"A brand new element."
Ben chuckled, "It's perfect for replacing palladium. As a substitute, it has no toxins, and its radiation has almost no effect on the human body."
Ben wasn't being mysterious. Tony's father had known about this element's existence for a long time and wanted Tony to discover it himself.
There was no need for that.
On one hand, it would be difficult for him to explain how he knew about Howard Stark's achievements. On the other hand, why hand over ownership of the element to Stark?
Some might think this was even less ethical than Egghead Fury, but Ben wanted to ask, why would Nick Fury, instead of discovering the new element himself, send it to Tony? Was it because he didn't want to discover it?
Of course, it was because he lacked the ability!
In the end, Howard had only sensed the existence of such an element, not actually discovered and refined it.
It was still unknown.
One could say that Ben was now the discoverer of the new element. Even Howard Stark's help was minimal.
He didn't have Howard's legacy, nor could he recall the giant sandbox from the movie in his mind.
Ben had only successfully extracted the new element, knowing of its existence beforehand.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the discoverer of the element.
From this day forward, The new element would be named Ben!
This was true even if Egghead Fury came to confront him with Howard's belongings.
Howard was limited by his era, so he couldn't discover the true nature of the new element. S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't, and neither had Tony. What else was there to say?
At most, it was a case of great minds thinking alike; geniuses' ideas always attracted each other.
But for Tony, this was undoubtedly a huge blow.
During these days, he hadn't stopped trying to discover a new element that could replace palladium, but after so much time, he had found nothing.
Yet now, a teenager had come before him, claiming to have discovered a new element?
This wasn't just a fairy tale.
It meant that he, Tony Stark, the genius among geniuses, who was second to none, had lost in terms of intellect and technology!
And it wasn't a loss in biological sciences, which he didn't like that much, but in physics and chemistry...
A complete defeat!
One could say Tony was truly defeated.
However, he wasn't defeated by Ben, but by Grey Matter.
"Did you really discover a new element?"
He asked.
Even now, Tony found it hard to believe.
He had tried so many possibilities and found nothing. How could this person in front of him possibly have done it?
In fact, Tony had already secretly asked Jarvis to investigate Ben's academic performance. Upon seeing Ben's abysmal scores, Tony found it even more absurd.
"No way? You only got a B+ in chemistry?"
Did you even understand the stuff in the textbook, and you discovered a new element?
Jarvis's subtle actions didn't escape Eunice.
Ben naturally knew that Tony was secretly investigating his abilities. Thinking of his mediocre grades, Ben couldn't help but blush.
But what did his high school chemistry grade have to do with Grey Matter?
With that thought, Ben stopped hiding and directly activated the web-shooter on his wrist, forcing Eunice to link to Tony's computer.
Jarvis: Wait, don't come in!
A few seconds later, the computer's control was in Ben's hands.
With a wave of his hand, a blue projection appeared before Tony, with countless particles intertwining and orbiting in the room, like a miniature universe.
"This is..."
He looked at it in astonishment, his eyes filled with immense admiration.
At this moment, he finally understood that Ben wasn't lying.
He had indeed discovered a new element!
"I call it Corrodium,"
Ben explained.
If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have displayed his research results so carelessly. But facing Tony, he had no worries.
With Tony's pride, he would never do something like stealing someone else's achievement.
The term "Corrodium" itself originated from the world of the Little Broken Watch.
In the first season of the Little Broken Watch, Corrodium had a significant role. This element's energy appeared purple and was once stolen by the Mummy, posing a tremendous threat.
However, here, Ben simply borrowed the name.
At this moment, Tony's expression was conflicted, his features contorted. He didn't want to admit he was inferior to others, but the facts were laid bare before him, and he was completely engrossed.
After living for decades, this was Tony's first experience of such profound frustration.
He asked blankly, "How did you do it?"
Ben shrugged, spreading his hands wide, and uttered a sentence that made him even more speechless.
"Just tinkered around with it."
"Whether you decide to use it is up to you. You've seen the structure of the New Element now, and I believe that with your intelligence, extracting it won't be difficult."
He tossed the choice back to Tony.
"Or perhaps..."
Ben put his mask back on and walked to the window, opening it. Hundreds of meters above the ground, the wind howled.
"Or perhaps you could use it secretly. I might not even notice."
With that, he leaped out, his dark figure instantly vanishing below the sky.
Ben hadn't stated his objective, but in truth, he was still after Hammer Industries.
