Chapter 20: Why Make It Yourself When You Can Just Take It?

There are indeed some drawbacks. At present, the weapon systems equipped on this unit are still rather incomplete. The main reason is that Luke has some bold ideas simmering in his mind.

Currently, the only weapons installed on the unit are two grenade launch bays. This launch system is something Luke developed himself, tailored to his own combat style. The principle behind it is the simplest form of vacuum ejection: by extracting air from the vacuum tube, a negative pressure is created, which propels the second-generation grenades out of the magazine.

The advantages are cleanliness and zero pollution, with minimal preheating time. Only a second of preheating is needed, and in the next second, four grenades can be launched—much faster than he could manage by hand. Since the aerial combat mecha can fly, launching grenades from above, the left and right launch bays can simultaneously fire eight electric and freezing grenades per second, carpet-bombing an area the size of a basketball court with indiscriminate force!

Rest assured, the commotion will be more than enough!

Compared to this, that chaotic skirmish with those gangsters the other night seems like child's play, mere triviality. Initially, Luke wanted to name this carpet-bombing move "Flower Scatter from the Heavens," but after some thought, he decided it sounded too effeminate. Ultimately, he settled on "Justice from Above."

Aside from the two grenade launch bays, no other firepower is currently installed on the unit. For a proud aerial combat mecha, having only one mode of attack is clearly insufficient.

Above the 1.2-meter-tall unit and on its back, Luke has reserved four mounting points for machine guns and eight slots for missile launchers. He has elaborate plans for both machine guns and missiles—not intending to build them himself, but to seize them from others.

Why bother manufacturing them when ready-made options exist?

He even has his targets in mind. For the machine guns, he plans to steal MP7s and AK-47s from the gangs in Hell's Kitchen, bring them back, modify them, and mount them on the unit. As for missiles, he has heard that Hammer Military's "Ex-Wife" missiles are pretty good.

These days, Luke has been keeping a close eye on the news. Two major events have occurred recently.

First, a giant green monster appeared on the streets of New York, blocking traffic and wreaking havoc across a large district. Even the military was mobilized. Eventually, the green monster broke through the army blockade and vanished without a trace.

The moment Luke saw this news, he realized—the Hulk had emerged! The Marvel world was unfolding along the timeline he knew so well.

The second piece of news was that Hammer Military's weapons exhibition would open next month.

In other words, the plot of Iron Man 2 was about to begin.

If Luke remembered correctly, Justin Hammer would showcase Hammer Military's cutting-edge weaponry at the exhibition, including the "Ex-Wife" missile.

When the time comes, well… heh heh heh…

What? Is that robbery? Absolutely, it is robbery!

Against the law? Sorry—in Rotas’s words, how else can one spread the glory of the Apostle without stirring things up?

Besides, this is the Marvel world. How can you live up to the name "Marvel" without making big headlines?

"According to Iron Man 2's plot, Tony should currently be tormented by severe palladium poisoning, right? Soon, he'll be attacked by Whiplash, the Marvel supervillain, on the Monaco racetrack. Should I go and join the excitement ahead of time?"

Luke pondered, weighing the pros and cons. This might be an opportunity to officially make contact with Iron Man. Previously, he had planned to use his burger stand beneath Stark Tower to find a chance to meet Tony.

But except for the first encounter, it was always Tony's chubby chauffeur and bodyguard who came to buy burgers. Tony's favorability toward him was still zero.

Luke had built this mecha himself, and the more he did so, the more he found himself admiring Tony.

He relied on system-provided knowledge, almost cheating, to achieve this feat. But Tony? Tony depended entirely on his own brilliance, his unparalleled mind, and his MAX-level hands-on ability. There was simply no comparison.

When the system’s favorability is maxed out, Luke can steal a skill from the other party. Logically, Tony's skills worth stealing are his intelligence and knowledge.

Whether out of admiration or envy, Luke holds high hopes for acquiring wisdom akin to Tony’s.

