"Sir, the reactor's energy core has accepted the new element modification."
Tony Stark couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Batman.
Batman's exposed chin revealed no expression whatsoever. He reached out and retracted the rhomboid Vibranium isotope back into his utility belt.
"Not planning to let the reactor try the new element you created?" Tony asked.
"No." Batman rejected Tony Stark with a single word.
The Vibranium isotope Batman discovered could be used in the reactor; saving Tony was the best outcome, but he held no regrets that it hadn't been needed.
Given Batman's extremely in-depth research into Vibranium, discovering a Vibranium isotope was only a matter of time.
Since the Tesseract isotope was sufficient to replace palladium as the reactor's energy core, Batman naturally had other uses for the Vibranium isotope.
"Testing reactor and Mark IV armor..."
As the Arc Reactor accepted the Tesseract isotope, the Jarvis AI immediately deployed the reactor to load it onto the Mark IV.
Ripples of cold white light spread out, growing brighter and brighter, illuminating the entire secret chamber as if it were day.
A layman might have thought the reactor was about to explode, but Batman and Tony sat steadily in place, awaiting the results of the Jarvis AI's test.
Time passed minute by minute, until finally, the Jarvis AI spoke again.
"Congratulations, Sir. The new reactor's stability and output have passed the Mark IV tests."
Phew!
Tony Stark let out a sigh of relief. He didn't immediately fiddle with the reactor but instead turned his head to look for alcohol.
Even in this secret chamber, there was a liquor cabinet hidden away. Tony Stark opened it, grabbed the sole bottle of whiskey inside, and poured it into his mouth.
Batman did not stop Tony, waiting until he had downed a third of the bottle in one breath before speaking.
"Put on the suit."
"What?" Tony nearly choked on his drink. "What are you planning to do?"
"Peter Parker needs help. I am not enough on my own; I need you to suit up as well," Batman explained, a rare occurrence.
"Let's hear it." Tony continued to guzzle the whiskey.
"You should know that an accident occurred at Oscorp, and three people, including Harry Osborn, are missing," Batman said. "This was originally just a simple missing persons mission, but I suspect other circumstances have arisen."
Tony Stark hooked the corner of his mouth and set the bottle aside. "Like one of them turning into a vampire and calling himself Batman?"
After speaking, Tony observed Batman's expression.
Since the upper half of his face was completely covered, Tony was mostly observing Batman's chin to see if the guy would react.
But not even the stubble on Batman's chin moved.
"Alright, poker face." Tony tapped his own skull with a finger. "Don't think you're the only one who knows everything. As the first person on the scene, I possess more information than you."
"Such as?" Batman looked at Tony.
Tony Stark snapped his fingers, having the Jarvis AI pull up the footage from that day when he was flying in the air and saw two figures fly out of Oscorp in succession.
"Just as I deduced, Max Dillon turned into something similar to 'Livewire'... perhaps we should call him Electro."
Batman watched the figures on the screen without batting an eye.
The blurry black shadow was naturally Professor Morbius, highly suspected of having turned into a vampire-like creature, while the other figure radiating golden electricity was Max Dillon.
"One vampire, one energy being." Tony Stark closed the display. "As for Harry Osborn... according to my deduction, he may have become an entity like his father."
Batman nodded slightly. These were things he had also deduced based on a series of clues.
Batman did not question why Tony hadn't sent Harry and Warren to the hospital at the same time, nor did he ask why the Super Soldier Serum was injected into Harry.
From the clues Batman had collected, he knew Tony Stark's condition at the time was poor, and there was simply no time to transport both of them to the hospital separately.
To manage self-preservation while doing his utmost to keep Warren and Harry alive was already Tony Stark's best effort.
Batman wasn't about to hold the moral high ground against him.
"How long until your Mark IV is operational?" Batman nodded slightly and asked.
"At least six hours," Tony said, estimating the time.
"This is a dedicated private communication channel. Contact me when you arrive." Batman placed a chip on the table and stood up to leave.
"Wait..." Tony hurriedly blocked Batman's path, hesitating for a long while before speaking. "Who exactly are you? During the time Peter got to know me, were you guiding things from the shadows the entire time?"
Batman was able to infiltrate the villa silently and produce a new element created by a particle accelerator.
