American TV series: Start with the little Sheldon's wool

Chapter 660 Iron Man's Defeat
"Jarvis, bring me the scene where Mike defeats the aliens..."

Pepper's departure did not dampen Tony's enthusiasm for researching the new armor.

Or rather, without distractions, he became more focused.

"Okay, retrieving the videos for you. After filtering, there are two videos that meet your requirements, which will be played for you shortly..."

Immediately, two videos appeared on the virtual screen in the workspace. One video showed Mike smashing an alien cyborg warrior with a single punch on the street, and Captain America on the roof of the car was also captured in the video.

Another scene shows Mike helping Black Widow out of trouble with a wave of his hand.

"Remove the first video clip, play the second video clip at 0.5x speed, and zoom in on the image from Mike's perspective..."

The first video was purely violent destruction and did not help Tony's research on the Anti-Mike Armor, so he focused his attention on the second video.

……

"Slow down the playback speed a bit more..."

"...The first-person perspective freezes on the movement of Mike's hands..."

"This is it, pause..."

After watching the video several times, Tony finally focused on the small gesture of Mike waving.

Watching the pure white light that appeared around Mike as he waved in the video, Tony said with a troubled expression, "To develop an anti-Mike armor, we first need to figure out what that white light is. It doesn't even look like lightning energy..."

After ruffling his messy hair a few more times, Tony, still clueless about Mike's energy source, decided to ask his AI assistant for help: "Jarvis, what did you notice in his movements?"

"Calculating for you... According to the data molecules: Mr. Mike's actions are not necessarily related to the appearance of white light."

"His movements are more like how people swat away mosquitoes. Would you like me to show you a video of people swatting away mosquitoes?"

Tony, who had been listening attentively to Jarvis's analysis, gradually developed a strange expression.

Finally, he couldn't help but look up at Jarvis's virtual body and complain, "Has anyone ever told you that your lame jokes aren't funny at all?"

"Appropriate jokes make me more human. If you don't like this mode, I will remove the 'lazy joke' option from the system for you..." Jarvis replied mechanically.

As for Jarvis's increasingly "human-like" behavior, it was also Tony's own request beforehand.

“No need, this is great. I mean, I really like your sense of humor, keep it up!” Tony seemed to have discovered something new, and his expression relaxed.

“Okay, the system will continue to save options such as 'humor' and 'cringe' for you…” Jarvis replied.

Jarvis, the intelligent butler independently developed by Tony, is named after Tony's father's butler.

Therefore, for Tony, Jarvis is more like "family," deserving of his attention and patience.

At least, I'm more patient than when I was with Pepper.

After an interesting conversation with Jarvis, Tony's tense nerves relaxed.

He patted his cheeks, cheered himself up, and began to study the video in front of him again.

Meanwhile, Mike, who left Kamar-Taj through a portal, arrived directly outside Stark Tower.

"Please verify your identity... Identity verification successful..."

"Welcome, Mr. Mike. Please come in."

Since the Battle of New York, Tony, who felt extremely insecure, upgraded the security system of Stark Tower.

In terms of appearance, it borrows some design elements from the Cosmic Cube protective shield.

"Hey Jarvis. Is Tony home right now?" Mike, who had stopped on the second-floor balcony, greeted Jarvis's system clone.

“Mr. Tony is studying the mechs in his workshop. He already knows you’re here. Please wait a moment,” Jarvis replied.

"What a workaholic..." In the main world, Mike is also a wealthy man in Apple City.

But he could assure him that he had none of Tony's enthusiasm for work.

Of course, I don't understand it, but I respect it.

After making a comment about Tony, Mike didn't say anything more.

Then, at Jarvis's invitation, they went inside Stark Tower.

"You, you're Mr. Mike? I saw you in the promotional video. Are you here to see Tony?" After entering the building, instead of seeing the person in question, they encountered Pepper, who was standing in a daze in the living room.

Tony's personal secretary recognized Mike at a glance.

As for the reason, it is that after the alien invasion, the severely damaged Apple City needed faith.

In this situation, in order to stabilize morale, the "heroes" who joined the Avengers were recommended by the relevant departments.

Although Michael didn't join the Avengers, he was still given some publicity due to his outstanding performance in the alien invasion battle.

There may well be an element of Nick trying to curry favor with him in this.

After all, investing a little bit of publicity resources could potentially win over a powerful figure, which seems like a win-win situation.

