Chapter 28: Climbing the Tech Tree
[1999. Your hunch was spot on—the intel Steve Rogers brought left you stunned. Because you and Einstein had already invented the Arc Reactor ahead of schedule, this world's Stark Industries had leaned more toward biomedical research. In the original timeline, Howard and Maria Stark were assassinated by the Winter Soldier after Hydra agents embedded in S.H.I.E.L.D. learned that Howard had developed five vials of Super Soldier Serum. But in this world, Tony Stark likely obtained the complete formula for the Super Soldier Serum.]
[In 2000, according to official market value assessments, your company, Starlight, surpassed $1.5 trillion—about the same as Apple in the real world. With your 85% ownership, you're losing a million dollars a minute, meaning you'll go bankrupt in 300 years. Not bad, really. In July, you met Tony Stark for the first time at a banquet. Your first impression of him was fairly positive—a humble young man. Then again, no one has the right to act arrogant in front of you. However, Winston told you it didn't like Tony Stark. The reason? "Smart people's auras just don't match." You: "?????"]
[In 2001, even as the 21st century arrived, you hadn't forgotten to find bed partners. Aside from your mature demeanor, you looked like someone in your twenties. The public didn't know you were a vampire—most believed you were a war hero and legendary scientist who had received an anti-aging serum. After years of training in Ripple Breathing and continuous development of the Super Soldier Serum, you could feel your intelligence, strength, and agility steadily increasing—with no sign of reaching your limits.]
[In 2002, after 18 years of effort, you finally created an isotope of the Tesseract. The process was far more difficult than what was shown in the movies. As a scientist, you could say with full confidence that the movie's depiction was utter nonsense—creating a new element that way completely violates the law of energy conservation! To create the Star Element, you first spent a fortune to build a 4-kilometer superconducting collider, which consumed 5 megawatts of electricity just to shatter subatomic particles and fuse new atomic nuclei. The process had to run for at least three days. This new element, which you named "Pseudo-Palladium," is a tremendously powerful energy source—safe, clean, and capable of tripling the output of small Arc Reactors, reaching 6 billion joules per second.]
[In 2003, you stepped back into the spotlight and resumed control of Starlight, announcing your company's entry into the clean energy sector—focusing on controlled nuclear fusion. Humanity's energy history was about to enter a new era.]
[In 2005, Stark Industries announced the successful development of a human enhancement serum, drawing global attention. Your suspicions were confirmed.]
[At the end of 2005, you learned that Bruce Banner, despite everything, had still been exposed to an intense dose of gamma radiation during a biological experiment. As a result, a second personality—Hulk—emerged. Now he could transform at will. The Hulk had appeared. You sought him out and fought him, but neither of you could gain the upper hand.]
[In 2006, using the small Arc Reactor as the foundation and working alongside Winston and Dr. Zola, you began developing Iron Armor. Every so often, you'd go find the Hulk for a fight. It got to the point where he seemed genuinely traumatized.]
[At the end of 2006, Tony Stark went missing during a business negotiation. He returned half a month later, immediately fired Obadiah Stane, and sued him for attempted murder. Around the same time, a gold-and-red-armored superhero began appearing on the streets of New York. Like the Batman of your previous life, this hero had peak human physical abilities and wore a suit packed with cutting-edge tech—even a flight system allowing aerial maneuvering. He called himself Phoenix Man. Of course, you knew this was Tony Stark. The man was ridiculously flamboyant.]
[In early 2007, just as you expected, Tony Stark publicly admitted—under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s watchful eye—that he was Phoenix Man. During a press conference, he tossed aside the speech S.H.I.E.L.D. had prepared and bluntly declared, "I am Phoenix Man!" Watching this on TV, Winston remarked that Stark was ridiculously flashy. If it were him, he'd rather die than make such a spectacle. You chuckled silently—you could tell Winston was just lonely and wanted a new friend.]
[Later that year, you completed your first Iron Armor suit—far superior to the movie version. Winston was intrigued, so you simply gifted it to him. He named it "Trampler." The Hulk got beaten so badly, he ran off for the first time.]
