Chapter 95: Meeting Alan

A round web shot flew out of Gwen's wrist at an incredibly fast speed. Just before it reached Ivan Vanko, it exploded into a massive web, trapping him inside.

"Alright, sir. You've been captured by my web, please surrender your futile resis—"

"Uh-oh..."

Before Gwen could finish her victory speech, she watched as the high temperature from Vanko's suit melted the web instantly.

Vanko looked at Gwen and slowly smirked.

Gwen couldn't help but comment, "Your teeth are kind of ugly."

Ivan Vanko wasn't in the mood for small talk. He immediately lashed out with his two electric whips, but Gwen dodged them effortlessly.

"My webs don't work on him. What should I do now?" Gwen said, feeling a bit stuck.

Considering the terrifying heat from his suit, grappling with him directly was out of the question. One wrong move, and it wouldn't just be a minor burn.

"Miss Gwen, his weakness is the energy source at the center of his chest. If you can destroy that, all his equipment will lose power," the Red Queen advised.

Gwen nodded in agreement. "Good idea, but how am I supposed to get close enough to hit him?"

Just then, another voice came from the sky. "Long time no see, Spider-Woman."

Gwen looked up to see a brand-new red-and-gold Mark armor descending slowly.

"Hey, this one looks way better than the last one. That last suit was ugly," Gwen commented bluntly.

Inside the suit, Tony Stark's face darkened. Did she have to be so direct?

Ever since he was lectured by Emperor, Tony had gone back home and immediately redesigned the Mark armor, leading to this new model.

"Spider-Woman, I think I'm the only one who can handle this guy. My armor can withstand his attacks."

Gwen glanced at Ivan Vanko and then at Tony Stark, who was covered head to toe in his armor.

"Fine, he's after you anyway." Gwen didn't argue, letting Tony take over without any hesitation.

Tony was a bit surprised. He thought she'd put up more of a fight, but she surrendered the situation so easily.

"Tony Stark..."

This time, Vanko spoke in English, which both Gwen and Tony understood.

Tony flew a bit closer, positioning himself between Gwen and Vanko. "Yes, that's me. Who are you?"

It was clear from Tony's tone that he was angry. The thing he hated most was when people attacked those around him to get to him, especially if it involved Pepper.

Vanko gave a bitter smile and lashed out with his whips. Tony soared upward to dodge, and Gwen leapt back, evading the attack as well.

Now that Tony had appeared, Vanko ignored Gwen entirely and focused on him. One of Vanko's whips snapped toward Tony with lightning speed, wrapping around his ankle.

Immediately, sparks flew from Tony's right ankle, and his HUD flashed red, warning him of damage.

"Damn it, not again!" Tony grumbled. The last time this happened, Obadiah Stane had caught him in mid-air just like this.

"Next time, I really need to—"

Before Tony could finish his thought, Vanko yanked hard, pulling him out of the sky with tremendous force.

Watching from the side, Gwen winced as Tony crashed to the ground. "Ouch. That's gotta hurt."

"I think I should help him."

"Miss Gwen, please stay back. Iron Man can handle this by himself," the Red Queen advised quickly. "You currently don't have any effective means to fight him."

Gwen reluctantly held back, remembering how easily her webs had melted earlier. She realized she wouldn't be much help.

After dragging Tony down, Vanko raised his other whip to strike him. But Tony, timing it perfectly, caught the whip in his hand.

"You've... pissed me off."

With a powerful tug, Tony's suit easily overpowered Vanko, yanking him to the side and smashing him against a tree.

Tony glanced at his scorched arm, knowing he couldn't keep up this direct confrontation for long. He flew toward Vanko, slamming into him, while his other hand reached out and tore the arc reactor right out of Vanko's chest.

The electric whips immediately lost power, and Vanko's entire energy system shut down.

After two hard blows from Tony, Vanko was left spitting blood, defeated.

