California, Military Weapons Testing Ground.
Luca hadn't expected the Vice President of the United States to be so pragmatic.
He had barely released a sliver of data about the VP's collusion with terrorists to assassinate the President, and the guy folded instantly without a word of protest.
His sycophancy was so intense Luca suspected a trap.
But after meeting him and giving him a tap with the Scepter, Luca realized the Vice President was just a man with absolutely no bottom line. Since Luca was now part of the capitalist elite, working with him was no different than working with anyone else.
Case in point: barely after becoming Luca's lapdog, the VP proactively introduced a new order to Aurantius Industries.
As mentioned before, ever since Metal Knight appeared, the military had been drooling over the Haro Mech technology.
Initially, they were scared off by the astronomical price Luca quoted. Later, Luca tried to divert their attention with the "Muscle Enhancement Armor."
But the military brass wasn't biting. These old foxes only trusted their own judgment and kept pushing for a stripped-down version of the Haro Mech.
Now, thanks to the VP's introduction, the "Muscle Enhancement Armor" project was back on the table.
"General Ross, what do you think? Do we use one of your trusted soldiers? or should my man demonstrate the effects first?"
Inside the observation bunker next to the testing ground, Luca patted a massive iron box beside him and smiled at the man in front of him.
General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. White hair, aged face, but still one of the most powerful generals in the Army.
In the future, this old guy would become Secretary of State, ascend to the Presidency a decade later, and eventually transform into the Red Hulk.
A real late bloomer.
Honestly, Luca hadn't expected the VP's order to be handled by Ross personally.
However, despite being here due to a backroom favor, General Ross seemed uninterested in the "Muscle Enhancement Armor" Aurantius Group was presenting.
Ross's mind was filled with "Super Soldier Serum" and "Hulk"-style biological enhancements. He responded to Luca's introduction with polite indifference.
"Let the professionals handle it. My soldiers are..."
Ross left the sentence unfinished, but the meaning was clear.
His soldiers were precious assets. He didn't trust this experimental product.
Luca rolled his eyes internally but kept a straight face. He turned to Green Bull standing beside him.
"Alright, you can go all out this time~"
Green Bull grinned. He ripped off his jacket, revealing the form-fitting inner suit of the Muscle Enhancement Armor, and strode to the large iron box behind Luca.
He punched in the code and pressed the activation button.
The fully enclosed iron box split open along several seams, unfolding in four directions.
A set of pitch-black, semi-open metal armor was revealed.
The interior was lined with dense, dark red metallic veins, interspersed with glowing blue lines. It looked extremely sci-fi.
Green Bull stepped into the armor. Click-click-click.
The armor closed around him. Once fully donned, the glowing lines vanished, leaving the suit looking rugged and unpretentious.
"Fully automated deployment system. Two seconds for a soldier to suit up and head to the battlefield."
After the brief intro, Luca pointed to the testing ground.
"Go ahead. Follow the procedure."
Green Bull chuckled and gave a somewhat sloppy salute to the officers in the room, making Ross and his entourage frown.
However, the moment Green Bull stepped out of the bunker and activated the wrist device...
BANG~
With an explosive sound, the stone steps beneath his feet shattered.
He shot forward like a cheetah.
Green Bull was already a large man. With the armor's boost, he reached top speed in just a few strides. Every step left deep cracks in the reinforced concrete of the testing ground.
"That speed! That's just muscle enhancement???"
The previously uninterested military representatives were instantly captivated by the speeding Green Bull.
As Green Bull reached the scrapped vehicles in the center of the field, everyone expected him to stop for a strength test.
He did intend to test strength, but not in the way they imagined.
Instead of stopping...
He turned his body, dropped his shoulder, and rammed into a scrapped pickup truck like a raging bull without slowing down.
BOOM———
A deafening crash.
Even inside the bunker, everyone felt the terrifying impact.
The pickup truck groaned as metal crumpled. It was launched into the air.
It tumbled for over ten meters before crashing down, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Watching this, Luca glanced at the dumbfounded General Ross and casually continued his introduction.
"For an average soldier wearing the enhancement armor, strength can easily exceed 1 ton. With specialized training, this data can increase to over 3 tons."
"The armor is made of Aurantius Industries' latest materials. It can take direct hits from large-caliber rifles without a scratch."
Yeah~ It's basically the 'Budget Lite Mini Version' of E-Carbon.
Ignoring the dazed Ross, Luca picked up the walkie-talkie.
"Don't just show burst power. Show the General the armor's static strength."
Green Bull didn't hesitate.
He walked to another scrapped sedan, thrust both hands into the chassis, and squatted slightly.
With a heave, he lifted the car over his head effortlessly.
Then, with a twist of his waist, he hurled the entire car.
CRASH. It landed next to the pickup truck.
Next came the durability test.
He stood unharmed amidst a hail of assault rifle fire.
He leaped several meters into the air and landed smoothly.
He threw a grenade with such force it pierced through a target board before exploding.
Finally, after he single-handedly dismantled a fully armed mechanized infantry platoon (simulated), Luca walked up to General Ross, whose jaw was practically on the floor.
With a playful tone, Luca asked:
"So, General Ross? Not bad compared to the Super Soldiers you're so obsessed with, right?"