[In March 2007, Winston began flying around in the Trampler, helping people and fighting crime. Many came to appreciate him. People started calling him Iron Man. Due to his unique height and build, some recognized who he was, but regardless, it was clear—he was genuinely happy. The Hulk, however, was not. You challenged him again and beat him badly.]
[In May 2007, Steve Rogers personally visited and asked whether the Iron Armor was your work. You admitted it openly and told him Winston was now Iron Man. Rogers, your old comrade, had no real objections—he simply asked Winston to deny it during a press conference. But Winston also ditched his prepared statement and loudly declared, "I am Iron Monkey!" Iron Monkey?! You were sipping tea when this happened and, despite your usual composure, you spit tea all over the screen.]
[In July 2007, Phoenix Man and Iron Monkey had a public brawl on the streets of New York. Iron Monkey narrowly won. Tony Stark began modifying the Phoenix Armor, aiming to build a suit specifically to counter Iron Monkey's. His target? Vibranium. Coincidentally, so was yours. You bought up a large supply to upgrade the Arc Reactor's components and built even more advanced Iron Armor.]
[In August 2007, under Steve Rogers' mediation, Winston and Tony Stark buried the hatchet and even became friends. You were happy to see Winston find a new friend. Of course, not everything was rosy. When you looked for Bruce Banner, the Hulk refused to come out.]
[From 2007 to 2010, entering a new decade, you developed seven generations of Iron Armor. You even gave Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter each a set for their birthdays. You gave Tony one too, though he said he never accepts gifts from men. Naturally, he tsundere'd his way into accepting it anyway. In return, he gifted you a Phoenix Armor of his own design. (You received an epic item: Phoenix-1.)]
[In April 2010, just like the original timeline, a hammer fell from the sky in New Mexico. Curious, you and Steve Rogers went to investigate. To your surprise, Steve easily lifted Mjolnir and gained the power of Thor. The real Thor arrived late and could only look up to the sky and shout, "Nooo—!" Eventually, things settled. After an intense battle, Thor reclaimed the hammer and defeated the Destroyer. The only one left unsettled was Steve Rogers, who, after witnessing the might of Thor and the Destroyer, began to worry that Earth might soon face increasingly powerful alien threats.]
[In July 2010, the Hulk and Abomination fought in New York City. But with you and three Iron Armor suits on the scene, it was barely even a crisis. The Hulk reverted to Bruce Banner the moment he saw you. Abomination, now surrounded, was dumbfounded. Thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D. Deputy Director Nick Fury's support, there were no significant losses or casualties.]
[In September 2010, after witnessing more and more uncontrollable forces, Steve Rogers invited you to rejoin S.H.I.E.L.D. to help combat unknown threats. After some thought, you agreed and resumed the role of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director. Of course, the day-to-day affairs were handled by Rogers and Nick Fury. You preferred to hold the reins of fate yourself, not hand them to others.]
[In April 2011, you began equipping the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier with a large number of new weapons.]
[In June 2012, despite all precautions, Loki still managed to track energy fluctuations and teleport into a secret underground facility, stealing the Tesseract. By mid-June, at your suggestion, the Guardians of—oops, wrong universe—the Avengers were formed. You, Winston, Thor, Tony Stark, Black Widow, the Hulk, Hawkeye, Steve Rogers, and Peggy Carter formed the new generation of Avengers. You even custom-built an Iron Armor suit for each of them—money was just numbers to you.]
[In July 2012, Loki opened a wormhole, and the Chitauri invaded Earth. But what greeted them was a fully prepared helicarrier and six Iron Armor suits. It didn't take much effort—victory came far more easily than expected. Yes, Loki's comical faceplant still happened. Under your leadership, you easily defeated the Chitauri and Loki, even securing the Mind Stone scepter. Thor, who had come to assist, was completely dumbfounded. In the end, the Tesseract remained on Earth—everyone, including Thor, agreed that Earth was now safer than Asgard.]
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