Chapter 110: The Corrected Plot

On the other end of the phone, before the urgent voice could finish speaking, a live video popped up.

The shaky video was barely clear, but as soon as it connected, a series of screams echoed from the streets of New York.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The dull thudding sounds were accompanied by chaotic crowds flooding the streets. Though the shaking made it dizzying to watch, it didn’t stop everyone from clearly seeing the culprit behind the turmoil.

In the center of the frame stood a towering robot, two or three meters tall, resembling a small tank and occupying the absolute center of the video.

The armor was roughly constructed, exuding a wild kind of beauty. Large chunks of alloy were welded together, with exposed drive shafts all encased in even thicker plating.

The entire suit lacked any aesthetic finesse, but its immense size and rugged design made it appear all the more fierce and powerful.

Behind the massive armor stood a dignified figure known as the ‘Gatling Bodhisattva,’ gleaming with metallic luster. Paired with the first-person perspective of the video, an overwhelming sense of deadly tension washed over the viewer.

A few children, having never seen such a brutal killing machine, paled with fear. Though they knew it was only a video, the immersive viewpoint was too realistic to dismiss.

Gu Zhongyan, unshaken, stood frozen as well. This familiar rugged iron armor, this recognizable scenario—wasn’t this the latter half of Iron Man 1?

But hadn’t Obadiah been locked up already?

Indeed, when Tony Stark had been rescued in Afghanistan and Gu Zhongyan had exploited Ethan’s injuries to blackmail stocks worth two thousand dollars, Gu had also confessed Obadiah’s secret schemes against Tony.

With this warning, and Obadiah’s crude tactics, it wasn’t long before Tony had him sent to prison.

They thought it was all over, but seeing the fierce Iron Tyrant in the video, seemingly harboring an implacable grudge against Tony, it seemed everything had returned to its original course.

“What? What’s going on here?” Gu Zhongyan asked, watching the agile escape from Iron Tyrant’s relentless attacks.

Under pressure, Tony hurriedly explained the unfolding events while fending off the fierce Obadiah.

Yes, Obadiah was imprisoned, but in the Marvel universe, government institutions were a joke. Not to mention ordinary prisons, even S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secret facilities were merely window dressing.

Few who hadn’t escaped prison could claim to be notorious villains; some supervillains stirred chaos without ever breaking out, manipulating affairs from within.

Obviously, Obadiah followed this Marvel law. After being incarcerated, he used his longstanding control over Stark Industries’ finances, connections, and resources to break free.

Though Gu Zhongyan’s interference disrupted the plot, preventing Obadiah from obtaining the Mark I blueprints or the arc reactor, the storyline’s deviation still allowed the Iron Tyrant to come into existence.

Upon release, Obadiah’s hatred for Tony ran deep, leading him to ally with Stark Industries’ longtime rival, Justin Hammer.

It’s said that three cobblers with their wits combined can outmatch a strategist. Neither Obadiah nor Hammer was exceptional, but complementing each other and leveraging their knowledge of Tony, they managed to design this new Iron Tyrant.

After hearing all this, Gu Zhongyan sighed at the malleability of the storyline and ended the call. At this moment, it was best not to disturb Tony.

As for the chaos in the video, Gu Zhongyan wasn’t overly worried.

Though the Iron Tyrant appeared imposing and ferocious, radiating the oppressive aura of a final boss, a quick glance told Gu that, despite its resemblance to the original plot, its actual combat capability was far inferior.

The hardest part of creating the Iron Man suit wasn’t the external design but the arc reactor embedded in Tony’s chest.

Without sufficient energy, the suit couldn’t maintain its agility.

The Iron Tyrant’s armor was thick and durable but lacked flexibility and power, making a victory over Iron Man nearly impossible.

If it weren’t for the crowded streets of New York, Tony could likely have demolished the Iron Tyrant with a single well-aimed blast while simultaneously rescuing civilians.

In short, unless Obadiah suddenly evolved or triggered some protagonist aura, this seemingly dangerous scene would only end in farce.

With that, Gu Zhongyan calmly hung up and turned to comfort Chase and Alex.

“Ahem, well, as you’ve seen, Tony is currently indisposed due to other matters and can’t communicate with you directly.”

“But he has agreed to be your instructor in mechanics and internet technology. The relevant materials have already been sent to Alex’s computer. You can start reviewing and studying them yourselves. If you have questions, wait until he’s done handling things and then ask.”

“Do you two have any objections about having him as your teacher?” Gu Zhongyan asked.

“No, no, none at all,” they replied, nodding vigorously, not daring to voice any dissent.

Though both were considered prodigies, there was still a gulf between them and Tony Stark.

Compared to Tony’s achievements, theirs were mere child's play.

In mechanical engineering, Tony invented the Iron Man suit; Chase had only crafted a mechanical glove.

In information technology, Tony had created the cutting-edge AI J.A.R.V.I.S. while still in college. Alex, though a genius hacker, could still be traced by his mother if she spent enough money tracking his IP.

The disparity was glaring.

Having such a mechanical and IT genius as their teacher was far more valuable than ten doctoral degrees. How could they have any objections besides excitement?

“That’s good,” Gu Zhongyan nodded. “Besides the materials Tony sent, your parents have transferred their experimental results and information technology from Wizard Enterprises to you.”

“Study and sift through these together to find what’s useful for you.”

“Our team lacks many scientific talents, so we’re counting on you two for future technological equipment. I hope you won’t disappoint me. I can’t say you’ll match Tony, but at least don’t fall too far behind, okay?”

“Don’t worry,” they patted their chests confidently. “We won’t let you down.”

“Excellent,” Gu Zhongyan nodded. “Now, work hard. I have other matters to attend to.”

After patting their shoulders and nodding to the six others, Gu Zhongyan swiftly moved on to Sacramento.

It had been so long since contacting Johnny Bryce—he hoped he hadn’t been forgotten.