After finishing the suits for Harry and Peter, Peter, Harry, and Gwen turned their attention to Lin Hai. Of everyone fighting on the front lines, Lin Hai was now the only one without a proper suit.
But Lin Hai had no plans to make one for the time being. First, there were no materials capable of effectively conducting the Life Force within him.
Second, much of the current technology was still immature. A suit made with current technology would not noticeably enhance his strength.
If an Iron Man from the future appeared before him right then and insisted on giving him an intelligent steel suit, he would definitely accept Tony's gift at lightning speed.
There had also been an earlier idea: using rapidly grown high-strength plants to cover the body.
To begin with, Lin Hai possessed regenerative abilities. This ability had undergone tremendous evolution after he first absorbed the energy from the flower bud. As long as an injury was not fatal, even a penetrating wound could heal in a short time.
Combined with the defensive plant armor grown over his body, considering the enemies they could currently encounter, there were practically no opponents capable of seriously injuring Lin Hai—unless one day, the gangs fighting in the streets stopped using rifles and submachine guns and started using RPGs and Gatling guns.
But Peter still felt that having a suit would look cooler. "If the three of us act together and you're the only one without a suit, wouldn't that look kind of weird? My OCD absolutely cannot accept it."
Harry adjusted the Nova Armor without looking up. "Maybe because the two of us in suits combined still can't beat him?"
Gwen pulled up a set of data. "According to last week's combat assessment, Lin Hai really can take both of you on by himself without a suit."
Lin Hai was sitting in the corner, channeling Life Force into a Diamond Fruit sapling. Hearing that, he looked up. "Besides, you all know what I can do."
"Like this." Lin Hai reached toward his waist pouch and took out two seeds. Under the catalysis and guidance of Life Force, the plant tissue that grew from the seeds intertwined around his body, forming a jade-green suit of plant armor.
"The Ironwall Fruit, updated yet again. It can basically provide full-body protection." He tapped the breastplate, producing a dull thud. "This thing can at least withstand submachine-gun fire, and to me, it weighs about as much as an autumn jacket."
Peter's eyes widened. "Isn't that already a ready-made suit?!"
"The difference is that it can become part of my body, rather than merely external equipment." With a wave of Lin Hai's hand, the armor began changing shape again.
Lin Hai looked at everyone. "Everyone has their own way of fighting. What suits you is the best."
Seeing that Lin Hai had his own ideas, and that those ideas were perfectly reasonable and convincing enough for all three of them, Peter and the others let Lin Hai do as he pleased.
The days that followed remained peaceful yet fulfilling. However, now that Peter had become Spider-Man, he needed to spend part of his training time being the "friendly neighborhood" hero. Harry also had to use some of his laboratory time to train his physical fitness and martial arts with Lin Hai. Before long, he understood what it meant to be "beaten by Lin Hai until he questioned his life." During the first few days, he had even been carried home by people sent by the Osborn butler.
But soon, a ripple disturbed that calm.
One Saturday, after Lin Hai finished Vanessa Fisk's scheduled checkup at Fisk Tower and returned to the clinic, he found a clearly modified black luxury sedan parked outside.
Lin Hai was a little puzzled. Logically speaking, with Mr. Kingpin's protection, no gang members should dare come to the clinic to harass him. So who had come?
With that question in mind, Lin Hai pushed open the clinic door and immediately saw a beautiful, mature blonde businesswoman, along with a burly man in a suit who was clearly a bodyguard standing nearby.
When the beauty saw Lin Hai, she turned to Master Chen Bing, who was explaining how to maintain one's health while working under intense pressure, and said, "Then this must be the young Doctor Lin Vanessa mentioned?"
Chen Bing nodded, while Lin Hai politely asked, "Hello. Did Ms. Vanessa refer you here? And you are?"
The blonde beauty replied, "Yes. Ms. Vanessa and I are good friends. My name is Pepper Potts, from Stark Industries. You can call me Pepper."
Only after speaking with her did Lin Hai learn that Pepper, Tony Stark's capable assistant, secretary, girlfriend, and wife, was good friends with Kingpin's wife, Vanessa.
