Blood toxicity 53%." In a luxurious bathroom, a man from high society was holding a small testing device.
He was Tony, but not the flamboyant playboy; instead, he was a defeated man with a look of despair.
He was a proud genius, but having always been successful, he now felt his own powerlessness.
Watching his blood toxicity rise and slowly approaching Death, yet he had no solution; anyone facing this would fall into despair.
The dark blue patterns caused by the potent toxin had already crept up his neck, wriggling slightly along his blood vessels like venomous snakes or centipedes, making one nauseous.
"Whoosh!" Tony turned on the Water tap, cupped cold Water, and splashed it on his face a few times to make himself look more awake.
Quietly looking at his defeated reflection in the mirror, Tony fell silent.
After a long time, a strong emotion suddenly burst forth from his once despairing eyes.
"Is there anything crazier than this? But who cares?" Tony in front of the mirror suddenly smiled, but this smile revealed not optimism, but a strong, self-destructive madness.
Three minutes later, Tony swaggered out of the bathroom, the obvious toxin patterns on his neck concealed by his deliberately raised collar.
For a moment, it seemed as if everything in the bathroom was an illusion; Tony appeared as if nothing had happened.
"Hi, Tony!" A warm voice came at this moment.
When Tony turned around, he saw a familiar figure striding over.
The person who came was Justin Hammer, an arms dealer supported by the Military.
In terms of their relationship, the two were not on good terms.
Hammer had always considered Tony his lifelong rival, while Tony had never really taken this guy seriously, and certainly had no good feelings for him.
At this moment, Hammer, who approached, was very enthusiastic, looking like Tony's good friend, and behind him stood a beautiful woman in a blue dress.
"Tony, this is Christine, the beautiful editor-in-chief of Vanity World," Hammer said, then turned to Christineand said with a smile.
"As you can see, although Tony and I had a bit of unpleasantness at the Military Committee, that was only because our positions were different.
After all, I was invited by the Military.
In fact, our relationship isn't that bad privately."
Hammer said this while already putting his arm around Tony's shoulder, motioning for Christine to take a photo together.
"Oh, really? I didn't know we were so close," Tony, looking displeased, directly retorted.
However, Hammer, who was rebuffed, showed no change in his expression.
Although as an arms dealer, he was not a genius like Tony, nor was he a strong-willed man with great courage, he had a great advantage: his eloquence was excellent, and his thick skin was like a city wall.
This is why he was favored by the Military and supported to become an arms dealer who could barely contend with Stark Industries.
He smiled and handed a glass of champagne to Tony, then quickly changed the topic.
"Tony, I want to display products at your Technology Expo," Hammer said seriously.
Although his Hammer Industries had made some name for itself, in terms of fame, technological strength, and other aspects, it was still far behind Stark Industries.
Simply put, the Technology Expo held by Stark Industries could be called a grand event in the technology World.
Therefore, despite his reluctance, Hammer still wanted to shamelessly come over and try to get a piece of the pie, especially after he had confronted Tony at the Military Committee earlier.
"You don't need to ask me about that at all.
If you can really come up with something usable, I'll reserve an exhibition hall for you." Tony drank the champagne in one gulp and left proudly.
Only Hammer, whose face had slightly darkened, remained.
Tony hadn't thought of making things difficult for him, and he knew why.
Because this genius simply didn't see him as an opponent, and this was what Hammer found most unacceptable—he had never cared about me!
"Mr. Hammer!" Christine's voice came at this moment.
"Alright, where were we?
Don't mind him, he understands Tony, he's just a playful person like that." Hammer, having recovered, resumed his smile.
Tony could stand up any media he wanted because he had the ability and strength to do so.
But Hammer didn't have that capital; facing a large media outlet like Vanity World, he still needed to treat it seriously.
It must be said that Hammer's eloquence was indeed excellent; he quickly got into his stride, lavishly praising the prospects of Hammer Industries, describing it as a giant that would eventually grow to be like Stark Industries.
And when talking about Tony, he also spared no praise, striving to portray himself as a generous and magnanimous entrepreneur, forming a stark contrast with Tony.
However, just as Hammer was speaking so eloquently that he was almost spitting lotus flowers, Editor-in-Chief Christine looked towards the television.
On the screen, Tony Stark, wearing a racing suit, had arrived at the race track.
Many of the wealthy people present also noticed this scene, and some women had even gasped in surprise.
"Tony and I are actually not competitors; our relationship..." Hammer still tried to pull Christine's attention back.
"Excuse me, but I must leave you for a moment." And clearly, Christine did not give him a chance.
Tony Stark was going to participate in a dangerous car race; the news of this scoop was far more compelling than listening to an arms dealer boast here.
Meanwhile, at the racetrack, Tony had already started the engine.
"Come on, baby, let's go crazy."
With the roar of the race car, Tony had already sped off, accelerating continuously and quickly overtaking many other cars.
However, just as Tony was reveling in the thrill of flirting with Death...
In the stands, a burly man with a toothpick in his mouth, a stubbled face, and numerous tattoos on his body, suddenly burst onto the race track.
Amidst the exclamations of all the spectators, two whips suddenly shot out from his sleeves.
As these two whips sparked with energy, the overflowing energy from the activation of the power device strapped to his body burned through his tightly fitted clothes, revealing the highly recognizable Arc Reactor.
"Bang!" Whiplash swung his whip, tearing apart Tony's race car with a single strike.
Although Tony was lucky to survive, Whiplash's relentless pursuit still left Tony extremely disheveled.
Fortunately, Tony's security Captain and Pepper arrived in time with the Iron Man Armor, otherwise Tony would have been doomed.
Using the Iron Man Armor, and with a bit of effort, Tonyfinally subdued Whiplash.
But Whiplash, lying on the ground spitting blood, began to laugh and mock Tony.
"You failed, haha!"
Tony did not speak, but looked at the Arc Reactor he had just removed from Whiplash, his face inside the armor becoming extremely grim.
In contrast to Tony, who was in a terrible mood, Hammer, who was watching this scene on television, couldn't help but slightly curl his lips.
It seemed he had discovered something interesting!
Ch 69
In a remote, tightly sealed factory in Queens, New York, three or four cars uncharacteristically pulled up, and Justin Hammer slowly stepped out, surrounded by seven or eight bodyguards.
Glancing at the factory, which he himself had never known about but was nonetheless under his name, Hammer strode inside.
