Letting Reed continue recording research data, Tony left the Laboratory, returned to the living room, and considered whom to pick for a Human Experiment.
Although Human Experimentation carried risks, the gains were quite substantial, and he certainly didn't want to use a stranger for the experiment.
Should the experiment succeed and the subject end up unusable by him, wouldn't he be taking a huge loss?
Therefore, the first criterion for the test subject was absolute loyalty to him.
With this restriction, the candidates he could choose from dwindled significantly, becoming precious few.
After pondering carefully for a while, a candidate soon popped into his mind: Happy, the former self's bodyguard.
He had followed the former self for over a decade, his loyalty was beyond doubt, and his abilities were quite decent.
However, after he returned, in order to prevent slipping up initially, he had dispatched Happy off to the company.
Otherwise, according to the former self's habits, he would take Happy wherever he went.
"JARVIS, connect me to Happy's call."
"Right away, sir."
JARVIS's voice was as calm as ever.
"Hello, boss."
Happy's voice sounded.
Come over to the villa, I have something I need you to do."
"Alright, boss, I'm coming right now."
Happy said in an excited tone.
As soon as Tony returned, he had sent Happy off to the company to serve as the Head of Security, which was a good position for an ordinary person.
But for Happy, this felt like being banished, so he had been unable to eat or sleep well during this period.
Receiving Tony's call once again today, he had been depressed for so long, yet he felt like he had been injected with chicken blood, instantly coming back to life at full health.
Without hesitation, after hanging up the phone, he dropped everything in his hands and rushed to the villa at top speed.
Twenty minutes later, Happy arrived at the gates of the villa after speeding all the way.
"Ding-dong."
The doorbell rang, and the villa door instantly swung open.
Happy walked into the living room with familiar ease, and upon seeing Tony sitting on the sofa, a look of excitement instantly welled up on his face.
"Boss, I thought you forgot about me."
As he spoke, Happy faintly showed signs of bursting into tears, looking simply wronged to the extreme.
Seeing this, Tony felt a wave of nausea in his heart. "Hey, Happy, stop right there. I have something to tell you."
"I have an experimental project that requires your help. There is a certain amount of risk. Are you willing?"
To divert Happy's attention, Tony quickly threw out the main topic.
He had no desire to play out any bromance dramas with a grown man; it was too disgusting.
"No problem, boss. Just say the word, and I can participate in the experiment right now."
Happy did not hesitate.
To him, as long as it was Tony's order, he would never refute it. He trusted Tony.
Seeing him agree so decisively, Tony's heart was filled with relief, but he still offered a word of caution.
"This is a Human Experiment. Although the success rate is high, it's not one hundred percent. Nobody knows if an accident might happen. You can think about it a bit more."
"No need to think about it. If an accident really happens, I'll accept my fate."
"Boss, when does it start?"
Looking at Happy, who was even more anxious than he was, the corner of Tony's twitched slightly. Finding it hard to continue persuading him, he simply waved his hand and said, "Follow me."
With that, he led Happy directly into the Underground Laboratory.
Inside the Laboratory, a flash of surprise crossed Reed's eyes as he watched Tony return with Happy in tow.
"Boss, you're not planning to start the Human Experiment right now, are you?"
"Isn't it a bit too fast? I think we can wait a bit longer so I can gather more experimental materials."
Reed advised.
Tony simply shook his head.
"No need. The sooner we do this kind of thing, the better. Let's just start."
Having said that, Tony gave Happy a shove. The slightly plump man immediately looked at Reed with a serious expression and said, "I'm ready, let's start right away." He looked extremely heroic and fearless, provided one ignored his trembling legs.
After all, this concerned his own little life, so no matter what, he couldn't possibly remain nonchalant about it.
Still, as the saying went, he trusted Tony.
And Tony wasn't playing games with his life either. The reason he directly initiated the Human Experiment was because he was confident.
Even if the experiment failed, he could still save Happy.
Don't forget, he had already acquired the ability of the Horse Talisman; even if an accident truly occurred, he could directly heal Happy.
It was precisely because he had the Horse Talisman as a safety net that, although the experiment seemed fraught with danger, it actually carried not a shred of risk. Naturally, he had no wish to continue wasting time, which was why he intended to kick off the Human Experiment immediately.
If it succeeded, everyone would be happy, and even if it failed, they could start over from scratch.
Seeing that both Tony and Happy shared the same attitude, Reed resignedly shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, you're the boss, you call the shots."
Agreeing straight away, Reed began preparations for the Human Experiment.
Anyway, the one lying on the experimental table wasn't him, so he didn't mind.
Human Experimentation was practically no different from using lab mice, with the sole exception that Human Experiments required certain safety measures to ensure the subject's safety, whereas mice did not.
And although Tony's laboratory was small, it was fully equipped with all necessities, and all the equipment was ready to use. Therefore, half an hour later, Reed had prepared everything.
Stripping off his clothes, Happy lay inside the experimental chamber. Because of his nervous state, he constantly adjusted his breathing.
Soon, Reed's voice came from outside.
"Are you ready? I'm going to start. If you regret it, there's still time."
"Start. Don't worry, I'm ready."
Acknowledging the prompt, Happy closed his eyes, not quite daring to watch.
Hearing this, Reed immediately manipulated the instruments to inject the purified Hulk Blood into Happy's body.
Seeing this, Tony on the sidelines grew nervous as well.
Although he could ensure Happy's safety, he didn't know whether the experiment would succeed, so his emotions fluctuated along with the injection of the Hulk Blood into Happy.
Five minutes into the injection, everything was calm and peaceful, with Happy showing no abnormalities.
Ten minutes into the injection, Happy's skin began to turn intensely red, much like a cooked prawn.
Twenty minutes into the injection, bulging veins popped out all over his body, forming a terrifying web of blood vessels across the surface of his skin-gruesome and horrifying.
"Ah! Ah! Roar!"
The intense pain forced a roar from Happy. The Beast-like howling made both Tony and Reed wear solemn expressions.
Up to this point, all reactions were within Reed's expectations.
Therefore, although his expression was grim, he did nothing.
Time ticked by second by second. Happy's heart began to beat rapidly, blood flow accelerated, and layers of muscles began to bulge across his body.
One hour, two hours. The out-of-control scenario did not appear; the experiment went unexpectedly smoothly.
Three hours later, the experimental chamber opened, and a muscular powerhouse standing two and a half meters tall walked out of the chamber.
The experiment was a success!
Before you continue