"Should I go to Monaco and make my presence felt?"

If it were Rotas, Luke thought, he would definitely urge him to go, and insist on causing a huge commotion.

In the end, Luke realized he didn’t need to worry so much. Too much hesitation only made him less free-spirited. He’d been reborn into this world—no matter what grand cosmic will orchestrated this, Luke felt that this time he should live boldly and unrestrained!

Because now, he has the means!

"Let’s do it then! Follow my own instincts and be true to myself!"

Gazing at the masterpiece he had created, Luke couldn’t help but compare his result with Tony’s Iron Man suit.

Iron Man was a living reference, and for now, the benchmark that Luke aspired to reach.

Comparing it to the Mark V suit Tony wore in Iron Man 2, Luke believed his aerial combat mecha, Stormwind, was in no way inferior in several aspects.

First, its mobility—in this regard, the compact Stormwind had an undeniable advantage.

Its power was equally formidable.

The Mark V used the second-generation arc reactor, which was not as mature as later versions. Stormwind was powered by a colorless crystal block, so the two were hard to compare directly. In terms of power alone, Luke didn’t see much difference.

The high-level tactical maneuvers performed by the Mark V in the movie, Stormwind had already executed during recent test runs.

The wealthy elite’s advantage lies in the use of the world’s top materials—something Luke knows he can’t compete with. Most of Stormwind’s materials came from the scrapyard.

Luke felt his greatest advantage was his ability to draw on reference, his vision broader. Compared to Tony, who was still exploring, Luke could even describe in detail the functions of the later Mark 50 suit used against Thanos.

In other words, Luke knew exactly which direction to develop, avoiding detours.

In terms of firepower, Stormwind was temporarily inferior to the Mark V.

The Mark V’s arsenal, as seen in the film, included the energy cannon in the suit’s palm, missile launchers and machine guns on the shoulders, and occasional energy blasts from the arc reactor in the chest.

But this disadvantage was only temporary.

Once machine guns and missile launchers were installed, Luke was confident he could personally pilot Stormwind and go head-to-head with Tony’s Mark V.

And let’s not forget—he had backing.

Luke had the system—his ultimate cheat.

In DNF, the aerial combat mecha Stormwind was merely an intermediate skill for the Mechanic class, not particularly powerful. The Mechanic’s late-game ultimate moves were truly monstrous!

The female Mechanic’s G-0 War Lord, for example—its sheer size rivaled Iron Monger from Iron Man 1, a true war machine. Its firepower far surpassed Iron Monger’s, equipped with countless missiles and capable of unleashing hundreds of simultaneous laser strikes.

The male Mechanic’s awakening skill, Gaepoga’s Fist.

The mechanical war god Gaepoga was the ultimate force in DNF, sealed in a different dimension after being created by the Sky People. Each summoning only brought forth one of its arms.

Yet even that single arm stretched over a hundred meters! Imagine how massive the main body must be?

"If I ever manage to build Gaepoga, Thanos will be nothing—I'll stomp him flat like a pancake!" Luke yearned for that day.

From now on, he only needed to keep gathering materials to upgrade Stormwind, gradually draw skill books, and transform Stormwind into a larger mecha. Eventually, he would build Gaepoga. By then, he’d be unstoppable in Marvel.

But thinking of one crucial issue, Luke instantly deflated.

He didn’t have any money!

He wasn’t like Tony, that damned rich tycoon, with more money than he could ever spend.

This hands-on experience with building a mecha made him realize just how expensive such projects were!

That’s the real reason he plans to seize machine guns and missiles—he’s running out of funds…

Whether it’s spending money to pull magic boxes for a minuscule chance to get Gaepoga’s skill book, or the astronomical materials needed to build Gaepoga, just imagining it gives Luke a headache…

"Sigh, I really need to find a way to earn more…" Luke sighed bitterly. Damn those rich bastards!