Chapter 6 – The Devil in the Lab
"I… my… fuck…"
Tony clutched his head with both hands, turning his already messy hair into a complete disaster.
"You're telling me that red-skinned monster we met in the cave… was something you summoned?" Tony's face was full of disbelief.
Chen Tian rubbed his nose and gave an awkward "hehe" laugh.
"Chen Tian… why didn't you summon it earlier back then?" Yinsen looked at him helplessly. "We could have escaped that hellhole much sooner."
Chen Tian shrugged. "To be honest, I didn't even know I had this ability. It probably only activated because we were on the verge of death."
Tony and Yinsen seemed to accept the explanation. Tony walked over and grabbed Chen Tian's arm, his eyes shining with the manic gleam of a mad scientist.
"Come on, Dragon Country boy! Let's go to the lab and study this 'summoning magic' of yours properly!"
He dragged Chen Tian through the living room, ignoring Pepper's shout of "Don't blow up the lab again!" as they headed down the spiral staircase to the basement.
"Welcome to my playground~" Tony snapped his fingers proudly. The entire underground laboratory lit up bright as day.
The massive space — easily the size of two basketball courts — was filled with cutting-edge equipment glowing with cold light. In the center, a circular workbench displayed dozens of complex holographic equations. In the corners, robotic arms quietly assembled armor parts with pleasant metallic clinks.
"Hahaha, what do you think of my playground? Mind-blowing, right?" Tony pulled Yinsen to a semi-circular desk and tapped on the virtual keyboard. "Now, let's take a look at your 'magic'…"
He hit 'Enter'. The lab lights instantly shifted to a deep red. A circular scanner descended from the ceiling, bathing Chen Tian in blue laser light from head to toe.
"Jarvis, create a new file. Codename… uh…" Tony stroked his chin for two seconds. "Let's call it 'Dragon Country Trick'."
"Scanning in progress, Sir," Jarvis's voice echoed from all directions. "File created. Cameras online. Ready when you are."
"O… kay! Dragon Country boy! When I give the signal, summon that big guy for us." Tony rubbed his hands excitedly and pulled up a 3D model of the lab environment, with various data streams fluctuating around it.
"Now!" Tony shouted after checking the readings, staring at Chen Tian with eager anticipation alongside Yinsen.
Instead, they saw Chen Tian standing there with an embarrassed expression, ears burning red, looking extremely conflicted.
Tony's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. He tilted his head, staring at Chen Tian like a broken robot. "Hello? Dragon Country boy? Did your summoning button get stuck?"
Chen Tian's ears were practically glowing. He fidgeted with his fingers. "Well… actually…"
"Sir," Jarvis suddenly cut in, "Mr. Chen's heart rate has spiked to 132 beats per minute. Adrenaline levels are abnormally high."
Tony slapped his forehead. "Oh! I get it!"
He hurried over and lowered his voice. "Does it require some kind of… special ritual?"
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Like dancing? Chanting a spell? Or…" his voice dropped even lower, "a sacrifice?"
Chen Tian's face twisted the moment Tony mentioned dancing or chanting.
Tony's eyes lit up like he had discovered a new element. He clapped his hands. "Ha! I knew it!"
He circled Chen Tian excitedly like a prairie dog that found gold. "Tell me, Dragon Country boy — what do you need?"
Chen Tian opened his mouth, but Tony cut him off again. "Wait! Let me guess—"
He dramatically stroked his chin. "Moonlight? A crystal ball? Or…"
He suddenly pulled a sleek black card from his pocket and whispered mysteriously, "Or… this?"
Chen Tian stared at the glossy black card glinting under the lab lights and his mouth twitched. "Tony, this isn't a money issue…"
"Ooh~" Tony dragged out the word, then snapped his fingers. "Jarvis! Pull up the entire Harry Potter collection! Especially the wand-waving scenes!"
Dozens of holographic screens descended from the ceiling, playing different versions of magic movies simultaneously. Chen Tian watched wizards waving wands all around him and felt a vein throbbing on his forehead.
"Sir," Jarvis reminded timely, "according to my database, Chinese sorcery tends to favor talismans and incantations rather than wands."
"Perfect!" Tony spun toward the workbench. A robotic arm immediately handed him a roll of parchment and a quill. "Here, write a talisman! Make it golden! The glowing kind!"
Chen Tian finally couldn't take it anymore. "Tony! This isn't—"
"Wait! I got it!" Tony suddenly looked enlightened. He leaned in close and whispered, "Do you need… to cross-dress?"
