Crushed—It Vanished!

Being suddenly caught up to by the other side was already hard for him to accept, but what he saw now made it clear that the other aircraft seemed capable of cloaking itself as well.

Just moments ago, he had thought the other side had disappeared from his radar because he had left it far behind.

Now, it seemed that was not the case at all. The other side had merely activated stealth mode and evaded radar detection.

"Damn it, where did this freak come from? What kind of fighter jet is that? Why does it look so bizarre?"

Tony Stark sped up while inwardly shocked, trying to shake off the Batwing.

But to his utter surprise, no matter how hard he tried, the Batwing above him hung over his head like a dark cloud, impossible to shake off.

"What Mach are we flying at now?" Tony Stark asked the suit's onboard control system with a grim expression.

"Reporting, Mr. Stark: Mach 2.5."

"Even Mach 2.5 can't shake it off? Just how fast can that thing fly? In that case, we can only increase the thrust."

"Mr. Stark, if we continue increasing thrust, the Iron Man Suit's flight speed will reach Mach 2.8.

This will reach the tolerance limit of the suit's current materials. As a result, the suit's stability will be affected, and there is a risk of damage.

Furthermore, the strain on your body will increase significantly. I do not recommend this."

At that moment, JARVIS successfully rebooted and immediately issued a warning.

However, Tony Stark's face showed a trace of resolve.

"Every experiment carries a certain amount of risk. If we do not even have the courage to take risks, we will never move forward."

"But..." JARVIS still wanted to say something, but Tony Stark cut it off directly.

"JARVIS, say no more. Do as I say and immediately raise engine performance to 97%. Hurry!!"

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

Having received Tony's order, JARVIS immediately took control of the suit again.

In an instant, the Iron Man Suit's power output was pushed to 97%.

In the blink of an eye, the Iron Man Suit's flight speed reached an astonishing Mach 2.8.

One had to know that the maximum speed of the F-22 fighter jet was only Mach 2.25.

Even so, the F-22 fighter jet was already one of the finest fighter jets in the world.

This showed just how incredible it was for Iron Man to fly at Mach 2.8.

Whether in maneuverability or flight speed, the Iron Man Suit had achieved a qualitative breakthrough beyond conventional aerial combat.

It stood at the very pinnacle of modern aircraft, at least before Loren's Batwing appeared.

It was precisely because of this that Tony Stark felt even more unwilling to accept it.

As the world's most celebrated technological genius, how could he allow someone else's technological achievements to surpass his own?

So at this moment, he was not simply trying to shake off the Batwing above him. He was fighting for his reputation and dignity.

As the Iron Man Suit's flight speed reached Mach 2.8, the air resistance it endured rose exponentially.

Such excessive speed also caused a certain level of heat to build up on the suit's surface.

Although the temperature was not yet high enough to ignite it, it still affected the suit's stability.

Moreover, the suit Tony Stark was currently wearing was the Mark II Iron Man Suit, one of the earliest generations of Iron Man Suits.

The Iron Man Suits of this era could not compare to later models in either performance or materials.

The Mark II Iron Man Suit's actual maximum flight speed was Mach 2.5, and Mach 2.8 was already overloaded flight.

This speed posed an enormous test to both the Iron Man Suit itself and its power system.

One mistake, and it could break apart midair or stall completely.

It had to be said that Tony Stark had guts. He was gambling with his life.

"Have we shaken off that damned Batwing?" Tony Stark asked with a grave expression.

"Reporting, Mr. Stark: no. The other side is still above us."

"What! How is that possible! Are you sure the engine performance has been raised to 97%? What is our current flight speed?"

"Yes, one hundred percent confirmed. Our current flight speed is Mach 2.8, already beyond the limit."

"Damn it, what the hell is that thing? How can it fly that fast? That's not scientific!

JARVIS, scan its airframe immediately. I want to see exactly how it does it."

"Yes, scanning..."

"Scan complete. The other aircraft's basic structure is extremely similar to that of a bat. It was clearly modeled after one.

However, there is nothing particularly remarkable about such a structure. The reason it can fly so fast is most likely related to its power system.

According to the scan, the other side's power system does not belong to any known type. It is an entirely new power system."

"Looks like my guess was pretty much right. A bat's structure is not particularly outstanding in aerodynamics.

It is impossible to reach such speeds through bionic technology alone. In the end, it all comes down to the other side's powerful power system.

But who exactly built such a high-performance aircraft? With technology this advanced, there is no reason I should not know about it!"

"Mr. Stark, now is not the time to think about that. The other side's flight speed is still increasing. It has begun overtaking us."

"What! Where is that thing's limit? It's obviously provoking me!

JARVIS, increase the thrust again. Maximize power and raise output directly to 100%."

"Mr. Stark, once power is fully opened, our flight speed will reach Mach 3.

That will far exceed the suit's limits and greatly increase the chance of the suit breaking apart. I suggest we stop this meaningless contest!"

"No, this is not a meaningless contest. It is a contest of technology, of courage, and of dignity.

I, Tony Stark, have lived all these years and never feared anyone in the field of technology. Max out the power immediately. Hurry!"

"Yes. Engine power is being fully released. 98%... 99%... 100%. Flight speed has reached Mach 3.1."

"Good. Have we shaken him off?"

"Reporting, Mr. Stark: no. On the contrary, the other side has already surpassed us!

It has pulled ahead by one aircraft length. Moreover, its flight speed is still increasing.

Mach 3.2... Mach 3.5... Mach 4... Mach 4.3...

Reporting, Mr. Stark: the distance between us has become too great.

We can no longer detect the other side's trace. It has disappeared."

"!!!!" Tony Stark.