Since the Harlem incident, Tony·Stark has been like a clockwork madman.
In an almost masochistic way, he spent 24 hours in the underground studio. Caffeine and high-calorie pizza became his staple food. The studio was always filled with the smell of burnt metal welding and a faint smell of ozone.
Pepper tried to drag him out of the steel cave more than once and let him bask in the sun, or at least get a full sleep. But every time, she only saw Tony with two huge dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes were shining with a fanatical light.
"I'm fine, Pepper, I'm very fine!" He said to her without looking back while adjusting the Mark 4 micro-missile launcher on his arm, "I just... found some new inspiration."
Pepper looked at the brand new armor behind him and sighed helplessly.
Mark 4.
It is smoother and more elegant than any previous generation. It is made of lighter and stronger titanium alloy, and the iconic red and gold color is brighter. Most importantly, it is driven by the new Triangular Arc Reactor, and its energy output is more than three times higher than that of Mark 3.
In a secret test flight late at night, Tony drove it and easily broke through three times the sound barrier, and even conducted a short cruise in low-Earth orbit.
That feeling, that unparalleled speed and power, made him completely addicted.
But he saw Chu Hang's punch in the video, and the shock it brought to him was still like a thorn, piercing deeply into his heart.
He could fly higher and faster, but he didn't have the sheer physical power to level a city block yet.
"Not enough, not enough..." He muttered to himself, looking at the data stream that was constantly beating on the holographic screen.
A few days later, at a board meeting, Tony·Stark suddenly announced a decision that stunned everyone, including Pepper.
"I have decided to restart Stark Expo." He stood at the main seat in the conference room, looking around at the directors, with his signature, arrogant smile on his face, "Just next month, at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, the place where my father once held the expo."
There was an uproar in the conference room.
"Tony, are you crazy?" Pepper was the first to stand up and object, "We have just stabilized the stock price, and Ark Project has just started. Now is not the time to hold such a costly expo!"
"No, Pepper, now is the best time." Tony glanced at her with an unquestionable determination, "The world needs to see Stark Industries's future, not by selling those damn weapons, but by this."
He pointed to the triangular reactor on his chest.
"I want to announce to the world that the era of clean energy has arrived. And Stark Industries will be the leader of this era."
His words were full of idealistic passion, but the old guys on the board of directors were unmoved. They only cared about the numbers on the statements.
"Tony, this is too risky!" A newly appointed director after the death of Obadiah frowned and said, "Our energy department is still in the integration stage, and the technology is not mature. To announce it so early..."
"I have the final say whether the technology is mature or not." Tony interrupted him, "As for the money issue..."
He looked at Chu Hang who was sitting in the corner, saying nothing from beginning to end, just spinning his pen leisurely.
"I think our company's second largest shareholder, Anthony·Mr. Chen, should support my decision, right?"
Everyone's eyes were instantly focused on Chu Hang.
Chu Hang stopped spinning the pen, raised his head, and showed a gentle smile on his face, "Of course I support it. In fact, I think this idea is great. I can personally bear half of the entire budget of the expo."
Tony raised his eyebrows at him, showing an expression that said, "You know what I mean?"
Pepper watched the two most powerful men in the company singing along, and could only sit down helplessly. She knew that this matter could no longer be stopped.
Just when Tony was busy working on his expo, a top-secret file with an encryption level of "Skyfather" was sent to Chu Hang's computer.
In the file, there is all the information about Ivan·Vanko.
Chu Hang was sitting on the sofa in his penthouse apartment, drinking coffee and reading slowly.
Ivan·Vanko in the photo lives in a dirty and dilapidated apartment in Moscow. The walls are covered with yellowed newspapers. The only companion seems to be a small white parrot.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s information is as detailed as it is shocking. Ivan·Vanko's every expense, every trip out, and every internet search record in the past three months has been clearly listed.
"High-strength plasma conduit... military-grade capacitor... graphene fiber... and, tickets for Monaco Grand Prix?"
Chu Hang's finger stopped on the last line of words.
He quickly spliced these seemingly unrelated parts of information together with the memories of the plot in his mind.
A clear plan emerged in his mind.
Ivan·Vanko's father had a problem with Howard·Stark, and he put the blame on Tony. He is using the technology left by his father about the early Arc Reactor to create a weapon-Plasma Electro-Whip.
And the stage he chose to appear on is the upcoming Stark Expo, or... during the expo, Tony is very likely to participate, Monaco Grand Prix.
He wants to tear apart the invincible myth of "Iron Man" in front of the whole world.
"It's interesting." Chu Hang closed the file and leaned back on the soft sofa.
He began to think about a question: Is there any ability in Ivan·Vanko that is worth copying?
Engineering talent? He already has the top-of-the-line version of Tony. Ivan is at best a "wild modified version" with little value.
What about... control of plasma energy?
Chu Hang remembered the scene in the movie where Ivan·Wan was holding two Whiplash, cutting the racing car as easily as cutting tofu. The technology of constraining high energy into the form of a weapon seems to be a bit tricky. Although he can also do it with his space ability, having another attack method is not a bad thing.
"Maybe we can take a look." He said to himself.
He picked up the phone and dialed Tony.
The phone rang for a long time before it was picked up, and there was loud music and various noisy noises coming from the other end.
"Hey! Who is it? Don't you know I'm very busy?" Tony's voice sounded impatient.
"It's me." Chu Hang said concisely and to the point.
"Oh, it's you." The noise on Tony's side became quieter, and it seemed that he had moved to a quieter place. "What's the matter? If you want to invest more, I'm always welcome."
"Investment is easy to talk about." Chu Hang said in a casual tone, "I just want to remind you that your expo was held with such great fanfare and the eyes of the world are staring at you. Some people don't like to see the name Stark become so dazzling again."
"You mean, someone wants to cause trouble for me?" Tony sneered, "Let them do it. I now have the best security system in the world, and... this." He patted Mark 4 beside him.
"I'm not talking about ordinary terrorists, Tony." Chu Hang's voice deepened, "I'm talking about those people who live in the shadows.
Inheritance always comes with baggage. You have inherited your father's genius and wealth, and naturally you will also inherit some of the grudges he left behind."
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
Chu Hang knows that his words have hit the key point. Tony is a smart man and he will check it out.
"I understand." After a while, Tony's voice sounded again, with a hint of solemnity, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, partner." Chu Hang smiled, "I wish your expo a complete success. I will go to support you when the time comes."
One month later, Stark Expo had its grand opening.
Flushing Meadows–Corona Park is crowded with people. Media and technology enthusiasts from all over the world gather here, wanting to see the new era of Stark Industries.
In the evening, the opening ceremony officially began.
Accompanied by deafening rock music and brilliant lights, a red and gold figure fell from the sky like a meteor, landing heavily in the center of the stage amidst countless flashing lights and screams.
Iron Man, Tony·Stark.
He completed his debut in the most flamboyant and cool way.
"I'm back!" He opened his arms, and his helmet and visor automatically rose, revealing the face that the whole world was crazy about.
The crowd was completely excited.
And below the stage, among the crowd, a man wearing an ordinary jacket and baseball cap calmly looked at the radiant figure on the stage.
It is Chu Hang who has changed his appearance and body shape.
He didn't go to the VIP area because it was too conspicuous. He liked the feeling of being mixed in the crowd, like a real Observer.
He could clearly feel the surging energy in Tony's body on the stage, and he could also feel the position of every camera and security personnel in the venue.
On his system panel, the [Superpower Copier] icon is flashing faintly, showing the "ready" status.