CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 057: THREE HEROES BATTLE! TONY’S DILEMMA WITH THE TRANSFORMERS

Once a war breaks out, it’s hard to end it quickly.

It’s like lighting a barrel of gasoline—you can’t expect it to burn out instantly; it’s going to take time. There’s just no way around it.

Lorien passed the time playing games with the Gwens. Who knew how long it had been? By the time their "battle" finally ended, it was already deep into the night.

An all-nighter gaming session wasn’t exactly unusual.

...

Meanwhile, in a beachfront villa in Los Angeles, Tony had just made a breakthrough in nanotechnology. Returning to his chair, his thoughts once again drifted to the Transformers.

He had been pondering for a long time—no, for days—and still couldn’t figure out the principle behind their transformations.

You could say it was nanotech, but satellite footage showed no trace of nanotechnology at all.

You could say it was purely mechanical design, but that was even more impossible. Tony was certain of it: the way some Transformers shifted form simply couldn’t be achieved by mechanical transformation alone.

Even upgrading and modifying existing vehicle modules wouldn’t make it happen.

So what kind of technology was it?

He couldn’t figure it out—and the more he couldn’t figure it out, the more he wanted to know.

Stubborn to the core, he mulled over it yet again before finally saying,

"Friday, compile and list every key detail from the recording that night."

"Yes, sir," Friday replied, before adding, "Sir, Captain Rogers has requested that you attend tomorrow’s meeting on the Sokovia Accords."

"Tell him I’m sick. In the hospital," Tony answered coolly.

"Sir, Captain Rogers reminded you this may be the Avengers’ final meeting. Not attending could have serious consequences."

Tony chuckled at that.

"So now he’s panicking because he’s about to be sanctioned? He wasn’t worried when he was making the mess?"

When Tony first developed the Iron Man armor, he’d been sanctioned too. But he’d been just one man, with strong justification and high public support, so he’d gotten through it easily.

Rogers was different—he’d rallied too many people and drawn the United Nations’ ire. And yes, that included Tony.

"Hah..."

After a moment’s thought, Tony sighed.

"Fine. Tell him I’ll be there tomorrow."

"Yes, sir. Here’s the compiled data you requested."

Tony began reviewing Friday’s summary: power output calculations, combat capability estimates, transformation analysis, weapon systems and physical durability, intelligence assessments, and more.

Some data points remained unknown, while others had been calculated from the available footage.

Of course, there was still plenty he didn’t know.

Tony went through the data bit by bit, carefully examining every detail. This was, after all, his last round of analysis.

If he still couldn’t figure it out after this...then Friday would have to scan the entire city, and they’d track the source down in person.

He kept going, one entry after another, until—

Two gold-gilded words suddenly appeared in the projection before him.

"Huh?!"

Tony froze for a second, then quickly pulled out Lorien Su’s business card.

Holding the card in one hand, he compared it to the projection with the other.

Well, well... wasn’t this interesting?

"So... after all this time, it turns out the Transformers belong to Lorien?"

The corner of Tony’s mouth twitched—he nearly choked on his own breath.

It wasn’t just "after all this time." He’d been chasing this lead for several nights.

And this was the answer?

Should he feel happy or annoyed?

For a moment, his mouth twitched so hard it looked like he was about to have a stroke. A sudden wave of pointlessness washed over him.

...

Friday’s voice broke the silence.

"Sir, Agent Romanoff has uploaded a file to the database—intel on the Transformers."

"Intel?!"

Tony’s eyes lit up as he immediately pulled up the file.

There, in clear text, it read:

The Transformers are not products of human technological development, but creations of an alien technology.

They possess life and soul, with independent consciousness and personalities.

They are not manufactured by Earth technology, nor can any Earth power replicate them.

Natasha had uploaded her initial search report, but the follow-up questions she’d asked clearly hadn’t been added.

That, Tony noted, meant she kept her word—saying only what needed to be said, and keeping quiet on what didn’t.

He shook his head in astonishment, muttering to himself,

"Life, soul, personality... alien tech... In other words, they’re mechanical lifeforms—living beings, not manufactured machines!"

The revelation floored him. It was the complete opposite of his initial theory.

He’d been certain they were artificial—some kind of advanced tech, maybe even linked to nanotechnology.

