"Race against me?"
Glancing at Tony Stark's professional racing suit, Aaron shook his head disdainfully. "Don't you find this meaningless?"
"And besides…you?"
Tony Stark's eyelid twitched. He suddenly remembered the two words Aaron had said to him before leaving last time.
Arrogant! Absolutely arrogant!
I've never seen anyone more arrogant than I am. Well, I guess I've met my match today!
Tony Stark was not convinced at all.
Ever since he graduated from MIT and devoted himself to Stark Industries, he had always been the center of global attention.
Every exhibition he held would draw everyone's gaze.
Under his leadership, Stark Industries improved by leaps and bounds day after day.
Even when he lost the Weapons Division and kicked Obadiah out, Stark Industries didn't fall from the altar. If anything, that altar became even more unshakable!
However, these past couple of days…
All he had been hearing about was Aaron and Osborn.
All he had been seeing was also Aaron and Osborn.
All the major headlines featured Aaron's name.
Every upper-level executive bowed and scraped to Aaron, wearing smiles like they were greeting a VIP.
Meanwhile, he—Tony Stark, the star boy—had been reduced to a mere bulb for Aaron.
The worst part was:
The women Aaron hung around with were far prettier than the ones Tony found.
Aaron's body was stronger.
He could even fly without using any mechanical assistance, leaving Tony to eat his dust.
Damn it!
Gritting his teeth, Tony swore he would beat Aaron just once.
Even if it was only once!
"If I lose, I'll give you that five-million-dollar race car right after the match."
Aaron glanced at the luxurious Formula racing car and let out a brief laugh.
"You think I need five million?"
"And besides…"
Wait until after the race? So you can hand me a pile of scrap metal afterward?
"Tony!"
Pepper Potts tugged at him from the side. Seeing Tony acting all smug, she sighed helplessly.
She walked up and shook Aaron's hand with a friendly smile. "Mr. Aaron, actually, the reason we came to see you today was to ask about something."
Aaron raised an eyebrow. Tony needs something from me? Now this is interesting.
"We heard that you've made a major breakthrough in biomedical research…"
"Are you talking about the anti-aging drug, or the anti-cancer one? Or maybe limb regeneration? Or a beauty serum?"
Aaron glanced at Tony, then at Pepper, and nodded knowingly. "You two do need that sort of thing."
For Westerners, once you hit thirty, it's a downhill battle with appearance. You can't stop the decline.
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts—one was born in 1970, the other in 1974—were both approaching forty.
Time had left very obvious marks on their faces.
Hearing this, Pepper subconsciously touched her cheek. Aaron's words tempted her a little.
Tony fell silent for a moment. "Even so, if the two of us waved to the stands right now, I guarantee I'd be the more popular one."
"See this sexy little goatee? It's the perfect look of a successful, mature man—irresistible to women!"
"You sure about that?" Aaron gave Tony a half-smiling look before turning toward the stands.
Noticing the front-row "spectators," who were pretending to chat among themselves while surreptitiously watching them, Tony's mouth twitched. "Today doesn't count!"
"Alright, it seems like you really have developed that sort of stuff. Your endurance is a bit better than I expected."
"Don't get too cocky—it's just a tiny bit better," Tony added stubbornly, making a gesture as if to show how small.
"If I'd majored in biology or genetics instead of electrical engineering and physics, I'd have solved cancer and aging ten years ago," Tony declared, clearly unwilling to concede.
Aaron nodded. "But you didn't."
"…."
"Has anyone ever told you that chatting with you is really boring?"
Tony was at a loss. Why was it so exhausting to talk to Aaron?
Aaron responded in surprise, "Then you should ask Pepper and Happy. They'd definitely say, 'Isn't that exactly how you are?'"
"Is that so?"
Tony glanced at Pepper. Her face was blank. He looked at Happy, who turned away.
"Just a little bit," Happy mumbled under his breath.
Tony's face darkened.
"I only talk like this with people who have ulterior motives," Tony tried to salvage his pride. Then he quickly cut to the chase, "Alright, let's get serious. I want to ask if you have something…that can solve the radiation problem."
"For instance…"
"Lead poisoning?"
Aaron hit the nail on the head, staring right at Tony's chest, where a faint glow pulsed.
"Your blood toxicity is about fifty-three percent?"
"Tony, that's not good."
Tony reflexively looked at his watch. "How do you know that?"
"There's nothing these eyes of mine can't see."
Tony's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly moved to block Pepper's view.
"If I really want to look, doing that is pointless," Aaron said.
To Tony's ears, it confirmed his suspicions.
"What the—? You're not allowed to look!"
Happy scratched his head, envious. "I wish I had that ability. That's just beyond reason."
Aaron didn't dwell on the topic. "Maybe you could consider nanobot technology?"
Tony's voice suddenly shot up. "You've already figured out nanotechnology?"