“Oh, right, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Tony’s personal secretary, Pepper Potts. You can call me Pepper.” After confirming the visitor’s identity, Pepper then introduced herself.

“Hello Pepper, I am indeed here to see Tony.” Mike nodded to the secretary.

“Sorry, Tony is busy right now, you might have to wait a while.” Pepper apologized on Tony’s behalf, then asked, “Would you like something to drink, coffee or tea? I’ll get it for you.”

It's clear that this secretary is very competent.

Unfortunately, she also didn't fit Mike's aesthetic standards.

"Tea, thank you~" Mike sat down on the sofa and began to observe his surroundings.

Compared to the King's Building, this place is significantly smaller, and its tech-oriented decor lacks the cozy atmosphere of the King's Building.

Overall, it's not as good as having your own building here.

After making his own assessment, Mike couldn't help but smile.

"Please have some tea, Mr. Mike." Pepper, who brought out a cup of sweetened black tea, happened to see the smile on Mike's face and then, as if it were a familiar relationship, requested, "When you see Tony, you must try to persuade him. He's been neglecting to eat because of his research on the mechs. This can't go on..."

Perhaps he desperately needed someone to talk to, or perhaps Mike had a reassuring aura about him.

In short, it wasn't long before Pepper started complaining about her dissatisfaction with Tony in front of Mike, a guest she was meeting for the first time.

Of course, the concern implied in this is quite obvious.

"Oh, I was wondering why everything was going wrong today. Turns out someone was tattling on me behind my back..."

Just as Pepper was "speaking freely," Tony, who looked disheveled with his sleeves rolled up, walked into the living room.

Along with him came his sharp tongue.

"You've finally decided to leave that studio?" Pepper, who was already used to Tony's speaking style, did not back down.

But her tough attitude just looked more like she was being coquettish.

“I just love my job. Never mind, I can’t explain it to you…” Tony turned his head and walked past Pepper, then opened his arms and said warmly, “Mike, my friend. You finally decided to come see me.”

"If I hadn't heard from you for a month, I'd think you'd disappeared!"

Indeed, one is influenced by one's surroundings.

Tony's expression and tone at this moment were somewhat similar to Pepper's earlier. "Sorry, I'm not used to hugging men," Mike said, avoiding Tony with a look of disgust.

"Haha, we really do have great chemistry. I never interact with men either, but you're different, you saved my life..." Tony stopped his flamboyant behavior and didn't feel embarrassed at all.

Then I noticed the black tea on the table that had gone cold.

“Pepper, how could you let my most distinguished guest drink this kind of stuff? Go to the wine cabinet and get my treasured bottle of red wine. I want to celebrate with Mike.” Then, Tony ordered his secretary around without any ceremony.

……

"Seriously, where have you been for the past month? Not only me, but even S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't found a trace of you." Tony slumped into the soft sofa and asked his question.

In this information age, it is extremely difficult for a person to truly become "invisible".

Unless the other party doesn't use any technological products, or simply doesn't exist in the world.

But judging from Mike's appearance, it shouldn't be either of those.

Therefore, Tony had a premonition that he could glean some secrets about Mike from his movements.

“I went to Kamar-Taj, a place where mages are trained,” Mike explained.

With his strength at this level, there aren't many things he needs to worry about.

Moreover, Kamar-Taj is not isolated from the world, and there is nothing that cannot be said.

"A mage? So the ability you used before was magic?" Tony, thinking he had grasped something, immediately perked up.

"No, although I can use magic now, I used [Holy Light] before." Sensing Tony's curiosity, Mike explained again.

"Is there any difference between the two?" Tony sat up straight.

"There are some differences, I suppose. One's abilities come from the spirit, the other from faith..." Mike pondered for a moment, then conjured a magical ray of light, which transformed into various complex images. He said, "If we're really talking about differences, magic is more dazzling and more suitable for combat..."

At the same time, the magic in his hand transformed into a long whip, lifting up the surrounding sofas and tables.

It's like there's an extra, large, tangible hand.

"As for the [Power of Holy Light], besides its use in combat, it's actually more suitable for healing and recovery..." Mike dispersed his magic, then condensed a ball of holy light and threw it at Tony. "I can see that you're physically and mentally exhausted. How are you feeling now?"

"Amazing!!! This is it, I feel amazing right now~" Tony, feeling the changes in his body, excitedly jumped up and stretched his limbs.

At this moment, Tony could feel that the fatigue and palpitations that had plagued him for so long had all disappeared.

In his current state, he can definitely get a good night's sleep.