At that moment, the sound of alarms blared from all around. Gwen, who had been watching from the side, remarked, "Well, that was timely."

A group of police officers, led by George, arrived at the gates of Stark Industries. As soon as George stepped out, he couldn't help but say, "Stark Industries again?"

"Can't they stay out of trouble for once..."

A few detectives quickly moved forward to arrest Ivan Vanko. Tony, watching Vanko being taken away, glanced at the arc reactor in his hand, lost in thought.

With JARVIS's analysis, Tony didn't even need to take it apart to know it was based on the same design as his own arc reactor. Not long ago, he had stood confidently before the Defense Department's Senate, assuring them that no one but him could replicate this technology. And now, here was living proof that he had been wrong.

To make matters worse, this news would soon spread like wildfire.

"Ha... ha ha ha..."

Despite being arrested and coughing up blood, Ivan Vanko burst into wild laughter.

"You've lost, Stark. You've lost..." he sneered, continuing to laugh maniacally, "You've lost... ha ha ha..."

As the detectives led Vanko away, Tony was sure of one thing: he didn't know this man. But why did Vanko seem to harbor such a deep grudge against him?

Confused, Tony crushed the arc reactor in his hand.

Just as Tony stood there, lost in thought, Pepper ran up to him. Her first words were, "Tony, are you alright?"

Tony quickly opened the faceplate of his Mark suit. "Of course, I'm fine."

As soon as the faceplate was lifted, Pepper's sharp eyes noticed something on Tony's neck—something that looked like a dark bruise.

"What is that?" she asked with a frown.

Tony quickly brushed it off, "Probably just a scratch from that fall earlier."

"But it doesn't look like a scratch at all," Pepper said, clearly not buying his excuse.

Black Widow, who had also approached, took note of the palladium poisoning symptoms visible on Tony's neck. It had already spread that far?

Seeing her approach, Tony quickly said, "Natasha, help Pepper handle the aftermath here. I've got other things to take care of."

Without waiting for a response, Tony closed his faceplate and took off into the sky.

As he ascended, Tony couldn't resist glancing back at Pepper and scanning the Stark Industries grounds. He didn't see Spider-Woman anywhere.

"She's gone too, huh? Didn't even get to thank her."

Pepper, still looking shocked, watched Tony fly away. She turned to Black Widow behind her.

Black Widow shook her head and said, "I think it's just a scratch."

She knew that to gain Tony's trust, she couldn't risk angering him. If she told Pepper the truth and she confronted Tony, it would only drive a wedge between them.

"Officer, I hope you'll cooperate with our investigation. We'd like to review your security footage," George said, addressing them.

"Of course, Officer. Follow me," Black Widow responded smoothly.

There was no doubt that as an undercover agent, Black Widow was incredibly professional. During her time working closely with Pepper, she had earned her complete trust.

...

"It seems that even though the butterfly effect was triggered, the main plotline hasn't changed," Alan remarked with a smile, watching Ivan Vanko get arrested.

"Red Queen, can you improve Gwen's webbing?"

"Yes, Master," Red Queen promptly responded.

The Red Queen had evolved far beyond the system Alan had first acquired. She had fully absorbed all the technological advancements from Umbrella Corporation's research. At this point, there were few in this world who could rival her in the field of scientific innovation.

"Alright, upgrade the webs to conduct electricity and withstand high temperatures."

Alan thought for a moment before adding, "Also, upgrade her suit with new materials that can resist high heat."

"When will the development of the nanomaterials be finished?"

"We're working on it diligently, Master."

"Good. In the meantime, use other suitable materials."

On the computer screen, a brand-new Spider suit was beginning to take shape. Alan knew, however, that these suits were still only temporary. In their limited capacity, adding some features meant sacrificing others.

Only once the nanotech suit was fully developed could they integrate all kinds of functions to the maximum potential.

"Maybe... I should change the color scheme," Alan mused with a smile, as he gazed at the new suit design on the screen.

