Chapter 11
Technology or Evolution? Tony: I want it all!
A cool night breeze blew as a heavy motorcycle engine roared through the streets of New York.
Tony was having a brainstorming session.
"Since this belt can strengthen muscle fibers, what if I put on a layer of titanium alloy armor over it?"
Tony muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with the fervor typical of an engineer.
"By utilizing the power of the Kuuga to drive the hydraulic system of the Mark armor, the ammunition capacity can be increased by at least three times, and with the addition of Jarvis's fire control system..."
"Could you please put away your outdated, 'tin can' mentality?"
A lazy voice interrupted Tony's brainstorming session.
The little man Li Ang floated past him like a little devil, holding a handful of sunflower seeds, cracking them open and making sarcastic remarks.
"Putting a bulletproof vest on Iron Man is unnecessary."
"That's called double insurance," Tony retorted, his brow furrowed.
"Even if I transform into Kuuga now, I can only withstand a few RPG shots at most. I'm not used to entrusting my life to a layer of skin."
"But what you said about Iron Man is good. I'll use that name once the Kuuga 1 is finished."
"skin?"
Little Li Ang scoffed, sending sunflower seed shells flying. "What do you think the Amadam Spirit Stone is? A battery?"
"The power of the empty self originates from idealism and will."
"The more you want to protect something, the harder your fists become; the angrier you are, the stronger you become."
"By putting on an iron shell, are you trying to isolate our senses, or are you trying to shackle evolution?"
"Now that you've got a gravity chamber, don't waste it." Li Ang clapped the debris off his hands.
"Remember, what you need to strengthen is not your armor, but your physical body."
"When your physical strength can keep up with the output power of the spirit stone, battle armor? It's nothing more than a child's toy."
The illusion dissipated.
Tony slammed on the brakes, leaving long scorch marks on the road.
"Evolution, huh..."
He took off his sunglasses, and his eyes, which had previously held an engineer's mindset, now had a hint of wildness in them.
"That sounds much more exciting than soldering circuit boards."
"But children make choices. I, Tony Stark, want them all!"
hum!
With the throttle fully twisted, the motorcycle ripped through the night like a silver beast.
Happy, driving his Rolls-Royce behind them, inhaled a mouthful of exhaust fumes: "Boss! Wait for me!"
……
Half an hour later, at the Malibu seaside villa.
The mansion, perched on the edge of a cliff, was brightly lit.
"Welcome home, sir."
Jarvis's gentle voice rang out, "While I'd love to prepare champagne for you, considering your recent heart rate fluctuations and adrenaline levels, I suggest you get a full-body CT scan first."
"No time for a physical exam, Jarvis."
Tony jumped off the motorcycle, clutching the small capsule in his hand like a kid who had just snagged a limited-edition figurine.
"Start holographic recording and record every single pixel."
Tony walked to the open space in the center of the garage. "Get ready for a miracle of physics."
He pressed the button on the top of the capsule and tossed it aside.
Bang!
The smoke dissipated.
A huge, spherical metal compartment appeared in the basement.
It is pure white, with no seams on its surface, and only a tightly closed hatch.
"That's impossible."
Jarvis's voice paused, a rare occurrence. "Sir, the curvature of space didn't change just now. Some physicists are turning in their graves."
"Who cares about them? They can't climb out anyway."
Tony stroked the smooth metal bulkhead, his eyes filled with greed.
"Establish Project Pandora to fully analyze materials and algorithms!"
"If I crack this, I can fit an entire arsenal in my pocket!"
"Okay, but before that, Miss Pepper had already made seventeen phone calls..."
Tell her I'm contemplating life.
Tony stepped forward, and the gravity chamber door slid open automatically, revealing only a minimalist control panel inside.
"Jarvis, disconnect the network connection here. This is top secret."
Tony took off his expensive haute couture suit, leaving him in only a black vest, revealing the blue-glowing arc reactor on his chest.
He entered the gravity chamber and stood in front of the control panel according to the instruction manual.
"We recommend starting with 1.1 times the normal gravity to get used to it..."
Tony glanced at the first line of the manual, curled his lip in disdain, and said, "Who am I? I'm Stark."
He skipped 1.1 and went straight to 2.0.
hum!
The lights in the gravity chamber turned a warning red.
An invisible, immense force pressed in from all directions without warning!
"Hmm!"
Tony's knees buckled, and he almost kowtowed to the floor on the spot.
It felt like someone had suddenly put a 50-kilogram bag of cement on your back, and it wasn't just your shoulders; all your internal organs were being pulled by this extra force.
Blood flow slows down, and breathing becomes difficult.
"Warning: Heart rate 170, blood pressure abnormally high!"
Jarvis's voice echoed in the gravity chamber, "Sir, your body is under extreme strain; it is recommended to stop immediately."
"Shut up...don't stop!"
Tony gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, sweat soaking his vest.
He braced himself against the control panel, forcibly controlling his trembling legs, and straightening his back little by little.
Just as the will and body were about to break down.
Beneath the skin of his waist, the Amadam Spirit Stone was burning hot!
Boom!Boom!
My heart pounded wildly, and a warm, domineering current burst forth from my spine, injecting violent energy into the previously groaning muscle fibers.
The pain is lessening, and strength is surging.
Tony looked up, and a fleeting, eerie red light flashed in the depths of his pupils.
"Is this... evolution?"
Looking at his reflection in the mirror—a reflection that showed him not having transformed but exuding power—Tony clenched his fist in fascination.
He can transform into Kuuga whenever he wants.
Jarvis.
Tony was breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his face, and his eyes were brighter than ever before.
"The plan to cancel Mark 2."
"Establishing the 'Empty Self' plan is the highest priority!"
"Okay, sir. Although I don't understand why you've suddenly become so keen on working out, it's still healthier than going to nightclubs..."
Tony grinned, about to say something.
Sudden.
A sharp, intense pain shot through my chest, a pain ten times more intense than the pressure of gravity.
"Ugh!"
Tony groaned, feeling as if his bones had been removed, and slammed heavily onto the control panel.
When the red light goes out, gravity disappears.
But he couldn't stand up.
"Cough, cough cough cough!"
Tony covered his mouth and coughed violently, a metallic, sweet taste rising in his throat.
He opened his palm.
A pool of shocking black blood shimmered with an eerie metallic luster under the lights.
His hands trembled as he pulled open the collar of his vest.
The bluish-black blood vessels, originally the size of a coin, now resembled a hideous spider web, crawling all over half of his chest and tightly binding the reactor.
"gentlemen."
Jarvis's voice was no longer sarcastic; it became cold and mechanical. "The concentration of palladium in your blood has reached 19%."
"Based on this rate of spread, your estimated remaining lifespan is..."
"Two months."