Roger stood up and walked calmly to the workbench.
He grabbed the edge of the red cloth covering it and yanked it away, revealing a brand-new workbench underneath.
“I’ve replaced all the missing tools for you. Rash only had its robotic arm eaten; its motherboard is still intact, and I’ve already soldered it back together. It won’t affect your work progress. And I only gave the little guy to Pepper so it wouldn’t get in your way…”
Under the combined pressure of Roger and Pepper, Stark finally yielded.
“Fine! But I have one condition: it is *never* allowed in my workshop again. Hmph!”
Roger clapped his hands gently in celebration.
Pepper, meanwhile, turned to look at the Iron Eater Beast munching on bamboo.
She was instantly captivated by its adorable eating habits.
“Let’s call her Nini! What do you think?” Pepper reached out and stroked Nini’s large head, feeling its soft texture.
Stark snorted coldly, then walked back to the workbench with a haughty air and resumed tinkering with his mechanical gadgets.
“Perfect! Nini, Pepper is your new mom now.” Roger clinked his cup of soy milk against Nini’s bamboo, as if they were toasting with champagne.
***
That afternoon, Roger sat beside Stark, watching him tinker with the leg armor.
“You’ve finally found your conscience and decided to make me a life-sized Gundam figure, haven’t you?” Roger stroked his chin, glancing at Stark.
“No! This isn’t for you. It’s going to be my greatest creation yet—a masterpiece that will transcend this era,” Stark declared with unwavering resolve.
“Can I trust you, Roger, my good friend?”
Roger covered his face with both hands.
“Oh! So you’ve never trusted me all this time? Tony! I’m the one who brought you back alive from the endless sands! I’m your savior!”
Stark didn’t offer the confirmation Roger was hoping for.
Instead, his suspicions deepened.
“Roger, where have you been for the past nine days? What were you really doing during those three months searching for me in the desert? And that alien creature—where did you get it? You’ve suddenly become a man of many secrets, my good friend.”
Stark set down his tools and looked Roger straight in the eye, as if trying to find some clue hidden in his gaze.
“Jarvis told me some things about you… things that science simply cannot explain.”
Hearing this, Roger sensed a flicker of fear in Stark’s heart.
His playful demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a grave, serious gaze.
“I want you to understand, Tony, that I’ve always been behind you, supporting you. As for what I’ve been doing these past nine days… I think you’d rather not hear it.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Roger slowly revealed the intelligence about Obadiah selling Stark’s weapons.
He even speculated that Obadiah was the mastermind behind Stark’s kidnapping in Afghanistan.
“Enough! Say no more!” Stark erupted, his anger flaring.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to direct it at Roger.
Instead, he shoved the possibility deep into his heart, refusing to even consider it.
Roger had anticipated this reaction.
He didn’t press the issue.
In a few months, when Stark saw the truth with his own eyes, he would understand.
“Alright! Let’s drop it. To show you we’re in the same boat…” Roger raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
“Jarvis, use all my savings to buy Stark Industries stock. It’s time to buy the dip!”
“Mr. Roger, your account balance was $1,400,044. All funds have been used to purchase Stark Industries stock. Your current balance is $44,” Jarvis’s voice announced calmly.
Stark frowned, momentarily bewildered by Roger’s bizarre move.
“I bet my entire net worth on your stock. If you go bankrupt, I’ll be sleeping under a bridge with you,” Roger said with a grin and a raised eyebrow, as if to say, *See?
I’m this committed.
How’s that for a ride-or-die friend?*
Stark was momentarily stunned by Roger’s drastic action, but he felt the sincerity behind it.
Still, something felt off—he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this.
“That’s… one way to show your trust,” Stark shrugged, accepting Roger’s explanation.
“It’s called sharing the burden!” Roger threw an arm around Stark’s shoulder and gave him a playful headbutt.
Stark cried out in pain, clutching his head as if accepting Roger’s words.
“Alright! Now let me explain my new invention to you.” Stark snapped his fingers, and Jarvis projected an image of the Mark II.
“Do you remember how I escaped from that dark cave?” Stark spread his arms wide, and the projection enlarged with his gesture.
“It was this! I forged its initial form—a suit of iron armor—with a man named He Yinsen.”
“And now! I want to use Stark Industries’ technology to forge an even more advanced iron suit, a brand-new piece of future tech. This is the Mark II Iron Armor.” Roger listened quietly, a smile on his face, as Stark laid out his plan.
“The final product of this project will be mind-blowing. I originally wanted to collaborate with Rhodey; with the military’s support, I would have had more security.” Stark’s tone shifted, his previous excitement turning to anger.
“But that bastard Rhodey didn’t take me seriously at all. He just thought I was joking and even tried to persuade me not to shut down the Weapons Manufacturing Department.” This chapter was copied from novelping dot com without permission.
Stark slammed his wrench onto the table in frustration, the impact sending a numbing shock through his hand.
“So, you’re planning to go it alone now?” Roger quickly chimed in, playing the straight man.
After all, he was more familiar with this plot than Stark himself.
Hearing it all again felt like playing a role-playing game.
Stark turned and extended his hand to Roger, his gaze unwavering and his eyes practically gleaming.
“So! Will you join me? Help me create the great inventions of a new era!”
Roger frowned, a hesitant expression crossing his face.
“I have a feeling shaking hands like this will make people think we’re getting gay.”
Then, Roger’s strong hand clamped down on Stark’s in a firm grip, and confident smiles broke out on both their faces.
“Alright! Let’s figure out how I, a man who knows absolutely nothing about mechanics, can assist the world’s smartest and most talented engineer, Tony Stark, in completing this epoch-making masterpiece.” Roger leaned against the edge of the workbench, bracing himself with both hands.
However, Tony Stark waved him off dismissively.
“Just be the audience. I’ll handle the building. Your hands-on skills are worse than Dumby’s—you’ll only mess up my invention.”
“I regret joining you now, Tony!” Roger said, feigning anger.
He shook his head and turned to leave.
“I might as well go make you dinner. At least I can be useful as your private chef.”
Stark gave Roger’s retreating back a thumbs-up.
He was thrilled with Roger’s approach: an excellent listener and a fantastic cook.
Aside from occasionally being even more of a bastard than Stark himself, Roger was perfect in every way.
Truly a worthy best friend for Tony Stark.
After his moment of admiration, Stark returned to working on the suit.
Just then, Dumby, whom Roger had just finished welding, tried to offer help.
Instead, it erupted in a shower of sparks and promptly shorted out.
(End of Chapter)