Capítulo 23: Chapter 23: Aerial Combat Training
In the original story, Ivan Vanko harbored thoughts of revenge against Tony Stark because his father, before his death, pointed at Tony, who had become Iron Man, and said, "That should have been yours."
After all, in the past, Anton Vanko, along with Howard Stark, was a technological genius who worked together on the Arc Reactor. Their sons inherited their respective fathers' talents.
Warren had a mind to change this tragedy, as the conflict between Ivan Vanko and Tony had affected innocent civilians. It would be better to resolve it if possible since, from the perspective of the overall plot, Ivan seeking revenge against Tony was not essential.
Warren's excuse was that he discovered that Anton was the one who had originally collaborated with Howard Stark to develop the Arc Reactor. Hence, he went through the trouble of inviting them to Worthington.
...
"Ivan," Anton Vanko sat up from the bed. His condition had improved significantly, thanks to expensive treatments.
Their lives had been difficult before. Anton Vanko had been expelled by Howard Stark and was never employed again.
Ivan Vanko, on the other hand, used to be a scientist but had spent several years dealing in weapons-grade palladium.
Therefore, when they were invited to Worthington, they themselves found it hard to believe. It took some effort to bring them to the United States, even to visit their father.
"You seem to be doing well these past few days," Ivan Vanko said as he put on fresh and tidy clothes, finally covering up his tattoos.
"Not bad. An independent laboratory with everything one could ask for. The only problem is a brain full of nonsense from that young lad, but fortunately, I don't have to pay attention to him."
It seemed that Justin Hammer had become synonymous with excrement in Ivan Vanko's mind.
"Is the work going smoothly?"
When Ivan Vanko was asked about his work, he became somewhat agitated.
"The positioning and tracking system for micro-missiles, the thrusters, the detonators—everything is beyond anything I've seen before. Each item, taken individually, could revolutionize the entire industry. They... they are like technologies from the future, making tremendous leaps in progress."
"It seems you've encountered difficulties. Well, that's good because this old man has had enough rest."
Anton Vanko stood up, muttering to himself, "A leap in technology?"
He knew his son well. If Ivan could speak those words, it meant that the task Worthington had given him was by no means simple.
One technology far surpassing the present would have been enough, but to hear his son say that several technologies surpassed the present and created a significant leap, causing Ivan to face difficulties, meant that the old veteran had to intervene.
"No, the doctor said you still need more rest." Ivan Vanko tried to push him back.
"The laboratory is where I find my solace. Everything there makes me feel good."
Anton grabbed his hand, fell silent for a moment, and then said firmly, "Stark!"
Ivan Vanko no longer objected because he had heard his father's bitter words about Stark since he was young. It was Tony Stark's father, Howard Stark, who had driven Anton Vanko away, and he had lived a difficult and impoverished life for half a century.
"I don't care about a high salary, and I don't care about that smiling young man. What matters is Stark. Ivan, this is an opportunity. I want to completely drive Stark out of the military-industrial complex with the weapons I've created. I've been waiting for this day for too long, and I thought I would never see it..."
Anton shed tears.
Ivan Vanko nodded and helped his father up. "Together, we'll do it."
"Together!"
Firearms, archery, hand-to-hand combat, and aerial combat.
Warren had filled his life with a busy schedule. In his free time, it was all training because in the coming days, he had to debut as a hero and a leader.
Just like trainees who practiced singing, dancing, rapping, and basketball before their debut.
...
In the spacious training room, several automated turrets were fixed to the ceiling.
More than ten drones blinked with red lights, locking onto Warren, who soared in the air with his bright white wings.
"Red Queen, increase the difficulty today."
"Should I adjust the difficulty to level 4, sir?" asked the projection of the Red Queen, a young girl.
"Yes," Warren replied and put on his helmet.
It was a silver helmet with angel wings texture made of vibranium.
The interior of the helmet was red because a helmet similar to Magneto's, which protected against Professor X's psychic control, was embedded inside.
Or rather, Warren had used vibranium to create a shell for the psychic control-blocking helmet, to protect it from damage during battle and effectively protect his head.