He winked. "I know some Broadway costume designers…"
"What?!" Chen Tian's voice shot up an octave.
His fists clenched. Where's my sword? Cross-dress? I'd rather jump off this balcony than wear women's clothes!
Tony, completely unbothered, was already manipulating the holograms. "Jarvis, search for 'Dragon Country mage cosplay' — the most extravagant ones!"
The projection instantly displayed various extravagant hanfu styles, neatly labeled with "100% real silk" and "hand-embroidered."
Chen Tian stared at the flowing 3D models and felt his temples pulsing. The swordsmanship he had just inherited was suddenly itching to cut something.
"Tony," Chen Tian took a deep breath, "listen to me…"
"No no no!" Tony patted his shoulder excitedly. "I understand! It's the venue, right?"
He typed rapidly on the virtual keyboard. "Jarvis! Redesign the lab into… uh… Dragon Country style!"
The 3D projection shifted. Red pillars rose from the floor, lanterns with the character "福" (Fortune) hung from the ceiling, and a miniature rock garden with flowing water even appeared in the corner.
"How's this?" Tony spread his arms proudly. "Feeling it now?"
Chen Tian looked at the bizarre East-meets-West mess and suddenly missed the quiet of the Afghan cave. He facepalmed helplessly. "Tony, it's really not…"
"Sir," Jarvis interrupted again, "based on Mr. Chen's micro-expressions, he might simply be… shy."
The lab fell silent. Tony's expression froze. He slowly turned to Chen Tian. "Shy?" The word sounded like an alien language coming from his mouth.
Chen Tian's ears were now purple with embarrassment. Tony suddenly burst into loud laughter, slapping his thigh. "Hahahaha! A summoner who can call forth a hell demon… is shy?!"
He hooked an arm around Chen Tian's neck and pulled out his phone with the other hand. "Pepper! Come see this! Our shy little summoner—"
"Ow!" An elbow from Chen Tian shut him up.
"Okay, okay," Tony rubbed his stomach, wiping away tears of laughter. "Fine. I'll turn around. I promise I won't peek." He dramatically turned his back and covered his eyes with both hands. "Jarvis will disable all cameras too, right Jarvis?"
"Actually, Sir, my sensors are everywhere…"
"Jarvis!" Tony said sternly. "Learn to read the room!"
"All recording devices disabled," Jarvis replied obediently.
Chen Tian looked at Tony's overly obedient back and at Yinsen, who was pretending to study data while his shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. He finally sighed. "Fine."
Chen Tian took a deep breath, his expression as tragic as if he were heading to the execution ground. He slowly knelt on one knee, right fist pressed against his left chest, left hand trembling as he raised it toward the ceiling.
"In the name of… chaos and…" His voice was as quiet as a mosquito. His left hand awkwardly grasped at the air.
Tony's shoulders were shaking suspiciously. Yinsen had buried his face in the data pad.
"Louder!" Tony suddenly turned around, somehow holding a megaphone. "Show some spirit!"
Chen Tian glared at him fiercely, closed his eyes, and went all in:
"In the name of chaos and fear — Scarlet Moon, tear open this world!"
With a final roar, he swung his raised left hand downward.
The entire laboratory shook violently. All instruments blared with shrill alarms. The lights flickered wildly. The air filled with the smell of sulfur.
The temperature spiked dramatically. Dark red lava-like patterns seeped across the steel walls. Several of Tony's beloved limited-edition sports cars suddenly caught fire, orange flames licking at the bodies with heartbreaking crackles.
"My 1967 Shelby GT500!" Tony let out a heart-wrenching scream.
The flames moved like living creatures across the floor before converging in the center of the lab into a five-meter-wide fiery vortex.
From the center of the vortex rose a terrifying three-meter-tall figure — dark red scales covering its body, curved horns like a crown, and pupils burning with hellfire as it looked down at them.
"My Lord," Diablo's voice sounded like thousands of souls wailing, "Lord of the Inferno, Nightmare of Angels, Terror of Mankind, King of Terror — Diablo answers your call."
Chen Tian peeked through his fingers and saw Diablo's overly dramatic entrance. He wanted to dig a hole and hide. He gritted his teeth and hissed, "Can you… put away the flames?"
Diablo nodded. "Oh, no problem."
With a wave of his hand, the raging flames in the lab vanished instantly as if they had never existed.
Tony, however, was as excited as a child with a new toy. He circled Diablo, occasionally tapping the demon's scales with a wrench. "Incredible!! This material! This energy signature!"