However, before that, Tony couldn't help but worry about his research on the anti-Mike armor.

After all, the more abilities Mike demonstrates, the more difficult it becomes to develop anti-armor systems.

"By the way, can I learn your holy light abilities and magic?" Tony asked, having calmed down.

If you can't beat them, joining them might not be a bad idea.

Moreover, Tony was very confident in his intelligence, believing that even if he couldn't learn the power of holy light and magic, he could quickly find ways to deal with Mike's abilities while learning from him.

Seeing Tony's eagerness to try his magic, Mike could roughly guess some of Tony's thoughts even without using his mind-reading ability.

"Forget about the [Holy Light] power; you'll never learn it anyway. As for magic, I'll ask the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, next time I go to Kamar-Taj to see if he's willing to teach you." Mike gave two answers that weren't really answers.

The meaning of refusal is quite clear.

After all, Tony wasn't some blonde bombshell, and their relationship hadn't reached the point where Mike would selflessly offer her a "blessing."

"Okay, it would be nice to learn magic. Can you tell me about Kamar-Taj, and that Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme?" Tony still hadn't given up on any opportunity to "improve" himself.

Just then, Pepper returned with her treasured red wine, interrupting Tony and Mike's conversation.

“You two seem to be getting along well. I rarely see Tony get along so well with anyone…” Pepper, in a good mood, prepared red wine for the two of them while carefully observing Mike.

She wasn't lying; not many people could get Tony, who was focused on Jaeger research, to leave that workshop.

Therefore, the secretary was already considering whether she could invite Mike over the next time Tony was engrossed in his research.

"The Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, who is skilled in magic, should have abilities comparable to Odin, Thor's father and the god-king. She is considered one of the top powerhouses in this world." Mike continued the previous topic, explaining to Tony, "As for Kamar-Taj, it can be considered a holy land for training mages. Every once in a while, it recruits a batch of talented magical apprentices."

"Of course, besides talent, learning magic also requires a certain affinity with magic. Otherwise, you won't even be able to find the door to Kamar-Taj..."

"Furthermore, after becoming a magic apprentice, one must undergo numerous trials to master powerful magic. One must constantly hone one's physical strength and willpower..."

As Mike explained, Tony was initially filled with longing for the powerful Sorcerer Supreme, but when he heard that the life of a magic apprentice in Kamar-Taj was very difficult, he felt that he didn't need to suffer that hardship.

After all, magic, holy light, and even the power of Thor are just different kinds of power.

In this situation, Tony, who is known for his intelligence, clearly understands where his strengths lie.

Instead of trying to learn a little bit of everything but mastering nothing, it's better to focus on your anti-mech research.

One force can overcome all laws...

After figuring out the key point, Tony felt as if he had shed a shackle, and his mental state quickly returned to normal.

Then he noticed that Pepper, who was standing next to him, hadn't left and was looking at Mike with a somewhat infatuated expression.

How can this be allowed?

Although Tony and Pepper haven't officially become a couple yet, it's undeniable that he's already developed feelings for the secretary.

"Hmm~" Tony cleared his throat loudly, reminding the infatuated secretary to tone it down, then turned to Mike and asked, "By the way, I haven't asked you yet, what brings you here this time?"

This is definitely not an order to leave.

Tony, who is very confident in his charm, said that he was just concerned about Mike.

However, the topic shift was so abrupt that not only Mike, but even Pepper could sense the jealousy emanating from Tony.

"You two chat first, I'll go prepare some food for you." The secretary smiled meaningfully and then turned and left the living room.

However, it must be said that Mr. Mike was indeed very charming.

……

"Stop looking, she's already gone." Mike looked at Tony, who was standing there like a statue waiting for his husband, and teased him with a smile, "If you really like her, why don't you tell her you like her sooner? I can tell that the secretary is interested in you too."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Tony reacted as if on impulse, quickly denying, "You know, playboys like us wouldn't hang ourselves on one tree..."

"Oh right, you haven't told me yet why you came to see me this time."

Saying one thing and meaning another—another clumsy attempt to change the subject.

"Okay, hearing you say that, I feel relieved." Mike wasn't a relationship expert and didn't need to rush to solve Tony's relationship problems, so he smiled and asked, "Does our agreement from a month ago still stand?"

"You mean, the cover girl??"

"Hmm!~"

"..."

The two equally philandering men quickly reached a tacit understanding, and both wore knowing smiles on their faces.

(End of this chapter)