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A few minutes later, Chu Hang stopped what he was doing.
In the air before him floated a complex structure made of pure energy, emitting a faint glow.
He nodded in satisfaction and drew several structural diagrams based on the structure.
After doing all this, he felt as relaxed as if he had just made a cup of coffee.
He did this not out of kindness.
Tony Stark is his most important investment to date, and a key piece in the future fight against cosmic threats.
It's not in his interest for Iron Man to be someone whose armor has flaws and could lead to his downfall.
He needs a stronger, more stable Iron Man.
Malibu, the basement studio of a seaside villa.
This place has become Tony Stark's personal hell.
Empty coffee cups and energy drink cans were piled up on the floor. Various tools and burnt circuit boards were scattered on the worktable.
"Ah! Damn it!"
Tony threw the wrench in his hand in frustration. It hit the wall with a loud bang, bounced back, and fell to the ground.
He hasn't slept much for three days.
Ever since he was "taught a lesson" by Luo Di and Chu Hang, he has locked himself in here.
He upgraded the armor material, optimized the flight stability system, and even added a few new gadgets.
But the most fundamental problem remains unresolved.
The triangular reactor on his chest could provide a continuous and powerful energy source, but the internal circuitry of the armor could not withstand such extreme output.
“Jarvis, one more time. Analog number 8C, power output adjusted to 120 percent.” Tony rubbed his throbbing temples, his voice hoarse.
“Sir, I must remind you that, based on the results of the first thirty-seven simulations, the probability of the energy circuit collapsing is ninety-nine point eight percent when the power exceeds 115.3 percent,” Jarvis reported calmly.
"I don't need you to remind me how many times I've failed! I just need you to follow orders!" Tony roared.
"Okay, sir."
Inside the workshop, a brand-new, more streamlined and muscular red and gold battle armor stood with its eye lights illuminated.
It is the Mark 5.
Its triangular reactor on its chest emitted a brilliant blue light, and the energy readings on the holographic screen climbed rapidly.
Eighty percent...ninety percent...one hundred percent...
One hundred and ten...
Tiny blue arcs of electricity began to appear on the surface of the armor, emitting a "sizzling" sound.
One hundred and fifteen...
"Warning, energy circuit overload. Warning, core temperature rising sharply," Jarvis warned.
Tony stared intently at the screen, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Stay calm! Stay calm!"
One hundred and sixteen!
With a muffled thud, the reactor on Mark 5's chest flickered sharply before dimming. The arcs of electricity throughout the armor vanished instantly, leaving it frozen in place like a toy that had lost its power. A whiff of burnt ozone filled the air.
“Failure.” Jarvis’s voice was devoid of emotion.
"I know I failed! I don't need you to tell me!"
Tony slammed his fist on the control panel, overwhelmed by a wave of immense frustration.
He encountered a bottleneck.
A theoretical dead end.
He tried every wiring scheme he could think of and modified the design thousands of times, but the result was always the same.
Is this really the end for me?
Just as he was feeling disheartened, an email notification popped up on the control panel screen.
From: Anthony Chen.
Subject: Get your Warframe ready, here's a small patch.
Tony's temper flared up instantly.
It's this guy again!
It's that condescending tone again, treating him like a child!
He opened the email, seething with anger.
The email content was very simple, with only one encrypted attachment.
Tony snorted and tapped his fingers rapidly in the air, cracking the code in a few seconds.
A design file appeared before him.
The moment Tony saw the design drawings, his anger and disdain froze.
His eyes widened, and his body involuntarily leaned forward, almost pressing his face against the holographic projection.
That was a design proposal for an energy circuit.
But it is completely different from his own design philosophy.
It does not follow the traditional point-to-point linear transmission, nor does it have a complex parallel or series structure. It... it's like a naturally growing living organism.
“Where did this guy come from…” Tony muttered to himself.
He immediately had Jarvis load this "patch" into the Mark 5's design blueprint.
"Jarvis, re-simulate! Push the power to 150%!"
"Sir, this is extremely dangerous..."
"Okay, sir."
On the holographic screen, the simulation begins again.
The energy readings skyrocketed: 100, 120, 140... 150!
The lines representing energy circuits on the screen remain a stable green.
Tony stared blankly at the green "SUCCESS" on the screen for a full half minute.
Then, he suddenly jumped up and started yelling and screaming in the studio like a child.
He succeeded! He broke through the bottleneck!
He immediately instructed the robotic arm to begin modifying the Mark 5 according to the new design drawings.
A few hours later, a brand-new suit of armor stood quietly in the center of the workshop.
It retains the red and gold paint scheme of the Mark 5, but the reactor on the chest has been changed to a more stable triangle, and the overall lines appear fuller and more powerful due to the change in the internal structure.
“Welcome back, buddy.” Tony stroked the cold armor, a genuine smile on his face. “From today onwards, you’ll be called… Mark 6.”
He picked up his phone and dialed Chu Hang's number.
“Anthony! You bastard!” Tony yelled as soon as the call connected.
"If you've come to express your gratitude, your method is quite unique," Chu Hang's calm voice came through.
"Thank you? Why should I thank you?" Tony retorted stubbornly. "I just wanted to tell you that I solved that little problem. I solved it myself."
"Really? That's good."
“However…” Tony’s tone softened, “Okay, I admit, your little patch did… work somewhat. I owe you a favor.”
He paused, then resumed his playboy tone, "How about this, to show my gratitude, I'll definitely invite you next time I go out to have fun. Just promise me you won't tell Chili."
He had barely finished speaking when the studio door opened.
Pepper Potts walked in with a cup of coffee, a hint of worry on her face.
"Tony, you haven't left the house for three days..."
She stopped talking because she clearly heard Tony's last words on the phone.
"...Don't tell Chili Pepper."
Pepper's worried expression vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, professional smile.
Tony felt the hairs on the back of his head stand up instantly.
He turned his head stiffly and saw Pepper smiling at him.
“Happy?” Pepper’s voice was gentle. “That sounds like a nice name. Is she some new girl you met? Blonde or redhead?”
"No! No! Pepper, let me explain!" Tony broke out in a cold sweat instantly.
He hurriedly hung up the phone and waved frantically at Pepper.
"Happy is a place! Yes, a place! A newly opened... uh... jazz bar! Very high-end! Members only! I went there to... to have a business meeting! Yes, a business meeting!"
Pepper's smile became even "gentler," and she slammed the coffee down on the table with a "bang."
"Really? Then next time, take me with you to 'discuss' it."
After saying that, she turned around, put on her high heels, and walked away without looking back.
Tony Stark, the superhero who had just solved the biggest technical problem of the armor, was now frozen in place like a child who had done something wrong, on the verge of tears.
He felt that he might have just solved a problem in physics, only to stumble into another dead end in the field of metaphysics.
Chapter 95 Thor, the Hammer God! [Bonus Chapter]
The closing ceremony of the Stark Expo ended up being a fireworks display.
Ivan Vanko's drone army arrived on time, and War Machines was hacked, its guns pointed at Tony Stark. The scene was chaotic, but the ending was pretty much what Chu Hang had expected.
Natasha used the backdoor code he gave her to restart War Machine. Tony and Rhodes, the two "Iron Cans," teamed up and defeated Ivan Vanko, who was wearing the final version of his armor. Ivan tried to take everyone down with him, triggering a self-destruct, but that was also dealt with.