Nova

After crushing Harry's idea of using an imperfect enhancement drug, Lin Hai smiled mysteriously. "We may have a better option."

He took a glass jar from his backpack. Inside was an egg-sized plant with a metallic sheen.

"A limited improved version of the Ironwall Fruit—I call it the Diamond Fruit. It's far stronger than the Ironwall Fruit, though it can't be rapidly cultivated, meaning it can't be mass-produced. This is one of the samples of the new plant materials I discussed with Mr. Norman before."

After complaining that Lin Hai had been hiding something so good instead of bringing it out sooner, everyone began running various tests on the tiny Diamond Fruit.

The first test was pressure resistance.

When the laboratory's testing equipment began blaring a piercing overload alarm, the Diamond Fruit remained completely intact.

"Oh my God! Its strength is five times that of steel of the same weight, but its toughness is close to rubber?" Peter repeatedly checked the instruments.

Emerald light glimmered at Lin Hai's fingertips as he gently tapped the Diamond Fruit. "Don't forget my Life Force. It has a specially catalyzed fiber structure. It's still far from mass production, but Mr. Norman has already approved the establishment of the Osborn Plant Materials Laboratory."

Harry rushed to the computer and began building an experimental model. "If we use it for the armor's inner lining, with a composite ceramic coating on the outer layer..."

"And add a shock-absorbing layer woven from my spider silk! The specialized spider silk I've been developing lately has incredible elasticity—more than enough for cushioning!" Peter added excitedly.

Gwen was already sketching molecular formulas. "If Lin's Life Force can be used as a stabilizer, we might be able to cultivate adaptive materials..."

Watching his friends fall into a frenzy of scientific research, Lin Hai smiled and shook his head.

Once they had roughly determined the armor's material composition, they turned their attention to its power source.

Gwen projected the glider's energy analysis report onto the laboratory's central screen, where the data clearly displayed a discouraging fact:

"Maximum endurance of the current energy system: 58 minutes, under no-load conditions."

Gwen quickly brought up another set of data. "And that's only the theoretical value. With weapon systems and emergency maneuvers added, actual operating time won't exceed forty minutes."

Peter and Lin Hai also fell into thought. At this point in time, there truly were no particularly good portable power devices.

Iron Man was still a young playboy whose tabloid romances dominated the headlines every day. And even if Tony Stark had become Iron Man, the miniature reactor in his chest was not something just anyone could obtain.

Harry stared at the data in silence for a long while, then suddenly shut his laptop. "Then we won't use it."

"Huh?" The other three turned to him at once.

Harry stood and walked over to the armor blueprints. "I mean, unless it's necessary, we won't use the glider. We can focus the modifications on the armor's own mobility and functionality."

Gwen frowned. "But aerial maneuverability is the Green Goblin Armor's core advantage."

"At our current technological level, using individual equipment to maintain stable flight for forty minutes already surpasses military technology by a wide margin," Lin Hai analyzed objectively.

Peter added, "We'd be giving up the aerial advantage, but we'd also eliminate the most fatal weakness. Without reliance on an energy source, the armor would actually become more reliable."

And so, the team decided to temporarily shelve the glider's energy problem and instead devote themselves to optimizing the armor itself.

"Since we can't use flight as the primary means of movement, we can enhance ground mobility. Rather than obsessing over endurance, we should first ensure combat effectiveness once we're on the ground." Harry pulled up a biomechanics diagram.

Peter suddenly remembered something. "Like Captain America's combat suit?"

"More advanced. By combining the spider-silk samples Peter provided with Lin's Life Force, we can cultivate biological fibers with extraordinary contractile strength. Peter, your suit could use them too." Gwen displayed a set of spider-silk protein data.

Lin Hai took over. "Exactly. And if these fibers are embedded in the armor's joints, they can provide additional explosive force—enough to let you jump over three meters straight up from a standing position."

Gwen had already begun revising the blueprints. "In that case, we can transfer the entire weight allowance originally allocated to the propulsion system to the protective system."

