Chapter 39: Tony's Stress
Time flies like a white horse passing a crack, and in the end, Lan Xingyu's wish to become a streamer was not fulfilled. It wasn't that Tony was unwilling, but rather that just as Lan Xingyu told Tony about this idea, Pepper happened to see it and stopped it.
In Pepper's words, Lan Xingyu was at an age where he needed to grow, so he should go out and exercise more instead of staying home and playing games all day.
Seeing Pepper Potts so opposed, Tony very "loyally" sold Lan Xingyu out, standing on Pepper Potts' side without a moment's hesitation. He even joined Pepper Potts in lecturing Lan Xingyu.
Lan Xingyu was seething with resentment. "Fine, Tony, you guy who values women over friends. I've remembered this grudge. Just wait until I catch you in a vulnerable spot. Hmph!"
Originally, Lan Xingyu wanted to find a chance to trick Tony, but Tony had been truly busy these past few months, single-handedly dealing with anti-government armed forces in Asia and Africa. He was promoting the use of new energy in various countries while also facing attacks and public pressure from old energy companies and the military.
It made Lan Xingyu feel embarrassed to cause trouble for him at such a critical juncture. Of course, the grudge would still be repaid; if I don't repay this, I wouldn't have earned the name 'Revenge Lan' for nothing.
However, I have to say, Tony is truly impressive. He managed to resolve all these messy matters one by one. Now, the only remaining trouble is with the military.
And Lan Xingyu knew that this trouble came from HYDRA. Some members of Congress were HYDRA agents, and they were stopping at nothing to get their hands on Tony's Iron Man Suit technology.
With the Stark Expo about to open, Tony was busy rehearsing in person, supervised by Pepper Potts, working non-stop.
However, Lan Xingyu couldn't help with any of this, at most, he could give Whiplash a Light Speed Kick when he arrived...
So today, Lan Xingyu came to school for class as usual.
"Xingyu, can you get tickets for the Stark Expo opening ceremony? I want to go see it." Peter said expectantly as soon as he saw Lan Xingyu.
"I don't have any, and I wasn't planning on going. It's just an opening, nothing much to see. Besides, Tony leaves right after his opening speech. Is there anything else worth watching?" Lan Xingyu said.
"Is that so... alright..." Peter mainly wanted to go see Tony; Peter was already a die-hard fan of Tony.
Because he went to play at Lan Xingyu's place every few days, he often got to see Tony. But he was still obsessed with Tony.
Tony was pretty good to his little fan and even took Peter to visit his underground laboratory. He discovered that this kid was very similar to himself! Both were Geniuses, and both had a talent for machinery, which made Tony develop a fondness for his talent. Although Peter was still young, Tony would sometimes intentionally or unintentionally mentor him.
"Don't worry... When the Stark Expo starts, I'll take you in to see it and satisfy your explosive thirst for knowledge." Lan Xingyu said calmly.
"That would be so appreciated! Xingyu, do you know..."
Then it was just Peter chattering away without stopping. Lan Xingyu felt depressed. The Little Loli had things to attend to at home today and didn't come to school, otherwise, this would have been a pleasant school trip for Lan Xingyu and Gwen, instead of a trip filled with some spider's blathering.
Even the now Single-Universe Level Lan Xingyu was having a hard time handling it.
Yes, you read that right. During these two or three months of arduous (leisurely) Cultivation (sleeping), Lan Xingyu successfully had a Breakthrough in class.
There was no change in the color of the sky, nor any vortex of Spiritual Qi; he just had a Breakthrough like that, without any reaction. He was even still sleeping after the Breakthrough...
Sometimes Lan Xingyu would sigh: A life with cheats is just this plain and unadorned...
However, Lan Xingyu didn't notice it at the time, but his teachers, the Ancient One and Odin, perceived it. Their expressions at that moment were like having a mouthful of complaints that they just couldn't spit out.
Odin was so happy that day. "Surtur, aren't you awesome? Didn't you say you were the executor of Ragnarok? Go ahead and keep being awesome. Even if you fused with the Eternal Flame, you're at most an Advanced Father-Heaven Level, maybe close to the Peak."
"But I now have a Single-Universe Level backer, what can you do about it?"
The Ancient One was also incredibly shocked. Single-Universe Level. Now, Lan Xingyu didn't even need Mephisto or Dormammu to come to Earth. As long as there was a portal, Lan Xingyu could follow the path and slaughter them. The Ancient One knew Lan Xingyu would take this step, but she didn't expect it so soon!
