In the end, the military still commissioned ten Iron Overlords. If nothing else, they could just have the Iron Overlords use heavy firepower.
That "Mr. Fantastic," Reed, had a pretty good weapon.
It was just a shame that when the military went to Reed and the others afterward, they learned that Reed's weapon had overloaded and exploded after the fight with Elder Centipede. Stranger still, Reed himself was no longer able to replicate that weapon at all.
For a time, the military even suspected Reed was only claiming he couldn't reproduce it because he didn't want to hand it over.
But even if that were true, there was nothing they could do about it. The Fantastic Four were riding the spotlight right now.
As for Tony Stark, after accepting an interview, he stated that he wasn't some "Iron Man," but "Iron Man, the Steel Hero," the Iron Man known as Iron Man, the one and only, the Iron Man called Iron Man.
No, he said it more cleanly: he wasn't "Iron Man." He was "Iron Man, the Iron Man called Steel," a Steel Hero.
Still, he had become the least envied superhero among the public, because before Iron Man even showed up, War Machines were already flying all over the sky.
As long as you could pass the assessment, anyone could be an "Iron Man."
Tony Stark felt an indescribable frustration bottled up in his chest, and it made him swear that he would build an even stronger suit of armor, one that would surpass Zod Hiss.
Zod Hiss didn't really understand Tony Stark's mood. After the second monster, Elder Centipede, was blown to pieces, Zod felt much more at ease.
It seemed that even in this current Marvel world, they could still withstand Dragon-level monsters.
That meant Zod Hiss could stop holding back and safely bring out even stronger monsters.
Sudden, stress-response-like incidents like this would keep the superheroes on high alert and maintain their fighting instincts, so that when the Chitauri invaded in the future, they wouldn't be caught helpless and at a loss.
Of course, back then, Zod didn't know how strong he himself would become.
At Uld's home.
Zod sat on the couch.
Across his past life and this one, this was the first time he'd ever been to a girl's house.
On Krypton, although Zod held high status and was a top-tier researcher, he had never been interested in Kryptonian women. Krypton's culture valued the heart, not the body, and the women were too rational, too obsessed with connection that wasn't physical.
He looked at Uld busying herself in the kitchen. He had to admit, this woman perfectly embodied the word "temptress."
Like Venus herself, she radiated charm at every moment, enough to make a man lose his mind.
She was like a ripe, full fruit hanging from a branch. Even after Zod had already tasted her, he could still recall that rich fragrance, lingering on the tongue.
"Zod, dinner's ready."
Uld brushed a strand of hair back. She had signed up for a cooking class. After she learned that Zod liked Chinese cuisine, she studied for a long time, and now she felt it was finally presentable.
Before getting off work today, Uld had invited Zod to her place, and Zod hadn't refused.
Uld couldn't help feeling emotional. It really wasn't easy. Her boss had finally been willing to step out of his laboratory.
"This is red braised pork belly. This is sweet and sour pork strips. This is West Lake vinegar fish…"
Uld proudly showed off her results.
"Why is everything sweet and sour?" Zod asked, a little puzzled.
"I think these are really delicious," Uld said, like the way she'd fallen in love after tasting chicken feet just once, braised chicken feet, pickled chili chicken feet, herbal chicken feet, and all the rest.
"It tastes good," Zod said with a smile after trying them.
It was a bit off from the standard flavor profile. Too sweet.
"Cheers."
Uld was very satisfied with his praise. She poured a glass of red wine for him and one for herself.
"I don't like drinking," Zod said, gently swirling the wine in his glass.
"Today is special. Okay?" Uld said.
"…Mm." Zod agreed.
Anyway, he couldn't get drunk.
After they ate and drank their fill, Uld told Zod to take a shower.
Zod went along with it. Still, there wasn't really anything to wash. With a sweep of electromagnetic force, he was cleaner than any shower could make him.
When he came out, the first thing he saw was Uld.
She lowered her head and turned sideways, hiding herself in the shadows.
But a beautiful view like that couldn't be hidden.
Moonlight poured in through the window, outlining the mature, sensual woman in the room, drawing her graceful curves with a clarity that felt both clean and unbearably tempting.
The thin silk nightgown draped over her shoulders, slipping down to expose one shoulder, served no real purpose other than to add a hazy, half-seen kind of allure.
Zod didn't suppress the flood of hormones anymore.
Compared to other animals in nature, one reason humans could stand at the top of the food chain was because they knew how to learn and think. They weren't so easily ruled by desire.
Beast nature was necessary for a species to keep its aggression.
Human nature was the foundation of order.
Zod took a step forward, so close he was almost pressed against Uld.
Uld lifted her head. Her delicate body trembled, and a flush rose across her beautiful face.
…
The next morning, when Uld woke up, Zod was already gone.
She touched the bed beside her, feeling a little empty and disappointed. Seriously, why was her boss so self-disciplined? What was wrong with sleeping in a little?
Uld had wanted to wake beneath the morning sunlight, her face warmed by it, and find herself lying in her lover's arms, or against his chest. What a perfect morning that would have been.
But her boss was simply too disciplined. In the morning, he never slept late. When it was time to get up, he got up.
She rose lazily. The second time already, and her body was still weak and limp from being tossed around. Wasn't it said that men weren't a match for women in this area?
She had even trained a bit, yoga and flexibility and all that, but last night… that two-million-word war…
Uld only remembered the first ten thousand words. After that, she couldn't remember anything at all.
When she walked into the kitchen, she saw a steaming hot breakfast, and a note.
She paused, surprised, and picked up the note.
"You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't wake you. Breakfast should be just right by the time you're up. Eat it while it's hot."
Reading those words, Uld's lips curved into a sweet, happy smile.
…
Zod looked through the information the Black Queen had provided. In the superhuman archives, he'd found a new target.
The mutant White Queen, and her older sister, Silver Fox.
Of course, in this universe without mutants, the two of them were just ordinary people.
White Queen Emma and her sister Silver Fox were born into a wealthy Boston merchant family, practically raised with golden spoons in their mouths.
But being born rich didn't necessarily mean happiness, at least not in White Queen's eyes.
Her father was a cold, heartless capitalist, never willing to invest much emotion in his family.
In her memories, White Queen never went to an amusement park as a child. She never received a single word of praise.
And her parents' relationship was far from harmonious. They argued fiercely all the time.
Blame, nitpicking, curses… it filled that spacious, luxurious apartment, empty and icy to the bone.
/-\
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