Chapter 88 : Vengeance

"Well, now I'm standing. Happy? We're all standing now. Bunch of jacka$$es, standing in a circle."

~ Rocket, Guardians of the Galaxy

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Looking at the steel armor on the ground, it took Tony a while to come back to his senses. This day felt surreal to him.

He acknowledged that he wasn't invincible. He had faced formidable opponents before, like the Mandarin and the Hulk, but those defeats were due to insufficient force. Today's failure stung differently; it was a complete crushing of his intelligence.

Jude Herbert had not only invaded Jarvis but also implanted a back door in the system. Astonishingly, they hadn't detected it for days. It was a comprehensive failure.

"Tony, is there anything else to say?" Jude inquired.

Tony got up from the ground, silently nodding. "I admit that your technology surpasses mine. I lost."

"It seems you're still not convinced. Is it just about technology? What about other aspects? Did you forget I mentioned the loopholes in your armor?" Jude questioned.

Tony glanced at him, then walked to Mark 4, squatted down, and began trying to restart Jarvis.

"There's no perfection in this world, and my armor is no exception. It has loopholes, but I'll fix it, make it more perfect, and I believe it won't take long," Tony replied.

"That's a good spirit. How about a bet? We'll have a rematch in twenty days, a competition between our armors," Jude proposed.

Tony raised his head abruptly. "You mean you can create a new armor in twenty days?"

"No, your Mark 5 is too subpar. I'll design a brand-new armor. Let's call it the Anti-Iron Man armor; the name fits better," Jude suggested.

Tony thought the proposal sounded like something out of Arabian Nights. Making a suit of armor wasn't an easy feat. If it were, why was Iron Man unique?

Developing a suit involved solving numerous problems in engineering, physics, programming, chemistry, and more. It required extensive resources and manpower to create a battle-ready suit.

"Very well, I'll give you 20 days, but I won't hold back," Tony replied.

"Hehe, the feeling is mutual. Better find that back door I left; otherwise, I won't just control your armor like an intruder—I'll disable it mid-air, and you'll fall like a meatloaf. Don't blame me; it's your fault," Jude warned.

Tony snorted, considering a retort, but decided against it. He walked away after restarting Jarvis.

"What a clever guy! He bombs my building and leaves without compensation. Later, I'll probably withdraw a billion dollars from his account. I guess he won't mind," Jude mused.

"Wow, so cool, Mr. Herbert! I never expected you to be so powerful; not even Iron Man could match you!" the little spider exclaimed.

"I have more tricks up my sleeve. Peter, you need to study hard," Jude advised.

"Of course, but I don't get it. Earlier, you shot into the building, and then suddenly you were behind Iron Man, freezing him. How did you do that?" Peter asked.

Jude pointed to his right arm. "It's simple. I detached a silk thread and remotely controlled the green waltz. My body had already left the laboratory building."

"Tony naturally focused all his energy on the green waltz after seeing its power. He'd assume I was where the muzzle was, but he didn't know; it was just a trick."

Peter expressed admiration. "But Tony Stark will be back in twenty days. Can we really build battle armor in such a short time?"

"No problem at all. The equipment is arriving in the next few days. Some objects are large and heavy, but spider silk is sticky and high-quality, making it easy to pull them from the ground to the sixth floor," Jude explained.

"But I feel like I'm more of a laborer than a researcher. Why am I doing this hard work?" Peter complained.

"Don't worry about it, Peter. If you work hard to move the bricks, I'll add $10,000 to your end-of-year bonus, making it a whopping $60,000. Think about it; that's enough to upgrade your car or take your girl to high-end restaurants a few times. If you still haven't gone home by then, I guarantee it'll significantly improve your chances," Jude promised.

"Uh, Mr. Herbert, I heard you say you're asking Tony Stark for $1 billion in compensation. The gap between $60,000 and $1 billion suddenly feels huge," Peter pointed out.

Jude snorted in dissatisfaction. "Peter, I have to criticize you. It's your first day, and you're already so lofty. Do you know? On the mountain of science, I stand at the top, and you're at the foot. Your job is to watch my back and strive to climb upward. The scenery may be beautiful, but that's not the point. Do you know what the point is?"

Peter shook his head.

"The point is me; your target is me, not money. Can you understand? I have high hopes for you."

"Yes, sir, I'll work hard," Peter affirmed.

...

Jude's gaze shifted from above to underground. In the New York sewers, a man in overalls descended from above.

"These damn things will unite to bully me. This shouldn't be my job," the man complained.

Cursing, he turned on his light source, and the sewer's stench made him cover his nose. Mice scurried by, dragging the half of a dead animal with them.

"Even mice dare to bully me. Sooner or later, I'll teach those guys a lesson," the man muttered, kicking a female mouse into the water when it approached.

As he laughed, a black sticky substance suddenly fell from the top of the sewer, attaching to his face.

"What the hell is this?" he exclaimed, attempting to tear it off.

A voice echoed in his mind, "Seeking strength? I sense hatred in you. You want revenge on your colleagues, and Venom will grant you everything."

Moments later, a frenzied howl resounded in the sewer, startling the little creatures hiding there. Venom punched the wall, shouting, "Vengeance!"

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