"What was that guy's name again, Ivan Vanko? He's a Russian, right?" Hammer asked his secretary while walking, checking the information he had just found.
Ivan Vanko, this person was very mysterious. According to the intelligence he had received, the government had taken his fingerprints, hoping to find out his past, but they found that there was no information about this person online at all.
Therefore, the useful intelligence Hammer obtained was not much, but none of that mattered, because he only needed to know one thing: this guy had successfully replicated the core component of the Iron Man Suit—the Arc Reactor.
Previously, at the Military Committee, Tony had guaranteed that the Iron Man Suit technology could not be surpassed by any country within five to ten years. He had even humiliated Hammer, saying that Hammer Industries would not be able to break through in twenty years, but now, that Arc Reactor technology was about to be in his hands.
At this moment, he could already imagine the situation Tony would face. The biggest reason Tony was able to successfully protect the Iron Man Suit at the Military Committee before was because he held an absolute technological lead, and Tony claimed he would use this power to protect the safety of the public.
Undoubtedly, Tony had molded himself into a superhero, a hero as powerful as Superman, but the appearance of Ivan Vanko made people realize that this hero was not as strong as imagined; he was already stained with blood, he was no longer invincible.
And those who had been lurking in the Shadow would be like sharks that smelled blood, eager to devour Tony. It was imaginable that the first to make trouble would definitely be the Military Committee; they would once again force Tony to hand over the Iron Man Suittechnology in the name of national insecurity.
"Tony, didn't you say you'd leave me an exhibition hall at the Technology Expo? So, at that time, I will definitely repay you with a huge surprise." Hammer sneered. He would deliver the final blow to a beleaguered Tony at the Technology Expo, striking him down from genius to commoner in one fell swoop.
"How much longer until that Russian arrives?" Hammerimpatiently asked his secretary.
"Our people have successfully rescued him from prison and placed a scapegoat. Ivan Vanko should arrive in about two hours."
"Alright then, I'll wait two hours. After all, I've always respected geniuses," Hammer said as he walked into the warehouse.
"Oh, by the way, is the welcoming banquet for our genius ready?"
"It's ready, it's just…" The secretary trailed off, stunned, because in the direction he pointed, a banquet table was indeed set.
But at this moment, the banquet table was already occupied. One could see a masked young man in the center, flanked by a blonde woman in a White robe and a red-skinned, devil-like grotesque man.
A Miss, dressed in a black and White maid outfit with White long stockings, was bustling between the three.
As for the bodyguards originally arranged there, they were already lying unconscious on the ground.
"Who are you?" Hammer asked, surprised.
Behind him, all the bodyguards had simultaneously drawn their guns, seemingly ready to fire without hesitation if Hammer gave the order. With Hammer's influence, quietly killing a few people would be incredibly easy.
In fact, Hammer was indeed already thinking of making the first move. After all, he had come here secretly today, and these strange people had come uninvited, clearly prepared.
"Don't be nervous, we mean no harm. In fact, we are here to cooperate with you, a mutually beneficial cooperation," the masked young man in the center said, spreading his hands.
"Do you think I'll believe that?" Hammer said coldly.
"Troublesome. It seems you won't listen to me properly." The masked young man sighed helplessly, then looked at the Miss beside him.
"Yuriko, please first invite our Master Hammer to take a seat, that way it will be easier for us to explain."
"Yes, Master!" Yuriko said respectfully with her head bowed, her somewhat empty eyes turning towards Hammer.
"Tap, tap!" In the empty hall, Yuriko walked step by step towards Hammer.
"Please, guest, take your seat!"
"A few lunatics." Hammer's gaze turned cold, and he waved his hand at the bodyguards behind him.
Understanding Hammer's gesture, the bodyguards unhesitatingly pulled their triggers on Yuriko.
"Bang!" A gunshot rang out, and the seemingly dazed Miss suddenly tensed her body instinctively, moving quickly before the bodyguard could fire.
Deathstrike had amnesia, but her combat instincts were still present. Trained professionally, her fighting skills even far surpassed Wolverine's. Sensing danger, she not only did not retreat but instead quickly charged towards Hammer.
As a Mutant with regenerative abilities, her physical prowess and instantaneous explosive power were immeasurably stronger than those of ordinary people.
Not only did the bullets not harm her, but while dodging, she had already rushed close to Hammer.
"Protect the boss!" These high-level bodyguards were clearly not incompetent; they quickly reacted, surrounding Hammer in the center, trying to escort him out.
"Ah!" The two-meter-tall burly bodyguard blocking the front was knocked to the ground by a single punch from Yuriko. Ordinary people, no matter how much they train, are separated from Mutants by an unbridgeable chasm.
"Damn it." A bodyguard instinctively aimed his gun at Yuriko, and then in the next moment, he only saw a black flash. The gun in his hand and his hand were both cut into pieces.
At this moment, Yuriko was hunched like a feline, and from her fingertips, long claws rapidly extended.
"Ah ah ah!!!" The screams of bodyguards continuously echoed.
Five seconds later, Yuriko stopped moving. Only the blood clinging to her claws dripped, drop by drop—the blood of the bodyguards on the surrounding floor.
"Don't come any closer!" Hammer sat down on the ground, screaming in terror.
However, the dazed Miss, noticing Hammer, retracted her claws and placed her hands in front of her, bowing slightly.
"Please, guest, take your seat!"
"Bang! Bang bang!" Gunshots rang out. A bodyguard lying on the ground laboriously picked up his gun and fired three shots into Yuriko's chest.
Watching the blood stain Yuriko's maid outfit, Hammerhadn't had time to smile, but then he saw a huge change in the exposed wounds—the three bullet holes were rapidly healing.
"Clink ~ Clang!" Three bullets expelled from her body fell to the ground, making a crisp sound.
Seeing the bullets roll to his feet, Hammer froze. The next moment, Hammer's terrified screams echoed throughout the entire factory.
Ch 70
Don't come over, I can do it myself." Hammer trembled as he glanced at Yuriko behind him, then obediently sat down in the chair, facing the three people at the table.
"Alright, now we can finally have a good talk," the masked youth said with a smile.
"You just said you wanted to cooperate with me, right?" Hammer swallowed, forcing himself to calm down.
Being in this position, Hammer was certainly not stupid; the fact that the other party hadn't killed him proved that he was still very valuable to them.
