Chapter 97 Nine Days Later

Over the following nine days, Saint was shocked to discover that the three energy cubes remained remarkably resilient, and had yet to be drained by the Dragon Ball. However, this outcome was far from satisfactory…

Saint had originally believed that attaching the three energy cubes to the Dragon Ball would significantly accelerate its energy absorption rate. It seems he had been mistaken. For every different type of energy source, the Dragon Ball has a threshold for its energy absorption rate per unit of time, and the scale and quantity of the energy source have no effect at all.

Energy derived from the cosmic cube is clearly not as easily absorbed as energy from the Ark Reactor. After nine days, the Dragon Ball had only recovered a little less than a quarter of its energy. If it were the Ark Reactor, it would have recovered approximately one-third in the same amount of time.

After testing the Five-Star Ball on his right hand, Saint also deduced that two different Dragon Balls cannot absorb the same energy source simultaneously. As for the reason behind this, he was at a loss. Could it be that even inanimate objects like the Dragon Balls are capable of exhibiting deference?

In any case, after nearly a quarter of the Dragon Ball’s energy was restored, the three cube energy blocks had grown dim, on the verge of extinguishing. Saint was well aware that he could not rely on them for the remaining quarter plus…

There were also two things worth mentioning that happened in the last nine days.

The first event was a severe fire that broke out in a skyscraper in Manhattan on the fifth day. Upon seeing the news, Saint rushed to the scene, disregarding the flames and smoke to rescue the trapped civilians and bring them to safety. As a result, the media’s former darling, GOLDEN BOY, once again made headlines on major television stations.

However, Saint did not see himself as the heroic figure that the media portrayed him as. He had a compassionate nature and was willing to do good deeds as long as the cost to himself was acceptable, but he did not possess a strong sense of self-sacrifice. If the time came when he had to put others before himself, he would choose to live happily rather than sacrifice himself, unless it involved his family.

In addition, since his debut as “Golden Boy,” Saint had only made two appearances, with a gap of almost a month between them. He didn’t know what others thought of him, but he felt that he was not a particularly lazy superhero.

The second event occurred on the eighth day when Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. visited Saint in disguise and confidently declared that they had “everything under control” regarding HYDRA and were preparing to launch a full-scale extermination campaign.

Saint remained silent on the matter, choosing not to offer any further insights to Coulson. As a traveler, he was well aware that the nine-headed snake, Hydra, known as the as the snake that grows two heads after you cut off one, was a formidable force that extended far beyond the jurisdiction of SHIELD. However, he decided that for now, it was best to leave things be. After all, they were no longer in a feudal society and he had no desire to engage in petty power struggles.

Coulson, as a highly-ranked agent and one of Nick Fury’s most trusted colleagues, had not made the journey simply to deliver a message. After outlining the situation, he directly asked Saint if he would be willing to assist SHIELD in their operations by serving as bait.

Saint considered the request and concluded that it wouldn’t be too much trouble. In this particular case, his interests were aligned with those of SHIELD. He agreed, but only on the condition that he could bring his own team. He knew that SHIELD’s secret operations were nominally targeting the mysterious forces that had attacked their secret branches. If Saint, the primary suspect, were to cooperate and reveal himself, it would likely lower the Hydra’s guard significantly.

For Colson, this was a dream come true. With Saint’s laid-back personality, he had willingly offered to help “for free,” and Colson was already over the moon with this outcome, not expecting anything more…

…In contrast to Saint’s leisurely nine days, Tony Stark’s time was much more…intensive.

On the first day, with Jarvis’ assistance, Tony completely overhauled the design of the Iron Man suit, creating a brand new “Mark II” that was significantly more advanced, refined, and efficient than the “Mark I” sketch he had drawn in the cave. In terms of appearance, the two were worlds apart, and overall, the Mark II was a clear winner in every aspect.

After his brush with being attacked by his own weapons in Afghanistan, Tony learned his lesson and kept his research findings secret, opting not to report them to Stark Industries as usual.

On the second day, Tony began working on the most crucial component of the Iron Man suit: the flight system, specifically the energy jet propulsion units on the feet.

On the third day, Tony successfully built a pair of “energy jet boots” and immediately put them to the test. After announcing “Let’s take it slow, start with a 10% jet thrust and work our way up. Ready, three, two, one…” he successfully flew, but then…flipped over and crashed into the ceiling, his face being the first to make contact with the thick metal.

On the fourth day, Tony Stark learned from his own firsthand experience that “ten percent thrust is a joke” and that he needed a device to stabilize his balance. He set about modifying his armor design, intending to add a pair of auxiliary energy jet thrusters to his hands.

By the fifth day, Tony had completed the design improvements and began constructing an “Iron Arm” that would envelop his entire arm and emit energy from the palm.

On the sixth day, Tony finished building a prototype “energy jet Iron Arm” and donned it on his right arm, ready to test it out. Just then, Pepper Potts descended from the upper floor to inform him that “Obadiah Stane” was here to visit.