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Tony looked at Jimmy with a complicated expression.
It was the kind of look that mixed disbelief, envy, and reluctant admiration.
"Jimmy," Tony said slowly, "did you crawl under the skirt of the goddess of luck or something?"
He shook his head. "This kind of luck is ridiculous."
"Luck is part of strength," Jimmy replied calmly. "Oh, right. Can you reinforce my two blades and this armor with that metal? It's insanely durable. I barely managed to cut it at all."
Tony's eyes snapped back to the workbench.
"You still have leftover vibranium." He immediately started patting Jimmy down. "Hand it over, now. Even unrefined, this stuff is priceless. You don't just waste it."
"I can't," Jimmy said. "I need it, The Blood Orchid requires this material to grow. And the outer layer has been soaked in bat guano for years. The smell alone is unbearable."
Tony grimaced.
Fine, He dropped the subject But his expression clearly said waste.
If Tony Stark called something wasteful, then it probably really was.
"That metal is vibranium," Tony said, switching gears. "Captain America's shield contains it."
He gestured to the blade. "Integrating it into your weapon isn't a problem. That'll be quick."
As he spoke, Tony placed the heavy blade onto the operating platform.
Tony's vibranium processing method was not melting or forging.
It was a vibration.
He explained it while working.
"Even steel has microscopic gaps at a small enough scale. Vibranium separation relies on controlled resonance."
He smiled. "Think of a truck full of potatoes driving down a rough road. By the time it reaches the city, the potatoes have sorted themselves by size."
"Same principle, High-frequency vibration separates metals by density and resonance, Vibranium settles at a specific layer. Remove the rest and you're left with purity."
Tony's explanation was simple.
But precise.
"Once vibranium bonds with another metal," Tony added, "it enters a particle entanglement state. You can't extract it again. No remelting. No second forging."
The machines powered up.
A deep hum filled the lab.
The power draw was so intense that the lights flickered.
Tony watched the instruments stabilize and finally relaxed.
"Alright, now we wait."
---
Jimmy left Stark Industries soon after.
He decided to check on the environmental simulation laboratory.
Security.
Operations.
And more importantly, planting the Blood Orchid.
He arrived quickly.
After presenting his credentials, he passed through without resistance and entered the main office.
There was only one Blood Orchid.
Gail was still technically an intern.
She was academically solid, but practical experience was limited.
With only a single specimen, she had not dared to experiment.
Gordon was overseeing day to day operations. The environmental simulation zones were running normally. Security and finance had already been taken over by Stark Industries.
The name of the facility had been changed that very day.
Jimmy had not notified anyone that he was coming.
He arrived quietly.
---
"Gail, the boss is here."
Someone rushed in to warn them.
"Ben Stop distracting Gail. I hired you because we're short-staffed. Not so you could flirt in the office."
Gordon received the alert from the entrance and immediately moved to greet them.
---
"Jimmy."
The room went quiet when they saw him.
Surprise was written all over their faces.
"Oh Sorry boss. We didn't know you were coming."
Jimmy smiled faintly. "That's obvious."
The lab hummed around them.
And for the first time since the jungle, things finally felt… orderly again.
"Not surprised, no.. wait." Gordon hesitated, then sighed. "Alright, I'm very surprised."
Jimmy waved it off.
"No need to guess, Tony is a close friend of my godfather. You can think of him as my uncle."
He spoke casually.
"This lab was his gift. I'm starting college soon. He asked about my interests and figured I should get some early exposure."
Jimmy smiled faintly. "I don't really lack money anyway, This is just something to play with."
Then he looked at Gail.
"By the way, I submitted a Blood Orchid to the lab a few days ago. How's the progress?"
Gail straightened immediately.
"I'm sorry. There hasn't been any real progress yet. We only have a single specimen."
She spoke carefully. "Meaningful experimentation requires hundreds or even thousands of trials. With only one sample, it's too valuable to risk."
Jimmy nodded. "That's on me, my mistake."
He thought for a moment.
"I'll handle the cultivation myself in the simulation zone."
He turned to Gordon. "Who's managing environmental simulations right now?"
"Karl Borris," Gordon replied. "He's on leave today."
Jimmy raised an eyebrow.
"Boss," Gordon added quickly, "Karl is absolutely the right person for this. Jack may have been the one in charge on paper, but Karl ran the entire simulation division in practice."
"I didn't say otherwise," Jimmy replied calmly.
He continued, "I might not visit this place for months at a time. I prefer appointing people I trust. That way I don't have to worry."
He glanced around.
"Who can take me to the simulation zone. And do you have a Borneo environment model?"
"Yes," Gordon said immediately. "After Gail received the Blood Orchid, Karl completed the Borneo simulation."
He led Jimmy forward. "This facility was built specifically for that research. It's the most refined environment we have."
---
Two sealed doors later, Jimmy stepped inside.
Heat.
Humidity.
The air clung to his skin instantly.
For a moment, it felt like he had returned to Borneo.
Jimmy glanced at the overhead lighting.
Gordon quickly explained. "Those simulate solar radiation. Ultraviolet. Infrared. Full spectrum. Any known solar output can be replicated."
He added, "Unless required, we don't activate the extreme settings."
Jimmy nodded once.
"Happy, have the items from the truck brought in."
Jimmy had borrowed Happy Hogan for the day to handle logistics.
Happy looked harmless at first glance, but when it came to execution, he was surprisingly sharp.
A fingerprint-locked transport vehicle pulled directly up to the lab entrance.
Armed security stepped out.
Two guards carried each crate.
Eleven crates in total.
Inside were fragmented vibranium stones.
"Bury these," Jimmy said calmly. "Layer them underground. Use bat guano as substrate."
He continued, precise and controlled.
"Match the temperature, humidity, and mineral profile required for Blood Orchid growth. Then plant these seeds."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"This lab is now under maximum security, twenty-four hours."
"Internal patrol, five guards."
"External patrol, Ten guards."
"No exceptions."
He turned to Gail.
"Gail, what was the original research direction for the Blood Orchid?"
Gail hesitated briefly, then answered honestly.
"Jack believed it could be developed into a pharmaceutical compound. His theory was that it could push past the Hayflick limit."
Jimmy nodded slowly.
"Then that's where you were wrong."
The room quieted.
"The flower itself isn't the miracle," Jimmy said evenly. "It's the environment. The interaction between vibranium, biological waste, and cyclical flooding."
He looked at the simulation zone.
"We're not making drugs first."
"We're studying systems."
Silence followed.
Then excitement.
Because for the first time, they realized.
This wasn't a failed biotech lab anymore.
It was the beginning of something much bigger.
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