Tony didn't spend long deliberating about his suit design. He quickly decided on the type of equipment he needed to manufacture.
Following Marcus's suggestion, he opted to use nanotechnology for his new Iron Man suit. He would still develop traditional solid armor as well, but the nanotech version took priority.
Once his mind was made up, he began manufacturing the nano suit.
In just a few days, the nano suit stood before them. Tony had called in a favor to complete it so quickly.
Though he had a good grasp of nanotechnology, he hadn't conducted in-depth research in the field previously.
To create the nano-suit, Tony specifically sought out an expert in nanotechnology—an Asian female doctor with a brilliant mind. Dr. Helen Cho was one of Tony's few genuine friends.
The new nano-suit was successfully manufactured through their collaborative efforts.
Dr. Cho's mastery of nanotechnology was truly impressive. She easily solved problems that even Tony struggled with.
Marcus remembered this woman well. She had used her superb nanotechnology to create a device called the Cradle.
That remarkable device used nanotechnology to repair injuries, allowing living tissue to rapidly heal.
If living organisms could be repaired through nanotechnology, one could only imagine how advanced her expertise must be.
"Equip your suit and let's test it out!"
Looking at Tony standing aside, Marcus called out. He was eager to see how effective Tony's nano suit would be.
Tony didn't object—he was equally curious about the nano suit's capabilities.
Placing his hand into the liquid nano-suit, the red nanites flowed up his arm and gathered around the reactor on his chest.
Within moments, the liquid nano-suit completely enveloped his body, transforming into a wine-red armor that appeared remarkably solid.
"Well... it feels pretty good..."
He experienced no discomfort—he barely felt the suit's presence at all.
If not for the helmet, he might not have believed he was wearing armor.
Looking down at his hands and examining the data displayed on his HUD, Tony couldn't help but marvel at how the nano suit exceeded his expectations.
Through the brainwave interface created by Dr. Cho, the nano-suit could transform according to his thoughts, making combat much more fluid and intuitive.
Raising his hand and flexing it slightly, Tony's arm became extraordinarily reinforced. This enhancement came with a trade-off, however—the protection on other parts of his body decreased.
The nano suit had finite resources. It couldn't expand from nothing; reinforcing one area meant thinning others.
His thicker arm armor meant fewer nanites elsewhere on his body.
Tony could use this adaptability to counter different threats, but it also potentially compromised his overall safety.
This didn't discourage him—he had anticipated such limitations, which was why he was also developing a traditional solid armor.
After restoring the suit to its default configuration, Tony turned to Marcus. Now came the testing phase.
"Let's begin!" As he spoke, Tony seemed to remember something and added: "Just to be clear—you're not allowed to use your armor!"
This condition left Dr. Cho looking baffled from the sidelines.
Tony was wearing an advanced nano suit. Even for testing, surely Marcus shouldn't face him bare-handed?
With no explanation forthcoming, she could only watch and see what happened.
The two walked to Tony's weapons testing area, assumed their stances, and entered combat-ready positions.
Marcus stomped his foot and appeared in front of Tony almost instantly.
A long energy blade materialized, slashing toward Tony.
Facing the incoming attack, the nanites on Tony's arm reconfigured instantly, generating an energy shield that covered his entire body.
THUMP
The energy blade struck the shield, releasing a violent shockwave.
"Careful!"
Dr. Cho shouted instinctively. Marcus had no protection—if he was hit by that energy discharge, he would surely be injured.
To her astonishment, Marcus remained completely unaffected by the energy blast. The erupting force didn't even push him back half a step.
"Haha, if you're going to worry about anyone, worry about me!" Tony laughed.
He knew Marcus's true strength. If that energy discharge could hurt Marcus, he would have already transformed into that terrifying armored form.
While Tony was speaking, Marcus had already retracted the energy blade and equipped both hands with iron hook gauntlets.
THUMP
Energy from Marcus's vibranium battle suit exploded with his punch.
The tremendous force struck Tony's shield fiercely. At the moment of impact, the energy discharged violently toward Tony.
"The shield's defensive capability is impressive, but next time won't be so simple."
With a smile, Marcus rushed toward Tony again. The blade-like projections on his gauntlets tore through the air with a sharp hiss.
DONG DONG DONG
One punch after another rained down. Under Dr. Cho's astonished gaze, Marcus thoroughly pressured Tony, forcing him to use the nano-suit defensively. This gave Tony a deeper understanding of the suit's protective capabilities.
When Marcus had tested Tony's previous battle suit, it had failed completely against Marcus's attacks. If Marcus hadn't held back, Tony would have been hospitalized.
Now, though Marcus's offensive remained fierce, it couldn't penetrate the nano suit's defenses. The suit even absorbed some of the attack energy.
After enduring Marcus's continuous assault, Tony finally retracted the nano-shield and prepared to go on the offensive.
"Let's see how the nano suit performs on attack!"
His hands transformed into two weaponized gauntlets, and he advanced toward Marcus with proper boxing footwork.
WHOOSH WHOOSH
He threw two rapid punches that created slight whistling sounds as they cut through the air.
But his opponent was Marcus, a seasoned fighter. Both attacks missed their mark, and Tony found himself kicked to the ground.
"Your fighting skills need work. Any security guard outside would outmatch you," Marcus said with a shake of his head.
Marcus's taunt irritated Tony, who immediately called out: "JARVIS, activate combat assist mode!"
Instantly, Tony felt as if someone else had taken control of his body. As he rose with the help of his thrusters, he launched a ferocious punch at Marcus.
Energy crackled around his fist, erupting the moment he struck.
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