"All humanity's hero? A God Among Men? And an alien who called himself the God of Thunder..."
As Tony continued learning about the tremendous changes that had taken place around the world during the month or so he had been kidnapped,
even though he had been mentally prepared, he still could not help feeling utterly shocked.
"Heh, how ridiculous!"
"That damned guy was actually being portrayed as humanity's hero? Have those politicians lost their minds?"
What Tony found most unbelievable was that the man who had kidnapped him was being promoted by the government and media as a hero who had saved all humanity.
"Sir, according to information gathered online, Superman's popularity has firmly held the top spot on popularity rankings in every country ever since his appearance, surpassing countless Hollywood stars..."
"Reviews of Superman have also been over 99.9999 percent positive... The overwhelming majority have stated that Superman's existence has made their lives better."
"Some have even said that as long as Superman does not destroy Earth, he can absolutely be called a hero of humanity, citing the classic comic event Injustice Superman..."
"Enough. I don't want to hear any more about that guy's heroic deeds."
Tony's expression turned grave as he cut off the information J.A.R.V.I.S. had gathered.
"I only want to know what weaknesses that guy has in the comics."
Although Superman had merely kidnapped him and made him do labor, without truly harming him,
Tony now had to prepare himself for facing Superman again.
Nanotech Armor was the direction of his future research.
But ordinary Nanotech Armor alone was naturally nowhere near enough to contend with a powerful Superman.
Therefore, researching Superman's weaknesses was an essential process.
"Sir, Superman's weaknesses introduced in the comics include, but are not limited to, Kryptonite, a Red Sun, mind control, magic, and the goodness in his heart..."
"Kryptonite? It's nearly impossible to find on Earth. It's not even certain whether it exists."
"A Red Sun? That can be simulated, but I don't know whether it'll actually work."
"Mind control? Forget it. Rule that out."
"As for goodness in his heart, does that guy even have any?"
Tony was highly skeptical of that.
"Hmm, and magic. But does magic really exist in this world?"
Before being kidnapped, Tony would certainly have scoffed at the idea that magic existed. But now, he desperately hoped it was real.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., conduct a detailed global search using magic as the keyword..."
"Magic combined with a technological suit of armor sounds promising."
"I want to see whether, if magic really exists, combining it with Nanotech Armor can stand against that guy..."
"Sir, I must remind you that Mr. Superman possesses powerful hearing. Everything you are doing right now may already..."
"Fuck, J.A.R.V.I.S.! Why didn't you warn me sooner?"
Hearing that, Tony hurriedly looked out the window. Only when he saw no familiar figure flying toward him did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Heh, that guy really does want to put up some pointless resistance."
"But if he wants to fuss around, let him. In the end, I'll be the one benefiting from it all."
"A magic suit of armor? Sorcerer Supreme Iron Man? Honestly, I'm looking forward to the strange sight of you in armor, with a Magic Whip in your right hand and a Magic Shield in your left!"
"And I'm even more curious whether taking that thing apart will feel especially satisfying..."
After ending his surveillance of Tony's villa, Peter's lips curled into an anticipatory smile.
Anyone could tell that Tony had never been the settled type. Now that he had been kidnapped, it would not be in his nature if he did not go back and stir things up.
After all, that was precisely why Tony had been able to become Iron Man.
However, Tony's fate in this universe had already changed. He would probably become far more than merely Iron Man.
"Next, it's time to continue improving the suit."
"The key lies with Ant-Man Dr. Pym, the original Ant-Man, and his Pym Particles..."
Peter slowly considered his next plan. Dr. Pym and his Pym Particles were the key parts of it.
It had to be said that some black technologies in the Marvel Universe had already surpassed human comprehension.
The Pym Particles developed by Dr. Pym were one such absurdly powerful black technology, even more incredible than nanotechnology.
They could reduce the distance between molecules of matter, shrinking originally enormous objects down to an extremely tiny size.
They could even allow people to enter the Quantum Realm. This could hardly be described as technology anymore; it was more fantastical than magic.
"But there's no rush for the Pym Particles. They aren't going anywhere."
The reason Peter had sent Tony back to his villa early was because Dr. Pym would soon arrive.
After all, Dr. Pym and the Stark family had some unresolved misunderstandings. If the two worked together, they might very well come to blows.
Besides, Tony's contribution to the technology behind the Nano-Suit was more or less complete.
The later research basically would not require Tony's presence.
Of course, if he was truly needed somewhere, Peter could always just kidnap him again.
"But before dealing with Dr. Pym, it seems I need to deal with Doctor Otto first..."
The image of Doctor Octopus, with his four metal tentacles, slowly surfaced in Peter's mind.
Meanwhile, at Doctor Otto's home.
Having just been bailed out of the police station, Doctor Otto returned home dejectedly.
"Otto, darling, are you all right?"
The wife who had been waiting anxiously at home ran to him the moment she saw him and asked with concern.
"Rose, I'm fine. They classified the explosion as an experimental accident. Fortunately, no one was hurt."
Doctor Otto's face was filled with exhaustion.
"Unfortunately, my experiment failed. My lifelong dream has been completely shattered along with it."
Yet beneath that exhaustion, he could not conceal the grief and pain brought by the experiment's failure.
For this experiment, they had nearly given everything they had. Bringing humanity an endless supply of energy had been his lifelong dream.
Yet at this moment, with the experiment's failure, his dream had been destroyed as well.
"It's all right, Otto. You must pull yourself together. At least we're still alive, and we still have a chance to continue the experiment and fulfill our dream!"
Ignoring the strange mechanical tentacles behind him, his wife comforted Otto and slowly embraced him.
"That's right. We're still alive. We still have a chance!"
"There was no error in my experimental process. I calculated everything—the radiation, the energy, even the possible gravitational effects."
"The reason the experiment failed was entirely because the facility was not sturdy enough to withstand such tremendous energy."
"As long as we can find stronger materials, I'll be able to conduct an even larger Nuclear Fusion Experiment."
His wife's comfort allowed Otto to regain his resolve.
"In the near future, before everyone's eyes, we will forge a brilliant star with our own hands."
Otto looked at the dazzling night sky and the bright moon hanging at the horizon as he spoke slowly. The tentacles behind him danced as though celebrating.
"The sun's radiance will bloom within this city."
"Eternal light will completely illuminate this starry sky!"
Before you continue