsion system, my dear brother."
"What do you know! I was enjoying the process of flying! Unlike you, who's just a brainless cannonball that only knows how to charge forward!" Tony immediately shot back.
Just as they were about to start a new round of bickering, the villa's glass door silently slid open. Pepper Potts, in a sharp business suit and holding a tablet, walked out with a look of utter resignation.
Jarvis, under Tony's instruction, had already informed the tireless workaholic of their imminent return while they were still in mid-air.
Since she didn't have any important engagements that night, she had rushed back from the company to welcome the two troublemakers. After all, her bosses were playboys who rarely showed up at the office.
The moment she saw Henry and Tony, and the two unconscious men at their feet, she felt her temples begin to throb again.
"Oh, look who decided to come back—the two great heroes who saved the world," her voice sounded calm, but every word carried suppressed fury.
"Did you two have fun, Bosses? Having a grand demolition party in the middle of New York City and casually making headlines across all global media. That must be quite an accomplishment, right?"
"But I am not happy," her voice suddenly rose.
"You two bastards dumped all the company's mess on me! Do you know my phone hasn't stopped ringing since you held that damned press conference! The Department of Defense, the White House, the World Security Council... everyone wants to know if Stark Industries is planning to become the world's police! Do I look like your babysitter?!"
She took a deep breath, then pointed at the two unconscious men on the ground, her tone helpless.
"Wait, you brought them back, too?! Oh, my God! Don't you think you have enough trouble already?!"
Tony and Henry exchanged a glance, then simultaneously shrugged.
"Hey, Pepper, relax," Tony said in a gentle, reassuring tone as he walked towards the door.
"Look, at least our stock has definitely gone up, hasn't it? You should be happy. This proves how brilliant my decisions were."
"Exactly," Henry, effortlessly carrying Banner and Blonsky, walked into the house.
"Besides, look, I brought you back two free test subjects. That's going to save you a fortune in R&D costs."
Pepper followed behind them, still complaining, but her tone had clearly softened.
"The stock did go up—it went through the roof! Now the entire Wall Street thinks we've mastered some alien technology! The phones at the company are ringing off the hook, and orders are pouring in like snowflakes! I'm going crazy!" She rubbed her tired temples.
"Listen, gentlemen, the company must hold another press conference tomorrow afternoon regarding this incident. Both of you must be present! The government is also pressuring us; they don't want this matter to escalate."
"We know, we know," Tony said calmly as he walked to the center of the living room. With Jarvis's help, his gold-and-red Mark III Armor began to automatically shed, piece by piece.
"It's just a press conference; it's easy. I'll just improvise a few lines, and I guarantee those reporters and government officials will all be satisfied and speechless."
With the Armor off, he walked up to Pepper and opened his arms, giving her a gentle hug. "Alright, don't be angry," he said softly, a rare tenderness in his voice.
"You don't need to be so stressed."
Pepper froze.
She could feel the power and security in Tony's embrace, unlike before. She could also feel the genuine affection in his words. Her heart, which had been tense from days of fatigue, seemed to quietly melt at that moment. She didn't say anything, just rested quietly in his arms.
Henry watched the scene from the side, a knowing smile on his face.
Thanks to his intentional matchmaking and various timely assists, the relationship between Tony and Pepper, those two lovebirds, had progressed much faster than in the original storyline.
Although they hadn't officially become a couple yet, that final barrier was about to break. Perhaps Tony had always been hesitant to take that step because he worried about his damned palladium poisoning and his short lifespan.
But now that he had become 'America's Ass' and knew he still had a chance, his mindset naturally changed.
With this thought, Henry made a firm decision. Tomorrow, he would retrieve the Stark Expo model that his father had left behind. Then, he would develop the new element, perform a small surgery on Tony to remove the damned shrapnel, and replace the Arc Reactor with a non-toxic one.
After Tony released her, Pepper's cheeks were slightly flushed, and her tone became a little gentler.
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