Chapter 11 – New Summon & The Charity Gala
One week later, Tony finally recovered from his "human salted fish" state and could move freely again. He now stood in the underground laboratory with Chen Tian — who was wearing a T-shirt that read "Sword Qi Injury: No Liability" — staring at two very different armors in front of them.
"Honestly," Tony poked the shell of the Mark-2-Devil Edition, "this thing looks way cooler than the regular Mark II."
The demonic armor's dark red paint gleamed with an eerie luster under the lab lights. Its mechanical demon wings rested quietly on its back, while a thorny mechanical tail coiled around its waist like a sleeping viper ready to strike.
By comparison, the regular Mark II beside it looked like a well-behaved kindergarten kid...
Chen Tian chewed on the last piece of bread he had salvaged from the kitchen and mumbled, "If you can't bear to part with it, just keep it as a display model."
"And get strangled by it in the middle of the night?" Tony rolled his eyes. "No thanks. I'm not interested in a Child's Play sequel."
Chen Tian grinned. "Relax, it's just an inanimate object now. Diablo already removed all the hell runes. There's no way it'll come alive like you're imagining."
Tony pursed his lips. "The least trustworthy things in the world are demons."
He circled the armor once, then suddenly stopped. "Jarvis, how much do you think this thing could sell for?"
"Sir," Jarvis replied with rare hesitation, "I'm not sure what kind of chaos this armor would cause if it fell into the wrong hands."
Tony took a deep breath and turned to the control console. "Initiate permanent sealing protocol. Password: 'I will never make deals with demons again.'"
Following Tony's reluctant command, hydraulic systems hummed as the Mark-2-Devil Edition slowly sank into a custom lead-alloy containment unit.
Tony watched the armor descend with the expression of a spoiled rich kid forced to give away his favorite sports car. "Sigh… I really loved this suit…"
Chen Tian stuffed the last bite of bread into his mouth, then suddenly stepped forward and slung an arm around Tony's shoulders like a buddy. "Hey, don't make that face!"
There were still bread crumbs on the corner of his mouth, but he smiled like a high schooler planning a prank. "We Chinese have an old saying — 'If the old doesn't go, the new won't come!'"
Tony side-eyed him. "Does that old Chinese saying also include 'Don't touch my $50,000 custom shirt with bread crumbs on your hands'?"
"Well…" Chen Tian pretended to think for two seconds, then his eyes lit up. "But it definitely says 'You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child!'"
He gave Tony a firm pat on the back. "Relax, something even cooler will come along soon!"
Tony narrowed his eyes. His gaze drifted past Chen Tian's shoulder to a mysterious figure standing behind him.
"So," he drawled, "before you tell me about this 'something cooler'… care to explain—"
He pointed at the white-haired girl in a gothic maid outfit. "Who is she?"
Chen Tian turned around and immediately froze. "Uh…"
The girl stood quietly, holding Chen Tian's First Generation Kitetsu in her arms. Another Japanese sword on her back gleamed coldly under the lab lights.
Her eyes were covered by a black blindfold, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she was enjoying the sudden awkwardness.
Tony crossed his arms. "Let me guess — this is your… special hobby?"
He looked her up and down, taking in the gothic maid dress. "Didn't expect you to be into this style."
Chen Tian gave an awkward laugh. "Well…"
"Don't tell me you picked her up from some underground fighting ring as a bodyguard," Tony raised an eyebrow. "Though that outfit is certainly… distinctive."
The girl tilted her head slightly. "Master, shall I explain?" Her voice was calm and elegant, with a faint mechanical quality.
Tony's eyes widened. "Wait — what did she just call you?"
Chen Tian waved his hands frantically. "No, no, no! That's… uh… professional habit!"
"Professional habit?" Tony's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline. "What kind of profession makes a girl call you 'Master'?"
The girl took a step forward and gave a small, graceful bow. "I am 2B. Per our contract, I am currently serving as Master's bodyguard."
Tony stared at her for two seconds, then turned to Chen Tian. "What the hell have you been doing this past week?"
