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Chapter 164: The Revenge Begins
Tony looked at the panting Red She-Hulk, ignored the extremely wary Max, and fell into deep thought.
Potential was a mysterious, yet very real, concept. It was difficult for anyone to define "potential" with any precision, especially when it involved observing the developmental prospects of a living being.
Life itself was a miracle filled with countless possibilities.
"Hulk has the potential to reach Single Universe Level, though he'll always be a brawling, universal-level being with significant limitations, and can even be curb-stomped by those with special abilities. If it were Betty, she should have the potential for Quasi-Universal Level... It would just be extremely difficult, and the difficulty of her progression should be far greater than Hulk's."
Tony mused that no matter how weak or limited a universal-level being might be, they were still universal-level. They had already surpassed the level of countless life forms and could run rampant in a complete universe. Aside from a few multiversal powerhouses, no one could pose a threat to a Single Universe Level entity.
Tony really hoped Betty would succeed. That way, he would gain another formidable combatant besides Max.
At the very least, taking a direct hit from a nuclear bomb wouldn't be a problem, and moving unhindered across a planet's surface would also be fine—with the exception of Earth, a place teeming with overpowered individuals. After all, Earth is the starting point of the Infinity War, and many major players are laying their plans. Unreasonably overpowered individuals might just pop up in droves when you least expect it.
For example, Doctor Manhattan, who left Earth last century with his whereabouts unknown. He originated from Earth and is the only multiversal powerhouse born on Earth to this day. He can destroy and create universes with a flick of his wrist; even if you tied Odin and the Sorcerer Supreme together, they still couldn't defeat Doctor Manhattan.
After her transformation, Betty's entire body was crimson, and within that red was a strange sort of transparency.
Somehow, there seemed to be a strange connection between Tony and Betty.
Tony stared at the red Betty with a calm expression. This was a pleasant surprise, but he couldn't sense any obvious use for it right now. The ever-practical Tony was more concerned with whether Betty was rational at this moment, and how much strength she possessed.
"Stand up, Betty. Give me a demonstration," Tony said, his tone like someone observing a piece of merchandise.
The Red She-Hulk, standing over two meters tall, gradually calmed her breathing and the panic in her heart. To the terrified and uneasy Betty, Tony's calm words became the most effective tranquilizer.
The instruments restraining Betty gradually retracted under Tony's control, and a set of numbers appeared on the monitor.
Seventy-five tons. This was the strength index Red She-Hulk had just unleashed—truly astonishing. To put it into perspective, someone like Spider-Man, who was second only to the Hulk and considered second-tier in terms of strength on Earth, could only lift a little over twenty tons.
Betty, having just transformed, already possessed a strength of over seventy tons.
"A great success, Betty. Congratulations. You will now step into the extraordinary realm and become a member of my team." Tony applauded.
Betty leaped down from the experimental platform. Her heavy body slammed into the ground with a dull thud. No one paid it any mind; Tony stared intently at Betty, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"I feel... good..." Betty murmured to herself, slowly clenching her fists. Even from a distance, Tony's keen ears could hear the force generated by that terrifying grip. The bones and muscles beneath her red skin had been strengthened to an inhuman level.
"Very good," Tony said, casually pulling a bedsheet off and tossing it to Betty. "Use this to cover up for now. I'll have someone custom-make some clothes with effective stretch, to prevent you from ending up naked every time you transform, like the Hulk."
Betty hastily covered herself with the bedsheet.
Unfortunately, Tony wasn't interested. If she were the previous Betty, he would have been happy to take a look, but he really had no desire to observe the current Red She-Hulk.
In any case, Tony's team had gained another member with considerable combat power.
"Over the next few days, you need to find a way to familiarize yourself with your new body. You have to reach the point where you can control your transformation at will in the shortest time possible." Tony casually pointed to the food on a nearby table. "That's for you. Eat it."
After speaking, Tony left the Underground Laboratory with Max.
Betty was homeless, so it was only natural for her to become one of Tony's people. After Betty's success, Tony decisively left her time and space to adjust her mindset and abilities on her own.
Max was still a little worried.
"Sir, I'm still very worried. The bio-electric field inside her body is too violent, unlike anyone I've ever seen. Other people's bio-electric fields all have their own frequencies, but this girl doesn't..."