Some time ago, they had met at a gathering. Pepper noticed that Vanessa looked much better and was even able to attend such an event, so she asked about it out of curiosity. Vanessa did not hold back and told Pepper some things about Lin Hai.
Vanessa told her that not only was young Doctor Lin outstanding himself, but he also had a master with superb medical skills. At this point, Vanessa became a little mysterious. "And young Doctor Lin has some special abilities. He can cultivate special plants that purify the air, clear the mind, improve concentration, and relieve mental fatigue."
She also advised Pepper to pay him a visit if she had the time and buy some special plants to take back. Vanessa knew how clever Lin Hai was, having seen that he could speak with Kingpin as an equal, and she believed Lin Hai would make the right choice.
Lin Hai understood this clearly, and he also realized that this was a rare opportunity to build a closer relationship with Tony Stark. Master Chen Bing said nothing more. Lin Hai could handle such matters himself, and Chen Bing trusted that he would not reveal his abilities to just anyone.
So after a friendly conversation, Lin Hai brought Pepper next door to the medicinal plant shop and introduced several potted plants suitable for her or Tony Stark.
At this point, Tony was still merely a playboy, with more than six years to go before he became Iron Man. Yet even before becoming Iron Man, Tony was still a workaholic beneath that playboy persona, so he needed plants that could help him focus or refresh his mind.
There was Mint to sharpen the mind, Lemon Balm, which had effects similar to Mint but carried a hint of sweetness, pothos for purifying the air, and so on.
Inside the medicinal plant shop, Pepper's fingers lightly brushed over a Mint plant with crystalline leaves.
"Vanessa said you could cultivate 'interesting plants.' I thought she was simply being dramatic." When she withdrew her hand, she found a lingering coolness on her fingertips.
Lin Hai took a white porcelain flowerpot from the bottom shelf of the display rack. Inside was a plant resembling lily of the valley, though its petals were translucent blue-green. "This is called Serenity Orchid. Compared with Mint, Lemon Balm, and pothos, its greatest difference is that it can bloom beautiful flowers. While purifying the air, it also releases mild calming compounds that are completely harmless to the body. It would be quite suitable for your office, Ms. Pepper."
Pepper suddenly chuckled. "Vanessa wasn't wrong. You really are..." She made a magician's gesture of pulling a dove from thin air.
"I just understand a little about plant characteristics. I've merely studied plants more deeply than most." Lin Hai pretended not to understand the implication.
Then he brought over another potted plant. "This is Lemon Balm. It can refresh the mind, but it is much gentler than caffeine and far more effective, while also carrying a faint honey-like sweetness.
"If needed, you can pluck off a leaf, crush it, and hold it beneath your nose. It can greatly invigorate the mind. But you should keep in mind that it only refreshes you—it cannot replace rest. If you buy it as a gift for Mr. Tony, you'll need to make that clear to him."
After introducing some of the plants suitable for Pepper, Lin Hai turned and took down the price list hanging on the wall. This was a price list specially prepared for the wealthy. Anyone would gasp at the astronomical prices for each plant, but Lin Hai knew that such a small sum could bring these rich people an extraordinary experience. They would gladly pay it.
After politely seeing off Ms. Pepper, who had purchased two special plants, Lin Hai could not help sighing inwardly. When luck comes, nothing can stop it. I was originally planning to let the reputation of my special plants ferment a little longer among high society and see whether it could attract Tony's attention. I never expected Vanessa to bring Pepper to me before that happened.
Life's encounters were sometimes like this: flowers planted with care refused to bloom, while willows stuck into the ground without thought grew into shade. There was no need for too much sentimentality. This was normal.
"Master, what if a playboy in metal armor comes to challenge us in the future?" Lin Hai asked Chen Bing, who was sorting medicinal herbs.
Without looking up, Chen Bing said, "Tai Chi values overcoming hardness with softness." With a flick of his hand, he embedded three silver needles into a wooden training dummy five meters away. "But not a single acupoint that needs a needle can be missed."
Lin Hai laughed speechlessly. Indeed, there would be plenty of chances to needle Tony in the future. If Tony dared come looking for trouble, Lin Hai would make sure to stick needles into every acupoint on his body, then take a picture and write on the back: Tony Stark—you have the body of a porcupine.
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