Banner's Frustration

"Can the mind generate energy too?"

Tony looked at Roy in confusion.

He could understand physical energy, but mental energy was beyond him.

"It can."

"But not everyone can do it."

Roy responded.

"How do you make the mind generate energy?"

Tony continued.

"I don't know the exact principles either. You can simply think of it as another kind of superpower."

Roy replied unhurriedly.

Hearing his answer, Tony decisively gave up on asking further and slowly said, "I'll first improve the physical enhancement drug Oscorp developed and eliminate its side effects."

"As for the Spider Serum, I need to finish analyzing Spider-Man's blood sample and determine the specifics of his genetic mutation before I can begin researching it. There's no need to rush Gwen's blood sample over."

Roy nodded and responded, "Alright. Call me whenever you need it, and I'll deliver it as soon as possible."

With that said, he prepared to use the Flying Thunder God to return to New York.

Just then, Tony quickly said, "Don't leave yet."

"What else is it?"

Roy asked.

Tony did not answer immediately and instead gave JARVIS an instruction.

"JARVIS, display a hologram of Mark 5."

"Certainly, sir."

JARVIS's voice immediately rang out.

The next second, a hologram of Mark 5 was projected onto the nearby table.

Tony pointed at the Mark 5 hologram and said with a smile, "This is the portable armor, Mark 5, that I'm developing. Its offensive and defensive capabilities are weaker than Mark 3's, and it can only withstand attacks from small weapons and minor explosions."

"Its advantage is that it's easy to carry. It's only the size of a suitcase and can be deployed in an emergency without any additional deployment equipment."

"What do you think? Pretty impressive, right?"

Although he had not yet made a finished Mark 5, Tony could not resist showing off his newest armor to Roy.

From a certain perspective, Tony was acting like a child who had gotten a new toy.

"It is pretty impressive."

"But being unable to move during deployment will become a fatal weakness. Your enemies won't just stand around and watch you finish putting it on."

Roy said slowly.

"You're right. That is indeed Mark 5's fatal weakness."

"But for now, this deployment plan is already the most efficient one."

Tony did not argue and replied helplessly.

"In that case, why not scrap the original deployment plan and develop a completely new rapid-deployment plan?"

"You've already used Folding Integration Technology on Mark 5. Why not take it a step further and have the full armor use it too?"

Roy said unhurriedly.

"I can make the full armor use Folding Integration Technology as well, but I can't turn it into something the size of a suitcase that I can carry around."

Tony quickly replied.

"You don't need to carry it around."

Roy continued.

"If I don't carry it around, what happens in an emergency?"

"I designed Mark 5 as a suitcase precisely so I could wear the armor while outside."

Tony frowned.

"Add a laser-guided tracking system. Use the armor's own flight capability and have it fly straight to you."

This was not a rapid-deployment plan Roy had thought of himself. It was one Tony had come up with.

More precisely, it was something the future Tony had come up with, first realizing laser-guided tracking deployment with Mark 7.

This deployment method had also become the foundational deployment method for the later series of armors.

Laser-guided tracking?

Tony was initially stunned, but then his eyes lit up as a preliminary plan immediately formed in his mind.

"I didn't expect you to come up with a deployment plan like that. Your suggestion is excellent. I'll take it!"

Tony happily patted Roy on the shoulder.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back first. Take your time researching it."

Roy responded.

"Alright!"

Tony nodded.

The next second, Roy vanished from his sight.

After Roy left, Tony first put away the Super Spider Venom, the physical enhancement drug, and the other items on the table. Then he went to the computer and said to JARVIS, "JARVIS, create a new project. Project name: Laser-Guided Tracking Deployment Plan."

"Certainly, sir."

JARVIS immediately responded and created a brand-new project in the database according to Tony's instructions.

One week later.

Virginia, Culver University.

Banner was feeling somewhat depressed.

After five years on the run, he had finally found the flower Mr. Blue mentioned in Brazil and seen hope of curing his mutation and becoming a normal person again.

Yet after only a few minutes of happiness, that hope had been shattered.

Misfortunes never came alone!

His whereabouts had also been exposed, and General Ross had sent a capture team after him.

Although he had escaped successfully, he had lost all his belongings.

After enduring hardship and stowing away back to the United States, he had planned to retrieve the experimental data stored in the university's database.

In the end, he could not even get into the building.

Not only that, when he watched his ex-girlfriend Betty Ross from afar, he discovered that Betty had a new boyfriend.

Watching Betty leave the university hand in hand with her new boyfriend, happiness written all over her face, his heart ached terribly.

That night.

Stanley's Pizza Restaurant.

After his old friend Stanley saw off the restaurant's last two customers and flipped the sign on the door to "Closed," Banner, who had been waiting in a nearby alley for several hours, quickly came to the restaurant entrance and knocked on the door.

Stanley did not look up. He continued locking the door and pointed at the sign.

Banner kept knocking.

Stanley, who was locking up, finally raised his head.

When he saw that the person knocking was Banner, who had vanished five years ago, disbelief appeared on his face. He immediately opened the door and led Banner into the kitchen.

"Stan, I swear, none of the rumors about me are true."

Banner looked at Stanley seriously and spoke quickly.

"I know! I've always known!"

"No matter what others say, I believe you would never steal military secrets!"

"Have you gone to see her?"

Stanley asked.

Though he had not said her name, Banner knew exactly who he meant.

"No. She doesn't know I've come back."

"She has a new boyfriend?"

Banner said slowly.

"Yeah. Her new boyfriend is a psychiatrist."

"I heard he's one of the best, and he has a great personality too. He's a good man."

Stanley responded.

"Good. That's good..."

Banner's expression immediately became incomparably desolate.

Seeing the lonely expression on his face, Stanley did not know how to comfort him for a moment.

A few seconds later, he said to Banner, "Bruce, if there's anything you need help with, just say the word."

"I need a place to stay for a few days."

"You can use the empty room upstairs."

"And there's one more thing. I need to make a delivery for you."

Make a delivery?

Stanley looked at Banner in confusion.

Banner did not hide anything and explained his plan in full detail.

After hearing him out, Stanley said with a smile, "No problem. It's a small matter."