The mention of the check made Tony's face twitch unnaturally.
He really wanted to tell Victor to get lost, but he wasn't someone who didn't appreciate help.
According to the current information, Victor came to rescue him immediately after receiving Pepper's distress call, although Tony felt it wasn't... well, maybe a little necessary.
After all.
When he went down just now, he also found that the miniature arc reactor in his chest had changed; it was replaced with the one he had made in the cave earlier.
Obadiah couldn't have been so kind as to take out the new one and put in an old one, could he?
It could only be Victor.
Now that the car he was driving had been blown up, it was only reasonable and fair to offer compensation for a new car.
It was just that mouth of his, why was it so annoying!
Barely suppressing his anger, Tony pointed to the stairs leading down: "My lab is behind the underground garage; pick a car and get out of my sight!"
Victor shrugged, unconcerned, and sauntered towards the underground stairs.
Returning to the messy underground lab, he took a moment to seriously scan it this time.
All three Iron Man suits were still in the display cabinets and had not been taken by Hydra; it seemed their plan to snipe Victor had failed, and they didn't have time to take them to avoid exposure.
So what did they have in their tactical briefcases?
Tony's second-generation miniature arc reactor was definitely there, and judging by the ransacked state of the lab, they probably also took many models, semi-finished products, even design blueprints, and critical data.
Hiss—
Will future Hydra agents all be wearing Iron Man suits?
That would be a bit tricky!
This unexpected factor needed to be considered.
Lost in thought.
Victor passed through the lab and came to an underground parking lot behind it, which also had a test bench and had also been ransacked.
Among them was a blue luxury car, which looked like it had been hit by something heavy and was already totaled; looking up, he could still see a simply repaired hole.
Victor remembered this.
The first time Tony test-flew, he had no idea about the weight of the Iron Man suit, and after landing on the roof, he stomped through the roof, broke the piano, blasted through the floor, and then sat on this poor luxury car.
Presumably, this was one of the locations for testing the Iron Man suit.
Aside from one totaled luxury car, the other luxury cars were parked safely in their spots; Hydra had no interest in these worldly possessions.
Victor, however, was very interested.
The Lamborghini Heuliez Pregunta, the Maybach Landaulet, the Pagani Zonda Tricolore... all were discontinued luxury cars, unique custom editions in the world, and he hadn't expected Tony to collect so many.
After searching.
Victor finally chose a Ferrari; he couldn't make out the specific model, but it was likely Tony's private custom edition.
That flashy guy had it custom-made for himself, so it had to be upwards of 3 million US dollars, double the price of the one he was reimbursing—not that Victor couldn't afford a more expensive car, but cars in America were generally not that expensive.
The car key was also not removed; he could just start it and drive away, and the engine's roar was very smooth, indicating it had been well-maintained.
Driving all the way back to his villa, Victor's face was a little pale.
The Lickers themselves were terrifying, and after being killed by various hot weapons, their appearance was even harder to accept.
Not to mention the people killed by the Lickers.
Those who fell to their deaths were relatively lucky, at least they had a complete corpse; those who were killed in close combat at the very beginning were like broken rag dolls, their bodies torn to pieces, a very bloody scene.
Driving through all that, Victor's strong curiosity prevented him from looking straight ahead, and his throat itched at times.
But it was still within his tolerance.
Don't assume that being a director only involves taking advantage of actors and bossing them around.
An excellent director needs to understand many things, such as screenwriting, costume design, color schemes, sets, and so on; they need to have some involvement, or even be proficient, in all of these.
Therefore, understanding corpses, as well as the materials of the human body immediately after death or during the struggle of death, is also something they must experience; they often observe dissections in medical schools.
Of course.
There aren't many directors who are as dedicated to their craft as Victor.
So.
As a director who "learns everything and wants to master everything," Victor deeply realized the inadequacy of his combat ability after this battle.
If he were as skilled in combat as Captain America, would he still be so disheveled today?