Tony Stark highly suspected that the semi-finished AI model Peter Parker had handed him originally came from Batman's hands.
Batman did not answer; he opened the door to the secret chamber and walked out.
Tony Stark chased after him immediately, exiting only a few seconds behind Batman, but by then, where was Batman's figure in the villa?
He had long since vanished without a trace.
"Peter, Batman..." Tony Stark silently chewed over these two names as he returned to the secret chamber.
"Jarvis, remotely connect to the large Arc Reactor at the base of Stark Tower. I'm going to upgrade you."
Tony reeled in his thoughts and spoke to the Jarvis AI.
"Add a medical system to the Mark IV, and make it a standard configuration for all future suits."
"Adjust the propulsion system and add a parachute function."
Tony Stark didn't want a recurrence of the situation during the Oscorp accident, where he was wearing the Iron Man suit yet unable to save everyone.
He couldn't stuff a hospital bed into the suit, but inserting a parachute could prevent him from falling from high altitudes if he lost power, and if necessary, act as a soft net to transport patients.
The suit was iterating to the Mark IV, and the reactor had been swapped for the Tesseract isotope reactor.
As for the Jarvis AI upgrade...
Currently, the Jarvis AI, which couldn't even defend his home properly, required a comprehensive algorithmic upgrade.
In the long term, there was Nick Fury sneaking into his house at midnight; in the short term, there was Batman infiltrating silently. Tony Stark did not wish for similar events to happen again.
For this purpose, he even intended to use the Arc Reactor at the base of Stark Tower to provide energy for the new Jarvis AI.
Oscorp Tower, 20th floor.
In a laboratory that should have been sealed and empty, a green figure stood, while another man, his head covered in blood and grime, slumped on the floor.
The standing green figure was naturally Harry Osborn. The paralyzed man was Valentine, one of the former Oscorp board members.
"Valentine never went to the Ravencroft Institute; Peter Parker took his identity." (Chapter 87)
"Harry, kidnap Aunt May, trick Peter into coming here, and then kill him! He's involved in your father's disappearance!"
The corners of Harry's mouth split open, and gloomy, sinister words poured from his lips.
Bang!
As soon as the words fell, Harry Osborn smashed a heavy fist into his own face.
The immense force instantly dislocated his jaw, sending several teeth flying, and he spat a mouthful of bloody water onto the ground.
"You want to kidnap Aunt May? And then lure Peter here?" He growled in a low voice. "If not for Peter, Oscorp would have ceased to exist in name or reality long ago!"
Valentine sat paralyzed on the floor, trembling as he watched Harry, whose jaw was dislocated, switch to a sinister expression:
"But he must harbor some ulterior motive, right?"
"Do you really believe in so-called friendship? Catch him, then force him to confess what he did to your father!"
Bang!
Once again, Harry Osborn ruthlessly battered himself as if he were beating an enemy.
"So after the interrogation, you're going to kill Peter? Monster, go die!"
Bang!
Hahahaha!
Angry curses and maniacal laughter rang out from Harry Osborn's mouth in succession, like a complete lunatic.
Valentine was so frightened he didn't dare breathe loudly, ceaselessly confessing to Jesus in his heart, wondering what he had done wrong to be so unlucky.
First Kingpin, then having his identity stolen, and now being caught by a Harry who had gone insane.
Harry Osborn brutally shoved his dislocated jaw back into place, turned around, and sat in the insulation chair that Professor Morbius had used in the past.
"Tie me up, Valentine," Harry said to Valentine, his face changing again.
Valentine didn't dare disobey the order. He quickly scrambled up on shaking legs and tied Harry Osborn up tightly.
"Oh, my, my... what are you trying to do?" Harry's voice shifted back to the Green Goblin, asking mockingly.
A ruthless glint flashed through Harry's eyes: "I'm taking you down with me, you son of a bitch!"
Connected behind the electric chair was a massive tank of chemicals, containing every potent chemical poison Harry Osborn had been able to collect.
As his body was bound, needles plunged into Harry's body one by one. The drugs began to pump continuously into his system. Harry gritted his teeth and let out a laugh:
"Green Goblin, right? Crazy, right?"
"Why aren't you smiling? Keep smiling! Don't stop!"
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