Although Lan Xingyu was surprised after the Breakthrough, it was just "so what" afterward. A Breakthrough is just a Breakthrough! What could it change? Anyway, he was already invincible. Think about it: you were already one-shotting big bosses, and after leveling up, you're still one-shotting them. What's the difference?
Can this Breakthrough suddenly raise my rank, or can it let me watch my shows a week early? If it can't do anything, what's the point of having it?
Take now, for example. Can this Breakthrough make the Little Loli come to school with him? No!
So, in Lan Xingyu's heart, he was perfectly calm. He even wanted to laugh.
Today's classes passed in boredom for Lan Xingyu. After school, he went straight to a secluded spot and used a Teleportation Gate to return to Tony's house. Lan Xingyu prepared to catch up on his shows first.
He knew that Tony wouldn't be coming back today because, right after finishing his speech, he would receive a subpoena from the Military Committee. Afterward, his maneuvering to make them angry while they couldn't do anything to him was actually quite amusing.
Lan Xingyu had also asked his teacher for a week off today. Because in the next period of time, he might need to go to Asgard. After all, according to the timeline, it was going to happen in these next few days.
The next afternoon, Tony returned home and went to his laboratory.
"Stop sleeping, Daddy's home." Tony clapped his hands, waking up Jarvis
"Welcome back, Sir." Jarvis's voice sounded along with music.
"Congratulations on your success at the Expo and the Military Committee. If I may say so, you looked quite fresh in that suit in the recording." Needless to say, Jarvis started with a compliment.
Of course, there was also xiao dai, which was in Stark contrast to Jarvis
"You, I swear I'm going to soak your motherboard in water." Tony said to xiao dai, which was trying to get him that green liquid but ended up spilling it all over the floor.
"Hey, Tony, it's not right of you to bully xiao dai. It's your fault for not upgrading its mechanical arm." A somewhat youthful voice sounded from the doorway.
"Huh? Xingyu, you're back so early?" Tony said in surprise.
"Mr. Lan Xingyu has taken a week off." Jarvis explained to Tony.
"A week? Xingyu, why did you take such a long leave?" Tony asked with curiosity.
"Because in the next few days, someone from Asgard might come looking for me, so if it goes smoothly, I'll take a week off. Of course, it's possible I'll need another week." Lan Xingyu raised his hands, indicating he was quite helpless about it.
"Oh! Then take me with you when the time comes?" Tony became interested when he heard Asgard. According to Lan Xingyu, Asgard was a powerful extraterrestrial civilization.
"Sure, why not!" As he spoke, he casually cast two healing spells on Tony.
"Hey! Stop it, Xingyu, please." Tony said, a bit depressed.
"Stop it? Jarvis, report Tony's condition."
"The blood toxicity was at 18%. Continuing to use the Iron Man Suit is accelerating the deterioration of your body." Jarvis said meticulously.
"But I'm already looking for a solution, aren't I? Please, Xingyu, I can't just rely on your magic to hang on like a dying patient."
"I have compared all known elements and have not found a usable substitute to replace the palladium power core. Your chances are slim; if not for Mr. Lan Xingyu's magic, you might not have much time left." The Jarvis that was just flattering a moment ago immediately switched to exposing the truth.
"But what am I like this? A patient not in the hospital? I'd rather die." Tony said, feeling a bit powerless.
It must be said that even with Lan Xingyu there, the pressure of death still weighed on Tony. Tony was very tired, but Iron Man could not be tired; Iron Man had to be impeccable. This was his goal, and it was also his responsibility.
Tony strongly agreed with a sentence of Lan Xingyu's: "With great power comes great responsibility. This is my gift, and it is also my curse."
Yet Tony didn't know that Lan Xingyu was just trying to show off at the time. It turned out Tony felt this sentence suited him exceptionally well. It became the whip that urged him on, making him afraid to stop for even a moment.
But all these things, just like in the original, became a huge pressure weighing on his heart...
"There are no subordinates under my ship, only partners." — Writing is not easy, everyone please leave a recommendation vote before you go. Thanks: 500 reward from 'Wanting a Salted Fish Life', 100 reward from 'Phantom · Lost City'. To thank everyone for the rewards, I'm adding an extra chapter today, which should be released tonight. That's all for now, Erha is off to type.