"Then could you please take off your mask, friend? I don't mean to offend you, but for someone who wants to cooperate with me to not even show their true face, it truly gives me a sense of insecurity," Hammer said, small beads of sweat already forming on his forehead. He was testing the other party's bottom line, which was a risky move.
However, his opponent's forthrightness was beyond his expectation. After saying "I can," the presumed mastermind had already removed his mask, revealing a young face.
Hammer, at this moment, was desperately searching for information about this face, but in the end, he could only conclude that he had never seen this person before.
"You can call me Alester."
"Alright, Mr. Alester, my name is Justin Hammer, and I am the CEO of Hammer Industries," Hammer said, feigning enthusiasm, while his business acumen began to emerge.
"So, Mr. Alester, what do you want to cooperate with me on?"
"Mr. Hammer, I heard that at the Military Committee, you attempted to help the government make Mr. Tony Stark hand over the Iron Man Suit technology, but Mr. Tony mocked you, saying that even if Hammer Industries spent twenty years, it still wouldn't be able to break through the Iron Man Armor technology." Lu Yifang, who had taken off his mask, did not answer Hammer directly but changed the subject.
"Oh, Mr. Alester, many people already know about this. I don't think I need you to remind me again." Hammerspread his hands helplessly, but then, as if he thought of something, he immediately looked at Lu Yifang.
"Are you saying you've broken through the key technology in the Iron Man Armor—the Arc Reactor?" At this moment, Hammer couldn't help but think, 'This is too much of a coincidence, isn't it? I just got a Terroristswho supposedly broke through this technology out of prison, and now another group of people has come knocking.'
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Hammer, energy technology is not our team's research direction."
"Oh, then what is your research direction?" Hearing Lu Yifang deny it, Hammer had already lost interest. If it weren't for his current predicament, he might have turned and left.
"Our research direction is biotechnology. As for the results, you can judge for yourself, after all, she is right beside you." Lu Yifang smiled meaningfully.
"Beside me, could it be...?" Hammer was stunned for a moment and quickly looked at Yuriko beside him.
Recalling the woman's terrifying combat power from before, Hammer couldn't help but utter a few words. "She is—a biological weapon!"
"Her name is Yuriko. She is a work of art that we have worked for many years to achieve." Lu Yifang rested his chin on one hand, admiring Miss with appreciative eyes, his tone giving people the illusion that he was recounting his family treasures.
"How do you think Yuriko performed just now?" Lu Yifang suddenly asked back.
"Excellent." Hammer wasn't saying this because he was afraid of being killed by an enraged Lu Yifang if he said otherwise, but because he genuinely perceived the potential of this technology. As a shrewd businessman, he seemed to have already smelled the sweet scent of U.S. dollars from Yuriko.
Seeing that Hammer had developed a strong interest, Lu Yifang's smile widened slightly, and he continued, "It is well known that Stark Industries is about to withdraw from the international arms stage. All existing arms dealers are eager to fill the void left by Stark Industries' withdrawal and become the new generation of arms giants, but this is clearly not easy."
As Lu Yifang said this, he noticed Hammer's hand unconsciously clench, because what Lu Yifang said was exactly what Hammer wanted to do most.
"Thud!" Lu Yifang threw a stack of documents to Hammer.
The documents naturally contained information about the mass production technology of Wolverine, though this was only a rough overview. In essence, it was more like the promotional PPTs that most companies use, with all the boasting ultimately condensed into these few big words.
I—Awesome Technology—Give Money!
And Hammer was not Tony. If it were Tony, he might seriously look at the technology, then ask Lu Yifangabout some technical difficulties, and finally think and judge for himself.
But Hammer, being a poor student, only had one thought in his mind when he saw this document: 'Holy cow, even though I don't understand it, it looks really impressive.'
"Enhanced Healing, metal bone implants… I have to marvel at your madness and genius, but I still have one question." Although Hammer was a poor student, he wasn't stupid; how could he completely believe the boasts in this document?
"If this Enhanced Healing technology were used in the medical field, it would trigger a thorough revolution. There would be no diseases in this World. Don't you think this has more prospects than using this technology for biological weapons?"
"Of course we are aware of what you just said." Hearing this, Lu Yifang's expression did not change at all. Instead, he motioned for Hammer to look at Yurikoagain.
"Didn't you notice the difference between her and ordinary people?"
"Is it intelligence and emotion?" Staring at Yuriko for a while, Hammer gave his answer.
"That's right, the price of this Enhanced Healing ability is that it affects the brain, and not only that, Enhanced Healing is achieved by accelerating cell division, and you know that the number of cell divisions is limited. What is the result of accelerating the number of cell divisions? I think you should have figured it out." Lu Yifang stared at Hammer, talking nonsense with a serious face.
"I see." Hammer nodded, temporarily believing him.
"Mr. Hammer, I know you are very interested in the Iron Man Suit technology. It is indeed currently the most cutting-edge military weapon, but as a military weapon, it has significant flaws." Boasting about one's own product and disparaging others' products is the most basic quality of a negotiator, and Lu Yifang believed he possessed it.
"Tell me about it," Hammer said, looking at Lu Yifang.
"That would be the cost. How much does an Iron Man Armor cost? One hundred million U.S. dollars? Don't be ridiculous, for that price you can't even buy an F22. And if you push the cost down to that level, then the knock-off you produce would probably be taken out by a single Tomahawk missile.
Mr. Hammer, the Iron Man Armor is so powerful precisely because of Tony Stark's no-expense-spared investment. The Iron Man Armor is a super rich second-generation's favorite toy; he even dares to spend the price of an aircraft carrier to build an Iron Man Suit. But would you be willing to do that? Wouldn't your buyers behind you feel the pinch?"
Looking at the silent Hammer, Lu Yifang's smile grew even brighter. "Mr. Hammer, you are too close to the situation to see clearly. The Iron Man Armor does not have as large a market as you imagine, but the technology I possess does not."
Ch 71
According to our calculations, the mass-produced biochemical soldiers would only cost around 180,000 U.S. dollars each. This price is equivalent to only three to five years of a regular U.S. soldier's salary, and as for their combat power, haven't you already witnessed it?"
"The prospect you described is indeed very appealing, and the cloning technology is not difficult to achieve now, but I believe Mr. Alester, you also understand that biochemical soldiers are related to moral ethics and so on…" Hammer's words became vague.
