This story's 30 advanced chapters have been uploaded on my Patreon.
Here's the link: patreon.com/Hussain678 — all 30 advanced chapters are available there.
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The man was terrifying.
Even Tony felt genuinely nervous because of him.
He looked unstable—his body covered in tattoos, his temperament cold and ruthless, like someone freshly released from prison.
Who was he?
A remnant of the Ten Rings?
No—that didn't add up.
Back then, the Ten Rings had barely managed to recover the first-generation armor in the desert, gathering massive manpower just to piece together the Mark I shell.
Even Obadiah's secretly built Iron Monger had only been an outer frame.
No power core.
It looked impressive, but was practically useless.
Only after Obadiah used dirty tricks—ripping the arc reactor from Tony's chest—did Iron Monger truly activate.
That alone proved how far ahead Tony's technology was.
But now—
This tattooed man.
He seemed to be working alone.
In just a few months, he had built a miniature arc reactor.
Not only that—he had trained a complete combat style and nearly overwhelmed Tony.
If the Mark V hadn't been more durable, it was hard to say who would have won.
Could it be…
The same mistake as last time?
Had Stark's core technology leaked from inside the company?
Tony felt exhausted.
He had thought everything would be fine after dealing with the Ten Rings.
Who would have expected a mysterious tattooed man to appear?
He couldn't help but sigh.
What should I do…
Pepper looked at Tony with concern.
After all, he had just decided to transfer the company to her.
Then he went racing recklessly on the track.
Compared to before—
Ever since he became Iron Man, Tony's personality had changed drastically.
What exactly had happened to him?
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury raised an eyebrow.
What shocked him even more was this—
Wasn't the miniature arc reactor supposed to be Tony's exclusive technology?
If it wasn't decades ahead of its time—
If it could be replicated so quickly—
Then this dangerous technology could easily fall into the wrong hands.
Imagine other terrorist organizations acquiring Iron Man–level armor.
That would be a global catastrophe.
This explained something else as well—
The arc reactor in Tony's chest shared similarities with the alien technology left behind by the Chitauri during the Battle of New York.
If left unchecked, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The Slums
Dr. Banner wasn't too worried about Tony's safety.
He understood the timeline.
This happened after the press conference, but before the Battle of New York.
No matter how desperate Tony's situation looked—
No matter how terrifying his enemy—
Tony would eventually find a solution and win.
Banner was confident of that.
What really interested him was something else.
The Iron Man armor.
After watching so many videos, Banner realized a truth:
Poor people rely on mutations.Rich people rely on technology.
Right now, he couldn't fully control the Hulk.
Every transformation erased his own consciousness.
If danger came, his only option would be turning into the Hulk.
But—
Thor and Captain America were superhumans.
Hawkeye and Black Widow were trained from childhood.
Only Tony and Banner were ordinary men.
They relied on intelligence and technology.
So Banner began to think—
What if he could build something like the Iron Man suit?
Or better yet—
Just ask Tony for one in the future.
That would be far better than becoming the Hulk.
But…
Watching Iron Man's armor being overwhelmed by a whip-wielding enemy, Banner frowned.
If he had a choice—
He wanted a bigger suit.
One as large as the Hulk.
That would be perfect.
Banner believed that wearing a Hulk-sized Iron Man suit—
He'd be unstoppable.
Behind the Military Camp
Howard Stark stared at the tattooed man with deep interest.
Tony could invent the miniature arc reactor only because he stood on the shoulders of giants.
Without the large arc reactor—
Without prior research or reference—
The small one would have been impossible.
That was "the benefit of predecessors planting trees."
So the question was—
Where did this tattooed man get his blueprint?
Who gave it to him?
Howard knew the arc reactor was still theoretical at this point.
He had planned to build it later, when global tensions eased.
Unless…
Someone among his research partners was compromised.
Had the technology leaked?
Howard fell into deep thought.
Meanwhile, the Video Continues
"Famous Scene 3: What Does It Feel Like to Pee in the Armor?"
Stark Tower
Rhodey: ???Happy: ???Pepper: ???
All three stared at the screen in disbelief.
Rhodey complained first:
"My God, Tony. You finally have battle armor, and instead of saving the world, you're researching how to pee in it."
"If that's how you think, why don't you give the suit to me and go eat kids' meals?"
Tony's face turned red.
Who would have thought—
That after gaining the armor, the thing he worried about most… was peeing.
This was—
Humiliating.
But then…
If I can pee inside the armor—
Does that mean I'm wearing it naked?
Would it pull my hair?
If I'm wearing clothes—
Does the armor unzip my pants automatically?
Adjust trajectory?
Then zip me back up afterward?
Wait.
If the armor can control Little Tony…
A bold idea suddenly formed.
If it can do that—
Why not try something else?
Tony smiled.
A smile every man understood.
Something was definitely broken.