Chen Tian scratched his head. "Actually… 2B is like Diablo — she was summoned by me…"
Tony's expression froze. He slowly turned his head toward Chen Tian, eyebrows shooting up. "Wait… what did you say? She's also from another world?"
Chen Tian scratched his head again and gave an awkward but polite smile. "Uh… to be precise, 2B comes from a highly advanced technological world…"
"She is a combat-type android. She looks human on the outside, but her internal structure is completely mechanical."
Tony took a deep breath, his eyes wide. "Let me get this straight—" He pointed at 2B. "This beautiful girl who looks like she walked out of a cosplay event is actually… a robot?"
"Bingo!" Chen Tian snapped his fingers. "But she's way more advanced than those clunky robots in your lab."
2B gave a small bow. "Master flatters me." Her voice was calm as still water, but the corner of her mouth curved slightly.
Tony circled 2B like he was admiring a piece of art. "The craftsmanship… the detail… it's perfect."
He suddenly stopped and looked at Chen Tian suspiciously. "You sure she's not just a high-end cosplayer from some studio?"
Chen Tian nearly choked on his own spit. "Hey! She's a legitimate combat android!"
At that moment, 2B spoke again. "If Master requires it, 2B can also assist with the reproduction process."
Both Chen Tian and Tony froze with strange expressions. Tony burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
Chen Tian's face turned red as he scolded 2B, "Don't say that in public!"
Tony leaned close to Chen Tian and lowered his voice. "Seriously, bro, if you're into this cosplay style, I can introduce you to some high-end custom studios…"
Chen Tian rolled his eyes. "Tony, she's really not a cosplayer!"
"Come on," Tony scoffed. "I can accept the demon — myths have records of those. But a living beautiful girl? You think I'm three years old?"
Chen Tian sighed and turned to 2B. "Show him your 'true form'."
2B nodded gracefully and raised her right arm. With a soft mechanical whir, the skin on her forearm split open, revealing the intricate machinery inside. Blue light flowed through the metal skeleton as countless micro-components operated at dizzying speeds.
Tony's coffee cup slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.
"This…" he stammered, "this is impossible…"
"Welcome to future technology," Chen Tian said proudly.
"2B comes from a civilization at least 200 years more advanced than ours. Her mechanical core, combat systems, energy supply… any one of these technologies could improve our armor performance by more than ten times."
Tony circled 2B like an excited child, wanting to touch her but not daring to. "So… she really is a robot?"
"Combat-type android," 2B calmly corrected. "My body uses biomimetic technology. Externally I appear human, but internally I am fully mechanical."
Tony's eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait! If we can apply her technology to the Mark series…"
"Bingo!" Chen Tian snapped his fingers. "Imagine an Iron Man suit with 2B's combat technology combined with your energy systems…"
Tony was already frantically sketching new designs on the holographic screens. "We could redesign the joint structure… improve the power transmission system… My god, this is…"
"Crazy?" Chen Tian offered with a smile.
"Genius!" Tony corrected. He turned to 2B. "Darling, would you mind if I scan your internal structure?"
2B looked at Chen Tian. When he nodded, she replied, "As long as you don't disassemble me."
Tony carefully operated the scanner. A 3D model of 2B's internal structure gradually appeared on the holographic display.
As the scan deepened, his expression shifted from excitement to pure shock.
"This… this is impossible…" Tony's fingers trembled slightly as he zoomed in on a joint detail. "Her nano-hydraulic system is ten times more precise than our most advanced micro-motors!"
2B stood quietly on the scanning platform. Blue data streams flickered beneath her blindfold. "Would you like me to demonstrate more functions, Mr. Stark?"
"No, wait…" Tony suddenly pointed at a data node. "Jarvis, analyze this energy transmission system!"
"Sir," Jarvis replied with rare hesitation, "this energy transmission method completely defies known physical laws. According to calculations, it should cause energy leakage, yet the actual scan shows an efficiency of 99.9%."
