Chapter: 15

"Hey, listen, Mark, you have to at least give me a chance to explain the plan to you, right?"

"Well, go ahead and tell me." Mark accepted Tony's proposal, and in fact, he had already guessed what Tony's plan was. It was the development plan for the Mark series of Iron Man suits. However, Mark had some thoughts and differences from Tony regarding this.

"Listen, this is a brilliant idea and plan. Do you know how I managed to escape from the terrorists?"

"The military claimed that they rescued me, but that's not true. I relied on this." Tony opened the holographic projection device, and a bulky suit of armor appeared before them.

"This is the secret to my survival, an Iron Man suit powered by the arc reactor in my chest. It can fight for up to 50 minutes under extreme conditions. With this crude creation of mine and the amazing suit you gave me, I successfully escaped from the clutches of the terrorists along with Dr. Yinsen and destroyed their weapon stockpile."

"So this is your plan going forward, right? To develop a more refined and powerful suit of armor." Mark followed Tony's words and directly stated his understanding.

"That's right! I want to develop a series of Iron Man suits for myself. This project will not only ensure our safety, but more importantly, it excites me! Combining powerful weapon systems, flight systems, communication systems, combat systems... and so on, all integrated into this small suit of armor. It will be the pinnacle of mechanical and electronic engineering on Earth!"

"Because the first suit of armor I built in Afghanistan was named Mark I after you, I plan to make it a Mark series, differentiated by development order and also... how about that? Doesn't it make you feel as thrilled as I do?"

At this point, Tony excitedly placed his hand on Mark's shoulder, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Mark's calm face.

"It's not bad. In fact, even if you didn't say anything, I had plans to carry out my own mecha project in the future. And since you managed to create the initial suit of armor in such a crude environment with the terrorists, I can't think of anything I can help you with."

"It's not like that, Mark. I do need your help. The various chips you designed for Baymax can also be applied to the Mark series. I hope to incorporate them as unmanned control modules into the development of the suits. And besides, two heads are better than one. The efficiency of our two geniuses working together will surely be greater than working alone. You just mentioned that you want to create your own mecha, right? While helping me, you can also accumulate useful experience and even carry out your project simultaneously. We can have a competition and see whose achievements are more impressive."

"!" Upon hearing Tony's words, Mark, who wasn't initially interested, also lit up. Mark was a complete otaku, with not many hobbies. Besides conducting scientific research and bringing various ideas in his mind to life, his biggest hobby was competing with his own dad. As long as he could stay ahead of Tony even by a little, Mark would be excited for a long time.

"Since you put it that way, I'll agree. But you have to change the name of this plan. It sounds terrible. Let's just call it 'The Plan.'"

Seeing that Mark had agreed, changing the name of the plan was not a big deal, and Tony nodded readily.

"By the way, there's one more thing. Although I haven't finished the design for my mecha yet and can't show it to you, since we're going to compete, we should be fair. What I can tell you now is that my mecha plan is called 'Project Excalibur,' and it will be a giant mecha with a height of over 5 meters. You'll have to wait until the day of the presentation to see the specifics. I promise it will surprise you."

"Don't keep me in suspense like this. Fine, I'll wait to see what surprise you can bring me. Come with me to the garage. I can't wait to get started!" Tony rubbed his hands excitedly at the thought of the upcoming research and development work.

"At least let me have lunch first... no, wait, lunch! You're a pain, old man!"

...

"JARVIS, are you there?" Tony arrived at the underground garage and immediately called for JARVIS' assistance.

"At your service, sir. I'm always here."

"Good afternoon, JARVIS." Even though it was already noon, Mark greeted JARVIS as usual.

"Good afternoon, Master Mark."

"JARVIS, I'd like to create a new project document and label it as Mark II."

"Do you want to store the file in the Stark Industries Central Database?"

"No! Actually, I'm not sure who I can trust right now, so until further notice, let's keep everything stored on my private server."

"Are you working on a secret project, sir?"

"I just don't want this thing to fall into the wrong hands. Perhaps in my hands, it can do some good."

Arriving at the workbench, Tony opened the holographic design of the Mark I armor. "Mark, come over and take a look. What do you think we should remove here?"

Tony zoomed in on the specific details of the armor and asked for Mark's opinion.

"I think we can reduce its size. If we remove it directly, it might affect the balance of the armor during flight."

"That makes sense. The metal material also needs to be replaced, but I won't discuss that with you. I've just witnessed your metal embrittlement firsthand."

"In fact, if you cover the surface of the armor with a graphene coating, it can defend against the effects of the metal embrittlement agent. It can also enhance the armor's protective capabilities while reducing overall weight."

"You're right. I knew teaming up with you was the right choice. I also want to equip it with the graphene battery you previously developed as a backup power source, as well as the super strength booster. That will turn me into a powerhouse."

Tony and Mark continued their back-and-forth in the garage. When their opinions aligned, progress was rapid. When they disagreed, they engaged in spirited debates to persuade each other. However, no matter what, Tony always had the final say.

After two hours of discussion, the first version of the design was finally completed. They viewed it using holographic projection. The newly designed armor no longer had the bulkiness and roughness of the Mark I; its size was closer to that of a normal person. The defense capabilities, invisible to the naked eye, were greatly enhanced after incorporating Mark's graphene nanomaterials.

"Alright, let's build it and see how it performs before making further improvements. Talking alone won't yield any results. Let's just name it Mark II for now."

"I won't help you with the hands-on work. Coordinate with your AI assistant. Call me when you have results." Mark's part in the task had come to a temporary conclusion. After discussing with Tony for nearly two hours, he couldn't suppress the inspiration buzzing in his mind. Now, he just wanted to hurry back to his room and bring the design to life.