The Mask Slips

"Pym Particles, as expected?"

After returning to his mansion, Tony Stark had Jarvis search for information and found relevant data on the technology that could enlarge and shrink objects.

"But doesn't that stubborn old man always despise Stark Industries?"

Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym, also known as Hank Pym, discovered a subatomic particle that could change the size of objects and named it "Pym Particles" after himself. He also founded his own company, Pym Technologies.

However, this old man seemed to have a grudge against his father, Howard Stark. He had never given Tony a pleasant look during their few meetings and had even criticized Stark Industries in the media.

Given Tony Stark's arrogance, he naturally wouldn't have any good feelings towards Hank Pym.

"Could it be that old man's child? But that's not right. If it were someone from the Pym family, they wouldn't likely be so friendly to me."

Although he had been thoroughly beaten by Kraft, Tony Stark could feel that the other party didn't harbor any ill intentions...

Alright, maybe a little bit.

However, that bit of malice was only on the level of a mischievous child's prank, not at all like the attitude one would expect from the descendants of Hank Pym, who viewed him as an enemy.

Moreover, Stark had specifically checked. Dr. Pym only had an adult daughter and one student; there were no other descendants, let alone underage ones.

"Hoo~ I didn't expect this old guy's daughter to be quite pretty."

Seeing a photo of Hope van Dyne, Tony Stark couldn't help but whistle.

"Then, it's unlikely that kid is related to that old man Pym," Stark mused, stroking his chin as he analyzed. "That's right, Pym Particles were just discovered first by that old man. Since he could discover them, others naturally could too."

Although he had misunderstood the source of Kraft's ability to change size, Tony Stark's overall line of reasoning was not flawed.

After ruling out the possibility of him being Dr. Pym's descendant, Stark began searching for information on some more famous genius youths.

Among them, of course, was Kraft, the chief designer of the Dream Toy Company.

And in Tony Stark's mind, Kraft was the most suspicious. Even though there were more suspicious individuals, Stark inexplicably believed he was the pilot of that ridiculous plush mecha. He was even a bit puzzled by his own intuition.

Perhaps it was because he was a loyal customer of that kid's products?

With Kraft listed as the prime suspect, the more Stark analyzed, the more he felt it had to be him...

A young genius, wealthy family, living in New York. Most importantly, judging by the array of peculiar props on Kraft's Clever Hands Channel, the kid clearly had a unique way of thinking, making it perfectly reasonable for him to build a plush-type exoskeleton armor.

And his prankish behavior also had an explanation. It wasn't a secret that Kraft Lee was prejudiced against non-yellow-skinned races. Tony Stark had Jarvis do a quick check, and he understood the whole story. Although this was only information processed by Martin Lee, it was enough to support Stark's speculation.

However, although Tony Stark had basically confirmed Kraft's identity, he had no intention of exposing him. Because Kraft had previously breached his firewall but didn't proceed with further intrusion, he naturally wanted to respect the other party's privacy. Since Kraft didn't want to reveal his identity, Stark wouldn't do so proactively.

Of course, this also had to do with Kraft's age. If Kraft were an adult now, Tony Stark wouldn't have such a good temper.

Kraft, unaware that his identity had been guessed by Tony Stark, returned to his studio and was excitedly doing flips.

Although Kraft wasn't a fan of Tony Stark, he acknowledged the playboy's professional capabilities. Moreover, Stark had created an exoskeleton mecha that was no less impressive than his own dream creations. Being able to beat up such a Stark was something Kraft couldn't help but be excited about.

Of course, after the excitement, Kraft also felt a bit of lingering fear. Ever since he had equipped himself with a lot of gear in his micro-factory, he had become somewhat overconfident. While he didn't think he was invincible, he did tend to look down on those so-called tech companies. However, Tony Stark's Iron Man suit had brought him back to his senses.

Despite chasing and beating up Tony Stark today, Kraft didn't believe that Iron Man suit was all there was to it. Tony Stark hadn't even painted it, and the weapons and equipment weren't fully equipped. Clearly, this armor was just an early version. With Stark's genius and the backing of Stark Industries' funding and weaponry, it would be incredibly easy to enhance the suit's combat capabilities.

And Tony Stark was just a relatively famous scientist. There were many other scientists at the same level as him in the world, as well as research teams supported by various countries and forces. Who knew if there were other hidden black technology masters lurking in the shadows?

Putting aside other things, wasn't the Hulk a living example of this?

Furthermore, Kraft discovered his own shortcomings – his physical fitness couldn't keep up.

When the combat rhythm reached a certain level, Kraft's reaction speed lagged behind. He basically had to rely on Angela and Haro for assistance. He felt that Tony Stark was probably similar to him in this regard. Although the impact wasn't significant, he lacked a bit of flexibility.

And there was no sense of participation...

If Kraft didn't want to experience the joy of piloting a mecha, why would he build these mechas that required a pilot? Why not just make them autonomous robots controlled by artificial intelligence? In the end, he was just a fifteen-year-old boy.

There was also the issue of stamina. In fact, if Tony Stark hadn't called a halt, Kraft wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer. Although artificial intelligence handled the control, the λ-Driver System used emotional energy, which required Kraft to maintain concentration. Otherwise, Botakun's punches would lack power.

Not to mention that Kraft also had to shout a few times intermittently to stimulate his emotions, which also consumed a considerable amount of physical energy...

"Emmmm... Angela, please create a workout plan for me first."

After much consideration, Kraft still couldn't convince himself to research human augmentation. The trauma of his childhood wasn't easy to overcome, so he could only settle for the next best thing.

After a "friendly exchange" behind the scenes between two "scientists" who mastered black technology, both of them put this "small matter" out of their minds. However, it had attracted the attention of a certain secret agent organization whose name was still very long and convoluted.

After all, Tony Stark hadn't been secretive when he was flying around New York. Since Kraft could find him, S.H.I.E.L.D., as an intelligence organization, naturally could too.

Especially since Kraft had later set off such a conspicuous firework.

Fortunately, Tony Stark's villa was remote enough, and the few cameras that might have captured footage of the area were hacked by Angela. Therefore, S.H.I.E.L.D. only knew that Stark had tinkered with a tin man. Kraft's existence had not been exposed.

"Keep a close eye on Tony Stark's movements!"

The former and current directors of S.H.I.E.L.D. issued the exact same order to their subordinates.

In the movie, S.H.I.E.L.D. knew about the Iron Man suit either when Stark fought the Iron Monger, or even earlier, when Stark used the Mark III to eliminate terrorists in the Middle East. In any case, their operational efficiency was quite poor.

However, it would be unreasonable if S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't notice it beforehand, given that the protagonist here had set off an attention-grabbing grand fireworks display.