Chapter 51: A New Element, A New Era

As her body grew hotter and weaker, Pepper bit the tip of her tongue and suddenly pushed Aetheris away.

Without looking back, she flung open the office door and rushed out.

Aetheris watched her graceful silhouette disappear down the hall, a faint, bitter smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Pepper had a strong will. She wasn't one of those women who threw themselves at him at the slightest gesture.

Winning her heart would take time but he liked that challenge.

"That was too close… I nearly lost control," Pepper muttered as she rinsed her flushed, burning cheeks with cold water. She felt like someone could fry an egg on her face.

"So embarrassing…" she whispered to her reflection, recalling the steamy moment that had nearly spiraled out of control.

Then, she opened her purse, pulled out a clean pair of underwear, and stepped into the private bathroom connected to her office.

When she emerged, she felt much more at ease. That uncomfortable dampness from earlier was finally gone.

"Boss, Hans Industries has sent over an invitation. They're unveiling their new mech lineup. Most major political figures, military officials, and leading defense companies in the U.S. will be attending. You..."

Wearing fresh black stockings and walking with a confident spring in her step, Pepper reentered the office.

Aetheris glanced at her. She seemed somehow different.

Still composed, Pepper continued her briefing without missing a beat.

"What a joke. That hick Hans couldn't invent anything impressive if his life depended on it. I'd rather spend that time sipping cocktails in Hawaii," Aetheris muttered, lazily stretching as he rose from the couch.

"You'll go instead. Consider it a courtesy. Oh, and take Natasha with you—I've got a feeling something might go wrong."

Pepper nodded, though her cheeks flushed red as her eyes briefly flicked downward toward a certain… prominent feature of Aetheris.

"Ugh," she muttered, and quickly exited.

Aetheris looked down his arousal was still straining against his pants. A wave of embarrassment hit him.

Sometimes, being this powerful was a curse.

The suffering of being a man!

"Damn you, Tony…"

Just then, a sharply dressed man with a hooked nose entered the office—it was Coulson.

"I heard you're going to Hans Industries' expo?" Coulson asked as he stepped inside.

Aetheris immediately dropped back onto the couch and crossed his legs.

"Hey now, I've been helping your S.H.I.E.L.D. boys nonstop, but I feel like I'm under house arrest. Ever heard of privacy?" he grumbled.

If it weren't for bald Fury and Coulson actually being competent and patriotic, Aetheris would've dismantled S.H.I.E.L.D. himself.

Never underestimate the power of Iron Man, Hulk, the Invincible Shield, and Ip Man combined.

Ten Captain America-level fighters wouldn't stand a chance.

"You're one of our highest priority protection targets now. You don't just represent yourself—you represent the nation and the future of our team," Coulson said seriously.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm a big deal. So what's this really about?"

Aetheris didn't buy for a second that a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had shown up just because of that bumpkin Hans's product launch.

Coulson ran a hand through his thinning hair.

"I've been reassigned. They're sending me to New Mexico."

Aetheris immediately understood.

New Mexico—one of the four southwestern states of the U.S.

Bordered by Colorado to the north, Arizona to the west, Oklahoma to the northeast, Texas to the east and south, and the Mexican state of Chihuahua to the southwest.

"New Mexico's beautiful—red cliffs, deserts, cacti…" Aetheris tried to shift the topic.

"Tony, come on. We both know Norman Osborn and Victor fled to Mexico. My assignment is directly related to them," Coulson said, locking eyes with him.

"Don't. Please don't say anything more. Let secret missions stay secret," Aetheris said, covering his ears with both hands.

"Good luck!" he added, reaching out to shake hands.

"Goodbye."

"Thank you."

Coulson turned to leave, but Aetheris called out.

"Do you have a secure way to contact me? I have a feeling you'll need my help."

Coulson nodded.

Stark Industries Laboratory

"Activate the prism accelerator!" Ethan commanded.

Peter Parker slid on his sunglasses and hit the switch.

Buzzzzz...

Inside the long tube of the particle accelerator, a cold beam of light refracted through a series of quadrilateral prisms at various nodes.

"Approaching maximum energy," Jarvis's mechanical voice echoed.

"Target the fuse!"

Peter Parker adjusted the path of the accelerated laser beam, directing it precisely through the prism system.

Ding

Inside the fuse, a triangular energy collector began to emit a cold, brilliant blue glow.

They'd done it.

Ethan pumped his fist into the air.

Peter leapt with excitement—only to slam into the three-meter-high ceiling with a thud.

"Congratulations, Dr. Ethan! You've just created an entirely new element!"

Peter walked over, beaming.

Creating a brand-new element was on par with winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Ethan had already mentally prepared his acceptance speech:

"Winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry isn't my honor—it's Nobel's honor!"

Ding—Arc reactor has accepted the updated core.

Jarvis's voice rang again.

"Quick, begin testing the suit!"

Ethan collected himself and initiated the power and durability tests for the new energy source.

"Aetheris, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

Aetheris had just answered a call from Dr. Ethan.

"Hit me with the bad news first," Aetheris said, uneasy. Did they blow up the lab again?

"Your Iron Suit is about to become obsolete," Ethan replied with a smirk in his voice.

"What? Obsolete? Someone built something stronger already?"

"And the good news?" Aetheris frowned.

"The good news is, the energy problem for your suit is solved! Come check it out!"

"What? Already?"

Aetheris shot up from the sofa.

It had only been a few days, and Dr. Ethan and Peter Parker had already developed a new element. Clearly, his talent development program had been a success—and it needed to be expanded.

He would gather top minds from across all fields to form his own elite tech team.

Soon, even America, Britain, and Germany would have no choice but to bow to his brilliance.

(End of Chapter)

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