Spider-Man stared at the Barry Armor, unsure how he was supposed to put it on. Did it perhaps have some kind of identity recognition feature?
The red-and-blue Barry Armor before Spider-Man seemed like nothing more than a useless outfit. Growing anxious, he muttered to himself, "How am I supposed to use this thing? Don't tell me Lu won't be back before I get a chance to try it on."
He stared at the Barry Armor but couldn't figure out how to open it. What Spider-Man didn't know was that the Barry Armor did indeed have identity recognition capabilities. At present, only Lu Mingyu could use this suit.
In fact, Tony hadn't told Lu Mingyu everything. He had forgotten to mention that he had also adjusted the Barry Armor's recognition functions and control system. Tony had neglected to tell Lu Mingyu about any of that, mainly because he wanted Lu Mingyu to explore it himself.
Spider-Man scratched his head, utterly confused.
Lu Mingyu played with the ring Tony had just given him. When he picked it up, he had thought it was the ring used by the Flash in the DC universe. But on second thought, that seemed unlikely.
"Actually, you could borrow my power. From the looks of it, Quicksilver wants to defeat you even more now," Lu Mingyu analyzed. When he contacted Tony, he had still put on the armor. But how could Tony possibly accept that?
When Tony had first designed it this way, he had been afraid Lu Mingyu would get hurt. He needed a way to save him by surprise, just like this time. But he had realized that it was disrespectful to both himself and Lu Mingyu. He felt that doing so was wrong, but he still needed the Speed Force to protect himself. That was why he had stored the Speed Force inside a ring, for use at a critical moment in the future.
Stark shook his head. He did not agree with Lu Mingyu's suggestion and instead said, "I'm Iron Man, right? Back in that cave, I worked with someone else to build my first suit of armor. That was the first time I accepted someone else's help. Ever since then, I became Iron Man. I have my own pride and my own technology, so I'd rather defeat him with my own strength. But he's too strange, after all, so I still hope to borrow a little of the Speed Force."
Tony's eyes were serious. It was as though he had seen something incredible. A certain light seemed to bloom within his gaze as he said earnestly, "So I need to rely on myself, not your Speed Force. If I depend on it too much, my technical skills will decline—or my thinking will slow down. You have to understand, I've been constantly thinking about how to truly defeat Quicksilver."
"He's becoming an obsession for you, isn't he?" Lu Mingyu asked.
"Not to that extent. I just think I should make myself stronger. The current me still can't protect the people I want to protect any better." Tony fell silent. He stopped speaking, apparently remembering something unpleasant.
Looking at Tony's blank expression, Lu Mingyu said, "Then I'll get going. The ring is for you."
Lu Mingyu placed the ring on the lab bench and turned to leave. But just then, Tony suddenly said, "I remember you saying that the Speed Force can travel through time?"
"That's right. Why?" Lu Mingyu answered instinctively, but he failed to notice Tony's dark expression and low voice.
Tony nodded. "I understand. Go back and get some rest first."
Lu Mingyu agreed and left the laboratory. In truth, he trusted Stark very much, but to be safe, he still wanted to see what Tony's reaction would be when asked that question. If his reaction was wrong, then Tony might really be the mastermind behind everything.
After all, Tony's research was astonishing. It was also possible that a world rift had been created after something happened to Stark. Anything was possible. That was why Lu Mingyu had no choice but to come and test him.
Watching Lu Mingyu leave, Tony sank into thought. Yes, Lu Mingyu's words had moved him. There really were people he wanted to protect, people he missed. But the people he thought of, the people he wanted to protect, had died decades ago. They were his parents.
Tony clenched the ring in his hand. He knew the Speed Force could travel through time, so could he save his parents by researching the Speed Force?
Lu Mingyu knew nothing of this. As if possessed, Tony picked up a fragment from the Allen Armor and said, "Since you can absorb the Speed Force, then can you..."
Lu Mingyu looked at Spider-Man with amusement. "What are you doing?"
"Researching your suit. It isn't reacting at all. It seems like it's broken." Spider-Man scratched his head.
"How could that be?" Lu Mingyu said.
With that, Lu Mingyu walked over and easily opened the Barry Armor. Then Jarvis's voice sounded. "Mr. Lu, your armor has been modified by Mr. Stark and now possesses identity recognition capabilities. Therefore, no one else can use it."
"I told you I couldn't open it!" Spider-Man pointed at the Barry Armor irritably. He had desperately wanted to experience what it felt like to move at extreme speed. He especially wanted to reach that level, but he had never expected the Barry Armor to recognize its owner!
Spider-Man was grinding his teeth in frustration. If only he had been a little more reckless back then and put on Lu Mingyu's suit.
Seeing Lu Mingyu's awkward expression, he asked helplessly, "What now?"
"I never planned to let you wear it in the first place. Mr. Tony modified the Barry Armor, and the sizing is wrong. So even if you could open it, you still wouldn't be able to wear it." As Lu Mingyu spoke, purple light flashed across his body, and he entered the Barry Armor. He said to Spider-Man, "Let's spar. I want to test the ability I just gained."
"A new ability? Come on, I haven't even adapted to your old abilities yet, and you want me to fight your new one? No, no. I can't beat you, I really can't." Spider-Man hurriedly waved his hands. He didn't want to spar with Lu Mingyu. At least, he was absolutely no match for the current Lu Mingyu.
"You won't know unless you try," Lu Mingyu said.
Spider-Man shook his head. He was convinced that he absolutely couldn't keep up with Lu Mingyu's current speed. He wasn't stupid—he had just seen the purple lightning. Looking at Lu Mingyu, Spider-Man said, "Once I get used to it, I'll definitely beat you."
"If you won't fight the current me, then how will you fight the future me? By then, you'll feel like you're getting worse." Lu Mingyu looked at Spider-Man, who was wearing a tracksuit. "If we don't spar, you'll never keep up with my speed."
"Even if you're talking big, I really can't keep up with your speed," Spider-Man said helplessly, shaking his head. He looked at Lu Mingyu and said, "Fine, but you have to run a little slower, okay?"
Lu Mingyu nodded. "I know what you mean. It's fine, I'll go all out. Hahaha, trust me."
"I don't trust you at all."
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