The next day, Washington D.C.
The atmosphere at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was solemn and oppressive.
An invisible scent of gunpowder permeated the air.
Flashbulbs continuously flared throughout the venue, capturing every moment that could potentially become a headline.
Tony Stark, dressed in a perfectly tailored, expensive suit, wore his signature smile—a look that teetered between nonchalance and extreme confidence.
Beside him, the ever-capable and charming Pepper Potts appeared slightly tense.
Lin Xuan sat quietly, his calm gaze sweeping across the room.
He looked like an ordinary young man, simply curious about this hearing of the century.
But inside, he was far from as calm as he appeared.
Last night…
In Tony’s extravagantly luxurious seaside villa…
Tony’s tone had been laced with its usual playfulness: “We need to act… a little more arrogant!”
“Let them know that they don’t understand the world of geniuses!”
At the time, Lin Xuan had only smiled.
Lin Xuan recalled the impossibly soft bed, the dazzling starry sky and boundless ocean view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
And Pepper Potts, with her kind smile, offering to introduce him to the most beautiful girls in Los Angeles…
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of Lin Xuan’s lips.
*Reborn into the Marvel Universe, and I’ve already become the top billionaire Iron Man’s friend and technical partner.
This feeling…*
*Hmm, not bad at all.*
His thoughts were interrupted by a stern voice.
The hearing had officially begun.
Senator Sen Stern was the first to attack.
He tapped the microphone in front of him, his voice booming through the amplifier and echoing across the entire venue.
“Mr. Stark,” Stern’s gaze locked onto Tony, “the core issue of today’s hearing concerns national security.”
“The Iron Man armor, a powerful technology under your private control, is essentially a weapon.”
“We demand that you, for the national interest of the United States, hand over this technology to government oversight!”
Stern’s voice was resonant and carried an unquestionable authority.
A low murmur of discussion and the sound of camera shutters immediately filled the room.
Tony leaned back lazily in his chair, even throwing a wink toward the gallery.
He glanced at Lin Xuan, who was not far away, and the two exchanged a look that only they understood.
“Mr. Senator, with all due respect, I believe your understanding of my… *attire* is slightly flawed.”
“First of all, the suit is not a weapon. It’s a piece of high-tech prosthetics, deeply integrated and inseparable from my own life.”
He paused, his smile widening.
“And even if it were a weapon, I wouldn’t hand it over to you.”
“Because in my hands, it’s safe. In yours… I can’t guarantee that.”
Senator Stern’s expression darkened, a cold sneer flashing in his eyes.
“Tony Stark, you’re as arrogant as ever.”
*You think I came here completely unprepared?* he seethed inwardly.
*Justin Hammer might be an unreliable fool, but those tin cans he developed with the military…*
*They’ll be more than enough to cause you some trouble and distract the public.*
He raised a hand in a subtle gesture.
A middle-aged man in a gaudy suit, his hair slicked back and a forced smile plastered on his face, eagerly rose from his seat and strode forward.
This was Justin Hammer, the head of Hammer Industries and Stark Industries’ old rival.
At the same time, the large screen at the front of the hall lit up, beginning to play a series of carefully edited images and video clips.
The screen displayed various armor prototypes—clunky, crudely painted, yet bristling with firepower.
There were ground-based models, flight-capable ones, and even unmanned drones.
“Honorable Senators, distinguished members of the press!”
Hammer stood at the podium, his voice booming with exaggerated confidence.
“For too long, Mr. Stark has held a monopoly on cutting-edge single-soldier armor technology. This represents a potential threat to our national security!”
“But today, I am honored to announce,” he continued, “that Hammer Industries, with the full support of the military, has successfully developed a series of new combat armors—reliable, powerful, and ready for action!”
Hammer gestured wildly, spittle flying as he pointed to the “iron hulks” on the screen, boasting about his company’s “advanced” and “absolutely reliable” technology.
“Our products can completely replace Iron Man, providing a more stable and controllable option to safeguard world peace and national security!”
He spoke with such fiery passion, as if he could lead America to a new era of glory the very next second.
Tony Stark crossed his arms.
Watching Hammer’s clumsy performance and the crude, shoddy-looking designs on the screen, his face wore an expression of undisguised contempt and mockery.
He didn’t even bother to offer a verbal rebuttal.
Instead, he casually pulled out his Stark Phone and tapped the screen a few times.
Almost instantly, the promotional video Hammer Industries had so meticulously prepared came to a dead halt on the venue’s giant screen.
In its place, a series of unedited, “full-version” test videos—which could only be described as disaster footage—began to play!
On the screen:
A ground-combat suit tripped over its own feet after just two steps, falling flat on its back with its legs kicking in the air! Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
A flight suit lost control the moment it took off, buzzing around like a headless fly before plunging headfirst into the test site’s wall in a cloud of black smoke!
Even more absurd, a drone suit pointed its cannon directly at its own operator, who scrambled away in sheer terror.
There was even a clip showing a test pilot trapped inside the armor, screaming in panic.
The footage was a montage of malfunctions, explosions, glitches, and operator errors.
Combined with the frantic shouts of the staff on-site, it was nothing short of a large-scale comedic disaster.
The entire room plunged into an eerie silence.
The reporters froze for a moment, then erupted into uncontrollable laughter and a frenzy of camera shutters!
Even some of the observers, who had been maintaining stern expressions, couldn’t help but twitch their lips and chuckle softly.
The smile on Justin Hammer’s face froze instantly.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he stood there with his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.
Senator Stern’s face turned a livid purple with rage, his finger trembling as he pointed at Tony.
“Tony Stark!” he nearly roared.
But Tony seemed completely oblivious to his fury.
He stood up and walked to the screen.
Pointing at the ridiculous failure footage, he began to “twist the knife” with the most scathing and sarcastic commentary.
“Mr. Senator, is this the ‘replacement’ you’ve pinned all your hopes on?”
“With all due respect, if we send these ‘iron coffins’ into battle, our own men will be ‘taken out’ by them before the enemy even makes a move.”
“As for Mr. Hammer…”
Tony turned to a deathly pale Justin Hammer and shrugged.
“I can only say that your capacity for ‘innovation’ has once again lowered my expectations for what constitutes ‘mediocrity’.”
Tony’s caustic wit was on full display, tearing into Stern and Hammer.
The once-solemn hearing had completely devolved into a farce.
Stern trembled with rage, yet found himself utterly powerless.
Just as the atmosphere in the courtroom descended into chaos and Stern was about to forcibly adjourn the session, Lin Xuan, seated in the gallery, felt a sharp glint in his eyes.
*Now’s the time!*
He rose slowly, his calm gaze sweeping across Stern and Tony on the dais.
Under the astonished stares of everyone present, he slowly drew something from his pocket.
A ring-shaped device, pulsing with a pure, steady, cerulean glow.
A brand-new, miniaturized Arc Reactor Core.