"In this democratic society we live in, there are always some people who have nothing better to do and are easily incited by inexplicable things."
Although Hammer expressed himself subtly, Lu Yifangnaturally understood his meaning.
"Are you an idiot?" Lu Yifang glanced at Hammer as if looking at an imbecile, then continued.
"Who said these biochemical soldiers must be human? Why not lions, tigers, or even—wolves! Although their intelligence would be much lower, the key is that they would still be controllable." Lu Yifang said, raising his empty cup, and Miss, seeing this, immediately came over and refilled his coffee.
"I have to say, what you said is truly very appealing." Hammer nodded seriously. "So how can I help you, my friend?"
"I need an undisturbed environment suitable for our team's research, as well as some resources to support us in continuing this research." Lu Yifang did not express himself indirectly this time but stated his requirements directly.
"A well-equipped research institute far from noisy areas, plus an initial project startup fund of one billion." Hammer snapped his fingers and said cheerfully.
"Before we produce the final research results, I do not want any information about us or this research to be leaked."
"Of course." Hammer clapped his hands. "Mr. Alester, business secrets are the foundation of a businessman's earnings. How could I be so foolish as to leak them?"
"Mr. Alester, I have now agreed to all your conditions. You know that as businessmen, our generous investments are always for the purpose of obtaining greater returns."
"What do you want?" Seeing Hammer, who was smiling but already full of the shrewdness of a businessman, Lu Yifang knew exactly what he was hinting at.
"I need to know when you can produce the final research results, and when I can reap the rewards."
"Five years." Lu Yifang gave a definite number.
"That is truly a… not long but not short number. So, Mr. Alester, can I get updates on the phased results periodically? After all, only by seeing results will I have a greater willingness to invest, wouldn't you agree?"
"Once every six months."
"Three months." At this moment, Hammer's shrewd appearance showed no trace of his previous fearful disarray. One has to admit, in the face of immense profit, capitalists are truly a very Strange creature.
"Three months it is." As Lu Yifang agreed, he sneered inwardly, "Hammer, do you really think you can last more than three months?"
"Then, a pleasant cooperation!" Lu Yifang had already stood up and shook hands with Hammer.
"For subsequent negotiations, I will fully authorize my assistant, Ms. Emma Grace Frost, to handle them." Lu Yifang said, pointing to White Queen.
"Oh, Miss, you are truly beautiful!" Hammer, whose nerves had finally relaxed, was instantly captivated when he truly turned his attention to the blonde beauty.
"Thank you for your compliment, Sir." White Queenwinked at Hammer, and Hammer's breathing immediately became rapid, and his eyes became hazy.
"Alright, we should go back now." Lu Yifang said, taking large strides towards the door, followed closely by Miss.
Red Devil had already teleported in front of the two, and after a flash of red light, the three had disappeared.
Hammer, however, seemed to have noticed nothing, still excitedly conversing with White Queen. Undoubtedly, he had been enchanted by White Queen's mental power.
The so-called teleportation had probably been rationally explained by Hammer's own mind. In his eyes, the situation just now was likely Red Devil acting as a driver, taking Lu Yifang away in a car.
In fact, the entire negotiation, from beginning to end, was under White Queen's mental illusion. At this moment, the bodyguards who had been lying on the ground also stood up one by one. Aside from looking a bit dazed, they appeared to have suffered no injuries.
Why was this negotiation so smooth? Hammer didn't even try to probe Lu Yifang's background. He just had one conversation, and without any deep understanding, he made the decision to invest a considerable sum without any doubt.
Hammer should have thought of this series of questions, but under White Queen's mental suggestion, all these questions were ignored one by one.
Even now, the image of Lu Yifang's appearance in Hammer's mind had already begun to blur, and what was even more pathetic was that he didn't even notice this problem.
Even if he were to be stimulated later and try hard to recall, the Alester that would appear in his mind would only be the image of a White man in a green robe with long silver-white hair.
Hammer was a shrewd businessman, but when he was coveted by a group of Mutants, he was nothing.
Originally, Lu Yifang could have, upon meeting Hammer, immediately had White Queen turn him into an obedient puppet, which would not have been difficult to implement. However, doing so would be taking too big a step. If S.H.I.E.L.D. were to intervene and interrogate Hammer later, they would very likely discover a huge flaw in Hammer's mind.
For this reason, the unsuspecting Hammer escaped a calamity, and this method of mental confusion and implantation, combining illusion and reality, was used instead.
·······
Meanwhile, on the other side, the person Hammerconsidered his greatest enemy—Tony—was also facing a huge predicament. His palladium poisoning was rapidly worsening; Tony Stark was about to die.
The toxic bloodstains had long since spread past his chest and covered Tony's neck. If Tony hadn't been wearing his Iron Man Armor in public for the past two days, he would probably have been discovered already.
And precisely because of this, in this clearly unfavorable situation, Tony became even more unrestrained. He threw a grand birthday party, turning what he considered his last banquet into a complete carnival.
And it was at this party, as Tony transformed into Iron Man, doing a clumsy dance and pushing the atmosphere to its peak, that a Black man appeared.
He was Lieutenant Colonel Roddy, Tony's good friend. During this time, he had gone to great lengths to persuade the Military and government to stop forcing Tony to hand over the Iron Man Armor.
And when he saw that all his efforts were to protect such a rotten person, dancing clumsily in an Iron Man Suit, Lieutenant Colonel Roddy instantly exploded.
He immediately entered Tony's research lab, put on another newly completed Iron Man Suit, and angrily crashed out, getting into a brawl with Tony.
Everyone present screamed and fled, and what was supposed to be a nice birthday party had turned into a farce.
And at the end of this farce, Lieutenant Colonel Roddyswaggered away in the Iron Man Suit, leaving Tonyalone in the hall, looking in the direction Lieutenant Colonel Roddy had departed, with a bitter and sorrowful smile.
Ch 72
In the early morning, Tony lay sideways on the giant donut logo above the dessert shop, eating a donut, feeling the breeze, and watching the sun rise.
"Friend up there, could you come down for a moment?" A voice called out at that moment.
Tony took off his sunglasses and looked down, only to find a one-eyed man wearing a black leather jacket, leather boots, and a black eye patch, glaring at him with a dark expression.
"Nick Fury!" Although Director Fury's identity as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was very mysterious, this was only relative.