"Max, isn't that violence itself her unique frequency? She will be your companion, so don't discuss her so casually. Also, have Crane come see me," Tony said, returning to the living room and taking a sip of the now-cold Longjing tea.
Crane, who was living in another room, received the message and hurried over.
After all this time, the League of Shadows still hadn't contacted him. Every day Scarecrow faced Tony, he felt a bit conflicted.
Tony didn't pay it much mind. As long as Crane could handle the tasks assigned to him, Tony had no interest in interfering too much in his subordinates' affairs.
"Is there still no result regarding the Oscorp matter?" Tony asked.
"No. Oscorp forcefully deleted Max's information. In response to inquiries from some official agencies, they directly claimed they never had such an employee," Crane said, glancing at the somewhat agitated Max.
"And what about that old geezer, Norman Osborn? I'm afraid his days are numbered."
"Confirmed dead. The one in charge of Oscorp now is Old Osborn's son, Harry Osborn. According to my investigation, he and the Peter Parker you specifically requested to sponsor were best friends years ago."
Crane answered gently, his polite demeanor an instinctive reaction when facing others. Crane already suspected in his heart that Tony had specifically named the high school student named Peter for sponsorship to get closer to Harry Osborn.
Unfortunately, he would never guess that Tony's goal was all of it: Oscorp, the Green Goblin, and Spider-Man.
And more importantly, to get revenge for Max.
"Be patient a little longer, Max. We will help you get your revenge soon. How do you want to do it? Exact revenge on all your old colleagues at the Power Department?"
"No, sir. I just want to take back what's mine... Those power grids were all built using my designs. They should be my patents! But they were stolen by those damn superiors. I don't care if they use my designs, but I can't tolerate them using my invention and ignoring me..."
Max clenched his fists, his blue-glowing pupils carrying a trace of killing intent. When an honest man is pushed too far, terrible things can happen.
Tony nodded slightly. He had never forgotten about getting revenge for the honest Max; he needed to get justice for his subordinate. His earlier visit to Spider-Man was part of this plan for revenge.
"Don't worry, Max. All those people who inexplicably bullied you in the past—we will make them pay the price!"
(end of chapter)
Tony looked at the panting Red She-Hulk, ignored the extremely wary Max, and fell into deep thought.
Potential was a mysterious, yet very real, concept. It was difficult for anyone to define "potential" with any precision, especially when it involved observing the developmental prospects of a living being.
Life itself was a miracle filled with countless possibilities.
"Hulk has the potential to reach Single Universe Level, though he'll always be a brawling, universal-level being with significant limitations, and can even be curb-stomped by those with special abilities. If it were Betty, she should have the potential for Quasi-Universal Level... It would just be extremely difficult, and the difficulty of her progression should be far greater than Hulk's."
Tony mused that no matter how weak or limited a universal-level being might be, they were still universal-level. They had already surpassed the level of countless life forms and could run rampant in a complete universe. Aside from a few multiversal powerhouses, no one could pose a threat to a Single Universe Level entity.
Tony really hoped Betty would succeed. That way, he would gain another formidable combatant besides Max.
At the very least, taking a direct hit from a nuclear bomb wouldn't be a problem, and moving unhindered across a planet's surface would also be fine—with the exception of Earth, a place teeming with overpowered individuals. After all, Earth is the starting point of the Infinity War, and many major players are laying their plans. Unreasonably overpowered individuals might just pop up in droves when you least expect it.
For example, Doctor Manhattan, who left Earth last century with his whereabouts unknown. He originated from Earth and is the only multiversal powerhouse born on Earth to this day. He can destroy and create universes with a flick of his wrist; even if you tied Odin and the Sorcerer Supreme together, they still couldn't defeat Doctor Manhattan.
After her transformation, Betty's entire body was crimson, and within that red was a strange sort of transparency.
Somehow, there seemed to be a strange connection between Tony and Betty.
Tony stared at the red Betty with a calm expression. This was a pleasant surprise, but he couldn't sense any obvious use for it right now. The ever-practical Tony was more concerned with whether Betty was rational at this moment, and how much strength she possessed.
"Stand up, Betty. Give me a demonstration," Tony said, his tone like someone observing a piece of merchandise.
