Pepper Potts exclaimed in surprise, "Seven PhDs? He's definitely a genius."
"Is he like Tony—bringing his own tech gear?"
Happy shook his head. "Sorry, haven't heard about anyone developing suits or armor lately. But I did hear rumors about a giant green monster showing up at Culver University in Virginia."
"Though… the videos were all taken down pretty fast."
Soon, the fifth screen lit up, displaying Tony Stark.
"Our final contestant today—Tony Stark. Holder of the Four-Star Dragon Ball. Known as a superhero, playboy, genius, and billionaire."
Spotlights beamed down on Pepper Potts, Happy, and their section of the audience, while Smith Dole continued:
"These spectators entered using Tony Stark's ticket. Honestly, most people probably think he doesn't have any wishes left to make—so let's see what he's really here for in this battle."
The sixth and final screen activated—but this one didn't show a contestant. Instead, it displayed a full map of the island. Along its edges, five large red dots appeared.
The screens that had previously shown the five contestant portraits now changed to live feeds of the players, who were stepping out of aircraft and surveying their surroundings.
Bruce Banner exited his plane and walked toward the island's edge. Glancing at his wristwatch, he tapped its screen, and a palm-sized holographic projection appeared—showing the island's topography and the five red dots representing the contestants' starting positions.
He quickly identified his own location by the arrow-marked red dot.
"That one's closest… you're mine."
Locking onto a target, Bruce immediately set off toward that direction.
Meanwhile, Xu Xialing and Xu Shangqi had already agreed on a strategy during their flight. Since they were on the same plane when the rules were explained, they picked a rendezvous point the moment they saw the map.
Their plan was simple: meet up after landing, combine forces, and eliminate the competition.
Unfamiliar with the identities or strength of their opponents, they took a cautious but aggressive approach—either dominate the field together or ensure at least one of them advanced if things got messy.
Selene, like Bruce, also chose the nearest red dot and sprinted toward her target.
But Tony Stark was the only one who didn't move right away. After examining the watch and its functions, clad in his Mark armor, he spoke up:
"J.A.R.V.I.S.?"
"I'm here, sir."
Relieved that his AI's signal wasn't being blocked, Tony smirked.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., start hacking the island's network. I want intel on all the other contestants."
…
Back in the spectator stands, Pepper Potts observed the contestant's wrist devices and their functions.
"The Capsule Corporation's tech is incredible."
"That projection is virtual, right? To fit that in such a small watch…"
"I haven't heard of any company doing that. And now that the sun's gone down, the video quality is still this high? That's amazing."
Happy didn't really know how to respond and simply nodded along.
"Yeah, definitely high-tech. Capsule Corp's lead scientist is someone Tony personally endorsed."
Pepper realized Happy couldn't add much and turned her attention back to the contestants' feeds.
Meanwhile, Betty was blown away by everything happening. Taking photos with her phone, she also looked up info on the other contestants, while keeping a close eye on Bruce Banner.
Elsewhere, the AI robot Dāi Dāi ran up to Bulma, who was monitoring all backend systems.
"Master, there's an intruder trying to hijack our signal network."
The moment she heard that, Bulma's mind jumped straight to Tony Stark and his AI, J.A.R.V.I.S.—he was the only one here capable of such a move.
"Dāi Dāi, kick him out."
The robot raised its mechanical claws and declared cheerfully, "Kick him out! This is my turf!"
Back with Tony, he was still standing in place when J.A.R.V.I.S. reported in:
"Sir, Dāi Dāi kicked me out."
"This is his domain—he's got home-field advantage."
"Though he locked me out, I did manage to retrieve some information before the block."
J.A.R.V.I.S. displayed data on the remaining four contestants. Upon seeing Bruce Banner's name, Tony was taken aback.
"Banner's here too? If he transforms, who the hell could fight him?"
"No choice… I need to secure two more tickets fast."
Tony had recently fought Hulk and knew exactly how dangerous he was. And he still hadn't finished developing the anti-Hulk armor. He needed to advance—quickly.
In the next moment, Tony took off, flying across the island to locate the others.
Elsewhere, Selene moved with lightning speed, using her new powers to rush toward her nearest target.
Even with her speed, the target had already moved by the time she arrived.
Selene glanced down at the ground, looking for tracks. If she could find footprints, she could track them in no time.
"Found you."
She spotted traces left by Xu Shangqi and prepared to pursue—only to glance up and see Iron Man flying overhead.
On a remote island like this, Tony's airborne form was impossible to miss.
"You've got to be kidding me… Iron Man's here too?"
Selene was speechless. This was the superhero who'd become famous worldwide alongside "God."
If he wasn't part of the staff… then he was a contestant.
Without hesitation, Selene dashed into the forest, vanishing among the trees.
High above, J.A.R.V.I.S. spoke into Tony's ear.
"Target detected. The subject is moving rapidly. Coordinates incoming…"
…
(End of Chapter)
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