Never in a million years had he imagined they were living mechanical beings.

Humans were carbon-based life; Transformers were mechanical life.

"This is incredible..."

In his entire life, Tony had never seen mechanical life before. No one on Earth had.

And now? Mechanical life was real.

And it just so happened to be in the hands of someone he knew.

The thought alone had him buzzing with excitement—there was no way he’d be getting any sleep tonight.

Lorien wasn’t just a friend at this point.

He was a brother.

...

The next morning, Lorien woke to find that the two "spiders" beside him had become one.

He studied the lone Gwen, unsure whether she was the extroverted one, the introverted one, or the merged version after they’d fused back together. There was just no way to tell.

After last night’s little experiment, Lorien had learned something important—the yin–yang split from the Tiger Talisman didn’t just make them identical in appearance; even their bodies were the same. The only difference lay in personality and mindset.

Naturally, different personalities meant different reactions... but that was beside the point. Right now, Lorien had no clue which Gwen this was.

He thought about it for a moment, then decided not to bother. Slipping quietly out of bed, he glanced at the chaotic mess and water stains all over the floor.

This time, he didn’t bother snapping his fingers. Instead, he gave a soft hum. A wave of energy rippled outward, and in the blink of an eye, the entire room was spotless. Even the sleeping Gwen was completely clean—cleaner than she would’ve been fresh out of the shower.

Checking the clock, Lorien blinked. Just after 7 a.m.?

Fine. He left a note, then headed downstairs for a run along the beach to clear his head.

Last night had been... wild. Even more insane than the last time. If Lorien was "1," the Gwens were "2," and an attack was "→," then yesterday’s battle had been an all-out free-for-all. Sometimes it was 1→22, sometimes 12→2, sometimes 21→2.

In short—it had been brutal. Brutal enough that even now, Lorien didn’t dare dwell on it.

...

While he was out jogging, he rounded a corner and spotted a man in casual clothes, sunglasses, a red-and-yellow mechanical watch, and—most notably—a pair of deep, dark circles under his eyes. The man jogged up to match his pace.

Tony Stark.

Lorien couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. That was Tony for you—a little neurotic, always full of surprises.

Hearing the laugh, Tony turned his head with a grin.

"Hey, what a coincidence. You’re out for a run too? I just happened to be running myself."

Lorien didn’t even bother looking over.

"Running with those black circles under your eyes? Try not to drop dead."

"How could I?" Tony flexed an arm, showing off. "I work out all the time at home."

"Suit yourself." Lorien kept jogging, but tossed him a warning.

"If you do keel over, make sure it’s far away from me. Don’t die in front of my face."

"Oh, you’re worried about me? You totally care." Tony smirked in that narcissistic way of his. "But doesn’t ’sudden death’ literally mean dying suddenly? How am I supposed to see it coming?"

Lorien: ...

He didn’t need to ask why Tony was here. Clearly, word about the Transformers had gotten around, and curiosity had dragged him over.

So Tony ran alongside him for a bit—not because he was in a rush, but because he wanted to see whether Lorien’s fitness or his own "gym body" held up better.

The result? Obvious.

Lorien didn’t even break a sweat. Tony, on the other hand, was gasping for air in no time.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Grabbing Lorien’s arm, Tony panted,

"Come on, let’s get some coffee. My treat!"

The word treat was all Lorien needed to hear.

"Deal. Let’s go."

It wasn’t about the money—just the simple joy of someone else picking up the tab.

Men are like that. Even if you just want a quick favor, don’t expect it for free. But hand over a cigarette first? Suddenly it’s negotiable.

That’s just how it works.

...

They made their way to a café. Tony ordered two double Americanos, paid, and handed Lorien his cup.

They stepped back outside and found a quiet spot to sit.

"Slurp~"

Tony took the first sip.

Only after Lorien Su drank did he ask,

"I didn’t expect you to be in such good shape, Lorien."

Lorien held his coffee, giving Tony an up-and-down glance.

"If you’d quit women a long time ago, I bet you wouldn’t be so out of shape."

"That’s impossible." Tony gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "Back then, I was young and reckless. There’s no way I could’ve stayed away from women."

