Chapter 47: The Homelander Template, Counting Down the Days

Mien looked at the metal monster not far away and spat on the ground.

"As expected of Tony Stark!"

"Truly a genius!"

In the next second, he lifted his shirt and plunged the needle into his body.

The chemical reaction from the drug sent waves of pain through every neuron in his body.

Skin, nerves, blood vessels, muscles, organs, bones.

The immense pain nearly made him pass out.

Compound V first appeared in Germany before World War II.

Someone had wanted to create a team of superhumans for Hitler.

But the tides of history rolled on.

The tyrant's fortunes didn't reverse, and the Normandy landings shattered his last illusions.

The formula for Compound V eventually fell into American hands.

Thus, Vought International was born.

It wasn't that Vought International created Compound V, but rather that Compound V gave rise to Vought International.

Because people's physical constitutions vary, the reactions to the drug differ as well.

Some people might as well be injecting glucose for all the effect Compound V has on them.

Others experience unbearable agony.

Mien was the latter.

After the immense pain, Mien felt as if he had been reborn.

His body was like a spring compressed to its limit, eager to release its energy!

He tore off his shirt, his skin gleaming with a metallic sheen.

As if coated in iron paint!

In this base, every person had blood on their hands, and Mien had become their leader.

Not just because of his brains, but also his fearless courage.

"Stark! Never seen this before, have you?"

Compound V was something he had bought from Vought International at a high price.

Through an inside contact.

Mien charged forward!

His fist slammed into Tony's Mark I armor!

Despite the thick metal defense, Tony felt a faint sting.

"What the hell!!!"

"Can't we just settle this with technology? This is cheating!!"

Complaints aside, Tony didn't dare hesitate!

The massive metal fist clashed with Mien's.

Neither gained the upper hand.

Peter watched all of this from the sand dune in the distance.

This fusion world is truly absurd…

Good thing I came in time, otherwise Tony might not have made it out alive.

Peter watched them brawl for two minutes, neither able to gain an advantage.

Peter was growing impatient.

He had other things to deal with. Gwen had band practice at school these two days.

But she had promised to have lunch with him, and in the afternoon, he needed to go grocery shopping…

On top of that, he still had schoolwork to finish…

And if nothing unexpected happened, he'd be out on the streets of New York tonight, grinding for points.

"I have so much to do."

Peter muttered to himself.

Then he couldn't stand it any longer. In an instant, he appeared in front of Mien.

The ruthless terrorist leader was startled.

Before he could react, two beams of light shot from Peter's eyes, piercing straight through Mien.

At the same time, Tony's Mark I suit completely fell apart, having run out of energy to maintain the armor.

He sat on the ground, gasping for breath.

His body was covered in bruises.

Clearly, the crude first-generation armor hadn't done a great job protecting its creator.

"I thought I was done for."

"Without me, you definitely would have been."

Even exhausted, Tony didn't want to lose in a war of words.

"Do you have any cola? I feel like it's been a year since I've had anything sweet."

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something!

"Punisher, Yinsen! Help me save him!"

He was out of breath.

"Yinsen, a little old man with glasses. If his nose were a bit sharper, he'd look just like Gargamel from the Smurfs…"

Despite his exhaustion, Tony struggled to his feet, wanting to find the man who had saved his life.

But…

He didn't have an ounce of strength left.

"Don't worry, he's already been saved."

"That's good."

Tony let out a long breath:

"When we get back to New York, I'll buy you a drink. Do you like Turkish kebabs?"

After saying this, he completely passed out from exhaustion.

As a carefree playboy, Tony had tried to stay in shape, but alcohol and women had taken their toll on his body.

Being stuck with terrorists for so long had worn him down both physically and mentally.

The constant fear of death had strained his nerves, draining the last of his energy.

Now that the threat was gone, Tony's tense nerves relaxed, and exhaustion hit him like a tidal wave.

Peter: "…"

You're not expecting me to carry you back to New York, are you?!

[You have completed the mission: Save the Newborn Iron Man.]

[Reward: 20,000 points.]

[Your total points: 84,600.]

[For completing the mission exceptionally well, your reward has been doubled.]

[Your total points: 104,600.]

[Without accumulating small steps, one cannot travel a thousand miles; without gathering small streams, one cannot form a river or sea.]

[Someday, you will have everything you desire.]

Peter looked at the unconscious Tony Stark.

Fine, I've already squeezed 40,000 points and a million dollars out of you. I'll carry you back.

I'll just have Ms. Potts reimburse me for the travel expenses later…

...

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