Chen Tian lounged against the console, smugly eating a new sandwich. "See? I wasn't lying."
Tony ignored his teasing and focused completely on studying 2B's skeletal structure. "This alloy… my god, the molecular arrangement… Jarvis, record this crystal structure!"
He paced back and forth in front of the projection, sometimes waving his arms excitedly, sometimes running his hands through his hair in frustration. "This is unbelievable… but also the most frustrating thing ever!" He suddenly stopped and slammed the table.
"What's wrong?" Chen Tian asked, confused.
Tony pointed at a delicate component in the projection. "Look at this quantum processor! Its computing power is a hundred times greater than Jarvis's, yet it's only the size of a fingernail!" His voice carried rare frustration. "I completely understand the principle, but with Earth's current industrial level…"
"You can't build it?" Chen Tian finished.
"I can't even refine the materials!" Tony ruffled his hair irritably. "It's like showing a smartphone to a caveman — they can't even make glass!"
2B tilted her head slightly. "According to my database, my world is approximately 247 years ahead of yours."
Tony suddenly turned to Chen Tian. "Wait — since you can summon her, can you also summon manufacturing equipment?"
Chen Tian spread his hands helplessly. "Don't joke around, Tony. Summoning 2B already used up all my strength."
Tony fell silent for a moment after hearing that.
But soon, the corners of his mouth curved upward, and that signature arrogant, almost manic light returned to his eyes.
"Ha!" He suddenly laughed, startling Chen Tian. "Jarvis, note this down — 'There is nothing in this world that the great Tony Stark cannot overcome!'"
He spun around, his hands flying across the holographic keyboard as design schematics began rapidly reorganizing. "Since no factory can manufacture these parts…" His voice trembled slightly with excitement, "then we'll build the factory ourselves!"
Chen Tian stared at Tony in disbelief as he pulled up over a dozen new design interfaces like magic. "Wait, you mean…"
"I mean," Tony said without looking up, still typing furiously, "we're going to build an entirely new nano-scale manufacturing system from scratch." He snapped his fingers. "Jarvis, name this project 'Genesis'."
"Sir," Jarvis replied with hesitation, "according to calculations, this project will require at least…"
"I don't want probability calculations," Tony interrupted. "I just need you to tell me what the first step is."
2B stood quietly to the side and suddenly spoke. "Mr. Stark, my database contains partial manufacturing process data. Although incomplete, it may provide some reference."
Tony's head snapped up, his eyes shining brightly. "Really?" He rushed over to 2B in three quick steps. "Can you connect to our system?"
2B looked at Chen Tian. When he nodded and said, "It should be fine," he added, "But don't let Jarvis peek at 2B's private files."
Tony rolled his eyes. "Please, my AI is very gentlemanly."
As 2B connected, a massive stream of data began pouring down the lab's main screen like a waterfall.
Tony darted excitedly between screens like a child with a new toy.
"Look at this!" He pointed at a set of molecular structures. "They solved metal fatigue with this arrangement! And this quantum entanglement transmission technology…" He suddenly paused and turned to 2B. "Wait, how did the scientists in your world even think of this method?"
2B tilted her head slightly. "According to historical records, it was developed by resistance scientists during the 14th Machine War under extreme resource scarcity."
Tony's expression turned serious. "War drives technology… what a familiar story."
He shook his head and dove back into work. "But this time, we're going to use this technology to do something good."
Meanwhile, Chen Tian sprawled lazily on the lab sofa, remote in hand, mindlessly flipping through TV channels. Cooking shows, shopping ads, news broadcasts… He yawned and glanced sideways at Tony, who was still working frantically.
"Hey, Tony," he called out, "want to take a break? SpongeBob reruns are starting."
Tony didn't even look up, his hands flying across the holographic keyboard. "No time! I'm pushing the limits of human technology!"
Chen Tian pouted and switched channels again. This time it was Planet Earth, showing a documentary on penguin mating.
He sneaked a glance at 2B, who stood quietly beside Tony like the perfect assistant.