Although the two had met less frequently in recent years, Tony clearly remembered that when he was a child, this man often came to his home to find his father, Howard Stark.
"Let's talk." Fury waved his hand, then strode into the dessert shop.
"Coulson said you seemed to want to form the Avengers Association, and I was within the scope of observation," Tony said as soon as he sat down.
"Correction, it's the Avengers, and the abbreviation should be Avengers. Of course, the name hasn't been finalized yet, but it's definitely not what you said," Furysaid, tapping the table.
"Oh, alright, I guess I misremembered," Tony shrugged. "But honestly, I have no interest in your Superman boy band."
"You seem to be mistaken. I'm not here for that, Tony. I'm here to save you," Fury said, staring at Tony with his single eye, speaking with utmost seriousness.
"Save me? Are you kidding? Do I look that bad right now?" Tony said with a laugh.
"Oh, really?" Fury said, then suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Officer, I've cleared out the idlers around here. No one will disturb you," a seductive female voice, incredibly familiar to Tony, came through.
When he turned around, he saw a woman in an Agentbodysuit slowly walking towards him.
"It's you!" Tony, who was drinking, almost dropped his glasses, because the woman in the tight combat suit was the secretary he had just hired not long ago.
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Tony's mind, and he quickly came up with a reasonable answer: he was being monitored.
"Alright, you're fired now," Tony said coldly to Black Widow.
"That's not up to you," Black Widow smiled slightly.
"Tony, let me introduce you. This is Agent Romanoff," Fury said, pointing to Black Widow.
"Let's reintroduce ourselves. I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent. When we learned you were ill, Director Fury sent me to observe you," Black Widow explained.
"Is that so? I think you'd better apologize to me," Tonysaid, glaring at Black Widow with a sour expression. He liked to play with women, but he didn't like being played by women.
"Tony, your focus seems a bit off," Fury tapped the table, pulling Tony's attention back.
"Agent Romanoff brought to my attention that you've been very busy lately. You're so busy that you've handed the company over to Pepper, you're giving away property everywhere, and you even let your friend fly off in your Iron Man Suit."
"I didn't give it to him; he took it himself," Tony said with some impatience.
"Oh, really? As Iron Man, you let someone take your Suit, and he even beat you with it before he left. Is that possible?" Fury feigned surprise as he looked at Black Widow.
"According to Mr. Stark's security procedures, no one can use the Iron Man Armor without his permission under normal circumstances," Black Widow said cooperatively.
"Alright, what do you want me to do?" Seeing his secret exposed, Tony finally stopped bothering to explain.
"You're mistaken again. It's not what we want you to do, but what do you want me to do?" Fury tapped the table.
"Tony Stark, you've become a problem I need to deal with, and my World doesn't revolve around you, nor am I your babysitter (?). Give him the injection." Fury said, snapping his fingers at Black Widow.
"Ow, ow… what are you doing?" Caught off guard by Black Widow's injection in his neck, Tony became even more annoyed.
"We're doing this for your own good. That serum can alleviate your symptoms. We need you to have the energy to work," Fury explained as he watched the toxic bloodstains on Tony's neck disappear.
"That's excellent news. Give me two more boxes."
"This serum is only a temporary relief, Tony. Curing you isn't easy. We need you to work hard too," Fury said seriously.
"I've already worked very hard. To find a substitute for palladium, I've tried almost every combination of every element," Tony said with a look of despair.
"Is that so? Then let me tell you, you haven't tried everything yet," Fury said as he walked out, and a Kun-style Fighter Jet in the sky also exited its stealth mode at that moment.
··········
Inside a hidden factory of Hammer Industries, Ivan Vanko was modifying a series of counterfeit Iron Manmechanical warriors manufactured by Hammer.
At this moment, he was in a good mood because he would soon be able to take revenge on the Stark family. Many years ago, his father worked with Tony's father, jointly researching the arc reactor. However, just as they were about to succeed, his father was expelled from the United States and eventually drifted to Siberia.
And for a long time, he was beaten daily by his completely decadent, constantly drunk father. This caused him to suffer greatly and made him blame all the suffering he endured on the Stark family.
Therefore, when he saw Tony, who had become infinitely glorious after becoming Iron Man, on television, he angrily used the material his father left behind, spending a lot of effort to create a counterfeit arc reactor.
Originally, Ivan only wanted to expose Tony's bragging. As long as he proved that the core technology of the Iron Man Armor had been breached, someone would naturally confront Tony.
But who knew that just when he thought he had done his best to make trouble for Tony, Hammer suddenly appeared, bringing with him a large amount of funds and high-tech equipment. The purpose, of course, was to have him help counterfeit the Iron Man Armor.
Although Hammer had previously approved Lu Yifang's approach, he still decided to sponsor Ivan Vanko, and the reason was simple. Although what Lu Yifangproposed was very attractive, it would take five years, and now Hammer urgently needed a technology, something that could thoroughly embarrass Tony at the Stark Technology Expo.
He wanted to use this to break the myth of Stark Industries in one fell swoop, and nothing was more suitable than the Iron Man Suit.
On the other hand, how could Ivan not agree to such a huge help from a big, wealthy patron? Although he considered his talent to be no less than Tony's, his foundation was too poor, and he couldn't compare in terms of wealth and resources.
Only with Hammer's help could he have enough power to deal with Tony. As for the promise to Hammer to counterfeit the Iron Man Armor, as long as his revenge succeeded, who cared what that idiot would think.
"As an ordinary person, to be able to do this under Hammer's nose without being discovered, I must say, I underestimated you, Ivan Vanko!" At this moment, a woman's voice came through.
"Who is it?" Ivan turned around and saw a blonde woman in a white robe slowly walking out from behind the door.
Ch 73
So it's you, Ms. Emma Grace Frost," Ivan called out White Queen's full name.
"You know me." Hearing the other party call out her full name, White Queen's expression didn't change, but there was a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Of course, I know you. Hammer's enthusiasm during our conversation wasn't as high as I imagined, which was unreasonable, so I had to understand the situation," Ivan explained.
"So you hacked into Hammer Industries' core data secret vault to get our information?"
"Core data secret vault? Does Hammer Industries even have such a thing? Their so-called software and systems are no different from dog shit," Ivan snorted, saying that he naturally had the capital to be proud of, as he believed his talent was not inferior to Tony's.
