Tony the Great Never Cares About Money When Making Friends

Lin Hao returned to the Chateau, cuddling two blonde beauties to catch up on sleep.

The next day, the sun was high in the sky.

Tony Stark, under the protection of "Producer" Happy, got into his private car.

"Boss, here's the information you wanted to check," Happy said, turning from the passenger seat and handing over a tablet.

"The person you're looking for is named Lin Hao, a Chinese-Singaporean. His family is mainly in international shipping, owning five 100,000-ton class ships and over thirty 10,000-ton class ships. The total tonnage..."

"Happy, you can't recite that faster than I can read it," Tony shot him a glance.

After a quick scan of Lin Hao's information, Tony tossed the tablet aside.

He just needed to confirm that Lin Hao's background was traceable and that he wasn't someone who had appeared out of nowhere to deliberately approach him.

As for how much money the guy had... hehe, Tony never cared about his friends' wealth; they were never as rich as him anyway.

"Send Mr. Lin an invitation to my banquet next week." Tony had tasted the benefits last night; not only was his combat ability astonishing, but he also didn't experience the usual post-sleep exhaustion.

Tony suddenly had many friends.

Just as Tony opened the car's mini-fridge, about to pour himself a drink to recover, the sudden braking threw him forward.

"Hey!"

Happy rolled down the window, about to yell, but then saw a familiar Black man.

Rhodey, who had waited outside the Chateau all night, walked directly to the back of the luxury car and knocked on the window.

Getting up and sitting properly, Tony adjusted his collar, casually pressed down the car window, and shot his friend outside a death glare. "If you don't give me a very good explanation, I will definitely pour this bottle of brandy into your nostrils."

"You were having a good time inside last night while I was stuck in a military vehicle freezing in the wind all night," Rhodey said, pointing to the military Humvee in the distance with a stern face.

"Wow!" Tony exclaimed dramatically. "You could have called me, maybe I would have been merciful enough to let the organizers add an invitation."

"Oh, my god!" Rhodey put on an equally exaggerated expression, then rolled his eyes furiously. "So Tony Stark actually has a mobile phone?"

Tony calmly took his phone out of his pocket. After turning it on, he indeed found multiple missed calls, from Pepper, from Obadiah, and most of all, from his friend Rhodey.

"You have to believe me, this phone always turns itself off," Tony quickly deflected the blame. "Ask Happy if you don't believe me."

The "Producer" nodded seriously, catching the blame thrown by his boss.

Rhodey couldn't be bothered to argue and waved to Will Fortson in the distance. "Come here."

Saying that, he opened the luxury car door himself.

Tony's car was big enough to party with several hot girls.

After getting in, Rhodey instructed Tony's driver, "Follow the military vehicle in front."

"Hey, buddy, I'm not on duty yet," Tony complained, but was met with his friend's resentful gaze.

Thinking about his friend shivering in the military vehicle all night while he was embracing women and riding like a horse, he raised his hand and made a cutting motion across his mouth, indicating he would shut up.

The two cars, one in front and one behind, drove towards the Air Force Base on the Southern Coast, one of America's important air force bases on the West Coast.

Tony was an acquaintance of the military and passed through the checkpoint with a simple nod.

The group arrived at the training ground inside the base, and Rhodey instructed Will Fortson, "Transform, let Tony see for himself and record your data."

Will had heard of this playboy and knew he was a genius weapons designer. Being able to hire him to design weapons for himself was an opportunity not to be missed.

So, Will took off his military uniform and transformed into a black panther over three meters long.

"Very good, I like this magic trick," Tony walked forward with curiosity and patted the panther's muscles.

The "Black and White Battle" that occurred on the streets of San Francisco had already spread throughout America. Tony had seen the news and didn't doubt its authenticity, just making a casual remark.

"Switch to 'Orc' form," Rhodey continued to command.

Will instantly transformed into an orc over two meters tall.

"As you can see, Will can freely switch between his human, beast, and orc forms. The beast form can greatly improve his speed and agility, while the orc form enhances his strength and defense..."

Rhodey had Will fully demonstrate his physical abilities in front of Tony, while Tony instructed Happy to bring his portable workbench. Although Tony was not known for his achievements in biology, it didn't mean he didn't understand it. Moreover, curiosity about the unknown was a basic quality of a successful scientist.

"The most amazing thing is that there's a powerful energy hidden within his cells," Rhodey showed Tony another analysis report and ordered someone to bring a catalyzed panther hair.

"This is so cool!" Tony exclaimed in amazement, looking at the brilliant hair in the test tube. "It's actually on fire."

After reading the test report for the hair, Tony understood. "No wonder you had to come find me."

Tony Stark's appearance fee was very high. If it were just the physical abilities the black panther had displayed, it wouldn't be worth the military spending a fortune, but the new research report had greatly increased the value of this black panther.

"Based on the data, if Will can fully unleash the energy within him, his physical indicators will far exceed the records left by Captain America."

"If we can analyze the reason for his superpowers and even develop a corresponding serum..."

"Sorry, I'm an arms dealer, not good at biology," Tony shrugged.

"I know, we just hope you can design a weapon tailored for Will that maximizes his abilities," Rhodey requested on behalf of the Air Force. "Just like the shield your father made for Captain America."

"You should have said so earlier. If you needed a shield, I could have given you one for free," Tony quipped.

"We hope you can design an all-purpose weapon suitable for sea, land, air, and various complex terrains," Rhodey stated the Air Force's requirement with a straight face.

It was no help. Will Fortson belonged to the Air Force, but the Air Force's existing equipment didn't require him to utilize his physical potential. They flew planes, not engaged in bayonet charges.

General Ross, who had been in charge of the "Super Soldier Program," immediately requested personnel from the Air Force upon discovering Will.

It was evident that after recognizing Will's potential value, the Air Force was reluctant to let him go. If they released him now, they would have to wait for higher-ups to assign them any research results if they ever came about.

To hold onto this "hot commodity," the Air Force had to make a concession, asking Rhodey to request Tony Stark to design a suitable weapon.

The other demands were outrageous, with the bottom line being that it had to be able to fly, so they could legitimately claim Will still belonged to the Air Force.

"Heh, I might as well attach two white wings to him, then he can pretend to be an angel," Tony said, turning to leave after hearing the Air Force's requirements.

"Alright, we have our own plan, perhaps it can offer you some inspiration," Rhodey said, lowering his demands once more.

He had someone retrieve a classified document codenamed "Project Falcon."

"This plan isn't mature yet and lacks defense and offense. Could you perhaps add some armor to his critical parts and equip him with powerful weapons..."

"Armor?" Tony's interest was piqued, and inspiration suddenly struck him.

The flap of Lin Hao's butterfly wings had, after all, influenced the protagonists of this world.

Meanwhile, a transport plane, maintaining its "stealth" status, was crossing the Pacific Ocean at high speed.