For Tony to admit that, he clearly had a decent level of self-awareness. A truly strong person isn’t just strong in the present—he can also face the failures of his past.

Tony could. These days, he was madly in love with Pepper, no longer playing around, fully focused on his research. That was growth—huge growth. And it was one of the things Lorien respected about him.

Of course, that didn’t mean Lorien agreed with Tony on everything. On some matters, he still held his own views.

...

After the two rested for a while, Tony couldn’t resist leaning in with a low cough.

"Ahem... I heard you’ve got a really slick Ferrari. And it can even transform, right?"

Lorien took another sip, glanced at Tony raising his eyebrows and making faces, and couldn’t help but laugh.

"I’ll give you another chance to ask—make it quick."

"Is the Transformer yours?"

"It’s mine."

Simple. No need for dancing around. You ask straight, I answer straight. As long as no one touches a nerve, the conversation’s easy.

Hearing that it really was Lorien’s, Tony immediately thought of Natasha’s file.

"So... Natasha’s intel..."

"She came with Wanda that day, so I let her ask too."

"Ohhh..." Tony made a face of sudden understanding.

Then he rubbed his hands together, coughed lightly, and asked,

"So... can I... maybe get a close-up look?"

"Relax. Anywhere’s fine. You can look, maybe even touch it a bit."

"It’s just... I’m so curious! It’s a mechanical life form, right? I’ve never seen one before!"

Tony was a tech guy through and through—machines, mechs, electronics—he was obsessed. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have invented the Mark armor. So his interest in Transformers was genuine.

Lorien could tell—his Phoenix Force let him sense it. Tony’s fascination came from pure, childlike wonder, not from wanting power or profit. Like a kid who just loves excavators.

But still... if we’re all kids here—if I show you my toy, you’ve gotta show me yours. And if you like my toy a lot, I might just ask for something extra.

Lorien’s lips curved into a sly smile.

"I can let you see it. I can even take you down to my underground garage for a good look. But... what do I get out of it?"

That smile told Tony there was room to negotiate. But what did Lorien want?

"Dollar?"

Lorien didn’t even blink.

"Woman?"

That made Lorien laugh. "Who could be better than Wanda? Or can you give me a woman more beautiful and more capable than her?"

Tony immediately shook his head. No way. If he was caught by Wanda’s Chaos Magic, it could probably crush him to paste through his armor—unless he finished developing nano armor.

Since Lorien already had Wanda, offering women was off the table.

As for power, houses, cars... Tony had considered them, but didn’t bother asking. Lorien lacked none of those. If he wanted them, he could get them.

So... what did Lorien want?

Seeing Tony deep in thought, Lorien gave him a hint.

"I want a collector’s item. And you just happen to have one."

"A collector’s item?"

Tony mentally ran through his collections—art, antiques, vintage cars, wine. None of those fit. They could all be bought, and none were truly one-of-a-kind.

Then it hit him—the Mark 1–45 armors lined up in his basement. Many had been blown up as "fireworks" for Pepper, but the retired ones were stored again.

Could Lorien be after a Mark suit?

Tony frowned. To him, the Mark armor’s meaning outweighed its value. Sure, he’d given away a suit before, but that hadn’t exactly been by choice—it was indirect. Trading one now was different.

He thought for a moment before asking,

"Lorien, why do you want the armor? For Wanda? For yourself? Or..."

"Neither."

"Huh?"

"Neither," Lorien repeated. "I just want it for my collection. Your armor’s cool."

"For that, I’ll trade you. Say, you want your phone to turn into a Transformer? I can make that happen as an exception. I want a custom suit—looks over practicality. You take a Transformer phone. Deal?"

A brand-new, custom-designed Mark suit in exchange for a Transformer phone.

Honestly... Tony was very tempted.

He sat there, holding his Americano, thinking for a long while before finally saying,

"As long as you promise me the armor won’t be used for war, I’m fine with it."

That was easy—Lorien never planned to use it in battle. He just wanted to see what happened when you mixed Mark armor with Transformer tech.

"Deal."

"Oh, and later I’ll send you the exterior design and specs. You’ll build it according to my plans. I’m the client now."

Tony: "!!!"

"You’ve been planning for this day all along, haven’t you?!"

...

(80 Chapters Ahead)

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