"A brand-new element."
Bant smiled. "It can replace palladium perfectly. As a substitute, it has no toxins at all, and its radiation has almost no effect on the human body."
Bant did not put on some mysterious act about it, like saying Tony's dad had known this element existed long ago and left Tony to discover it himself.
There was no need.
On one hand, it would be hard for Bant to explain why he knew Howard Stark's story. On the other, why hand the element's ownership over to Stark?
Some people might think that was even less decent than the bald black egghead, but Bant wanted to ask: if Nick Fury had a new element sitting there, yet chose not to discover it and instead delivered it to Tony, was it because he did not want to discover it?
Of course not. It was because he did not have the ability!
At the end of the day, Howard had only sensed that such an element might exist. He had not truly discovered and refined it.
It was still unknown.
You could say that today, Bant was the real discoverer of the new element. Even Howard Stark's "help" had been minimal.
Bant did not have Howard's inheritance, and there was no way he could recall the exact look of that giant sand-table model from the movie.
Bant had simply succeeded in extracting the new element under the premise that he knew it existed.
Calling him the discoverer was not an exaggeration.
From today onward, the new element belonged to the Parker name.
Even if the bald black egghead showed up with Howard's relics to confront him, it would still be the same.
Howard was limited by his era, so he never uncovered the new element's true face. S.H.I.E.L.D. did not. Tony did not. What else was there to argue?
At most, it was great minds thinking alike. A genius's thoughts always attract other geniuses.
But to Tony, this was undoubtedly a massive blow.
These past days, it was not like he had not tried to find a new element that could replace palladium. Yet after all that time, he had found nothing.
And now a teenager walked up to him and said he had discovered a new element?
This was not just a fairy tale.
It was basically declaring that he, the genius among geniuses, the unrivaled Tony Stark, had actually lost in intelligence and technology!
And not to biology, the field he hated.
Physics and chemistry.
A complete defeat!
You could say Tony really was completely defeated.
Only, the one he lost to was not Bant.
It was Little Qibing.
"You really discovered a new element?" Tony asked.
Even now, Tony still found it hard to believe.
He had tried so many possibilities and gotten nowhere. How could this person possibly have done it?
Tony had even had JARVIS quietly check Bant's academic record. After seeing Bant's ugly scores, Tony found it even more absurd.
Wait.
You only got a B+ in chemistry?
Have you even fully understood what's in the textbook, and you're out here discovering a new element?
JARVIS's little move could not fool Eunice.
Bant naturally knew Tony was investigating him behind the scenes. Thinking of his barely mid-tier grades, Bant honestly felt his old face heat up.
But if Bant could not get full marks in high school chemistry, what did that have to do with Little Qibing?
With that thought, Bant stopped hiding it. He directly pressed the web-shooter on his wrist, forcibly letting Eunice link into Tony's computer.
JARVIS: Wait, don't come in!
A few seconds later, control of the computer was already in Bant's hands.
He flicked his hand, and a blue projection unfolded before Tony's eyes. Countless particles wove and spiraled through the room, like a miniature universe.
"This is…" Tony stared at it, shock and awe flashing in his eyes.
In this moment, he finally understood.
Bant was not lying.
He really had discovered a new element!
"I call it the Keke Element," Bant explained.
If it were anyone else, he would never show his research results this openly and without guard. But in front of Tony, there was no need to worry.
With Tony's pride, he would never do something like stealing someone else's成果.
As for the term "Keke Element," it came from the world of the little broken watch.
In the first season of that world, the Keke Element had a pretty big role. Its energy appeared purple, it was once fought over by a mummy, and it was extremely dangerous.
But here, Bant was only borrowing the name.
At this moment, Tony's expression twisted into a knot, his features scrunched together. He did not want to admit he was inferior, yet with the facts right in front of him, he was completely absorbed.
In all his decades of living, Tony had never felt such a massive sense of defeat.
He asked blankly, "How did you do it?"
Bant shrugged, spreading both hands, and said something that made Tony almost lose it on the spot.
"I just researched it casually."
"Whether you use it or not is up to you. Anyway, you've seen the new element's structure now. With your intelligence, I don't think extracting it will be difficult."
He tossed the choice to Tony.
"Or…"
Bant put his mask back on, walked to the window, and opened it. Hundreds of meters up, the wind howled.
"Or you can use it in secret. I might not even be able to tell."
After saying that, he jumped.
The pitch-black figure vanished in an instant beneath the sky.
Bant never said his true purpose, but in reality, it was still for Hammer Industries.
People always said a camel, even when starved, was still bigger than a horse. A behemoth like that, collapsing all at once, would draw countless predators to carve it up.