He suddenly stopped and looked at Chen Tian with shining eyes. "Chinese boy, let's make a deal — lend me your pet for a few days?"
"Pet?!" Diablo's flames surged three meters high, and the lab temperature spiked again. "Insect! How dare you—"
"Tony!" Chen Tian quickly interrupted. "He's not a pet!"
He turned to Diablo and made a calming gesture. "Relax. This is… uh… my sponsor. You know, in the real world I still need… money."
Diablo eyed Tony suspiciously. "This noisy mortal?"
"Yes, yes, the noisy mortal." Chen Tian wiped the sweat from his forehead. "But he's very rich and can provide… offerings!" He shot Tony a desperate look.
Tony immediately caught on and snapped his fingers. "Jarvis! Prepare the highest-grade… uh… demon feed?"
"Sir, I suggest live sacrifices," Jarvis replied seriously. "According to the Key of Solomon, higher demons prefer…"
"Stop!" Chen Tian shouted. "No sacrifices!"
He turned back to Diablo, forcing a smile. "So… can you cooperate with some experiments? Just… stand still?"
Diablo's flames gradually calmed. "Since it is my lord's request…" He raised his head arrogantly. "Five minutes. Not a second more."
Tony was already eagerly directing robotic arms to bring over instruments. "Jarvis! Start full holographic scanning! Record all energy data!"
He rubbed his hands while staring at Diablo's scales. "This material is perfect… if we can replicate it on the armor…"
Chen Tian looked at Tony's fanatic expression and suddenly had a bad feeling. "Tony… you're not thinking of…"
"Mark-2-Devil!" Tony excitedly displayed a 3D model — a menacing dark red armor with demonic horns. "Hellfire thrusters! Lava shields! And it can even release sulfur breath to jam enemy radar!"
Diablo leaned in, his flaming eyes fixed on the projection. "Mortal, you have some creativity."
He pointed a claw at the model. "Add a tail spike here. Reverse the scale pattern there…"
"Genius!" Tony high-fived the demon (then immediately shook his burned hand). "You understand design!"
Chen Tian and Yinsen exchanged helpless glances. Yinsen whispered, "Should I prepare some holy water…?"
Under Diablo's "professional guidance," the original Mark II armor design from the movie changed beyond recognition at a visible speed.
The once sleek gold-and-red streamlined armor had become a ferocious demonic style:
Head: The smooth faceplate was replaced with a menacing demon visage, curved horns extending from both sides, and eyes burning with hellfire that flickered when Tony spoke. Chest: The arc reactor was now surrounded by glowing dark red runes that occasionally spat sulfur-scented sparks. Shoulders: Simple shoulder armor turned into sharp scale-like plates, edges sharp enough to cut air. Arms: Repulsors became "Hellfire Launchers," with small bone spikes added at the wrists "for close combat stabbing," as Diablo insisted. Legs: Thrusters became "Abyssal Flame Propulsion," with sulfur smoke effects for dramatic landings. Back: The most ridiculous addition was a pair of retractable "Demon Wings." When Tony protested about aerodynamics, Diablo simply scoffed, "Mortal, what do you know? Looking cool is all that matters."
Chen Tian stared at the unrecognizable Mark II on the hologram and his mouth twitched. "Tony, are you sure this can still be called an Iron Man suit?"
Tony stroked his chin, eyes shining. "Of course! Mark-2-Devil Edition! Way cooler than my original design!"
Diablo crossed his arms proudly. "Mortal, you finally have some demonic taste."
Yinsen quietly wiped cold sweat from his brow. "I feel like… if the military sees this, they might just launch a nuke."
Tony was already impatient to start building. "Jarvis! Begin fabrication immediately! I want to wear it tonight!"
Diablo watched the excited Tony with arms folded, nodding in satisfaction like a master. "Not bad. You have spirit. Since you are my lord's companion, even if you are just a lowly mortal…"
Diablo painfully tore off a scale from his own arm and tossed it to Tony.
Tony caught it and immediately started tossing it between his hands because of the heat.
"Use this scale to forge your 'toy'." Diablo then looked at Chen Tian and gave him a twisted but "friendly" smile. "My lord, I shall take my leave. I look forward to your next summons."
With those words, lava surged beneath Diablo's feet, swallowing him before vanishing from the lab entirely.
"Woo-hoo! My armor can be upgraded again!" Tony tossed the scorching scale onto the workbench. "Come on! Let's witness the birth of a masterpiece!"
Chen Tian looked at the completely derailed plot and sighed. "…Fine. At least it's better than cross-dressing."