With the change in design direction, the upgrade plan for the new armor got underway in full swing.

The first thing decided was the comprehensive use of Diamond Fruit material. The high-strength plant cultivated by Lin Hai, the "Diamond Fruit," would become the armor's core material. Since it was only for Harry's personal armor, there was no need to consider production volume. At worst, Lin Hai could simply set aside some time every day to cultivate more Diamond Fruit.

Next came the overall configuration. The inner lining would be made entirely from Diamond Fruit material and weigh only as much as a thick down jacket. The outermost armor surface would consist of quickly detachable ceramic composite plates, capable of handling different threat levels. There would also be a cushioning layer made from Peter's specialized spider silk.

After a full month of preparation and construction by the four of them, Harry's armor finally took its final form. Next came comprehensive testing of its performance.

On the weekend the armor was completed, they did not go to the Osborn Group's dedicated testing grounds. Instead, they gathered in the underground laboratory at Harry's home.

"Ready to begin." Harry Osborn's voice came through the armor's built-in communicator. Under the laboratory lights, the blue-and-silver suit gleamed coldly, while the honeycomb shock-absorption layers at its joints rose and fell slightly with his breathing.

"First, impact resistance. Peter, use standard punching force." Gwen set up the high-speed camera.

Peter took three steps back, then suddenly sprinted forward and threw a punch.

Bang! With the combined effect of the armor's outer ceramic material, inner plant material, and spider-silk cushioning layer, the impact was dispersed across Harry's entire upper body.

"Punching force: two hundred pounds. Armor deformation: 0.3 millimeters." Gwen checked the data. "That's equivalent to three times the resistance of a police ballistic vest."

Lin Hai took a Beretta pistol from the toolbox, and Harry immediately raised his arms to shield his face.

"Relax. A Beretta can't even penetrate a police ballistic vest, let alone that armor." After three gunshots, only white marks remained on the armor's arms. "Nine-millimeter rounds, impact energy 553 joules. No penetration and no obvious deformation."

Peter offered his opinion. "Now even an Uzi can't hurt you."

Next came the load-bearing test. A crane lifted a section of steel beam, and Harry planted his feet firmly as every fiber bundle in the armor instantly tensed.

With the hum of the hydraulic transmission system, the steel beam was steadily lifted. But then a sudden crack rang out, and a fracture appeared in the transmission system of the left arm joint.

"Stop the test!" Gwen shouted.

Harry immediately activated the emergency load-release procedure, and the steel beam crashed to the ground.

After the test ended, the four sat around the laboratory sofa, passing around the final data.

"One piece of good news and one piece of bad news." Gwen swiped across her tablet. "The good news is that the basic performance exceeded expectations. The bad news is that once the load exceeds two tons, the transmission system gets damaged."

Peter was repairing the crack in Harry's armor. "I'd say it's already amazing. This equipment can let you..."

"It can keep me from holding everyone back," Harry said softly.

Since childhood, Harry had always been better than others. His father had founded the Osborn Group, and he himself had inherited his father's intelligence. Aside from a bit of a rich kid's temper, everything about him had been better than the peers around him.

But now, Harry was the only boy on the team unable to participate in frontline operations. Gwen, who was also coordinating things from the rear, was the top student in her grade. This left him deeply frustrated, convinced that he was holding the team back.

Driven by that mindset, Harry began studying the Green Goblin Armor developed by his father, hoping only that he could help his friends more.

Usually clumsy and careless, Peter noticed Harry's somewhat gloomy mood this time. He smiled and lightly punched Harry in the chest. "Welcome to the ranks of superheroes."

Gwen, with a girl's particular sensitivity, noticed it as well. She immediately said, "There's only one final item left: giving it a new name. We can't keep calling it the Green Goblin Armor, and it isn't green anymore."

After everyone thought for a moment, Lin Hai looked at this creation that had never existed in the original story. "Let's call it the Nova Armor."

To him, Harry was like a nova, representing how the young people among them were gradually beginning to shine with a new light of their own in the Marvel Universe.