Other than that, he had no other form of protection. He was shirtless with only a pair of pants, without even shoes.
"3... 2... 1, begin!"
As the countdown by the Red Queen ended, the face shield of Warren's helmet dropped with a thud, leaving only a T-shaped gap.
He remembered that the angel's helmet in League of Legends had a similar design, wondering if it had been updated or not.
His field of view was slightly obstructed, and he would need to add a holographic display inside, but it didn't matter. His danger perception was already in overdrive.
The automated turrets and drones locked onto Warren and opened fire as soon as the Red Queen's countdown ended.
Silver covered his entire body, and the texture of his skin turned into a steel pattern. The load on the wings increased instantly.
Steel form!
At the same time, the entire world slowed down in that instant, slow enough to see the trajectory of bullets.
Bullet time!
Each of the six wings flapped, allowing Warren's body to swiftly dodge at incredible angles, like a kayak in a rapid stream.
Zing!
A bullet struck his lower left rib, leaving only a scratch.
The steel form couldn't completely withstand the impact of bullets; vibranium conversion was needed.
Crack, crack, crack!
The ground cracked as automated turrets with six-barreled machine guns emerged.
"Why are there six turrets for level 4 when there were only two for level 3?"
Seeing six turrets emerge from the ground, Warren sensed trouble.
Ping, ping, ping!
Sparks flew from his palms.
The motors turned, and the six-barreled machine guns began to unleash a frenzy of metallic projectiles.
"Explosion!"
Boom!
Intense flames erupted from Warren's palms, resembling rockets, instantly pushing his body away from the original spot.
All the automated turrets and drones directed their firepower at Warren.
"Adjust power output of the hands, assist with wing control for flight posture..."
Warren silently recited the advice Red Queen had given him after several training sessions.
The firepower from his left hand weakened while his right hand increased. The wings assisted in controlling his flight posture as Warren executed a large spiral reversal in the air.
Due to the large reversal, the pursuit from behind turned into a frontal rain of bullets.
"Secret technique—lateral movement!"
The explosive power of his left and right hands fluctuated rapidly, allowing Warren to draw spiral trajectories in the air continuously.
"Now!"
Explosive power increased to its maximum, and Warren's speed skyrocketed as he swiftly passed by one of the turrets.
His arms held scorching machine guns, leaving only a pedestal in place.
"Bring it on!" He threw the machine guns at another turret, smashing it as well. But then...
Ding, ding, ding...
The sound of metal hitting metal echoed incessantly.
"Red Queen, don't hit my knee joint!"
"Ah, my waist!"
"Not there!"
...
Once his speed slowed down, the other turrets and drones controlled by the Red Queen subjected Warren to a merciless barrage of firepower.
"Phew..."
Covered in charred marks and numerous dents, Warren lay on the ground. His once bronze-like skin and iron-like bones resembled the surface of the moon, filled with craters.
"The training is over. You didn't pass the level 4 training," announced the projection of the Red Queen, while a mechanical arm extended towards him.
"Oh..."
Warren deactivated his steel form, and the mechanical arm injected a substance into his body.
A healing potion.
It was a potion that could grant someone the self-healing ability of a mutant in just a few seconds. After the injection, the bullet holes on Warren's body rapidly healed before his eyes.
"Let's summarize, Teacher Red Queen."
The girl in the red dress instantly transformed into a figure wearing glasses, holding a teaching cane, although she still looked like a young girl.
"Your flight control has improved considerably, but tactically, you weren't prepared for the increased difficulty. Level 4 training added four ground turrets, yet you continued to fight in the same way as the level 3 training. Did you consider different solutions when you saw the additional turrets?"
"Not at all."
Warren shamelessly replied. He only knew how to be reckless.
"It seems I need to add tactical courses for you."
"That would be great."
Since Warren had kept his aerial combat training as a top-secret project, he couldn't hire trainers like with other projects. So, he had to rely on the Red Queen.
As an artificial intelligence, the Red Queen had a powerful learning ability. It wouldn't take long for her to prepare a complete set of learning materials.
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