Seeing the Allfather stopping him, Heimdall asked, puzzled, “My King, this…”
“No worries, this is something the Sorcerer Supreme and I agreed upon. This is his opportunity. Continue providing energy; how far he can go depends on his own potential,” Odin said calmly.
Following his king’s command, Heimdall had no more questions. His loyalty to the Allfather was absolute. Whatever the Allfather asked, he would strive to accomplish.
Lan Xingyu felt the energy of the Bifrost merging with his own! What was happening? While this was beneficial, the energy of the Bifrost was overwhelming. Within a few minutes, Lan Xingyu was struggling to cope. Despite being at the Skyfather level, the energy being infused into him was immense. The excess energy began to further enhance his body, but it was a harsh and brutal process. The excruciating pain tormented Lan Xingyu’s spirit continuously. After ten more minutes, Lan Xingyu lost consciousness. As he did, the energy stopped flowing into his body, and he accidentally fell out of the Bifrost. Luckily, he landed back on Earth, rolling a few times in the desert. It didn’t matter, though; even if it weren’t a desert, Lan Xingyu wouldn’t have been hurt. He was now a peak Skyfather-level powerhouse. Yes, you read that right. After the Bifrost’s energy infusion, Lan Xingyu’s strength had skyrocketed to the peak of the Skyfather level, with his internal energy still evolving. However, Lan Xingyu was unaware of this as he was in a deep coma.
At that moment, a convoy approached Lan Xingyu. It looked like a military convoy, tasked with ensuring the safe arrival of a man. This man, dressed in a suit, had a playful face but a glint of wisdom in his eyes, with a distinctive little mustache. Yes, this was none other than the future Iron Man, Tony Stark, currently still a playboy.
In Tony’s car, as he listened to music and gazed out the window, he spotted a child lying on the sand. The child’s clothes were in tatters (first from the impact of the Bifrost’s energy and then from falling and rolling in the sand).
“Hey, driver, can we stop for a moment?” Tony called out.
The driver, hearing Tony’s request, immediately stopped the car. The other vehicles followed suit.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Stark?” Tony jumped out of the car and ran over to Lan Xingyu. Seeing the child’s chest still rising and falling, he felt relieved.
Even though Tony had yet to awaken to his heroic destiny, he wasn’t a bad person. His initial intent in developing weapons was for better peacekeeping. So, seeing a child in tattered clothes in the desert, he couldn’t just leave him there.
Tony noticed the child wasn’t as frail as the locals but instead was rather cute. This sight made Tony’s heart ache a little. If this were a game, it might show that Tony’s goodwill towards Lan Xingyu had increased significantly. But this wasn’t a game.
Tony guessed the child wasn’t local, possibly separated from his family in the desert or sold by human traffickers and then escaped. Judging by the state of his clothes, Tony leaned towards the latter.
With this thought, Tony didn’t hesitate. He picked Lan Xingyu up and carried him back to the convoy.
Seeing Tony return, the guards quickly resumed their positions. Only when Tony got back into the car did they notice the child he had brought. Given the presence of terrorists in the area, they remained cautious, checking Lan Xingyu thoroughly. Seeing no weapons, they relaxed a bit.
The convoy continued, the music playing again, but the atmosphere was somewhat tense, especially for the young soldier sitting next to Tony, who kept glancing at him.
Tony, trying to lighten the mood, said, “It feels like I’m being taken to a military tribunal. Seriously, what did I do? Feels like you’re going to stop the car and execute me. Can’t you guys talk? Hey, Gump (a reference to Forrest Gump, a character who doesn’t talk much from the movie ‘Forrest Gump’, which is highly recommended for its inspirational message).”
“We can talk, sir,” the young soldier beside Tony replied.
“Ah, good. So, you have an opinion about me?”
“No, you just make them nervous,” the female driver responded.
