Just a Simple Driver Update

"Bzzzt—"

As a stream of black-green data peeled away from the Iron Man armor, the suffocating pressure finally vanished.

Jiang Li reverted to the bathrobe-clad young man, slumping onto the sofa in exhaustion. He picked up the unfinished glass of red wine and drained it in one gulp.

Across from him, Tony Stark looked as though he had lost his soul.

The instant the alien substance left, Tony felt the Mark III, which had just been light, responsive, and brimming with endless power, suddenly become heavy, sluggish, and obstructed.

It was like driving a Ferrari, only to suddenly be stuffed into a tractor.

"Warning: Armor servo motors overheating... Energy output has dropped back to 100%... Reaction delay restored to 0.2 seconds..."

JARVIS's voice echoed inside the helmet. Though calm, it sounded unbearably grating to Tony.

"Damn it!"

Tony opened his faceplate and gulped down fresh air. The face that usually wore a carefree smirk was now filled with shock and... unwillingness.

"JARVIS, did you retain the operating logs from that alien system?" Tony asked urgently.

"I'm afraid not, sir. The other party's code structure is multidimensional, and our servers are unable to store it. It is like... attempting to record a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional sheet of paper."

Hearing that, the way Tony looked at Jiang Li changed completely.

He was no longer looking at a dangerous individual, but at a living gold mine.

He stepped straight out of the bulky armor, not caring that equipment worth hundreds of millions was still venting white smoke from overheating. He sat across from Jiang Li, poured himself a glass of wine, and drained it in one gulp.

"Name your price."

Tony stared at Jiang Li, his eyes blazing with fervor. "I'm not buying a watch anymore. I want that system from just now! I want that algorithm! What the hell was the principle behind that thing that tripled my reactor's efficiency?"

His attitude had made a complete one-eighty.

That was Tony Stark. In the face of an absolute technological gap, pride could be tossed into the trash first.

"That?"

Jiang Li swirled his empty wineglass, a faint smile curling his lips. "That was the Galvanic Mechamorph's biological instinct. Simply put, I installed a 'driver patch' for your armor."

"A patch? You call that a patch?" Tony pointed at the smoking armor. "You pushed its performance fifty years beyond current human technology! If that was just a patch, then what have I been writing? Garbage code?"

"In a sense... yes."

Jiang Li showed no mercy. "Earth's programming languages are too inefficient, filled with redundant zeroes and ones. In the universe, we use more advanced logic."

Tony was choked speechless, but the desire in his eyes only grew stronger.

If he could master this technology, Stark Industries would leave every competitor behind by centuries!

"All right, genius kid."

Tony took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Since you demonstrated this ability and didn't kill me, you must want something. Tell me. Money? Resources? Or something else?"

"Talking to smart people really does save time."

Jiang Li set down his wineglass and leaned forward, finally revealing a fox-like smile.

"Tony, you found out too. I'm an undocumented person. I have technology and strength, but I lack money, legal identification, and a place where I can live comfortably on Earth."

"And I don't like being watched." Jiang Li pointed at the ceiling, clearly referring to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s satellites.

"That's too easy." Tony looked incredulous. "You have the power to destroy the world, and all you want is a job?"

"Just tell me if you'll do it."

"Deal!"

Tony agreed readily, as if afraid Jiang Li might change his mind. "Tomorrow morning, your employment contract, new identification, and an unlimited-credit Stark Industries black card will be delivered here."

"And the position?" Jiang Li asked.

"Chief Special Technical Consultant of Stark Industries." Tony snapped his fingers. "Put down whatever annual salary you want. Your only work duty is to come to my lab every weekend and help me... ahem, 'optimize' my new inventions."

"Also, deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. for me," Jiang Li added. "I don't like that one-eyed guy."

"Don't worry." Tony flashed his trademark arrogant grin. "From now on, you're one of Stark's people. If Fury dares lay a finger on you, I'll buy his Helicarrier and turn it into an airborne nightclub."

The two exchanged smiles and clinked glasses.

A unique understanding between geniuses—one of wolves working together—flowed through the air.

"Oh, right, since you're a consultant..." Tony immediately pulled out his phone and brought up a complex 3D model. "Can you explain the antigravity formula in line forty-eight of that code? How did you bypass the second law of thermodynamics?"

"That?" Jiang Li glanced at it. "That's a basic physics question for Grey Matter. If you want to learn, you'll have to start by changing your understanding of gravity..."

That night, the presidential suite of the Hilton Hotel remained brightly lit.

The smartest mind on Earth and a young man possessing the wisdom gene pool of the entire universe discussed technologies capable of changing the course of human civilization with insatiable hunger.

Meanwhile, downstairs from the hotel.

Inside an inconspicuous black SUV.

Natasha Romanoff looked at the intelligence she had just received, and an expression of helplessness appeared on her usually unruffled face.

She pressed her communicator. "Director, cancel the capture mission."

Nick Fury's voice came through the communicator, low and restrained. "Why? Did the target escape?"

"No, he didn't."

Natasha looked up at the lit window on the eighteenth floor and sighed.

"Just now, Tony Stark used his highest authority to raise Jiang Li's file classification to the same level as Iron Man's. He also sent S.H.I.E.L.D. a strongly worded lawyer's letter."

"A lawyer's letter?" Fury sounded constipated.

"Yes. Stark claims Jiang Li is a core asset of Stark Industries. If we dare take any coercive measures against his 'Chief Consultant,' he'll cease all technical support for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"..."

The other end of the communicator fell silent for a full ten seconds.

In the end, only a classic curse came through, gritted through clenched teeth:

"Motherfucker! That bastard Stark!"