"Of course…not yet."
Aaron recalled Helen Cho; the Regeneration Cradle project did use nanotechnology.
"But it won't take long. Our project's progressing very quickly."
"How quickly?" Tony pressed.
"We're still building the project lab, and the research team is in the process of being assembled."
Tony stared blankly. "That's basically just the starting phase, isn't it?"
What kind of sick joke is this?!
By the time you figure it out, the grass on my grave will be three feet tall!
Is he messing with me?!
Tony wanted to shout, but, thinking of his predicament—especially what would happen when he died—he kept quiet.
"You…fine. I'm going back to the track! Damn it!"
He turned to leave.
At that moment, Aaron spoke again. "Actually…there is an anti-radiation drug."
!!!
Tony whipped around. "One hundred million? One billion? Ten billion? Name your price!"
Just then—
Natasha, who wanted to avoid seeing Aaron and had been hiding in the crowd, heard this and immediately contacted Nick Fury.
"Crap, he's about to pull a big scam!"
"Hurry, stop him!" Fury shouted on the other end.
Nick Fury wasn't willing to bet on whether Aaron really had an anti-radiation drug. He didn't dare take that gamble.
After a quick moment of thought, he gritted his teeth. "I'm heading there now!"
Dragging a pre-packed suitcase behind him, Fury set off for the airport.
Hearing this, Natasha shoved her way through the crowd and confronted the group. "Mr. Stark…the race is about to start."
Tony's face instantly darkened. "Don't you see I'm talking business with Mr. Aaron? Tell them to hold the start!"
Natasha (under the alias "Natalie") froze. Me? You want me to halt the official start time?
"Isn't she—what's her name…" Pepper asked, unsure.
Felicia spoke up, "Natalie Rushman."
Tony paused. "You know her?"
He was wondering if he'd just been too harsh.
"We met once. On her first day at my company, I kicked her out," Aaron said, nodding.
Natasha was facepalming.
Tony looked at Aaron, then at Natasha. The first thing that crossed his mind wasn't whether they had a grudge. It was this: The one I, Tony Stark, took an interest in was someone Aaron had already rejected?
If it were anyone else, Tony wouldn't care—just a fling. But if it involved Aaron…
Damn, there's no way I'm losing to this man!
"Natalie, you're fired!"
"Huh?"
Natasha was stunned and looked toward Pepper.
Pepper hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll talk to Finance about it later."
"???"
What? I didn't say anything, and now I'm fired again?!
I don't get it!
Damn you rich people—do you think you can do whatever you want just because you have money?
And you—young and rich—do you really think you're invincible?
Son of a… I hate rich people!
"What are you still doing here?" Tony frowned.
No sense of timing—no wonder you got fired.
Natasha calmed her anger. Alright, if that's how you want to play, I'll just show you my real hand and take you all down.
She was about to open her mouth when Aaron said, "The race is starting. Why don't we talk after it's over?"
Tony nodded seriously. "You're right—there's no need to rush. Let me go grab that trophy first, and then we can continue."
With that, he took off his jacket and strode toward the starting line to the cheers of the crowd.
Natasha silently put on a pained expression.
On my deathbed, only to find out I'm the clown all along!
Aaron took Felicia to the VIP seats the organizers had specially arranged for him.
Seated on either side were high-ranking officials and politicians.
When Aaron arrived, they immediately stopped chatting and greeted him warmly.
"Mr. Aaron, I'll definitely attend Osborn's Expo. I believe your company will be a tremendous success!"
"A toast to tomorrow's rising star!"
Amid all the flattery, Aaron gave them a casual smile and then focused on the upcoming race.
He really wasn't into these kinds of events; to him, it was like a kids' game.
With his level of bodily control and reaction speed, if he actually took part, it'd be a slaughter: first place would be his, and the rest could fight for second and third.
But he had no interest in that.
He quietly waited for the race to begin.
He'd already spotted Ivan Vanko disguised as one of the staff members.
In the bustling crowd, Aaron was able to quickly notice everyone's defining traits and lock onto his target.
"What's on your mind, Boss?" Felicia asked, sensing that Aaron wasn't really paying attention to the race.
"Have you ever seen Tony Stark take a hard fall?"
Felicia nodded. "Just now, right?"
"Wanna see it happen again?"
"Huh?"
"Come with me."
Just as the race was about to begin, Aaron took Felicia and left the stands.
This immediately caught the attention of the other "observers."
Happy couldn't help remarking, "Are they here to watch the race or to watch Aaron?"
Pepper frowned thoughtfully. "Happy, do you have Tony's briefcase?"
Happy held it up. "Right here."
"Damn it, follow me!"
On the track—
Once Tony Stark was seated in his race car, he immersed himself fully in the competition.
