"I? I'm a philanthropist, playboy, business genius, genius mechanic..."
Tony Stark's face twisted into an awkward expression as he looked at Batman. "How could my self-perception be that of a WWE wrestler?"
On the surface, WWE wrestling was a professional competition, but everyone knew that performance and drama were the real hallmarks of the sport.
Tony Stark was well aware of this, his face etched with reluctance, yet he adopted a posture of attentive listening, waiting for Batman to point out the flaws.
Batman shook his head slightly. In the eyes of this "Batman," whose very life was composed of countless plans, Tony Stark's scheme was far too presumptuous.
His plan was entirely self-centered, brimming with theatrics, but riddled with holes like a sieve.
Regardless, Tony Stark was one of the few friends Batman had in this world under the identity of "Peter Parker." He wouldn't sit idly by.
"Tony, you're waiting for Obadiah to come and take it, which means the initiative lies in his hands."
"Do you think he'll do exactly as you expect—come alone to steal your reactor, then leave you unharmed in place, waiting for22:22 waiting for you to execute your Plan B?"
"If Obadiah is cautious enough, he'll send assassins and mercenaries instead of coming himself."
Tony Stark froze for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak to Batman but couldn't muster a single word for a long while.
"There's another point, Tony," Batman continued. "You're assuming his suit is just a crude copy of the Mark I, but you're overlooking Yuri Petrovich and those heavy weapons in the Stark Industries warehouse that were supposed to be destroyed."
"Obadiah doesn't understand technology, but he knows how to pile on the hardware. His suit will be a mobile fortress of heavy firepower and heavy armor."
Tony Stark adjusted his tie to ease the embarrassment. His initial plan had indeed been overly idealistic and dramatic, and the two flaws Batman raised were issues he hadn't considered.
But Tony Stark wouldn't admit it. Instead, he swiftly changed the subject, his gaze burning into Batman. "Come on, tell me the truth—are you hiding some other identity behind my back?"
"I never mentioned to you that Yuri Petrovich was working for Obadiah."
Batman didn't flinch in the slightest. Mentioning Yuri Petrovich's name just now wasn't a slip-up on his part.
"Tony, Professor Yuri Petrovich is one of the few Russian-born professors at Empire State University, and I'm a student at Empire State University."
Tony Stark threw up his hands in defense.
"The plan I just mentioned is only a preliminary one. It hasn't been refined by JARVIS yet."
Batman fell silent for a few seconds, looking at Tony Stark. "Can you trust me, Tony?"
Tony Stark turned to Batman, his face uncharacteristically serious for a moment.
"You're one of the few people in this world I truly trust, Peter."
Batman nodded and made his demand without hesitation. "I need to tamper with your reactor."
"Now?" Tony asked.
"Now. How long can your reactor function outside your body?" Batman asked.
"If I don't engage in intense activity to speed up my blood flow, five minutes is no problem," Tony Stark said.
Both were men of action. They immediately returned from the helipad to the workbench on the top floor of Stark Tower.
"The highest risk in the plan lies in the moment the reactor is taken."
Having Tony Stark lie back in the chair, Batman removed the reactor from his chest.
"You have two fatal assumptions: First, that Obadiah will only take the reactor and not kill you on the spot."
"Second, will Obadiah wear the suit he built himself, or will he have someone else wear it?"
"So, we must install a tracking system in the bait to ensure that even if Obadiah escapes in the suit, we can still find him."
Just as Tony Stark had thought when he met Batman after returning from the Middle East, Batman had no intention of designing a plan step-by-step for Tony Stark. Instead, he directly utilized Tony's plan.
He continued Tony Stark's scheme to lure Obadiah into stealing the reactor. The overall direction of this plan was sound.
The reactor sustained Tony Stark's life. Obadiah stealing it would itself constitute attempted murder, which would greatly aid in uprooting Obadiah and his Aegis Security operation entirely.
"You don't learn this kind of thing in school, Peter," Tony Stark said, lying motionless in the chair.
"But Tony, the risk of the plan failing is that you could die because of it," Batman said, looking at Tony Stark. "Under that premise, I have to consider every possibility."
Tony Stark immediately fell silent, closing his eyes to think quietly.
But before he could keep them closed for two seconds, Batman's voice forced him to open them again.
"You need to keep your eyes open so I know you're still alive."
Batman shook the reactor he had removed from Tony Stark's chest.
Tony Stark rolled his eyes and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling, falling into a rare moment of contemplation.
What Batman needed to do was very simple: he installed an even smaller tracking device inside the miniature reactor to ensure that even if something unexpected happened, he could lock onto the location where Obadiah's suit was hidden.
As for Tony's personal safety, the timing of the reactor being stolen, and so on—these were part of a separate plan.
"Peter," Tony Stark spoke again. "You're still overlooking one thing."
"What?"
Batman reinserted the reactor into Tony Stark's chest and asked.
"I told you, both you and I are in considerable danger," Tony Stark said. "After I came back from the Middle East, I built a new suit to protect myself, but you have no means of protecting yourself."
Batman looked at Tony Stark.
"I have a gift for you," Tony Stark said. "JARVIS, record Peter's body measurements."
He silently resolved to build a suit for Peter Parker as well, one for self-defense.
But when Batman was playing the role of Peter Parker, his posture was adjusted, completely different from his normal, relaxed body measurements. And Batman had already vaguely guessed what Tony was planning.
"I don't need it, Tony," Batman refused. "I can protect myself."
Tony Stark treated the words as if they were wind passing his ears. He was already thinking about what color scheme to choose for the suit he would build for Peter Parker.
Suddenly, an idea struck Tony. He thought of something else. "Peter, was it through Batman that you contacted the silver recruitment rescue team that saved me in the Middle East? What's your relationship with him?"
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