"2B," Chen Tian suddenly asked, "do you ever get bored?"
2B turned her head. Her expression was unreadable behind the black blindfold. "Androids do not experience boredom, Master."
"Oh…" Chen Tian scratched his head. "Do you watch TV?"
2B tilted her head slightly. "I can receive and analyze video signals, but it is not part of my core functions."
Tony suddenly chimed in, "Don't disturb her, Chen Tian. 2B is helping me calculate the optimal solution for quantum tunneling effects."
Suddenly, the TV switched to a news report. On screen, Obadiah Stane stood smiling in front of Stark Industries headquarters, while another shot showed a lavishly decorated gala venue.
"Tonight," the news anchor announced, "Stark Industries' acting CEO, Obadiah Stane, will host the annual charity gala. Many prominent figures from politics and business are expected to attend…"
Tony's fingers paused on the holographic keyboard. He glanced up at the screen.
"Yo," Chen Tian perked up immediately, grinning mischievously at Tony. "Isn't that your dear 'Uncle'?"
He deliberately imitated the anchor's exaggerated tone. "'The helmsman of Stark Industries'… 'philanthropist'…"
Tony continued typing without looking up. "Mhm."
"So," Chen Tian pointed the remote at the screen, "you're not planning to attend the gala? You might even run into Pepper."
Tony finally stopped working and looked thoughtfully at Chen Tian sprawled on the sofa. He snapped his fingers. "Jarvis, prepare a custom tuxedo for Mr. Chen Tian."
Chen Tian shot up from the sofa. "Wait, what did you say?"
"I said," Tony walked slowly to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey, "since you're so interested in this gala…"
He took a sip and flashed his signature mischievous Stark grin. "Why don't you go in my place?"
"Are you crazy?" Chen Tian's eyes widened. "That's a Stark Industries event!"
Tony shrugged. "So? It's not like you've never been to big events."
He set down his glass and patted Chen Tian's shoulder. "Besides, Pepper will take good care of you."
Chen Tian's expression turned horrified. "Uh… are you trying to get me killed by Pepper?"
"Hahahaha, who told you to swing your sword around so much?" Tony laughed. "Plus, if you go to the gala, I can focus on my work." He gestured at the mountain of parts in the lab. "See? All of these need my personal tuning."
"Then just say that!" Chen Tian protested.
Tony gave a fake smile. "But this way is more fun, isn't it?"
"Alright," Tony pushed him toward the elevator. "Your tuxedo is already prepared."
He straightened Chen Tian's collar and lowered his voice. "Oh, and you can pick any car from my garage to drive there."
Chen Tian's eyes lit up. "Really? Even the limited-edition Bugatti?"
Tony made an exaggerated "be my guest" gesture. "As long as you don't crash it."
He winked. "But even if you do, it's fine. I have insurance."
2B suddenly appeared at the elevator entrance. "Master, shall I accompany you?"
Tony answered first. "Of course not!"
He shoved Chen Tian into the elevator. "2B needs to stay and help me with the quantum calculations."
As the elevator doors closed, Tony waved with a mischievous grin. "Have fun! Stark Industries galas always have plenty of beautiful women!"
Just before the doors shut, Chen Tian muttered through gritted teeth, "Tony, you bastard!"
Tony leaned against the lab console, watching the elevator descend via the monitor with a satisfied, prankster smile. "Jarvis, message Pepper and tell her I sent a substitute to the gala."
"Message sent, Sir." Jarvis paused. "Miss Potts replied that she will 'take good care' of your friend."
Tony burst out laughing and turned to 2B. "Perfect. Now no one will disturb us. Let's take a look at your quantum processor…"
Chen Tian stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his bow tie and muttering, "Damn Tony… when I get back I'm definitely going to…"
He suddenly paused, his eyes lighting up. "Wait… he said I can drive the Bugatti…"
The elevator doors opened. Chen Tian walked toward the garage with a light spring in his step, humming a little tune. "Maybe tonight won't be so bad after all…"
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