They say a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Such a colossal entity collapsing so suddenly would attract countless predators to tear it apart.
Primus's foundation was insufficient; it was uncertain how much it could claim.
But Ben had a huge appetite. He wanted to swallow Hammer Industries whole, which was why he sought out Tony.
This deal was incredibly profitable. Firstly, his actions undoubtedly declared to Tony that he was the discoverer of the New Element. Secondly, while obtaining the element, he also gained the assistance of Stark Industries.
And all he had to give up was a few days of research time.
Ben left, but Tony, remaining in his place, was angered by his words.
"Use it secretly?"
"What does he take me for?"
Jarvis: ...
After venting his anger, Tony sat back down in his chair.
This time, he was completely sobered.
The New Element he had been desperately searching for had already been discovered by someone else. While he was indignant, he was also genuinely disheartened.
But similarly, he knew that if he didn't use this element to replace Palladium, there would likely be no hope at all.
Was he supposed to go and discover another element?
Don't be ridiculous!
It was questionable whether a second unknown element even existed on this Earth!
"Sir?"
Jarvis tentatively called out to him.
"I'm fine."
Tony waved his hand, then, as if remembering something, said, "Jarvis, help me investigate Osborn Corporation's financial statements for this month."
"Understood."
Soon, Jarvis had hacked into Osborn Corporation and obtained their financial reports.
"As expected, the Self-Healing Serum has nothing to do with Osborn; he didn't profit a single cent from it."
Now, Tony finally understood.
Whether it was the Self-Healing Serum or the New Element, it all came from Primus.
Clearly, Ben Parker, who was only "fair" in physics, chemistry, and biology, had been deliberately hiding his true abilities.
With his achievements, let alone high school knowledge, it would be a piece of cake for him to hang his own portrait in the high school hallway!
"So, sir, will you use Corrodium to replace Palladium?" Jarvis asked.
"Replace it? Why wouldn't I?"
Tony said with absolute certainty.
This answer surprised Jarvis.
"Didn't you hear? This is a transaction. He needs my help for something!" Tony said stubbornly, then added, "Alright, I admit it, I lost this time. But it's okay, I won't always lose. In fact, I win in the end, remember?"
As he spoke, he was already getting to work.
Ben had only shown Tony the New Element for a second, and Tony had already memorized the distribution and trajectory of all its particles.
Soon, Tony Stark would be reborn.
Meanwhile.
Unaware of this, Natasha returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. and brought the matter up with Egghead Fury.
"Coulson and I have assessed the situation."
Natasha handed a report to Nick Fury and said, "Ben Parker is the adopted child of Ben Parker and May Parker. He's shown extraordinary talent since he was young."
"Really?"
Nick was surprised; Ben's grades seemed unremarkable.
"Yes, according to our investigation, he's very mature compared to his peers, not like a child. His school performance is likely a cover," Natasha said.
When a person is powerful, their actions seem to carry profound meaning.
Fury nodded, and Natasha continued:
"Through this interaction, we didn't find any other serums at Primus, but there's a high probability that they possess the remaining formulas. Furthermore, he showed a degree of wariness towards me, perhaps he already knows about S.H.I.E.L.D. through some channels."
"Also, when we went to Primus, only he was present. However, judging by the company's setup and the traces of equipment usage, there should be two unknown scientists."
Nick Fury agreed with these analyses.
As a top agent, Natasha was professional, but Nick had another question:
"What do you think of him?"
Nick had already seen the content about the sonic levitation car. He thought Primus might have the potential to replicate Iron Man's battle armor.
At least it was more reliable than Hammer Industries.
"I think his danger level is low, but you know, he's still young..."
Natasha recalled the scene of Ben meeting Trevor and still believed Ben's subsequent change in attitude was due to Trevor's own rudeness.
"I recommend a gentle approach."
"So, he might join the Avengers?" Nick Fury's eyes lit up.
Natasha nodded.
Then she added:
"What about Tony Stark? He's been despondent for a long time. If this continues, your second member might die soon."
"It seems he hasn't found a way to solve his problem yet." Nick Fury smiled like a shrewd businessman, unaware that he was already a step behind.
He wanted Tony to fall into despair. Only then would the help he offered make Tony grateful, even if what he gave was something Tony's father had left for Tony.
"Just wait and see, he'll obediently join my Avengers!"
Nick Fury said confidently.
Only two chapters today. I was moving until 8:30 PM and only then ate.
I'll never move myself again. I should have hired Lalamove. It took almost a week, but it's finally almost over.
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