NOVEL NEXT Chapter 228: Nothing Gained
Smith and Tony returned to the table.
"Smith, you really won't reconsider racing me? That feeling is something else. You sure you don't want to try it?"
Shaking his head, Smith replied,
"I'm not interested in racing. Too slow for me…"
Thinking of Smith's flying ability, Tony shook his head with a smirk.
"Buddy, you're missing out on a good bit of fun."
At that moment, Justin Hammer spotted Smith and Tony from across the room. With a wine glass in hand, he walked over.
"Tony, Smith."
"Hey, didn't expect to run into you here. How are you guys doing?"
Seeing Hammer approach, Tony frowned and muttered to Smith,
"Now here's an annoying guy."
Then, putting on a polite face, Tony greeted him.
"How've you been?"
Acting overly familiar, Hammer sat down with them and said,
"You're not the only rich guys driving fancy cars. I love this event too."
As he spoke, he pulled a woman closer.
"This is Christine from Vanity Fair. You know her, Tony?"
Tony nodded.
"Know her, but not well."
Hammer boasted,
"She's going to do a special feature on me in Vanity Fair!"
Tony chuckled.
"She once 'did' a feature on me too — even wrote a pretty memorable article."
Christine turned to Smith with a bright smile.
"Mr. Smith, could I interview you? If I don't get you, my editor will have my head."
Just as she thought Smith was about to agree, he smiled and said,
"No. I don't do interviews."
Tony grinned at the blunt rejection, while Hammer's face twisted as if he'd swallowed a fly — his prize connection dismissed without a second thought.
Ignoring Christine now, Hammer turned back to Tony.
"Tony, I'd really like to showcase my products at your expo."
Tony exaggerated his tone.
"Wow, if you invent something that actually works, I'll be sure to save you a hall."
Tugging at his shirt collar, Tony turned to Smith.
"Gotta hit the restroom."
Once he left, Natasha arrived carrying a plate of desserts. She looked at Hammer and Christine.
"Gentlemen, this is our table. Could you please move?"
Looking slightly embarrassed, Hammer took out a business card, placing it in front of Smith.
"Mr. Smith Dole, Hammer Industries currently handles most of the Defense Department's contracts. If you're interested, we'd welcome an investor like you. Partnering with Capsule Corporation would be my honor."
Without waiting for a reply, he left with Christine in tow, clearly intending to "get to know" her the way Tony once had.
Smith glanced at the card without much interest. Hammer Industries had no innovation, poor product quality, and was a failure through and through.
Looking over at the next table, Bulma and Pepper Potts were deep in conversation, while John Wick, Ivan, and Happy were talking about something else entirely.
Natasha, seeing Hammer gone and the coast clear, leaned toward Smith.
"Since I got back, they've kept giving me new assignments. I haven't found anything useful. Can you give me a hint?"
Smith wasn't surprised. If Hydra were that easy to find, they wouldn't have remained hidden for so long.
"If you want to uncover them, collect their blood."
With the cooperation of the vampire clan, once they had a sample, they could read the person's memories. Selene's vampires could clearly tell whether someone was a true S.H.I.E.L.D. agent or a Hydra infiltrator.
Though Natasha didn't understand why he said this, she nodded.
"I'll find a way to get it."
Smith nodded back, then walked over to Ivan.
"Have you thought of a nickname for yourself yet?"
Ivan considered it.
"How about 'Whiplash'?"
Smith frowned slightly.
"You planning to make that your signature weapon?"
Ivan nodded.
"Feels pretty natural to use."
Smith shrugged.
"If you like it, go for it."
Happy glanced at Ivan, surprised — this was the Russian who'd built a mini arc reactor, just like Smith had mentioned earlier.
…
In the restroom, Tony looked at the arc reactor magnetically fixed to his chest. Though his chest injury was healed, he kept the reactor in place for quick suit-up in emergencies, rather than storing it in the armor itself.
He'd already instructed Jarvis to make a fixed model for the armor, but it wasn't finished yet. The portable Mark armor in a suitcase was designed before his treatment, to allow quick transformation into Iron Man, though it had limited weapons due to portability.
Still, Tony was developing even faster methods — orbital satellite support and fully automated assembly suits — though both were still just concepts.
With the arrival of adamantium, his anti–Smith Dole armor could finally be built. Once the race was over, he'd make it and finally have the sparring match he'd been anticipating for a year. The hardness of adamantium gave him plenty of confidence.
Smiling, he pulled out his blood toxicity tester — 0% — and nodded with satisfaction. Looking at himself in the mirror, he said,
"Since I'm here, I might as well not miss it."
Moments later, Tony changed into his racing suit and left the hotel for the track.
(End of Chapter)
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