Luke nodded in agreement. “That’s right. He’s almost forty, and he has such a big hole in his chest. He’s indeed a little handicapped.”
Selina asked, “Are you sure?”
On TV, Tony continued to argue with Senator Stern, who was in charge of the hearing. “…I’m Iron Man. I’m one with the suit. Turning the suit over would be the same as turning myself over, which would be considered indentured labor or prostitution, depending on what state you’re in…”
Everybody roared with laughter.
A discomfited expression crossed Senator Stern’s face. “Listen, I’m no expert…”
Tony quickly interjected, “In prostitution? Of course not. You’re a senator, come on.”
Selina was lost for words.
At that moment, she felt that Luke was still far from being as arrogant as this young master.
Luke took a big sip of his coffee. “This is what it means to feel refreshed.”
One of the things that depressed people most was being verbally flayed by Tony publicly.
Anybody would be completely crushed in front of Tony, who was rich and powerful, and so thick-skinned he didn’t feel any embarrassment.
The most tragic were the bigshots who were so sure of themselves. They were flayed by the tycoon’s pointed and harsh words. It was simply a slap to the face.
Luke now had to add: The most delightful thing in the world is watching Tony talk rings around bigshots.
For example, Stern’s face was a little red, like a balloon that was slowly swelling up.
It was an extremely cozy scene.
After living in this country for so many years, Luke’s worldview had also been affected.
There were few good guys in the bureaucratic system. At least, the person in front of him definitely wasn’t one of them — this was the open consensus among the people at the bottom.
Seeing how the tycoon attacked Stern until the latter’s face turned red, the people in front of their TVs had to be applauding and celebrating.
Whether it was super magnate Tony Stark or superhero Iron Man, they were both popular and loved by the public.
As for Senator Stern, who was he? No one knew him; he was just an annoying bureaucrat.
In fact, today probably wasn’t just a party for the common people.
Next to Tony, several people in suits and military uniforms were also smiling; they did nothing to hide their expressions.
It was clear that not all the higher-ups agreed with Congress’s view on the Iron Man suit.
These people were clearly bigshots in the military, and might have been sent by the military to back Tony up.
Of course, they wouldn’t say anything.
But just sitting there was a clear indication of their stance.
Stark Industries wasn’t a weak chicken that was easily manipulated. It was a super American weapons manufacturer that had been around for decades.
Even though Tony Stark had switched trajectories, guns and cannons weren’t the only weapons in the world.
When it came to things like electronics, telecommunications, artificial intelligence and energy, Stark Industries was still the world’s best, and these were things still needed in weapons manufacturing.
While Luke was deep in thought, Selina poked his waist curiously. “Hey, this guy isn’t Dustin’s relative, is he?”
“Who?” Luke looked at the TV, only to see a middle-aged man in a suit and glasses speaking and flattering Tony.
Selina said, “His name is Justin Hammer, and he’s the CEO of Hammer Defenses. His name makes him sound like he could be Dustin’s twin brother.”
Luke: “…Stop watching TV with Gold Nugget. You may get brain damage.”
Gold Nugget looked away from the tablet and turned its head with a blank look. “Hm?”
Luke said, “It’s fine, you can continue watching. In any case, you’re brainless.”
Gold Nugget tilted its head and thought for a moment. It was indeed brainless since it was a symbiotic host.
So, it turned around and continued watching its show.
News was the most boring. It really didn’t know why the fiend and Selina watched it every day! Criticizing them inwardly, it was quickly engrossed once again in the dragons and monsters in its TV show.
On TV, Tony had already hacked into the system in front of everybody and exposed Hammer’s dark history.
Selina was enlightened. “So this is what it means to not think things through. This Justin definitely isn’t anywhere near the young master’s level.”
Luke nodded in agreement.
Justin wasn’t that stupid.
Of course, the police system was different from the business world, but Justin wasn’t a rash person.
Coming to find trouble with the young master with this sort of IQ, it could only be said that Justin was thick-skinned and wasn’t afraid of being beaten up.
On TV, Tony humiliated Justin Hammer in front of everybody once more before he stood up calmly.
He gave the countless cameras two V signs. “…I alone can protect world peace!”
Most people stood up and applauded.
Senator Stern exploded on the spot and cursed into the mic. “F*ck you, Stark! F*ck you, you *beep* *beep* *beep*!”
The news channel decisively cut the sound.
In fact, Luke had guessed at the two “F*ck yous” from reading Senator Stern’s lips; everything had actually been censored.
Clearly, Tony had won this farce.
On screen, the tycoon said earnestly, “…I’m very happy at your absolute trust in me!”
Luke and Selina both shook their heads.
Only the tycoon would dare do something like this. For anyone else, they would just be sitting ducks.
After they were done eating, they went to the basement and put on their equipment.
Selina had been active recently, with Gold Nugget helping out from the shadows. This was the second round of attacks on various gangs, and the most unforgivable criminals were their priority.
The second generation Beast Armor had already become a thing of the past; Selina was now wearing third generation Beast Armor.
While there had been quite some changes to its appearance, it still looked like a black cat.
It still had functions like stealth, a scent blocker, and short flight.
The only difference was that the helmet had the Thousand Faces System so that a face could be put on generous display.
It was actually still part of the facial armor; anyone would be able to tell when they rubbed it, though it was unlikely any of the gangsters had that ability.
Furthermore, the face Selina had set was the Hallie Berry model Luke had created last time.
Luke didn’t say anything about that.
It was just a fake identity. After using it and throwing it away, he could make another one.
Selina had been quite active, and her operation had already extended to the Brooklyn area.
Thanks to this professional 3-star teammate, Luke obtained 5,000 experience and credit points in ten days.
This was income which automatically entered the system without him needing to do anything at all.
Even though he knew it was a little unconscionable, he couldn’t help but feel elated. He had finally trained up this “passive hack.”
They parted ways in the underground passage.
Selina headed east to continue beating up people in Brooklyn.
Luke, on the other hand, put on his brand new Batman suit and headed southeast to Stark Tower.
Activating the invisibility function on the Batman suit version 2.0, it swept through the night sky of Manhattan like a ghost.