That was his special gift: as long as he focused on something, he could clear all other distractions from his mind…
Zooming around the track, heart pounding, Tony felt like he was unleashing the frustrations trapped inside him.
Until he reached a corner…
He locked eyes with a man standing in the middle of the road—someone chewing on a toothpick, cracking an electric whip in his hand.
I recognize that look—you're my target!
Zzzzap—Crack!
Powered by an Arc Reactor, those two electric whips could tear through a race car's protective chassis in the blink of an eye.
The specialized undercarriage was practically sliced in half by the whip's intense heat.
"What the hell?!"
Tony slammed on the brakes to avoid the hapless driver who had just been cut in two, but the whip had already zeroed in on him. Its wielder let out a mocking snarl as the electricity crackled.
The scene threw the entire race into chaos.
No one had expected that simply attending a race might end in a terror attack.
Bodyguards immediately ushered the VIPs away.
The organizers did not send security to intercept the attacker right away; they prioritized crowd control and evacuating the audience safely. After all, this wasn't a typical group of spectators.
The venue erupted in confusion.
But Aaron and Felicia merely stood at the side, casually watching the drama unfold.
"Hey, Aaron! Give me a hand!" Tony shouted, relieved to see Aaron.
Hearing Tony's shout, Ivan Vanko—grim-faced and silent—glanced their way.
His lips curled slightly, and with a swing of his left whip, he tore a deep groove in the ground.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You'll regret it," Aaron said calmly.
By reading the man's expressions and body language, Aaron instantly predicted Ivan Vanko's next move.
Ivan grinned, the glow on his chest intensifying. With a sudden motion of his right hand, the whip crackled even more fiercely, bolstered by his exoskeleton, and lashed out with a piercing shriek.
Aaron didn't flinch. In a flash, he caught the whip—strong enough to slice through steel—with his left hand!
Electric sparks sizzled along the whip, as if telling its owner, "I'm not slacking—I'm trying my best!"
Ivan Vanko was visibly stunned.
He watched as Aaron remained completely unharmed by the scorching electricity. The toothpick in his mouth fell out without him noticing.
"Aaron! I knew you could handle it!" Tony called out gleefully, equally amazed. He'd expected Aaron to just fly off; he hadn't imagined Aaron would simply grab the whip with his bare hand.
Ivan muttered something in Russian.
Aaron glanced at him. "Speak English."
"Why are you helping Tony Stark?"
Aaron looked puzzled. "I already warned you not to start a fight. I'm just a passing Hero."
With that, ignoring Vanko's reaction, Aaron gave the whip a slight tug. Vanko went flying in a perfect arc and landed right in front of Aaron.
Alarmed, Vanko tried to lash out again with his right whip.
"Careful. That thing outputs at least three gigajoules of energy per second, so you should—" Tony tried to warn him, but Aaron had already grabbed the whip again.
Vanko poured on more power. Electricity ran wild across Aaron's body—but in mere moments, he seemed to absorb it all, and he looked even better afterward.
It was as if the terrifying energy—akin to that of a small nuclear plant—actually served as a massive "recharge" for him.
"What were you saying?" Aaron asked Tony without turning.
Tony's mouth twitched. "Nothing."
Ignoring him, Aaron used his heat vision to precisely slice away the whips and exoskeleton. He handed the dismantled parts to Felicia.
Then, under Vanko's astonished gaze, Aaron's eyes flashed once more, as if performing a high-precision "surgery." He reached out and removed the crude Arc Reactor from Vanko's chest.
"The power of the sun…in the palm of my hand?"
Aaron imitated Doctor Octavius's famous line. Tony, who had just walked over, glanced at it.
"The tech isn't bad, but the per-second energy cycle is a bit low. I'd estimate about two gigajoules per second. It's an interesting idea—using shock energy and ionized plasma channels—but it's effective without being efficient. Basically just a knockoff," Tony said with an outward show of disdain, though something curious flickered in his eyes.
"Can you give it to me?" he asked.
Aaron shot him a sidelong look. "Do you think that's possible? This is my spoil of war."
"But it's a disgraceful knockoff, an act of theft!" Tony retorted.
Vanko barked back, "You're the real thief! Your entire family are thieves and butchers!"
Butchers—Tony could understand, but thieves?
"Well, either way, you're under arrest. You're coming with me to explain exactly how you built this," Tony muttered, giving Vanko a small kick. He was still shaken—this close call could've killed him.
"Sorry, he's my prisoner," Aaron said, ignoring Tony's shocked expression. He slipped the Arc Reactor into his bag and, in the same moment, raised his right hand and swallowed it in one gulp.
[Solar Core: A miniature sun has formed within your body, continually releasing solar energy to enhance every cell you possess. Strengthening it further could result in unimaginable changes.]
A solar core? A tiny sun?
Aaron paused, a daring notion crossing his mind.
Could he implant a miniature sun in each cell of his body?
~~~
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