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Chapter 35: Tony: Build an Anti-Luo Chen Armor
🕑 Added 2025-03-26 12:40:17 +0000 UTC"If you don’t stop the pursuit, sir, I’m afraid the engine will burn out!" J.A.R.V.I.S. warned.
Hearing this, Tony Stark had no choice but to abandon the chase. If he kept going, the engine would burn out, and he would plummet to the ground. Despite the shock absorbers in the Mark II, falling from this height would likely be fatal. There was no scenario where he’d survive the fall—only a gruesome outcome.
At this point, Tony Stark lost any desire to continue testing the Mark II's performance. He realized that his current armor was insufficient. For dealing with ordinary people, it was more than adequate; it could easily crush them. But that wasn’t the point of the Mark II. It wasn’t designed for such trivial targets. It would be like using a cannon to swat a mosquito—a waste of resources.
The true purpose of the Mark II was to combat supercriminals, or even rogue superheroes, like the Hulk, who might pose a serious threat. But in the face of truly formidable opponents, the armor was far from sufficient. To handle Captain America, the Mark II might barely suffice. But if the target was Luo Chen, it was utterly inadequate.
Given Luo Chen’s current strength, Tony saw no clear way to defeat him. His physical fitness was extraordinary—his bone and muscle density likely made him impervious to regular gunfire. Add in the possibility of some kind of mystical force field, and killing him seemed nearly impossible.
The laser cannons built into the palm of the armor might not even break through his defenses. Missiles, on the other hand, might not even be fast enough to catch up with Luo Chen.
Tony was completely stumped by the situation. However, what he didn’t realize was that Luo Chen, with his Kryptonian blood, would only grow more powerful over time.
A growing distrust of Luo Chen lingered in Tony’s mind, especially because he suspected Luo Chen might be from a universe beyond the fourth wall. In Tony's eyes, the people of this universe—himself included—might just be a group of NPCs, characters in a game or a story. How could he trust someone who might view all living beings as mere data points in a game?
A player, unlike a supervillain, didn’t need a reason to commit crimes. They didn’t feel guilty when killing or destroying. They didn’t even register it as a crime. It was just part of the game, part of the fun.
And Luo Chen, with his knowledge of this world’s storyline, could very well fall into that category—a player who would slowly turn into a psychopath, unfeeling and destructive. The sheer thought of this made Tony Stark's head spin. If Luo Chen began to view the world as nothing more than a game, he could be even more dangerous than any supercriminal.
Luo Chen’s ability to view others as mere characters and his immense combat power made him even more terrifying. To Tony, every person in the world was a real, living human being. Killing them or destroying their lives wasn’t something to be done lightly. But for someone like Luo Chen, it might be a mere pastime.
And then there was the green titan Hulk. Based on the punch strength J.A.R.V.I.S. had inferred from the video, Tony realized that his Mark II wouldn’t survive even a single punch from the Hulk. Even the Abomination’s combat strength exceeded that of Tony’s Mark II.
"By the way, J.A.R.V.I.S., help me create a brand new profile," Tony ordered.
"Of course, sir. What is this profile for?" J.A.R.V.I.S. responded.
"For melee combat. It must be able to deal with large, monstrous opponents—like the Hulk or the Abomination—or someone like Luo Chen, whose physical strength far exceeds that of ordinary people. The attack power must be able to break through their defenses and pose a real threat."
Tony continued, "As for defense, it should withstand their brutal attacks, particularly their fists."
In that moment, Tony realized just how fragile the Mark II was when facing opponents like Luo Chen or the Hulk. These beings were beyond human understanding, and trying to measure them by human standards was futile.
"Yes, sir. The file has been created," J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed. "What would you like to name it?"
"The Anti-Inhuman Abnormal Biological Armor," Tony replied bitterly. "Why are there so many non-human beings in this world? It’s becoming too difficult for me to keep up."
"Also, J.A.R.V.I.S., find me the hardest alloy in the world. Get it for me. If you can’t, create a new alloy file, and we’ll work from there."
Tony continued, "The engine also needs to be re-optimized. It freezes at high altitudes, and it has already happened once. If I continue to fly higher, it’ll be exposed. The Ark Reactor needs an upgrade too. I’ve been flying for a while now, and the energy levels are already dropping."
After testing, Tony found that there were no major issues, but the Ark Reactor—though powerful—wasn’t quite up to the level he needed. While it sounded impressive, being a form of cold nuclear fusion, it was still limited. The power output, though significant, was compressed to a small scale and wasn’t enough for extended combat. If he were to engage in a fight, the energy would likely run out in under half an hour, which was far from enough.
Tony knew that further improvements were necessary. It might be time to develop second and third-generation reactors.
After giving these instructions, Tony Stark commanded the armor to return to base.
Meanwhile, Luo Chen had completely outpaced Tony Stark. He had no idea that Tony had already regarded him as a non-human anomaly, planning to create an anti-Luo Chen armor in response to his abilities.
At that moment, Luo Chen’s mind was also occupied with the terrifying realization that his encounter with Tony Stark had turned out this way—he had never imagined meeting Tony Stark under these circumstances.
