章 56: Cutting-Edge Combat Suit
Perhaps it would take a helicopter over half an hour to fly across New York City, but that kind of travel time meant little to the Quinjet. Especially since Miss Stark had already completed more than half of the modifications to the Quinjet, significantly optimizing its turbofan engines.
In just about ten minutes, the Quinjet had crossed the city and arrived in the skies above Empire State University.
Empire State University—it's not a single institution but rather a university alliance, much like the Ivy League. All schools under this alliance belong to Empire State University, with the only difference being their locations.
Furthermore, among its forty-seven branches, many special talents have graduated from Empire State University. For example, Peter Parker from New York City and the genius scientist Bruce Banner, who remains on the Department of Defense's red alert list.
However, this visit was not for sightseeing but to protect the geneticist before the Inner Demons arrived.
"Open the hatch; I'll go down first to locate the target," said Rogers, clearly tired of waiting. He asked Miss Stark to open the rear hatch of the Quinjet.
With his enhanced physiology, Rogers rolled to the ground using his vibranium shield to absorb most of the impact.
At that moment, the university was in the midst of a Halloween party. The entire campus was filled with students and teachers dressed up in costumes, celebrating.
Dressed in his Captain America uniform, Rogers blended in perfectly with the revelry, drawing no particular attention. Moving through the crowd, he tried to spot Professor Isaac Delaney based on the image in his memory.
Miss Stark, however, did not move. Or rather, she didn't hurry to act—she figured it was more efficient to wait for the Inner Demons to arrive. She had upgraded the Quinjet's rotor system, integrating Howard Stark's incomplete anti-gravity technology.
Once the rotor system switched to anti-gravity mode, the rotors would stop, and the anti-gravity system would keep the jet in the air. Along with the light-camouflage system, no one would even notice the Quinjet unless they used radar.
The Quinjet hovered quietly above the university, and in just about ten minutes, the Inner Demons arrived.
Or more precisely, not just the Inner Demons, but their leader as well—Mister Negative, Martin Li.
"Rogers, the plan has changed. You can halt your search. The Inner Demons have arrived," Miss Stark's voice came through.
"Stay behind them, follow discreetly, and wait until they lead you to Professor Delaney."
Rogers, a battle-hardened warrior, instantly understood Miss Stark's intention. He began trailing the Inner Demons at a distance, keeping a low profile as they moved toward one of the university's research buildings.
Despite the group's intimidating presence, no one suspected anything. The Halloween party was open to the public, not just students and faculty. Alumni and even retired professors were attending, so the Inner Demons blended into the crowd seamlessly.
No one doubted the intentions of these ominous figures, and as a result, no one stopped them.
Rogers followed from afar, stealthily moving as the Inner Demons split up, surrounding the B-wing of the research building. From this, Rogers estimated that the professor was likely inside.
"You distract them, draw their attention. I'll descend from the rooftop and find a way inside," Rogers communicated.
"This is too dangerous for you—" Rogers began, but Miss Stark cut him off.
"Don't worry. They can't beat me," she said with confidence before abruptly ending the call, leaving Rogers to frown slightly, troubled by her directness.
But then again, the lightweight suit she had made for him had just saved him from a barrage of bullets earlier. Perhaps, like her father, she had some tricks up her sleeve, and didn't need him worrying about her. With a resigned sigh, Rogers stepped out into the open, allowing himself to be seen by the Inner Demons.
Of course, they noticed him immediately. One of the gang leaders, visibly upset, muttered, "Damn it, how did Captain America follow us here? Boss, Captain America's here!" he reported through his phone to Mister Negative.
They knew of Captain America's return, and many had even fought him before. The Osborn faction had managed to smuggle some critical information out of a previous confrontation, but it had been wiped out by Captain America and his team.
Mister Negative had received the news on his phone some time ago, though he hadn't paid much attention to it.
"Take him down. Even if you can't, keep him busy. I'm almost done here," Mister Negative instructed, hanging up the phone and turning his attention back to the restrained figure in front of him.
Today wasn't shaping up to be a good day for Dr. Isaac Delaney. Having been invited to the university's Halloween party, he had even dressed up as a "mad scientist," intending to enjoy a fun night with the students and faculty.
The party had been fun, but for an older man, it was tiring. So Delaney had returned to his university-assigned lab to rest. The lab had a full suite of amenities, including a private sleeping area. But just as he was about to relax, Mister Negative appeared, surrounded by his gang.
"Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Delaney. We need your help—just a little cooperation," Mister Negative said.
Meanwhile, on the ground floor, Rogers was already engaged in battle with the Inner Demons—fighting without holding back.
The Inner Demons were all armed with high-caliber handguns, firing explosive, negative-energy-infused bullets at him. But nothing, not even Hydra's energy weapons, could penetrate his vibranium shield. How could a few puny handguns pose a threat?
