But
Tony had his own pride.
For ten straight days, countless attempts.
Countless analyses. Countless breakdowns.
The internal structure of these nanorobots left him utterly dumbfounded.
They were absolutely impossible to control manually.
The deeper he researched, the stronger his curiosity grew toward their creator—
that youth,
the man Nick Fury had called "the destroyer of the world."
If given the chance, Tony truly wanted to meet him.
Find a well-reviewed restaurant,
sit down over a meal,
and talk about the things only geniuses could understand.
Geniuses were lonely—
but not isolated.
There was competition among geniuses,
yet also mutual recognition.
That was precisely why Tony had taken the initiative to approach Renjie in the first place.
…
"Mr. Stark," Renjie said calmly,
"aren't you curious about my third solution?"
Renjie didn't mind Tony's mockery of Hammer Industries—
because he despised them just as much.
Hammer himself,
Hammer Industries
they were nothing more than tools.
Everything existed solely to achieve an end.
But
Tony was a genius as well.
And a genius would never beg another genius for salvation.
"You can call me Tony," he said casually.
"As for the solution—no need."
"Your achievements in the nanotech field genuinely amaze me."
"I've reserved you an exhibition slot—right beside mine."
"I'm looking forward to being surprised again."
Tony stepped forward, smiling as he extended his hand in goodwill.
From Renjie,
he sensed the presence of his own kind.
"Your accomplishments in armor technology are just as impressive, Tony,"
Renjie replied, grasping Iron Man's hand with equal admiration.
Their eyes met—
and in that instant, it felt as though sparks ignited in the air between them.
Renjie reached into his pocket and took out a transparent case.
Inside lay a small button-sized battery.
Under Tony's puzzled gaze, Renjie slipped the case directly into Tony's pocket.
"I know your quirks," Renjie said evenly.
"You don't accept items from strangers."
"So I put it there myself."
"I borrowed inspiration from your Iron Man armor."
"Consider this compensation."
Before Tony could refuse, Renjie released his hand and walked away alone.
"What do you mean by that?"
Tony called out, confusion written across his face.
But soon
he understood.
Flowing nanoscopic fragments surged forth, wrapping around Renjie's body—
forming an overwhelmingly imposing iron suit.
Before Tony's stunned eyes,
Renjie had already taken to the sky.
Trailing brilliant, blood-red flames,
he shot upward like a meteor—
and vanished from sight.
Nanotech armor!
The conceptual suit that had existed only in Tony's imagination—
this young man had already built it?!
Equally shaken were the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
They had just witnessed—
the birth of another Iron Man.
"Wow…"
Tony laughed at himself softly.
He had underestimated him.
He pulled the transparent case from his pocket, staring at the button-sized battery inside.
As if realizing something,
he placed his hand over the Arc Reactor in his chest.
…
Night.
Inside a private mansion in California.
Having rushed back overnight, Tony Stark awakened his dormant AI butler.
He placed the small gift Renjie had given him onto the world's most precise CNC instrument.
"Jarvis," Tony commanded,
"begin analysis."
He then picked up a sports bottle filled with chlorophyll extract, grimacing with disgust—
yet still gulped it down in large mouthfuls.
Right now, his blood was boiling.
Energy surged through him, seemingly inexhaustible.
The last time he'd felt this way—
was when he first became Iron Man.
He had found an opponent.
He had found a reason to keep living.
Jarvis's analysis proceeded slower than it ever had before.
Only when dawn broke the next morning did Jarvis finally report back.
"Data decryption complete."
"The container is confirmed to be an energy reactor."
"The internal energy output is approximately ten times greater than your Arc Reactor."
"This energy source is a brand-new element—clean, harmless, and capable of fully replacing palladium."
Jarvis's report left Tony frozen in place.
In that instant
he understood.
The meaning behind the gift.
Tony smiled knowingly, dismissing the holographic projection before scratching his head with a bitter laugh.
"That guy… Ren…"
"He's gone too far."
"I haven't fallen so low that I need a kid to teach me how to do things."
After the blow, Tony quickly reignited his fighting spirit.
He treated it as a challenge.
He would never use that energy reactor.
With what little time he had left,
he would discover a brand-new element to replace palladium—
and then create an energy reactor even stronger than Renjie's.