And the fact that he could manipulate Hammer Industries' internal electronic data network meant that even the World's top hackers might not be able to do it.
"Of course, I still admire your research very much; your research results are very epoch-making," Ivan suddenly turned his head and said seriously.
As a scientist, this was respect and recognition for an outstanding colleague.
Hearing this, White Queen's lips curled slightly. It seemed that although Ivan Vanko had extremely high achievements in the fields of physics and electronics, he was not proficient in biotechnology, as he hadn't discovered the flaws in the Wolverine manufacturing technology.
This saved her a lot of trouble and the need to use her abilities to cover it up.
"Not at all, Mr. Ivan. It's truly astonishing how you reprogrammed the software for these imitation Iron Manrobots and secretly seized control," White Queen said with a smile.
"I didn't expect your technology to not be limited to biochemical technology." Hearing White Queen's words, Ivan's expression instantly turned cold.
"What do you want?"
"Mr. Ivan, you should know what I don't want, otherwise I wouldn't be here," White Queen said reassuringly.
Ivan Vanko causing trouble was naturally what Lu Yifang and others wanted to see. If he didn't sweep through the upcoming Stark Technology Expo with these knockoffs, how could Hammer Industries possibly fall?
And only when the giant Hammer Industries fell would Lu Yifang and White Queen have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
"Then what do you want me to do?" Ivan wasn't stupid. If the other party came to him without an agenda, was it just to give him a reminder?
"It's very simple. I hope that before you act, you can transfer all of Hammer Industries' liquid funds and deposit this money into a certain account in a Swiss bank. I think with your methods, anti-money laundering tracking methods shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"
"Are you kidding me?" Ivan looked at White Queen with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot.
Ivan naturally had electronic money laundering methods for anti-tracking, but the key was how to get the money. Although Ivan had quietly controlled most of Hammer Industries' internal network, transferring a small amount of funds was not impossible.
But if it was all of it, it wouldn't be that easy. If he could be that powerful, then why would he play games with that idiot Hammer? He could get as much money as he wanted by just typing a few keys.
"If I give you the movements of all Hammer Industries' liquid funds, as well as the accounts and passwords, do you still think I'm joking?" White Queen said, her expression unchanged.
For her, a slight use of mental power to make Hammer"voluntarily" reveal these things was just a matter of a word.
"Really? How did you do it?" Hearing this, Ivan couldn't help but be stunned.
But to Ivan's question, White Queen just smiled mysteriously.
"Alright, I agree," after a moment of silence, Ivan readily agreed.
For Ivan, as long as he could take down Tony, then let alone dealing with Hammer, even if it was the end of the World, what did it have to do with him?
"Then, after this is done, please also clear the information about us in the database. This is for confidentiality," White Queen continued, her voice carrying a hint of mental power.
"Of course." A hint of confusion flashed in Ivan's eyes, but it quickly cleared up again.
Perfect mental control is never about turning the other person into a puppet, but subtly influencing their thoughts, making them believe they are not being controlled.
··········
"Tony, your father had a great plan, and he believed that only his child had the wisdom and resources to complete his plan." In one of Tony's private Villas, Director Fury was talking with Tony.
"Listen, although I don't know how to express it, I know the person you're talking about shouldn't be me." Hearing Director Fury's description of his father, Tonydidn't show any joy; instead, he frowned.
"Then tell me, what kind of person was your father in your eyes?" Director Fury asked back.
"He was cold, scheming, never said he loved me, and never said he liked me. I don't think he would hand over his life's work to me to inherit," Tony said, his voice filled with deep resentment.
"In my memory, the happiest day for him was probably when he sent me to boarding school."
"You never know, maybe I understand your father better than you do," Director Fury said, snapping his fingers, and after leaving a box, he turned and left.
Only Coulson was left staring at Tony.
"Can I leave here for a bit? Like, go out and buy a cheeseburger or something?" Tony, still a bit slow to react, tried to say to Coulson.
"I advise you not to do that. Director Fury told me to stay here and watch you. Communications here will also be blocked until you finally succeed. And if you take one step out of here now, I will stun you with electricity, then watch 'Arrow' while you lie on the ground drooling."
So, after a fruitless negotiation, Tony could only take the box labeled with Howard's belongings and enter the laboratory in the Villa's basement.
"Everything can be achieved through technology…" In the video, Howard was eloquently discussing various urban constructions under new energy.
Tony, meanwhile, was boredly flipping through his father's notes, searching for clues to the so-called new element.
"Tony, you're still too young, so you don't understand yet, which is why I left this video." Just when Tonythought his father had finished speaking, the next segment of the speech caught Tony's attention.
"This is all for you, Tony!" Howard said, pointing to the city behind him.
"One day, you will know that these technologies are not just human inventions; they are also my life's achievements… I am limited by the technology of this era, so now I hand this key to the future to you. The future belongs to you… And I hope you can understand that my greatest creation will always be—you."
"I love you, Tony!"
Hearing this, Tony's eyes reddened slightly. At this moment, all the resentment and dissatisfaction towards his father vanished without a trace. He had always longed for his father's approval and attention, and now he realized that Howard Stark had never taken his eyes off him.
"Dad, I love you too!"
Ch 74
Ladies and gentlemen, for a long time, our country has sent brave soldiers into dangerous battles. Then Iron Man appeared, and we thought we wouldn't lose any more lives, but he refused to make his advanced technology public. This is truly unfair…" The long-awaited Stark Technology Expo finally opened, and at this moment, Hammer was boasting on the podium.
After taking a jab at Tony, Hammer finally unveiled his blockbuster product: dozens of knock-off Iron Man Armor-like robots.
"Oh!!!"
Many people in the audience gasped, and this was exactly the effect Hammer wanted. He aimed to use this Technology Expo to tell the whole World that, besides Stark Industries, there was another equally formidable Hammer Industries in the arms business. And after Stark Industries withdrew from the international arms market, Hammer Industries would fill the void it left.
At this moment, Hammer could already imagine Hammer Industries' stock skyrocketing in the next few hours.
But just as Hammer's face showed a triumphant smile, he was unaware that behind these knock-off Iron Manrobots, someone was monitoring this scene through a camera.
He was Ivan Vanko. At this point, Ivan had already bared his fangs, completely taking control of Hammer Industries' internal network, and some security guards who discovered the problem and tried to stop him were all lying on the ground.
