Chapter 185: Promising Seedling
Oaks's words caught Harley's attention once again.
"He didn't even want to say goodbye to me; he just left."
The little boy was clearly feeling down.
"Just like my dad."
He didn't even ask what Oaks had opened just now.
"Listen, kid, Tony is just a quirky person, but deep down, he's actually not bad... Thank you for helping him."
Oaks smiled as he looked at the dejected Harley. This little guy had courage, intelligence, and wit, but most importantly, he was kind-hearted.
It is a promising seedling.
Oaks still couldn't understand why Tony chose Peter Parker instead of this child.
Was it because the little spider man had already stepped into an extraordinary world with no turning back, while this child still had the ordinary life that the little spider man envied?
"Tony might just treat you like a kid, but I don't."
Oaks smiled and reached out his hand to him.
"Let's get to know each other again. I'm Oaks Woods."
"Harley Keener."
Harley's big eyes lifted, and he shook Oaks's hand.
"Why?"
"Because I'm much younger than him."
Harley couldn't help but laugh, and Oaks patted his small shoulder.
"Also, young man, what do you think of Tony?"
"Him?"
Harley didn't even realize it himself, but he felt as if he had known this Avenger for a long time, as if it was natural.
There was a comforting aura about him.
"Arrogant, conceited, self-centered, has a sharp tongue, but he's interesting and powerful."
Harley sat by the table, and there was a signal analysis record from J.A.R.V.I.S. on the nearby laptop.
He propped his chin on his hand and stared absentmindedly at the data.
"I wish I could be as talented as him as a mechanic."
"Do you think you can't?"
Oaks looked interestedly at the melancholic expression of this adorable little guy.
"You should know that all of Tony's technology is science—
And science is a knowledge that can be learned.
It can be replicated, passed down, and improved upon."
Harley 's eyes brightened. He turned his little face and looked at Oaks seriously.
"I'm also a scientist, a biologist—so while having other abilities, I'm even more aware of how precious inheritable abilities are..."
A green light appeared on the tip of Oaks's finger. It fluttered and flew onto Harley 's forehead, merging into him.
In an instant, Harley felt his thoughts becoming much clearer!
"That's amazing!"
"It's pretty cool, but it can't be mastered by others. It's unique to me.
But Tony's Iron Man Armor is different; he can even pass it onto others and create another superhero."
"Like the Iron Patriot!"
Harley got excited and raised his small hand as if he were speaking in class.
"...Although I really want to criticize Colonel Rhodes' naming skills, that's indeed the case."
Oaks spread his hands.
"So, you see, although Tony is a talented mechanic, it doesn't mean that others can't achieve the same level of success. So why couldn't that person be you?"
"But... I'm just a kid."
"You will grow up, and the possibility of a child is the greatest."
Oaks patted his little head.
"If you believe that you can't become like him, then you really can't, let alone surpass him."
"To surpass him..."
A bright light sparkled in Harley's beautiful eyes.
"I think I can."
"Can you?"
"I can! Definitely, I definitely can!"
Harley raised his voice, and his small fists clenched.
"Good. Then..."
Oaks snapped his fingers, and a special necklace appeared in his hand.
The necklace had a small acorn pendant that shimmered with a faint green light.
"This is... the one Tony has around his neck!"
Harley exclaimed, as he didn't even see how Oaks took it out.
"That's right. I gave it to him, and now I'm giving one to you too. Try wearing it."
Oaks handed the necklace to Harley, and the little guy eagerly took it, wearing it around his neck with a curious expression.
"Wow..."
Harley opened his mouth wide and instinctively rubbed his nose—
Just like when he saw the Mark Armor in his own garage.
"I feel... my mind is so clear!"
"Slowly discover its effects. If you want to catch up to Tony and surpass him, this is your opportunity."
Oaks stood up and patted his shoulder.
"Young man, keep going. If you can get into MIT, you might even have a chance to directly face Tony."
"...I will, for sure!"
The ten-year-old boy didn't fully grasp how precious Oaks's gift was, but he had already made up his mind.
"I will definitely surpass him!"
"Good luck then. I have to go now... Hopefully, we'll meet again in the future."
Oaks opened the portal and was about to step through.
"Tha... thank you, Mr. Oaks!"
Oaks didn't look back but waved his hand, and crossed the threshold of the portal before disappearing.
Harley watched as the magical portal vanished, and with it, Oaks's figure disappeared. He tightly held the acorn necklace around his neck and and his eyes flashed with determination that was rare to see at this age.
"No more procrastination... It's time to start!"
...
Oaks returned to the Nature Guardian and found Tony in the lab.
In the newspapers, Tony was already reported as being deceased, but Oaks was sure that he was fine.
However, when Tony suddenly appeared here, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Pepper finally let go of her worries, but knowing that he still had to track down Mandarin's hideout, she couldn't help but worry.
As for Maya, she was just a researcher, and she only suspected a connection between Mandarin and Killian without knowing the whole story.
So Tony still had to find Mandarin's whereabouts himself.
After mocking Colonel Rhodes' naming skills for his armor and his cringeworthy password, Tony logged into the military's classified database using his account.
After Justin Hammer's arrest, A.I.M. took over the modification and maintenance work for the Iron Patriot, also known as War Machine.
"So, did you find it?"
When Oaks arrived in the lab, Tony had one hand supporting his chin and was looking solemn.
"I found it... This guy Killian, he's experimenting on injured soldiers who retired from the battlefield!"
"The Extremis virus. It's not perfected yet, and the side effects cause the body to overheat and explode. That's the truth behind those terrorist attacks. Damn him..."
After a moment of silence, Tony anxiously ran his fingers through his hair.
"It was me who created this demon!"
Oaks patted his shoulder and nodded.
"Now that we've found it, we can fix the mistake.
You go repair the armor; I'll handle something first."
Tony nodded.
"Here's the address... a villa."
"...I had sent Skoll to track Killian."
Oaks looked at the address, opened a holographic image, pulled up a map, and marked a location.
"I have a mental link with Skoll. Judging from the distance and direction, it's position matches up.
Which means they're together."
Tony snorted.
"Wait for me to join in."
"No problem."
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