Arc Reactor Technology

Inside Wang Khan's newly purchased seaside villa, he sat in a large reclining chair, admiring the sunset over the sea. The scenery was incredibly picturesque.

Unfortunately, this beautiful moment was soon shattered by a roar.

Red and gold, the Iron Man suit—who knew which generation it was—flew in from the horizon, then entered Wang Khan's yard and landed beside the lounge chair.

"Tony Stark, welcome! Care for a drink?"

Wang Khan waved the Maotai in his hand, then poured a glass for him.

The mask opened, and Tony accepted the drink Wang Khan handed him without any hesitation.

"Chinese liquor, huh? I've had it before. It's pretty good, though I'm not used to it."

Wang Khan stood up and shook his hand, then they walked together toward the living room.

As they sat down, Wang Khan glanced at Tony's neck and saw clear signs of Palladium Poisoning. The dark pattern had nearly reached his face.

"Your Palladium Poisoning is pretty serious, Mr. Stark. I'd estimate it's reached around forty percent, right?"

"Forty-eight percent. You really do know your stuff. Looks like the rumors are true. You want to make Iron Man suits and sell them to the military, don't you?"

The spy incident at the robot factory had inevitably spread. As a result, word had also gotten out that the workshop Wang Khan had used to deceive Sharon Carter contained powered armor.

"Heh, don't worry. The powered armor I make won't be equipped with Arc Reactors. After all, those things cost too much and aren't suitable for use as individual weapons."

"Oh? You actually see things that clearly. Looks like you're a cut above those mediocre fools."

Tony Stark was still as blunt as ever. Wang Khan merely smiled.

"Since you don't have much time left, I'll get straight to the point. Give me the Arc Reactor technology, and I'll give you the technology for this."

With that, Wang Khan took a small box from a drawer. When he opened it, there were two items inside.

One was a dark-purple bottle. Judging from the shape of its nozzle, it appeared to be a spray bottle.

The other was a piece of metal. Wang Khan picked it up and tossed it to Tony.

"This is a weapons-grade alloy. Its composition is exactly the same as the shrapnel inside your body."

Tony Stark was a weapons-manufacturing expert. With Jarvis's assistance, he quickly analyzed the metal in his hand and confirmed that its composition was indeed identical to the shrapnel in his body.

"And this is the Metal Embrittlement Agent I developed. Watch closely."

Wang Khan took the metal back from Tony, shook the spray bottle, and pressed the switch. A purple mist sprayed directly onto the metal plate.

Soon, the weapons-grade metal plate became as soft as mud. It rapidly softened and deformed, ultimately turning into thick sludge that dripped through Wang Khan's fingers.

Tony Stark's eyes lit up. He now understood what Wang Khan meant.

"Metal Embrittlement Technology?! I never would've guessed you had this kind of skill. How toxic is the spray?"

"You saw it yourself. The spray is completely harmless to skin. As for what happens inside the body, I haven't found any problems so far. You can take it back and test it. Only use it after you're completely sure it's safe."

Wang Khan took several napkins from the side and wiped the metallic sludge from his hand. Just then, a beam of infrared light shot out from the Iron Man suit and scanned his hand.

"Sir, Mr. Wang Khan's hand shows no pathological reactions such as poisoning, nor any signs of an allergic reaction."

"I can see that."

Wang Khan tossed the spray to Tony, then sat down on the sofa.

"So this is the artificial intelligence installed in your Iron Man suit? It looks pretty good. With its assistance, no wonder your Iron Man suit has never crashed."

"Of course. Jarvis is the most powerful artificial intelligence in existence. Are you interested in him?"

"I'm more interested in the Arc Reactor technology than artificial intelligence."

Wang Khan naturally wasn't going to fall for Tony's bait. Besides, in terms of technological sophistication, Jarvis was far behind Red Queen.

If those two artificial intelligences fought in cyberspace, Red Queen beating Jarvis would be like a father beating his son.

"I can transfer the Metal Embrittlement Technology to you, including all the experimental data and finished products created so far. In exchange, you'll give me the Arc Reactor technology and experimental data. Then we'll be even."

Tony sat down as well and waved the spray bottle in his hand.

"Do you really think the two are equal in value? Besides, with my intelligence, I'm sure I could produce the same Metal Embrittlement Agent before long."

Looking at Tony's arrogant face, Wang Khan refused to indulge him.

"Enough. Let's stop haggling. I believe that with your intelligence, you really could develop the Metal Embrittlement Agent. And compared to the Arc Reactor, this technology is indeed worth less. But do you have that kind of time right now? If my calculations are correct, your Palladium Poisoning will reach eighty percent in no more than a month—and that's assuming you don't use the Iron Man suit at all during that month."

"If you keep recklessly abusing yourself like this, you'll be meeting God within a week. That is, if you can get into heaven. Otherwise, it won't be God greeting you. It'll be Satan."

Wang Khan pointed at the Metal Embrittlement Agent in Tony's hand.

"Metal Embrittlement Technology by itself is indeed inferior to the Arc Reactor. But if you add Tony Stark's life into the equation, then they're equal in value."

Tony Stark's expression turned ugly.

"You really know how to take advantage of someone's predicament!"

"Don't put it so harshly. Business is about mutual consent. I'm only making full use of my current advantage. If I ever find myself in a bad spot, you can hit me just as hard. When that happens, I'll accept my defeat without complaint."

Tony didn't know the story behind "falling at Maicheng," but he could still tell what Wang Khan meant.

"I can only give you the Arc Reactor's basic technology. Miniaturization is absolutely impossible. If you don't agree, then pretend I never came."

With that, Tony angrily threw the spray onto the table, his eyes filled with madness.

The two stared each other down for a while before Wang Khan suddenly burst out laughing.

"You really are Iron Man. Looks like you've already found your Super Hero bottom line."

"Hmph. I swore that I'd never engage in the weapons business again. A miniaturized Arc Reactor would be the most powerful weapon in the world. Even if it costs me my life, I'll never let it enter the market!"

"That's the spirit. In that case, I'll do Iron Man a favor. We'll trade the Metal Embrittlement Technology for the Arc Reactor's basic technology. Pleasure doing business."

Tony wore a cold expression as he shook Wang Khan's hand once. Being threatened and forced to accept the situation left him extremely displeased.

The two sides then exchanged their technical materials and experimental data. Tony activated the flight function and was about to leave.

"By the way, one last warning before you go. Watch out for Justin Hammer. That copycat king has already set his sights on the Iron Man suit technology. Hammer's technological level is mediocre, but you're not the only person in the world who understands Arc Reactor technology."

Tony's expression changed slightly as he thought of something. Then, with a roar, he quickly flew away.

"Jarvis, search for Anton Vanko and see how he's doing now."

"Sir, Anton Vanko died in an accident not long ago."

"Dead?! What a coincidence. Hammer, you'd better not play with fire, or I won't let you off!"

Next week's trial recommendation is coming up. I hope everyone will show plenty of support when the time comes. The battle for this new book has begun—let's go!