Plamos lacked foundation. When the time came, how much it could take was uncertain.
But Bant's appetite was huge. He wanted to swallow Hammer Industries whole.
That was why he came to Tony.
This deal was incredibly profitable. First, his move was effectively announcing to Tony that he was the true discoverer of the new element. Second, after obtaining the element, he also gained Stark Industries' help.
And all he had paid was a few days of research time.
Bant left, but Tony, still standing there, felt irritated by what he had said.
"Use it in secret?"
"What does he think I am?"
JARVIS: …
After venting his anger, Tony sat back down.
Now he was completely sober.
The new element he had hunted for with desperation had already been discovered first by someone else. He was unwilling to accept it, and he did feel defeated.
But at the same time, he also understood that if he did not use this element to replace palladium, then there truly would be no hope.
Was he supposed to go and find yet another element?
Don't joke around.
Whether there even existed a second unknown element on Earth was itself a question!
"Sir?" JARVIS called tentatively.
"I'm fine," Tony said, flicking his hand. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "JARVIS, help me check Osborn Group's financial ledger for this month."
"Understood."
Very quickly, JARVIS hacked into Osborn Group and obtained their financial report.
"As expected. The self-healing serum has nothing to do with Osborn. He didn't profit a single cent."
Now Tony finally understood.
Author: I'm really not Cao A'man
Whether it was the self-healing serum or the new element, both came from Plamos.
Clearly, that Bant Parker, whose physics, chemistry, and biology were all only barely decent, had been hiding his true ability all along.
With achievements like his, forget high school knowledge. Even if he wanted to hang his own portrait in the high school hallway, it would be nothing!
"Then, sir, will you use the Keke Element to replace palladium?" JARVIS asked.
"Replace it. Why wouldn't I?" Tony said firmly.
That answer surprised JARVIS.
"Didn't you hear? This was a trade. He needs me to help him with something!" Tony forced out stubbornly, then added, "Fine, I admit it, I lost this time. But it's okay. I won't always lose. In the end, I'm always the one who wins, remember?"
As he spoke, he was already getting to work.
Bant had shown the new element in front of him for only one second, yet Tony had already memorized the distribution and rotational trajectories of every particle.
Soon enough, Tony Stark would be reborn.
On the other side.
Unaware of any of this, Natasha returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. and brought it up to the bald black egghead.
"Coulson and I have evaluated him."
Natasha handed Nick Fury a report and said, "Bant Parker is a child adopted by Ben Parker and May Parker. Since he was young, he's displayed extraordinary talent."
"Really?" Nick was surprised. Bant's report card looked pretty ordinary.
"Yes." Natasha nodded. "Based on our intelligence, compared to peers around him, he's extremely mature, not like a child at all. His school performance is very likely a disguise."
When someone is powerful enough, everything they do seems to carry deeper meaning.
Fury nodded, and Natasha continued.
"From this contact, we did not find other serums at Plamos, but it's highly likely he's hiding other formulas. In addition, he showed a certain degree of wariness toward me. He may already know about S.H.I.E.L.D. through some channel."
"Also, when we went to Plamos, only he was present. But judging from the company's setup and traces of tool usage, there should be two other unknown scientists."
Nick Fury agreed with her analysis.
Natasha was a top-tier agent. She had professional skill. But Nick wanted to ask another question.
"What do you think of him?"
Nick had already seen the content on the sonic-levitation car. He felt that Plamos might have the potential to replicate the Iron Man armor.
At least it was more reliable than Hammer Industries.
"I think he's low risk," Natasha said. "But you know, he's still young…"
She thought of Bant's meeting with Trevor. Even now, she believed Bant's later shift in attitude was caused by Trevor's own rudeness.
"I suggest a gentle approach."
"So, he might join the Avengers?" Nick Fury's eyes lit up.
Natasha nodded.
Then she added, "What about Tony Stark? His will has been down for a long time. If this keeps going, your second member might die any day now."
"Looks like he still hasn't found a way to solve his problem." Nick Fury smiled like a scheming merchant. He had no idea he was already a step too late.
That was exactly what he wanted. He wanted Tony cornered. Only then would the help he extended make Tony grateful to the bone, even if what he gave was originally something Tony's father had left to Tony.
"Just wait. He'll obediently join my Avengers Initiative!"
Nick Fury said confidently.
That's it for today, only two chapters. I didn't finish moving until 8:30, and only then did I get to eat.
From now on, I'll never move by myself again. I'll just hire a moving service. I've been moving for almost a week, and it's finally almost over.
/-\
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