768: Chapter 768 Shall we take a gamble?

"Hey! Long time no see, Clarissa. Thanks for saving my life!" Yinsen, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and said to Clarissa.

"Let's go!" Tony said. As the driver started the car, Tony turned his head to Clarissa and said, "You have no idea what I've been through lately! It's just... unbelievable!"

Tony began to ramble on about his life during this period.

It was nothing more than pressure from shareholders, the military, and so on, as well as that 'dear relative' of his, who was also the CEO of Stark Industries.

"It's just closing a weapons division! Stark Industries is still a top-tier entity relying on other things! Besides, with me—as long as I'm still here—Stark will never fall!" Tony said indignantly.

"Interests," Clarissa said flatly.

"I know..." Tony nodded slightly. He wasn't stupid, but he was frustrated!

"Power itself is neither good nor evil," Clarissa told Tony. "The same goes for weapons. For example, hmm, I heard that in your world, a weapon called the Gatling was originally created to save lives..."

"Uh..." Tony froze for a moment after hearing Clarissa's words, but he understood the point she was trying to make. "Sigh, I know... but I've developed something better. If it's closed, it's closed! I'll take a different path, like energy! Stark will still be at the top!"

"Forget it, let's not talk about those miserable things," Tony said, shaking his head slightly. He then said to Clarissa with pride, "We're going to my villa now, to my lab. I'll show you my masterpiece! The MK2!"

"Ever since I got back from over there, I've been determined to make an even more powerful and formidable suit of armor! I took the lessons from the MK1 and upgraded it. Built with better Materials and better technology, the MK2 will definitely blow your mind!"

Tony's face was full of pride—the arrogance of his own Genius!

"Mhm," Clarissa nodded slightly. She wasn't interested in the MK2, and besides, the MK2 wasn't actually that powerful.

"It's still just a tin can," Clarissa said, shaking her head slightly. "Moreover, you are always human. You can't wear the MK2 at all times. If you encounter danger, you can't respond immediately. You have to prepare in advance, run back here to put on your so-called pride—this clunky MK2—and then leave the villa to go where you need to go. It's too slow, too tedious."

"Uh..." Tony's expression stiffened. Clarissa was right; that was a major drawback.

"But that doesn't hide its power!" Tony said stubbornly.

"And you have no idea! The MK2 is so much stronger than the MK1! You know what the environment was like back then for the MK1! It was already pushing the limits for me to create that thing in such a primitive setting." Tony still wanted Clarissa to be amazed by his brilliant design. "The gap is truly massive!"

"The MK1 was paired with a crude reactor with a battery life of less than an hour! Flying was extremely power-consuming. But the MK2 uses my upgraded second-generation Arc Reactor, which can provide a continuous and stable power supply for long-duration flight and combat!"

"The MK1 could only manage short-distance jet jumps and gliding; it couldn't fly steadily. But the MK2 can achieve full vertical takeoff and landing and supersonic flight! It can even hover in the air and perform maneuvers!"

"In terms of protection, the MK1 was nothing more than scrap iron and steel plates. You saw it then—it was indeed clunky, brittle, and easily deformed. But the MK2 is different. I used a high-strength alloy, making the structure solid while achieving lightweighting! Explosions and impacts won't cause much damage to my MK2!"

"Not to mention the weapons! The MK2's weapons have been super-upgraded! Palm-mounted repulsor rays plus a chest-mounted unibeam—capable of continuous, precise, long-range attacks!"

As he spoke, the pride on Tony's face grew even more intense.

He went on to describe various differences between the MK1 and MK2, such as the controls changing from manual to Artificial Intelligence, as well as the holographic HUD, voice control, automated assistance, and other fully automatic transitions.

Yinsen looked at Tony in the back and couldn't help but find it a bit funny.

This was exactly like a child who got good grades and was babbling in front of his mother, hoping for praise and a reward.

Clarissa listened with a smile and then nodded. "Mhm, I suppose it's an interesting toy."

"..." The word 'toy' immediately silenced Tony.

No way! Once we get to the lab, I'm going to let Clarissa see the actual MK2! She'll be shocked!

A flame of refusal to lose flickered in Tony's eyes.

Soon, the car drove into Tony's villa area.

"Welcome to Tony's villa!" Tony got out of the car and said to everyone.

He led everyone into the villa.

"Come on! To the lab!" Without another word, Tony led Clarissa toward the underground laboratory.

Peter, Gwen, and Lorna followed obediently behind Clarissa down to the basement.

"Look! That is my MK2!" Arriving at the underground lab, Tony pointed directly at the prominent MK2. The MK1 was still sitting in the corner, seemingly kept as a souvenir.

"Let me give you a demonstration! Jarvis! Suit up!" Tony immediately went over and began to "don" the MK2 with the help of mechanical arms.

The MK2 was currently a pure bright silver metallic texture, without any red or gold aesthetic coatings. Its lines were sharp and simple, following standard humanoid mecha proportions. The shoulder armor, chest plate, and legs had obvious engineering joints and rivet marks. The helmet was the classic curved visor with white light-emitting diode eyes, and the chest featured the white glowing core of the Arc Reactor.

"How is it? Not bad, right?" Tony's voice came from inside the MK2. He then raised his hand, and the palm repulsor lit up slightly; one could clearly feel the energy gathering within.

"Like I said, a decent toy. Forget about fighting me—you wouldn't even last a minute against Lorna." Clarissa shook her head slightly.

"Lorna? Who?" Tony asked in confusion.

Polaris stepped forward. "Me."

"You're Lorna?" Tony looked at the green-haired girl in front of him. "Clarissa, are you joking?"

"I'm not. Hmm~ how should I put this? I just started an organization today called Akatsuki, and Lorna is now a member of my organization." Clarissa thought for a moment, then her lips curled up. "How about this: you two spar. Let's make a bet. For instance, if you win, I'll do one thing for you within my power. If you lose, you'll handle my organization's logistics, including but not limited to technical work. Oh right, you'll also have to provide a base for the organization."

"..." After hearing Clarissa's words, Tony fell silent for a moment. "You're not kidding?"

"Of course not! And I'll even raise the stakes: if Lorna doesn't defeat you within one minute, I lose," Clarissa said to Tony with a smile.

Tony couldn't stand being underestimated like this. He knew Clarissa was strong; after all, she could fly physically and had strange superpowers. He felt that even if his MK2 wasn't as good as Clarissa, he shouldn't be unable to hold out for a single minute—especially against her subordinate!

Tony still had confidence in himself and in the MK2! This was the Peak of his technology (currently)! And he would definitely continue to upgrade and iterate in the future!

In other words, he would only get stronger and stronger!