...

Inside S.H.I.E.L.D...

Hill watched as Ivan Vanko was arrested by the detectives and dialed Nick Fury's number once again.

"Director, Ivan Vanko has been captured. Should S.H.I.E.L.D. get involved?"

"No need. Both father and son are the same—unreliable. They're not worth keeping an eye on."

Hill nodded. "Understood, Director."

Anyone Nick Fury deemed unworthy, Hill had no desire to monitor further either.

After a while, a few scientists approached Hill from behind. These individuals weren't as respectful towards her as the other S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel were.

"Commander Hill, why did you call us here?"

"I've got several weapons projects that need urgent attention," one middle-aged scientist said impatiently.

Hill turned to face them. "It wasn't me who called you. Director Fury wants to see you."

At the mention of Nick Fury, the impatience on the scientists' faces softened.

"What does the Director want with us?"

"Where is he? He didn't summon us here and then disappear, did he?"

Hill glanced at the group. These people were some of the top scientists in S.H.I.E.L.D., and she gave them the respect they deserved.

"Director Fury sent over some research. He wants you to take a look and see what's being developed."

Hearing that it was research-related, a flicker of interest appeared on their faces.

One of them asked curiously, "Whose research needs all of us to review it?"

"Tony Stark."

In a room, a holographic 3D projection displayed the scene inside Tony's workshop.

The scientists walked around, inspecting the strange-looking pipes and discussing them amongst themselves.

In the end, however, they all shook their heads.

"Commander Hill, are you sure this was made by Tony Stark?" an older scientist asked, clearly skeptical.

The setup appeared completely random, with no discernible logic.

Suddenly, one scientist's eyes lit up. "Doesn't this look a bit like a particle collider?"

"Could it be that Tony Stark is trying to use this equipment to bombard particles and create a new element?"

The other scientists scoffed at the idea.

"Are you kidding? You think just a few pipes cobbled together like this can simulate a particle collider? If that's the case, then what have we been researching all these years?"

Seeing their reaction, the scientist who suggested the new element theory also began to doubt himself.

"Am I being naive? Could something like this even be possible?"

Hill, on the other hand, gave the scientist a second glance, but with the others dismissing the idea, she didn't think much more of it. After all, assassinations and undercover work were more her area of expertise. This kind of scientific field? She was completely out of her depth.

At that moment, another voice interrupted, "Well, what do you all think? Did you figure anything out?"

Nick Fury had appeared, and the scientists turned their attention to him.

The oldest among them, a scientist in his fifties, spoke up, "Director Fury, you're not trying to test our skills with this nonsense, are you?"

The moment he said it, Fury realized none of them understood Tony's design. But the comment left him irritated.

Fury remained silent, staring at the old scientist. After a moment, the pressure from Fury's imposing presence made the scientist feel uneasy.

Testing their skills? Really?

The scientist quickly realized his mistake and apologized, "I'm sorry, Director."

Fury's expression softened. "You can all go. If you can't make sense of it, that's fine."

He believed Tony wouldn't have built such an elaborate setup for no reason. Combined with the intel Black Widow had gathered, Tony seemed to think this crude apparatus was the key to creating a new element.

But unfortunately...

The scientists Fury had at his disposal were utterly useless.

After the scientists left, Hill asked, "Director, is this stuff really that important?"

With a wave of his hand, Fury dismissed the 3D projection entirely. "If we could understand it, it would be very important. But unfortunately, our people just don't get it."

This wasn't the first time he had been disappointed in his scientific team. At this point, Fury wasn't just thinking about pulling Tony Stark into the Avengers; if he could get Tony to serve as an advisor to S.H.I.E.L.D., it would be like Tony continuing his father's legacy.

"Hill, let's go."

"Where to, Director?"

Fury adjusted his black leather coat. "It's time to meet with Alan Ford..."

...

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