Ivan Vanko wiped the blood from his hands and dialed a number, a number that belonged to a rich second-generation heir named Tony Stark.
At this time, Tony was in a state of joy. Through the so-called 'Key to the Future' left by his father, Tonysuccessfully discovered this new element.
And then, with his superb skills and boldness, Tonyeven directly dismantled half of his house and assembled a hadron collider in his home to create this new element.
At this moment, he was excitedly busy testing the compatibility of this new element with the Arc Reactor.
"You're making quite a scene," Coulson, who had been waiting outside, suddenly walked in and said.
"Not bad. Do you need something?" Tony said without turning his head.
"I'm leaving. Just now, Director Fury ordered me to be transferred to New Mexico."
"Oh, that's a truly wonderful place, an enchanting wonderland," Tony turned and said.
"It's a secret mission," Coulson explained.
"Then I wish you a pleasant journey!"
"You too!" The two shook hands, and Coulson turned and hurriedly left.
And when Coulson left, the phone suddenly rang.
"I can make calls again. Did Coulson lift the communication shield?" Tony thought this as he answered the phone.
"Coulson, is that you? Did you forget to tell me something just now, or did your boss adjust your mission again, so you don't have to leave?"
"Tony, how are you?" But at the other end of the phone, a completely unfamiliar voice came through.
"I took your previous advice and doubled the rotation speed. It was a very good suggestion."
"It's you, Ivan Vanko!" Tony immediately reacted and activated communication tracking and positioning. Unfortunately, in terms of electronic technology, Ivan's strength was not much worse than Tony's, so it was not that easy for Tony to track Ivan's location.
"Now the history of the Stark family is about to be rewritten. What your father did to my father decades ago, I will return to you completely in a few tens of minutes.
So—are you ready?"
"Damn it!" Tony cursed, clearly having narrowed the location down to the Manhattan area, but at that moment, Ivan had already timely cut off the communication.
However, just as Tony was a little dejected, he suddenly saw Hammer's live broadcast at the Technology Expo. And when he saw those knock-off Iron Man robots, and the Iron Man Suit he had given to his old friend, which had now been modified, Tony instantly understood.
"Time to go!" Tony took off the new Arc Reactor and walked in front of the Iron Man Suit.
Tony was already in New York, and with Iron Man's speed, it only took two or three minutes for him to fly to the venue.
"What are you doing here?" Hammer, who was enjoying his bragging, was stunned when he saw Tony's sudden arrival.
However, Tony still ignored him and walked towards his good friend, Lieutenant Colonel Roddy.
"Roddy, there's big trouble."
"Tony, there are civilians here. I'm acting under orders. Don't fight here." Seeing Tony suddenly appear, Roddy's first thought was—I beat this guy up that day, and now he's here for revenge.
"You misunderstand, that's not what I mean. Everyone is in danger now, we have to save them," Tony said, waving to everyone, so as not to make the audience nervous.
However, at this moment, Lieutenant Colonel Roddy's weapon was aimed at Tony.
"Holy crap, Roddy, what are you doing?" Tony was startled by this.
"This isn't my problem, this thing seems to be out of control." At this moment, what Roddy saw was a pile of system warnings. While Tony's security system was good, who allowed the Military to give this new Iron Man Suit to Hammer for modification? And how could Ivan let go of such a good opportunity?
At this moment, the other robots also moved, all aiming their weapons at Tony.
"Oh, things look pretty bad," Tony said, already accelerating into the sky.
"Da da da… Boom!" Numerous weapons fired together, shattering the dome of the exhibition hall, and these knock-off robots all rushed out.
"Ah~!"
"Run!"
"Oh God, what on earth is happening?"
At this moment, the scene was also in chaos. A crowd of ordinary people were terrified, screaming—my great New York is being attacked again!
Meanwhile, in an old bookstore in Chinatown, New York, Lu Yifang was lying on the sofa, watching this chaotic scene live on TV.
At the other end of the sofa lay Katie, while Miss Yurikostood respectfully behind, awaiting Master's instructions.
The reason Katie was here was because Lu Yifangaccidentally revealed that he had an extra Miss at home. Katie then somehow convinced Professor X and moved directly into Lu Yifang's home.
The direct consequence of this was that Miss's skirt was lengthened, her collar was raised, and the days of bending over for a bow being a benefit were gone forever, sigh~!
But then again, correspondingly, Lu Yifang wasn't sure if it was his illusion, but Katie's skirt seemed to be quite a bit shorter, and she wore open-collared clothes more often.
"Lu Yifang, New York seems to be getting more and more dangerous," Katie said, looking at the TV.
"Yes, it's getting more and more dangerous," Lu Yifang's eyes narrowed slightly. He had another sentence in his heart that he didn't say, which was that it would be even more dangerous in the future.
"But no matter what happens, even if it's an alien invasion, I won't let the chaos spread here," Lu Yifangsaid firmly.
Hearing this, Katie looked at Lu Yifang, the corners of her mouth curving slightly. "I believe you can do it, Lu Yifang."
"But before that, you don't mind giving me a leg massage, do you?" Katie smiled and lifted her foot, placing a pair of long, beautiful legs in black stockings on Lu Yifang's thigh.
"No… no problem!" Lu Yifang swallowed a mouthful of saliva, uncharacteristically, and immediately declared that he loved doing volunteer work the most, and that he would absolutely provide one hundred and twenty percent service.
"FFF legion is never slave…!" However, before Lu Yifangcould even touch her a few more times, his phone suddenly rang.
"Whose call?" Katie asked, frowning slightly.
"A Fire-element African Chief Archmage," Lu Yifang said fiercely, looking at the word 'Fury' on the screen.
Ch 75
Speak quickly, and stop wasting my time!" Lu Yifangcame out, and he coldly snorted as he pressed the answer button.
"...??" Director Fury, who was about to speak on the other end of the phone, paused for a few seconds when he heard Lu Yifang's familiar, resentful tone. Director Fury, utterly bewildered, wondered what Lu Yifang was up to, and why his temper was so strange for a few days every month.
"It's being broadcast live on TV, you must have seen it," Director Fury's weary voice finally came from the other end of the line after a long silence.
"I saw it. What, do you want me to help Tony take down Ivan Vanko again?" Lu Yifang's tone calmed down. He wasn't a child; although he was a bit annoyed, he knew it was time to talk business.
