The reporters sprang to their feet, raising their hands and shouting as camera flashes went off wildly. The room erupted.
Obadiah sat off to the side, his face suddenly darkening.
Salia Base.
Wenwu watched the live television broadcast of Tony announcing the permanent closure of the weapons division while munching on a hamburger.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly!
A day earlier, after seeing that Tony had nearly finished building the Mark I, he had ordered the troops stationed there to withdraw overnight and erase every trace!
Late that night, after Tony and Yinsen had fallen fast asleep, a large amount of knockout gas had flooded the cave, rendering them unconscious in their sleep.
The Ten Rings soldiers had immediately removed all the hidden cameras and restored everything to its original state!
Afterward, the entire armed force had withdrawn overnight.
That was why Tony had returned to the cave to search for traces of any hidden cameras, only to find nothing!
"To express our apologies, contact Hamid and send the blueprints for Tony Stark's Mark I armor to our good friend Mr. Obadiah as compensation."
Wenwu picked up the teacup on the table and gently skimmed away the foam, giving Ching-Lin his instructions without looking up.
"Yes, my lord."
A knowing smile curved Ching-Lin's lips.
At that moment, with Tony's sudden return, Obadiah might well have wanted to eat them alive.
Now, if they handed the Mark I blueprints to Obadiah, the ambitious vice president would certainly build it to compete with Tony.
Then there would be a fine show as uncle and nephew fought!
"By the way, send word to Hamid and have him come back when he has time."
Wenwu took a sip of tea and said calmly, "He's handled everything I gave him beautifully. When he returns, arrange an advanced version of the enhancement serum for him."
Ching-Lin's expression turned solemn. He nodded firmly, then immediately turned to contact Hamid.
Wenwu put down his teacup and headed for Ivan's private workshop.
He pushed open the workshop doors to find the place brightly lit.
Five top scientists were gathered around a brand-new suit of armor, carrying out the final assembly and adjustments.
The armor was a cold silver-gray from head to toe, its streamlined contours strikingly elegant. Four intricate devices spread out from its back like metal petals, giving it an unmistakably high-tech appearance. The crude style of Ivan's earlier creation was completely gone.
"My lord, this is the Second-Generation Iron Man Armor, improved under Mr. Ivan's direction."
A lead scientist hurried over and explained to Wenwu at a rapid pace, "Plasma thrusters are mounted on the soles, allowing sustained, stable flight.
The four devices on the back serve as both auxiliary thrusters and plasma pulse weapons. They're mainly used for turning, hovering, slowing down, and counteracting inertia during highly maneuverable flight.
Its maximum speed can break the sound barrier, and it can cruise steadily at an altitude of ten thousand meters. We've completely resolved the fatal icing problem."
Wenwu studied the armor before him and nodded in satisfaction.
"It's just... the intelligent system..."
Another scientist spoke up hesitantly:
"Although Mr. Ivan optimized the underlying system, we... we didn't dare load it, out of security concerns."
"Use it."
Wenwu chuckled, absolute confidence in his eyes.
"Even if something goes wrong, you won't be held responsible."
He understood the situation perfectly. By now, Ivan knew better than anyone what he was capable of.
Until he was absolutely certain he could break free of his control, Ivan would never dare hide a trap in the core system.
Otherwise, Wenwu would immediately show him and his son what it meant to suffer a fate worse than death.
After giving his instructions, Wenwu went to the room where Ivan was being held. Standing outside the thick special glass, he looked at the man inside.
"Good work, Ivan. Keep this up, and in a few years I'll be able to keep my promise and let you out."
Through the glass, Wenwu readily made the promise.
"That's thanks to the suggestions you gave me, Mr. Wenwu. They inspired me and helped me get results so quickly."
Ivan still had a toothpick tucked habitually into the corner of his mouth. He smiled slightly, his manner composed, showing none of the distress of a prisoner.
But then he changed tack and pointed to the armor outside. "However, the only weakness this armor currently has is its shock absorption. It's still a long way from meeting your requirements."
"As long as it's useful."
Wenwu did not make overly exacting demands.
Shock-absorption technology on Tony Stark's level was defiant of the heavens to begin with.
Ivan's foundation was weaker than Tony's, after all, so it was only natural that he could not produce such a perfect shock-absorption system.
Developing plasma thrusters and pulse weapons in such a short time had already exceeded Wenwu's expectations.
"Next, the priority is to focus on designing miniature missiles and the hovering fighter system. I hope you'll keep up the good work, Mr. Ivan."
Wenwu looked at him and gave him his new instructions.
"OK, no problem."
Ivan made a casual gesture.
With the Arc Reactor providing nearly limitless energy, neither missiles nor a hovering fighter presented an insurmountable technological hurdle for him anymore.
Wenwu nodded slightly and turned toward the equipment area.
He took off his coat and personally put on the silver-gray Second-Generation Armor, preparing for its first actual test flight.
As the mechanical arms fitted the armor onto Wenwu,
a few crisp mechanical clicks sounded as the silver-gray armor locked snugly into place around his body.
The helmet's faceplate slowly lowered, completely sealing out the outside world with a faint hiss of escaping pressure.
"There's no neural reading or mind control. It can only be controlled through body movements and intelligent commands."
After a while, Wenwu understood how to control the armor!
Immediately afterward, a low hum came from throughout the armor around his body. It was the sound of the plasma thrusters warming up.
A huge skylight opened in the roof of the equipment area.
Wenwu took a deep breath.
"Take off."
At his thought, dazzling blue exhaust flames erupted simultaneously from the soles of his feet and the four metal petals on his back.
Boom-!
A violent thrust instantly lifted Wenwu off the ground.
He became a streak of silver-gray light, shooting straight through the skylight and into the vast night sky.
"My lord has taken off! He's so fast!"
On the ground, the five scientists looked up at the rapidly shrinking point of light, their eyes full of amazement.
High in the sky, the wind howled.
The instant Wenwu broke the sound barrier, he clearly felt a violent vibration from inside the armor.
The intelligent system also sounded an alarm: "Warning: The suit is experiencing 5 Gs of acceleration. Shock absorption has reached its critical threshold. Increasing the G-force further will subject the wearer's internal organs to severe shock. The armor's frame is at risk of deformation."
Wenwu ignored it. His constitution was powerful, and with the Ten Rings protecting him, he would not be harmed at all.
After circling the night sky a few times, Wenwu returned, reported several minor problems to Ivan, and left!
Next, he summoned Razor Fist to discuss recruiting workers and scientists!
Razor Fist reported on each matter.
Faced with the enormous compensation, many talented scientists who had fallen on hard times were willing to come.
Since they were only ordinary scientists, there was no need to resort to kidnapping or coercion.