Captain America can't even withstand bullets with his bare flesh.
This shortcoming must be corrected!
Immediately, right now, this instant!
Rejecting Wanda's invitation to rank, Victor went into his bedroom and opened the platform to search for items to learn fighting techniques.
There are bloodlines that come with combat memories,
There are magic scrolls that directly infuse combat techniques,
There are coaches who can divide their mental bodies and carry them around,
... There are many types of products.
Ultimately.
Victor chose an item he had once hoped for.
— — — — — —
Product Name: "Learning Virtual Helmet":
Product Category: [Bloodline, Technology, Magic, Skill, Other]
Product Compatibility: [64%];
From Plane: "The Matrix";
Rating: [E-];
Product Price: E-class voucher × 3, Plane Points × 400;
Function Description: Converts knowledge into electronic signals and infuses them into the cerebral cortex;
Slogan: Cheer for your luck! The previous generation of learning helmets still had to be plugged into the brain, which was simply inhumane!:
— — — — — —
As one of the classic old movies, "The Matrix" was something Victor himself had studied.
He had always envied the ability within it to instantly learn martial arts, fly helicopters, and speak multiple languages by inserting a program and pressing enter.
After all, he had a ton of things to learn.
Now his wish had come true!
Moreover.
Unlike "The Matrix," the "Learning Virtual Helmet" didn't have a long signal needle inserted into the brain; it was just a simple helmet, very similar to a heavy motorcycle helmet, appearing quite bulky.
But why was the compatibility only 64%?
The accompanying instruction manual was also very simple: connect it to a computer, then put it on and it can be used directly.
The first step was simple: he directly had Alice connect to the helmet via wireless radio, gain control, and learn how to convert corresponding information into electronic signals.
Of course.
This conversion could only be done through this "Learning Virtual Helmet"; to know the core technology, he still had to purchase [Knowledge] himself.
Victor had no interest in the core technology.
After receiving Alice's confirmation that she had taken over the "Learning Virtual Helmet," he immediately issued his first learning goal.
"Let's play it safe first; tonight, I'll learn Chinese up to HSK (Level 11)!"
Chinese martial arts are so amazing, why learn Taekwondo or Judo?
Is Jeet Kune Do not strong enough? Is the one-inch punch not worth learning? Or is Tai Chi too easy to understand?
First, master Chinese, and then these Chinese kung fu styles, which are easy to learn but difficult to master!
Alice received the command and immediately began to infuse knowledge.
From Victor's perspective, it felt like suddenly remembering some "memories," as if he had experienced them firsthand, with no sense of incongruity.
The phrase "thoughts flowing like a spring" described his experience at that moment.
Previously obscure and difficult words were quickly understood and assimilated.
This feeling was like having a cheat code; it was incredibly exhilarating!
However.
Victor underestimated the profoundness of Chinese culture; the same characters, the same words, and the same sentence structures could mean completely different things in different contexts, tones, attitudes, and backgrounds.
The massive influx of electronic signals made him feel for the first time, "Wow, my brain is so crowded today."
Later on.
Victor's comprehension speed began to fall behind the speed at which the electronic signals appeared, and then completely disconnected, his pupils showing a vacant, meaningless stare.
But his consciousness remained; a large amount of knowledge pouring in required him to digest it, and he couldn't pass out.
It wasn't until he finally felt his brain was about to explode that the insertion of electronic signals finally stopped.
At this point, Alice reported.
"Half of the Chinese HSK level knowledge has been infused, taking 1.7 seconds. Significant fluctuations in brain electronic signals detected, infusion temporarily stopped. Do you wish to continue?"
Victor clutched his swollen head, thinking felt as difficult as falling into a quagmire, his mind filled with "Zhao Qian Sun Li, Confucius said, Tao Te Ching, Laozi is willing," and so on.
At the same time, he also understood.
So, that's what the 64% compatibility referred to!