The Red She-Hulk, standing over two meters tall, gradually calmed her breathing and the panic in her heart. To the terrified and uneasy Betty, Tony's calm words became the most effective tranquilizer.
The instruments restraining Betty gradually retracted under Tony's control, and a set of numbers appeared on the monitor.
Seventy-five tons. This was the strength index Red She-Hulk had just unleashed—truly astonishing. To put it into perspective, someone like Spider-Man, who was second only to the Hulk and considered second-tier in terms of strength on Earth, could only lift a little over twenty tons.
Betty, having just transformed, already possessed a strength of over seventy tons.
"A great success, Betty. Congratulations. You will now step into the extraordinary realm and become a member of my team." Tony applauded.
Betty leaped down from the experimental platform. Her heavy body slammed into the ground with a dull thud. No one paid it any mind; Tony stared intently at Betty, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"I feel... good..." Betty murmured to herself, slowly clenching her fists. Even from a distance, Tony's keen ears could hear the force generated by that terrifying grip. The bones and muscles beneath her red skin had been strengthened to an inhuman level.
"Very good," Tony said, casually pulling a bedsheet off and tossing it to Betty. "Use this to cover up for now. I'll have someone custom-make some clothes with effective stretch, to prevent you from ending up naked every time you transform, like the Hulk."
Betty hastily covered herself with the bedsheet.
Unfortunately, Tony wasn't interested. If she were the previous Betty, he would have been happy to take a look, but he really had no desire to observe the current Red She-Hulk.
In any case, Tony's team had gained another member with considerable combat power.
"Over the next few days, you need to find a way to familiarize yourself with your new body. You have to reach the point where you can control your transformation at will in the shortest time possible." Tony casually pointed to the food on a nearby table. "That's for you. Eat it."
After speaking, Tony left the Underground Laboratory with Max.
Betty was homeless, so it was only natural for her to become one of Tony's people. After Betty's success, Tony decisively left her time and space to adjust her mindset and abilities on her own.
Max was still a little worried.
"Sir, I'm still very worried. The bio-electric field inside her body is too violent, unlike anyone I've ever seen. Other people's bio-electric fields all have their own frequencies, but this girl doesn't..."
"Max, isn't that violence itself her unique frequency? She will be your companion, so don't discuss her so casually. Also, have Crane come see me," Tony said, returning to the living room and taking a sip of the now-cold Longjing tea.
Crane, who was living in another room, received the message and hurried over.
After all this time, the League of Shadows still hadn't contacted him. Every day Scarecrow faced Tony, he felt a bit conflicted.
Tony didn't pay it much mind. As long as Crane could handle the tasks assigned to him, Tony had no interest in interfering too much in his subordinates' affairs.
"Is there still no result regarding the Oscorp matter?" Tony asked.
"No. Oscorp forcefully deleted Max's information. In response to inquiries from some official agencies, they directly claimed they never had such an employee," Crane said, glancing at the somewhat agitated Max.
"And what about that old geezer, Norman Osborn? I'm afraid his days are numbered."
"Confirmed dead. The one in charge of Oscorp now is Old Osborn's son, Harry Osborn. According to my investigation, he and the Peter Parker you specifically requested to sponsor were best friends years ago."
Crane answered gently, his polite demeanor an instinctive reaction when facing others. Crane already suspected in his heart that Tony had specifically named the high school student named Peter for sponsorship to get closer to Harry Osborn.
Unfortunately, he would never guess that Tony's goal was all of it: Oscorp, the Green Goblin, and Spider-Man.
And more importantly, to get revenge for Max.
"Be patient a little longer, Max. We will help you get your revenge soon. How do you want to do it? Exact revenge on all your old colleagues at the Power Department?"
"No, sir. I just want to take back what's mine... Those power grids were all built using my designs. They should be my patents! But they were stolen by those damn superiors. I don't care if they use my designs, but I can't tolerate them using my invention and ignoring me..."
Max clenched his fists, his blue-glowing pupils carrying a trace of killing intent. When an honest man is pushed too far, terrible things can happen.
Tony nodded slightly. He had never forgotten about getting revenge for the honest Max; he needed to get justice for his subordinate. His earlier visit to Spider-Man was part of this plan for revenge.
"Don't worry, Max. All those people who inexplicably bullied you in the past—we will make them pay the price!"
(end of chapter)