However, Director Fury's answer was beyond Lu Yifang's expectations. "It's not necessary, I'm not Tony's babysitter (?)."
But just as Lu Yifang was surprised, Director Fury's next words came. "That kid is Iron Man. If he can't even handle such a small matter, then all my worrying has been for nothing."
"So you are Tony's babysitter, aren't you?" Lu Yifangcouldn't help but inwardly grumble. Of course, Lu Yifang only thought this to himself. Just because Director Fury usually seemed as thick-skinned as a city wall didn't mean he never had moments of thin skin.
"If you're not looking for me to confront someone, then what do you want?" Lu Yifang pressed.
"If those knock-off robots only target Tony, then let Tony handle it. But we naturally can't place too much hope on a vengeful lunatic. Therefore, I've already sent Natasha to the company to find Ivan himself, and before that, I don't want to see too many civilian casualties. So, Lu Yifang, I need you, do you understand?"
"Understood, understood." Lu Yifang nodded. "It's the same old story, something like 'this is New York, and you're too constrained to act freely,' right? By the way, am I, a security Advisor, supposed to manage this too?"
"Do you need me to pull out that clause from your contract?" Director Fury retorted.
"Alright, alright, I'll go, okay?" Although he said this, Lu Yifang couldn't help but mutter softly.
"Why did it turn out like this? For the first time, I have a job and a salary, and also a school scholarship. Two happy things converged, but the result… too much work, no commission, I'm working overtime while others are on vacation…"
However, in response to Lu Yifang's complaints, Director Fury simply hung up the phone.
And before Lu Yifang could put his phone away, it rang again. This time, it was Tony calling.
"Yo, our Iron Man, you have time to call me at a time like this?" Lu Yifang teased.
"You can just consider it squeezing out a bit of time." Tony's hurried voice came through. It was clear that explosions were still constantly erupting on the other end of the line, along with Lieutenant Colonel Roddy's helpless reminders.
"Since that's the case, hurry up and tell me, what do you need me for?" Lu Yifang asked directly.
"You should already know that this is Ivan Vanko's revenge against me. I'm not afraid of him, but Pepper is different."
"So you want me to help you protect Pepper."
"Exactly. Among the people I know, you're the only one I can truly trust. After all, even Obadiah's high-quality knock-off couldn't do anything to you. I think dealing with these low-end knock-offs should be easy for you.
So ~ buddy, are you willing to accept employment and work a temporary part-time job?"
"Of course, but talking about money between us hurts feelings. It's just that lately, taking the bus to school has been a bit time-consuming, so…"
"Rolls-Royce, Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini. As long as you can protect Pepper well, pick any car you want."
"Alright!" Lu Yifang snapped his fingers, a slight smile playing on the corners of his mouth.
"Since that's the case, I'll give you a little information. Just now, Ivan Vanko flew over my head, so he should be heading your way." Lu Yifang said, looking up at the pitch-black night sky. Ivan naturally didn't happen to fly over his head, but that didn't stop Lu Yifang from making things up.
"You should have some information about me from Director Fury. I'm very sensitive to energy, so Tony, you'd best be ruthless. That guy is definitely much stronger than last time, and he's very likely carrying a lot of private goods, do you understand?"
"Thanks for the heads-up." Tony said, already ending the call. Clearly, the battle on his end was intense.
At this moment, Lu Yifang, having hung up the phone, did not rush to the Technology Expo. Instead, he dialed his phone again.
"White Queen, how are things on your end?"
"Everything is going smoothly. Hammer Industries, both internally and externally, is in chaos, and they haven't noticed that all of the company's liquid assets have been quietly transferred. And to be safe, I also had Ivandestroy Hammer Industries' internal network before he left. Our secret, along with many of Hammer Industries' confidential data, has been deleted."
"Very good." Lu Yifang nodded in satisfaction.
"Also, I've received news that S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Black Widow has already gone to Hammer Industriesheadquarters. She's a bit of a troublesome person. To prevent any complications and to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. from discovering anything, try to avoid contact with her."
"What about Ivan? I've subjected him to a lot of mental interference. If S.H.I.E.L.D. is ruthless enough, they might discover weaknesses in his mental state."
"You don't need to worry about that. Tony Stark will take good care of Ivan. Everything is proceeding according to plan." Lu Yifang said, already hanging up the phone. He pinpointed the direction of the Technology Expo, and in the next moment, his figure vanished.
"Boom! Boom!"
In the sky, one knock-off robot after another was blasted into fragments by Tony, while the robots' attacks on Tony only sparked a little on his Armor.
Lu Yifang's previous assessment of Iron Man's technology was valid: while Iron Man's technology is powerful, the prerequisite is that you are willing to spend a lot of money. And given the current facts, destroying these robots, each said to cost 100 million U.S. dollars, using even a single Tomahawk missile would be overkill.
Therefore, regarding this so-called Iron Man technology, we can draw one conclusion—only by spending money can you become stronger. Ordinary civilian players who want to gang up on cash-spending players can dream on!
After spending some time, Tony finally cleared all the knock-off machines from his sight.
"Tony, be careful!" Just then, Lieutenant Colonel Roddy's panicked voice suddenly came through the communicator.
Lieutenant Colonel Roddy's out-of-control Iron Man Armor directly crashed into Tony, knocking him down.
It was clear that to improve the performance of this Iron Man Armor, the Military had indeed spent a lot of money. Now, the facts also proved that if you spend more money, even a slacker player like Lieutenant Colonel Roddy, who was AFK the whole time, could still defeat skilled cash-spending players who hadn't spent as much as you.
Fortunately, at this moment, Black Widow on the other side had successfully infiltrated Hammer Industriesheadquarters and, through the operating system Ivanhastily left behind, successfully rebooted Lieutenant Colonel Roddy's Iron Man Armor.
"Roddy, are you alright?" Tony tapped Lieutenant Colonel Roddy's mask.
"Oh, you can take this Iron Man Armor back later." Lieutenant Colonel Roddy, having regained control, indicated that Tony's cash-based cheat was too high-end; it was simply beyond the capabilities of a common player like him.
As Tony was happy that his friend was fine, a roar sounded, and dozens more knock-off robots descended. At this moment, Ivan, driving an elite mechanical Armor like a nouveau riche, menacingly walked out.
"Tony, I've spent money!"