“Oh my God, you’re a woman!” Tony exclaimed in surprise. “I really didn’t notice. I feel like I should apologize, but isn’t this the effect we wanted? I have to treat you as a soldier first.” Tony’s remark made everyone laugh, including the young soldier next to him and the officer in the passenger seat.
“I’m in the Air Force,” the female driver responded calmly.
“Your bone structure is impressive. I can’t take my eyes off you. Is that strange?” Tony said, successfully lightening the mood in the car.
“Alright, let’s laugh a bit. It’s okay,” Tony said.
Just then, the officer in the passenger seat asked, “Sir, can I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Is it true you hooked up with all twelve cover models from last year’s Maxim magazine?”
Taking off his sunglasses, Tony said, “That’s a good question! Yes and no. The March cover girl had a scheduling conflict, but luckily, the December cover featured twins. Any other questions?”
The young soldier beside Tony timidly raised his hand.
“Are you kidding me with that hand-raising?” Tony teased.
“Can I take a picture with you?”
“Of course, you can.”
Excitedly, the young soldier handed his camera to the officer in the passenger seat.
“Just don’t post it on your MySpace page. Please, no gang signs,” Tony joked, seeing the soldier looking a bit dejected. “Just kidding. Go ahead, peace signs. I like peace. Without peace, I wouldn’t have a job.”
“Come on, hurry up and take the picture,” the young soldier urged.
Suddenly, the car in front exploded, leading to chaos. Soldiers in Tony’s car began to die one by one.
Tony quickly grabbed Lan Xingyu and bolted from the vehicle, running a short distance before hiding behind a rock. He pulled out his phone with his left hand to call for help when a missile landed next to him. He saw clearly that it was labeled “Stark Industries.” Tony stood up to run, but it was too late. The missile exploded, throwing Tony aside. His goodwill had saved his life; Lan Xingyu, shielded by his body, took most of the impact. Even though Lan Xingyu’s current physique was nearly indestructible, it saved Tony from severe injuries.
However, shrapnel still entered Tony’s body, and the impact knocked him unconscious.
Seeing Tony Stark and the child on the ground, the terrorists took them back to their base. If the child wasn’t dead, he could be used as another bargaining chip to threaten Tony. Damn Obadiah for deceiving us. Quickly, get him treated! He’s valuable! From here, events unfolded as in the movie, with the addition of an unconscious Lan Xingyu being used to threaten Tony.
Two months later, Tony was still working on his Iron Man suit, with Lan Xingyu by his side. Lan Xingyu had awakened the night Tony installed the arc reactor in his chest. Waking up to see a man with a light bulb in his chest and an older man in a cave, Lan Xingyu quickly pieced together what had happened. He must have fainted in the desert, been saved by Tony, only for Tony to be ambushed, leading them both to be captured by terrorists. As for why he was still with Tony, it was likely the terrorists used him to threaten Tony. Sure enough, Tony confirmed Lan Xingyu’s deductions.
Lan Xingyu suggested he had a way to get them out, but Tony and Yinsen didn’t believe him. Lan Xingyu didn’t press the matter, worried it might prevent Iron Man’s emergence. He decided to wait until the escape, planning to save Yinsen then. Plus, it would be fascinating to witness the birth of the first Iron Man suit. As for the Sorcerer Supreme, since she had told him to use the Bifrost, she likely knew what would happen. Did anyone think the Time Stone was just for show? This time, Asgard had given him a tremendous gift; he was much stronger than before.
With Lan Xingyu’s help, the progress on the Iron Man suit was accelerated by a month. Tony was amazed by Lan Xingyu’s learning ability and his extraordinary strength. Over two months, Tony and Yinsen grew very fond of the child. He was not only adorably illegal but also very sensible and intelligent. Knowing Lan Xingyu had no parents, Tony offered to take him to America and sponsor his education. Lan Xingyu replied that he needed to ask his teacher. Tony didn’t mind, thinking who could refuse a request from Tony Stark?
Today marked the completion of their project. Lan Xingyu smiled slightly, ready to deliver justice to the scum of the Ten Rings.
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