The Uninvited Guest

"Yeah, the progress is encouraging." Justin Hammer wore a high-spirited smile.

"Is there a chance of success?" the General asked with interest.

"Of course. You have to believe in Hammer Military Industries' research and development capabilities! Although Stark Industries is ahead of us in some weapons, that doesn't mean we lack the ability to catch up, right? I can reveal some top-secret research information: we've already solved most of the technical problems with the Iron Armor and will soon be able to conduct integrated testing." Justin Hammer declared with absolute confidence.

"Then congratulations." The chubby Senator was the first to offer his congratulations.

"What a pity Tony isn't willing to share the technology right now. Otherwise, we could soon equip every one of our soldiers with Iron Armor." Justin Hammer shrugged. Everyone present knew he was exaggerating. No matter how wealthy the military was, it would be impossible to assign Iron Armor to every single soldier. But in a setting like this, no one would expose or contradict him. They simply nodded in agreement.

"I remember that Tony's Iron Armor technology doesn't seem to be exclusive to him, does it? I heard there were three people in Iron Armor fighting that night." Justin Hammer asked tentatively. Those who knew some of the inside story exchanged glances and fell silent together.

"If Tony isn't willing to sell his Iron Armor, what about the others?" Justin Hammer looked at the silent crowd and asked unwillingly.

"That's classified, Hammer. All I can tell you is that, at present, Tony Stark is the only one whose identity we can confirm," the General said. "The people responsible for handling the aftermath weren't ours."

Justin Hammer nodded thoughtfully.

Hammer Military Industries' manufacturing plant.

"How is the Iron Armor coming along?" Justin Hammer asked anxiously as he looked at the Iron Armor framework before him, then turned to the Researcher beside him.

"There are still many problems to solve." The Researcher spread his hands helplessly at his boss. "Materials, structure, system programming, balance, and the like are manageable. The biggest problem right now is still the energy system. We can't replicate Tony Stark's miniature Arc Reactor technology. So we either have to carry several large batteries or test it with power cables."

"You can ignore the energy technology for now. You need to solve the other technical issues as soon as possible! I have to produce something for them to see if I want them to favor us!" Justin Hammer waved a hand and looked at the Researcher in charge of the Iron Armor technology. "The General wants to see a physical test, so we must solve the relevant technical problems within the next ten days. Don't let anything go wrong during testing, understand?"

"That's impossible. There isn't enough time," the Researcher argued.

"Of course I know there isn't enough time, but at this stage, we don't need to make them perfect or use the best technology. I just want them to move and perform a few test actions! I don't think that's beyond you." Justin Hammer patted him on the shoulder and gave him a firm, unquestionable look. Under that pressure, the Researcher could only grit his teeth and nod.

Luke was in a corner of a social gathering, stuffing food into his mouth with great effort. He had been overworking his brain lately, and his appetite had noticeably increased. Just as he was concentrating on eating, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly slipped into his ears from beside him.

"So this is where you were." Tony Stark casually draped an arm over Luke's shoulder, half-embracing him as he spoke.

Looking at the overly familiar Tony Stark, Luke picked up a napkin from the table and wiped his mouth. With a thoughtful expression and a somewhat helpless tone, he said, "If I remember correctly, this is a reception hosted by Hebron Industries. I don't recall Ina or Ms. Potts sending you an invitation."

"An invitation? I never use those things." Tony Stark patted Luke on the shoulder, dropped onto the stool beside him, and unceremoniously swept all the untouched food on the table onto a clean plate in front of himself. He speared a bite with his fork and shoved it into his mouth. As he chewed, he said, "This face of mine is the best pass there is. With it, I can enter any reception I want."

"What do you want?" Luke asked bluntly. He knew Tony Stark had been keeping an eye on his whereabouts and had come personally, so he certainly wasn't here just to say hello.

"I've always wanted to meet you. After all, some media outlets are always comparing the two of us. Of course, they compare you to me when I was younger." Tony poked at the food on his plate with the fork in his right hand. He looked at Luke's calm face, paused, then said directly, "All right, all right, let's drop this boring small talk. This kind of greeting doesn't suit me. Let's get straight to the point.

Listen, I know who you are. I know what kind of technology you have. I know you helped me..."

"So you came to thank me?" Luke interrupted.

"So you admit it was you that night?" Tony leaned back slightly, narrowed his eyes, and fixed Luke with his gaze.

"I have a complete alibi for that night." Luke shrugged. "In fact, I really wasn't at the scene."

"I don't mean to expose you. In the past, I might've mocked you for being such a little old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud, then dragged you out to experience the colorful world. But now I've turned over a new leaf. My purpose for coming to see you is simple. First, to thank you—you saved my life. Second, to buy some better materials. Yes, exactly the materials you're thinking of." As Tony finished, he gave Luke a look that said he understood.

"For business matters, you should speak to Ina." Luke pointed toward Ina at the center of the reception.

"Ms. Sandra? Right, Pepper also told me to thank her. If not for her warning, I might have needed another day or two to discover Stane's true colors." Tony's eyes followed the direction of Luke's finger, then quickly returned. In the past, he wouldn't have minded taking a few extra looks at a beauty on Ina Sandra's level, or even using the opportunity to strike up a conversation. But now, with important matters at hand, every woman other than Pepper could get to the back of the line!

"Name a price." After failing to win Luke over with a few words, Tony finally brought out the method he was best at: a money offensive.

"Not for sale." Luke refused outright.

"Don't be like that. How about an exchange of mutual benefits? Do you want to enter the New Energy industry? We can start a company together. You use your technology to take a portion of the shares, and I'll handle everything else—the outside turmoil and the ill-intentioned scrutiny. I already have so many problems that one more won't matter. You only need to give me full access to Hebron's material purchasing rights, and you can sit back and reap the benefits." Tony Stark offered his terms.