Howard's foresight

In the basement, Li Qi finally succeeded in awakening the potential of Daisy Johnson's superpower.

As a young slave girl who had been completely subdued by her master, Daisy Johnson was filled with joy. She followed closely behind him out of the somewhat messy room, slowly climbed the stairs, and returned to the bedroom.

The follower's specialized uniform was in tatters, with strips of fabric dangling everywhere and several sections almost shredded to pieces. Her body was blackened, clearly scorched by the heat generated by the electricity and energy masses.

Her skin looked battered, and static electricity had left her hair sticking out in a wild, disheveled mess.

Li Qi raised his hand slightly, gesturing for Daisy Johnson to wash up.

Li Qi sat in the comfortable executive chair nearby and began thinking about developing the mech that night.

He casually called up the artificial intelligence JARVIS, explained his ideas in detail, and had him construct the underlying logic first.

Many of the required specialized alloy materials, superhard components, and other necessities were already listed in JARVIS's consolidated database. JARVIS would need to use his powerful computing capabilities to determine the most suitable material framework on his own.

One crucial task required Li Qi's personal attention: the mech's power source and output. He intended to use cold nuclear fusion, which required a powerful element to carry out the fusion reaction.

Traditional thermonuclear fusion materials such as uranium were highly radioactive and definitely had to be ruled out. Li Qi also knew that the palladium Tony Stark had initially used in the world's original course of events was toxic, so that had to be ruled out as well.

Thus, Li Qi still followed the original world's development, using the information left behind by his puppet Tony's father, Howard Stark, to attempt to synthesize a new element and then design an energy core-the Arc Reactor.

Li Qi slowly rose from the executive chair, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Daisy Johnson as she washed in the bathroom. He thoughtfully instructed JARVIS to prepare emergency medical supplies so his young slave girl's wounds could be treated promptly when she came out.

Next, he spread the dismantled mural he had brought from the New York villa, which had been standing by the door, back out on the floor and had JARVIS scan it. Remarkably, it formed a classic diagram of electrons orbiting an atomic nucleus.

This was a new element absent from the known periodic table. Its electron count and arrangement indicated that it held tremendous energy and was easy to trigger, making it the ideal replacement for palladium in achieving cold nuclear fusion.

Li Qi silently addressed Howard Stark in his mind. Rest assured. I'll take good care of Tony, and I'll also expand Stark Industries, continually acquiring other heavy-industry companies.

Looking at the beautiful element JARVIS projected in midair, Li Qi's lips curved slightly, and a trace of confidence flashed in his eyes.

Just then, Daisy Johnson finished her shower and stepped gracefully out of the bathroom, wrapped in a bath towel, with misty moisture still clinging to her. Li Qi paid little attention to that, instead directing her gaze toward the theoretically newly created atomic nucleus projected in midair.

Though Daisy Johnson specialized in computers and hacking, she also had a basic understanding of chemistry. Watching the beautiful image of dozens of electrons circling the nucleus along eight orbits, she could not help becoming deeply captivated, her eyes filled with wonder and curiosity.

At that moment, a mechanical arm precisely retrieved a medical kit from the cabinet beside the wall and handed it to Daisy Johnson. Li Qi told her to treat her wounds herself, then shut off the projection and left the bedroom for the basement to begin his research.

Meanwhile, on another level of the basement, an emergency construction crew was working urgently to repair the room where Daisy Johnson's superpower had just been awakened.

Li Qi paid them no mind. He gently shut the door connecting the opened-up basement spaces and summoned JARVIS again. After projecting the new element, he began concentrating fully on adjusting the ring accelerator that had already been assembled and carrying out atomic synthesis.

This was extremely advanced and dangerous work. The slightest carelessness could result in a laser injury or even endanger his life.

Lasers, high temperatures, high pressure, and high-speed electron collisions were continually used in attempts to form the new element, filling the entire basement with a tense, solemn atmosphere.

After working until noon the next day, Li Qi finally succeeded in synthesizing the new element, which radiated dazzling, brilliant light.

Only after working for more than ten hours straight did Li Qi feel his stomach growling with hunger. He looked at the walls of the opened-up rooms, which were covered in marks left by lasers.

During the experiments, more than twenty photocapacitance meters and high-energy storage devices had been ruined, and discarded parts and equipment littered the floor.

The entire experiment consumed nearly as much electricity as a city used in ten years. This electricity was delivered directly through underground fiber-optic cables from a private power plant owned by Stark Industries.

Stark Tower, on the other hand, received its electricity from the Arc Reactor at the bottom of the building, so the two had different power sources.

Dragging his somewhat weary body, Li Qi slowly walked up from the basement to the second-floor living room, where he found his slave girl Daisy Johnson sitting with her fingers flying across a keyboard.

She wore casual sportswear, with adhesive bandages on several spots on her face and body.

Hearing footsteps, Daisy Johnson sharply raised her head. Upon seeing her master, she immediately lifted the computer off her lap, quickly stood, and hurried over to greet him with concern. "Master, thank you for all your hard work!"

Li Qi nodded and reached out to draw Daisy Johnson gently toward him, affectionately ruffling her hair. He looked at her bandaged areas and asked with concern how she was recovering.

"Master, my body has already recovered. I can keep practicing my superpower and unlocking my body's abilities right now."

Li Qi nodded, gently rubbed her cheek, and asked JARVIS whether lunch was ready. JARVIS's humanlike voice came from the living room. "Yes, lunch is ready."

Li Qi took his young slave girl Daisy Johnson to the living room to eat.

Meanwhile, at the villa, Happy and several bodyguards had been diligently patrolling outside and through the corridors, meticulously fulfilling his duties as head of security.