Marvel: The Imposter Inventor

Chapter 175 Weaknesses, Orders, Hydra (Fourth Update)

After a full round of testing, the armor only had some minor scratches on the paint.

Even Green Bull, who was the test subject, only broke out in a light sweat and was still grinning widely, clearly enjoying himself.

General Ross, his eyes gleaming, wished he could drag Green Bull out of his 'muscle-enhancing armor' and put himself in it to test the effect.

However, General Ross also knew that since it was called 'muscle enhancement,' the actual effect would definitely be linked to the user's physical condition. His old arms and legs might not be able to withstand such torture.

He could only reach out and stroke the armor with great joy.

This made Green Bull, inside his armor, feel a chill run down his spine, but Luca's glances indicated that he shouldn't say anything directly, so he could only grit his teeth and let the other man touch him all over.

Seeing that Green Bull was really about to give up, Luca smiled and stepped forward to help him out.

"So, General Ross? Are you satisfied with this enhanced armor?"

Upon hearing Luca's words, General Ross reluctantly withdrew his hand from stroking the 'Green Bull'.

At this moment, the initial perfunctory and indifferent expression on his face had vanished, replaced by a look of delight as he offered his comments.

"Power! Speed! Defense! Agility! This is a perfect war machine! But..."

At this point, General Ross changed the subject, and his tone became more serious.

"I don't believe there's such a thing as a truly perfect product, Mr. Orange. Tell me about the flaws in this enhanced armor!"

Having witnessed the power of the 'Muscle Enhancement Armor,' General Ross had wondered whether this combat armor, which relied on electric shocks to stimulate muscles, might cause some damage to the user's body.

Although judging from Green Bull's situation as the tester, this damage must be within his acceptable range, bringing it up now can help to slightly lower the price of this order.

After all, the United States is known for its 'emphasis' on the health of its soldiers. If any of its soldiers develop health problems as a result, someone has to pay for their subsequent compensation and medical expenses, right?

However, upon hearing this, Luca pretended to look at General Ross with a puzzled expression, tilted his head and thought for a while before giving his answer.

"If I had to point out a flaw..."

"After using the enhanced armor, will the soldiers be able to eat more?"

After saying that, Luca just looked at General Ross with a smile.

Ross was taken aback at first, then immediately burst into laughter.

"Haha, of course that's a drawback. I bet the guys in the logistics canteen will complain to me about it a lot!"

As soon as Ross said this, the other military representatives burst into laughter in response.

However, Luca knew that the 'Muscle Enhancement Armor' certainly had its drawbacks.

Although the extensive use of commercial-grade e-carbon alloy in the outer armor makes this armor look very robust and durable.

However, the sophisticated electrical stimulation components inside the armor result in a remarkably high rate of failure during actual combat.

While it wouldn't be completely destroyed after ten or so battles, Luca estimated that it would need a major overhaul almost every year.

If the military places an order later, Luca is prepared to negotiate a little with them regarding the subsequent maintenance terms.

In addition, this device works by stimulating muscles through wearing it to improve physical fitness.

Compared to the 'Super Soldier Enhancement' which only lasts after one injection, the 'Muscle Enhancement Armor' seems to be more versatile as it can be removed and given to others.

In fact, each piece of 'muscle-enhancing armor' needs to have its stimulation program tailored to the user's muscle distribution. While soldiers of similar builds can use it interchangeably, the effect will inevitably be significantly reduced.

If the military truly wants to create 'enhanced armored soldiers' in the direction of super soldiers, then in the end, they can only go down the path of customization.

As for the price of customized options...
Finally, and this is the most important point.

It might not be considered a flaw, but it is far more fatal.

It's worth noting that the original tuxedo included muscle stimulation, allowing ordinary people who weren't skilled in martial arts to instantly master fighting techniques and even precision tasks like assembling firearms.

Essentially, this relies on stimulating muscles to control the user's behavior.

Luca is now capable of replicating this technology, but he hasn't demonstrated this ability in the 'Muscle Enhancement Armor'.

He won't even mention this to anyone else in the future.

If, well, just if.

If one day in the future the military tries to use these enhanced armored soldiers to deal with Luca, then Luca will show them what it means to be 'out of control'.

Of course, these are all things for later.

At least for now, both parties are quite satisfied with this cooperation.

The subsequent issues, such as order quantity, timing, and even price, which would normally involve heated debates, no longer require the involvement of higher-ups like Luca and Rose. These matters will naturally be handled by a professional team.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Luca presented General Ross with the samples tested that day as a gift.

Then came the usual cocktail party to build rapport. Luca took this opportunity to get to know quite a few of the Smiths, as he would inevitably have to deal with these people in future collaborations.

It wasn't until after the banquet, on his way back, that Luca remembered.

He only gave away the armor, but the program settings inside were designed for muscular guys like Green Bull, without making any adjustments to General Ross's enhanced armor.

'Hmm, forget it. That old guy probably just takes the enhanced armor back as a decoration. With his old arms and legs, he probably wouldn't actually want to wear it out for a run or something, right?'

On Tony Stark's private jet.

Yes, it's Tony's plane again.

The drowsy Luca was impatiently listening to the 'old man' beside him rambling on and on.

“Those guys in the military are all scoundrels. If you ask me, you really don’t need to cooperate with them. What’s so great about being an arms dealer? Look at your Uncle Tony, I’m not doing this anymore, and I’m still the richest man in the world.”

Luca, who was lounging on the sofa trying to be lazy but couldn't fall asleep because of Tony's incessant chatter, rolled his eyes and complained listlessly.

"Do you think everyone is Stark Industries? Those bastards have been eyeing my Husky armor for a while now. Rather than waiting for them to finally hold a hearing against me, I'd rather just pull out some gadgets to shut them up first."

"Let's not talk about that. Why did you come back to New York with me this time?"

"Hey kid, this is my plane. If anyone's following me, it's you."

That being said, Stark was just saying it casually, and then continued to explain with a hint of helplessness.

"Old Popsicle contacted me this time, saying it was about Hydra."

"Seriously, that's all ancient history from World War II. Hydra doesn't exist anymore!"

(End of this chapter)