14: Tony’s Gift?

"Hmm... that's true."

"Well, how should I put it? In reality, I just learn quickly, and my thinking speed is faster, but my creative ability might not necessarily be better than yours."

Lyon thought for a moment, worried that Tony might be discouraged, and began analyzing his own abilities.

"The Iron Man suit is a culmination of your most comprehensive and advanced knowledge. Every step is the highest-level application of related knowledge."

"And with you practically guiding me step by step last night..."

"That's why I was able to grasp this knowledge so quickly."

"What I did was simply replicate your knowledge, copying it into my own."

Lyon pointed to his head, "A learning and processing ability as powerful as a supercomputer—that's the super brain."

"But when it comes to the creation phase, I still have to rely on my own talent."

"And even in the comics, the super brain has its limitations."

"In most DC works, it's often depicted that a large part of Superman's super brain's computing power is used to restrain his own strength."

"But for now, I haven't encountered that problem yet."

Lyon made a small gesture with his thumb and forefinger. "The mental effort I use to restrain my superpowers is minimal."

"So just wait, Tony. In three days, I'll combine your knowledge with my creativity to defeat you!"

Tony, who had been slumped in his chair, felt slightly better after hearing the explanation.

But then he stood up again, unwilling to back down. "Heh~ Don't be ridiculous, kid. Have you ever seen a copycat surpass the original? My masterpiece will never lose!"

"Then let's wait and see, oh wise one," Lyon replied with a playful challenge, heading upstairs.

In the garage, the fire of determination reignited in Tony's eyes.

He couldn't possibly lose in his own field, especially not to his annoying younger brother!

But before Tony could return to his workbench, Lyon suddenly reappeared behind him.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot something. Tony, you're in no condition to keep working. You need to rest first."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Tony felt a numbness in his neck and immediately lost consciousness.

Cheating! That brat is cheating!

With his last bit of awareness before falling asleep, Tony cursed Lyon in his mind for not playing fair.

"Ow, look at that baby-like sleep," Lyon remarked, carrying Tony and tossing him onto the bed in the bedroom.

"Master Lyon, this might be considered an unfair victory. Mr. Stark won't take it well," Jarvis gently reminded him.

"The more upset he is, the better. I was actually worried that after I beat him, he'd get so depressed he'd never recover," Lyon said as he walked into Tony's lab.

"You seem quite confident," Jarvis asked in his usual matter-of-fact tone.

"Of course I am," Lyon replied, switching on various power sources on Tony's usual workbench. "After all, in the early stages of building a suit, the most important thing is to perfect its functions. It doesn't require much technological advancement."

"And luckily, I have a few modification plans in my head that can be implemented without using more advanced technology."

He wasn't joking—Lyon had knowledge not only of the dozens of Iron Man suits Tony developed in the movies but also of the suits from the comics.

The development ideas for those suits were mere fantasies in his previous life. But in this world, the path had already been paved by Tony.

Lyon only needed to follow these ideas to get ahead of his older brother.

Poor Tony—he was destined to live in Lyon's shadow from now on.

Feeling pleased, Lyon moved Dum-E and U from the garage upstairs and began his own manufacturing process.

"Alright, Dum-E, first, put away the Arc Reactors Tony was working on from the table..."

"Master Lyon!" Jarvis suddenly interrupted.

"What's wrong?"

"Miss Potts has arrived. She's looking for you."

"Not now. Tell her I'll be out in three days."

"But she's already downstairs."

"Uh? Then just tell her Tony is in the bedroom!"

"Sorry, but you might want to consider telling Miss Potts this news yourself."

As soon as Jarvis finished speaking, Pepper descended the stairs and appeared outside the transparent partition door of the lab.

She immediately spotted Lyon, who was awkwardly smiling and waving. Annoyed, she patted the partition glass, entered the door's password, and walked in.

"Hi, Pepper, good morning," Lyon greeted first.

Pepper, clearly with a bit of a confrontational attitude, said, "You didn't go to the company yesterday, Lyon!"

Lyon, who had been busy learning how to make the suit yesterday, had completely forgotten about that.

He smiled sheepishly, "But I sent Joe Bush! Old Joe is reliable and hardworking; I'm sure he handled everything well for you."

"That's not an excuse for you to hide at home!"

Pepper noticed Lyon's messy hair from staying up all night and couldn't help but reach out to straighten it.

"What have you been doing all night? Your hair and clothes are a mess… Oh my God, you didn't pull a Tony and call those cover girls to come over, did you?"

Pepper's eyes became dangerously sharp.

Lyon was like her child, and if Tony had somehow led him astray, she was determined to make Tony feel utterly ashamed today!

"No, no, no!" Lyon quickly interrupted. "What do you mean, 'again'? I've never done anything like that before, and I won't do it in the future either. You can be completely reassured, Pepper!"

"This is all Tony's fault!"

He distanced himself from the situation, saying, "I came down yesterday to get him to show up at the company, but instead, he pulled me into making a suit."

His eyes darted around, and he quickly grabbed the oldest Arc Reactor from Dum-E's hand.

"Look, Tony even prepared a gift for you."

"A gift?" Pepper's curiosity was piqued, and her attention shifted to the Arc Reactor. "Isn't this the thing from Tony's chest..."

"Exactly! It's that one!"

Lyon embellished the story a bit. "This little gadget is an arc reactor, a fully functional cold fusion energy source. It represents the future of humanity."

"What Tony has been working on these past few days is research related to this little thing."

"That's part of his plan for the next step for Stark Industries—to bring greater benefits to the world!"

"And this," Lyon said, holding up the Arc Reactor, "is the gift Tony wanted to give you."

Taking the initiative, Lyon continued, "This is the life-saving device he built in that terrorist cave, the first-ever miniature Arc Reactor in the world."

"He swapped it out and originally intended to give it to you."

"And, you know, with his personality, he could never find the right words, even if he had a hundred years."

"So..."

Lyon handed the Arc Reactor to Pepper. "You understand the significance of this gift, right?"

Pepper didn't take it immediately, nor did she speak, because she was overwhelmed with emotion.

The significance of this gift was too profound, t..too romantic!

Pepper covered her mouth with both hands, unable to speak for a moment.

"D..Did he really give this to me?" she asked, cautiously taking the Arc Reactor. The surprise of this happiness left her at a loss for words.