The new combat suit he wore was made of a fabric that hardened on impact, similar to non-Newtonian fluid, enhancing its defensive capabilities.
The sudden burst of gunfire threw the entire campus into chaos. Rogers knew the louder he made his distraction, the more effective it would be at diverting attention. With this in mind, he hurled his shield, knocking out one Inner Demon and ricocheting it into another.
No ordinary human could withstand the force of the vibranium shield, and both Inner Demons were instantly knocked out. Rogers' signature combat style of disarming enemies with his shield drew their full attention.
Using his superhuman speed and strength, combined with the shield and suit, Rogers fought without hesitation.
Meanwhile, the Quinjet quietly descended onto the rooftop of the research building. There was no designated helipad, so Miss Stark had to find the most spacious spot to land.
While Rogers was still engaging the enemy on the ground, Miss Stark had already infiltrated the building, having changed into her cutting-edge combat suit—a more advanced version of the test model she had previously sold to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Unlike the test version, her current sleek, black combat suit came with even greater capabilities.
The test suit S.H.I.E.L.D. had purchased only had basic bulletproof and stealth functions, yet it was already considered a prized possession by them.
Miss Stark's upgraded combat suit, on the other hand, had undergone several iterations since then, now featuring three distinct modes—strength enhancement, heavy defense, and stealth.
The strength mode utilized scientifically controlled micro-electrical pulses to stimulate the nerves, increasing muscle contraction efficiency and amplifying the wearer's strength.
The defense mode maximized the suit's protective capabilities, briefly offering protection far surpassing that of steel. Though this rapidly depleted the suit's energy reserves, it provided the utmost defense when needed.
Lastly, the stealth mode employed an advanced light-refraction technology integrated into the suit's fabric, rendering the wearer completely invisible. The test version sold to S.H.I.E.L.D. had not achieved perfect invisibility, leaving behind noticeable movement traces.
However, Miss Stark's version had perfected this technology, allowing the suit to bend light entirely, creating the illusion of physical disappearance.
The cutting-edge combat suit was designed for civilians and wasn't on the level of her Iron Man armor, but it still had massive commercial potential. Miss Stark hadn't yet decided when to release it on the market—it would likely be a few years down the line.
"Stealth system activated. Energy consumption rate increased," came the mechanical voice as Miss Stark activated the suit's stealth mode.
With the suit's invisibility engaged, she boldly entered the enemies' line of sight, knowing they wouldn't be able to detect her.
Although the suit didn't physically vanish, the special light-refraction material erased it from the visual spectrum. As a result, she was able to walk among the enemies undetected, as if she wasn't there at all.
Inside the building, the scene was tense. Mister Negative, who appeared like an overexposed film negative, was conversing with his target, Dr. Delaney.
Miss Stark had originally planned to listen in on their conversation, but something unexpected occurred. The moment she stepped into the room, Mister Negative abruptly stopped talking and turned his head toward her.
He stared directly at where Miss Stark was standing, his brows furrowed, clearly sensing something was amiss.
Miss Stark was confident in her technology. The stealth mode had been rigorously tested; there was no way an ordinary person could detect the suit.
But then it hit her—Mister Negative wasn't an ordinary person.
Mister Negative, after all, earned his name because his appearance, enveloped in negative energy, resembled an overexposed film. This difference set him apart from regular humans.
While he couldn't see the stealth suit, Mister Negative could sense a strange presence—something that revealed Miss Stark's position.
Frowning, he reached under his coat, pulling out a handgun from his shoulder holster. Relying on the old adage, "better safe than sorry," he fired twice into the seemingly empty air.
"Mr. Li, you've seriously violated national security. I suggest you surrender," Miss Stark's figure began to materialize, startling everyone in the room.
They all watched in disbelief as the two bullets she had caught dropped harmlessly to the floor with a crisp clink.
The bullets couldn't pierce the cutting-edge combat suit's defense but had disrupted its stealth mode.
"Who are you—or rather, what do you want?" Mister Negative asked, his icy tone matching his cold demeanor.
The Inner Demons in the room, almost in unison, drew their weapons and pointed them at the woman who had appeared out of nowhere.
"That's a question I'd like to ask you. You've caused chaos in the city—what's your endgame?" Miss Stark calmly threw the question back at him, unfazed by the array of guns pointed in her direction.
"She's alone. Kill her," Mister Negative ordered as he turned to leave, leaving his subordinates to deal with her.
To his credit, Mister Negative's decision to leave and let his men handle Miss Stark was the right one.
He had never encountered someone who could turn invisible and catch bullets, so he knew better than to engage directly.
Miss Stark, surrounded by Inner Demons, could only shake her head in mild silence. She didn't chase after Mister Negative—there was still a defenseless professor in the room who needed protection.
Moreover, she suspected Mister Negative's goal involved an even deeper conspiracy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット