Marvel’s Women Were Not to Be Trifled With

Iron Man suits were expensive.

Not every suit cost as much as Mark 8. Mass production would reduce many expenses, and many components could be reused, such as J.A.R.V.I.S. and the outer framework of the Arc Reactor.

But no matter how cheap they got, they would never cost less than a hundred million dollars.

Especially after Vibranium had been mixed in at his suggestion.

To ordinary people, Vibranium and Wakanda were shrouded in mystery. But while S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony did not know the internal details, they at least knew that Vibranium came from Wakanda and could be acquired through either unofficial or official channels—

Every country had traitors and risk-taking merchants driven by profit. Vibranium had always leaked out of Wakanda, though not in large quantities.

In truth, Wakanda was ultimately just a small country with a sparse population and limited territory, heavily dependent on the outside world. The government had always sold Vibranium openly, at a clearly marked price of ten thousand dollars per gram—

That was how Captain America’s shield had been acquired.

As Wakanda grew more prosperous, the focus of its foreign trade shifted from Vibranium to other industries. The royal family had made massive investments all over the world, and they now basically no longer sold Vibranium. But countries always had to interact with one another, and small amounts of Vibranium could still be obtained through certain channels.

With Stark Industries behind him, Tony had plenty of ways to do it. All he needed was money.

It was said that Adamantium’s materials included Vibranium, which was also the biggest reason its production remained so low.

In fact, Mark 7’s Arc Reactor was no longer made from its original material, but from Vibranium, ensuring it would not be damaged by external attacks. That had also raised the cost.

One kilogram cost ten million dollars. Even for Tony, that was no small burden.

And the satellite serving as Veronica’s main body was not cheap either. The accompanying maintenance and repair systems cost even more.

If it really carried ten suits, the cost of the entire setup might not be any cheaper than the Anti-Hulk Armor version. It could easily run to two or three billion dollars. What a damn rich man.

As for why it was called Veronica?

Out of respect for the original work… Old Wang smiled. "I merely made a suggestion. If you don’t like it, you can change it."

"Forget it. You came up with the overall design concept, so you get the naming rights."

Tony spread his hands, wearing an expression that said, "I’m generous; something this minor doesn’t matter." Then he said, "Anything else? If not, please give me all the information on the Super Soldier Program. I’m going to start researching it."

Why was this guy in such a hurry… Egghead snorted. "I thought you’d just have J.A.R.V.I.S. steal it."

Tony paused, and for once, he actually looked a little embarrassed. "The S.H.I.E.L.D. database doesn’t contain complete information related to the Super Soldier Program. Did you keep some of it offline, or preserve it in paper form?"

Egghead: "…"

He felt that if he kept talking to this man, he might actually die of anger. With a cold snort, he said, "The Super Soldier Program is at another secret base. All files use code names, so you’d never find them… I’ll send you the address. Go yourself."

This guy was acting tsundere now… Tony put Mark 8 back on and left in an incredibly flashy manner.

Old Wang smiled. "Director Fury, how far has S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Super Soldier Program progressed? Skye has been rather tired lately, so let’s not make her take a trip to the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, shall we? Your firewall is pretty hard to crack. If we have to do this, you’ll be tired and I’ll be tired too. Why not just tell me directly?"

Hill glanced at Egghead, wondering whether she should call in the medical department’s specialists. She had the feeling that the director might suddenly suffer a heart attack.

Egghead snorted, turning his head away. He did not want to deal with this man.

It seemed that all those secret projects would have to be handled offline. All data would need to be stored on hard drives or in paper form, while related applications and reports would also have to be submitted on paper. Otherwise, they would not even know they had been compromised.

The Quinjet was fast, and Daredevil’s group soon returned.

Looking at the Black Winter Soldier covered in more than a dozen puncture wounds, then at Elektra’s two slender alloy swords, Egghead did not know what to say.

She was usually quite alluring, with a pretty face and a great figure. How was she so violent in a fight?

From Captain Marvel to Wasp, then Black Widow, Hill, and Elektra, not a single woman these days was easy to provoke. When they went crazy, they were even more terrifying than men.

Old Wang’s focus differed from Egghead’s.

His gaze lingered for several seconds each on Matt, Stick, and Elektra, and he frowned slightly.

Matt was in the best condition. He had barely any injuries, which was normal.

True Qi had an excellent nourishing effect. Matt’s physical abilities had already surpassed Black Widow’s and were not much weaker than the Winter Soldier’s. Coupled with Superman-like five senses, even in a direct hand-to-hand fight, he might not necessarily lose to the Winter Soldier.

Of course, when it came to combat experience and the use of modern weapons, Matt was far inferior to the Winter Soldier. That was his weakness.

Stick and Elektra made up for that weakness.

They were likewise not skilled with modern weapons, but one possessed extensive combat experience, while the other had extensive experience killing. With the three of them working together, let alone dealing with the Black Winter Soldier, they might not necessarily lose even if they challenged Captain America.

However, Stick and Elektra had still been injured.

Elektra in particular had been shot several times, and her injuries were serious.

Although Simmons’s rapid-healing injection had been administered in time and stopped the bleeding, recovery would not be so easy. Her cultivation was not yet sufficient to support self-healing, much less allow her to use Monk abilities.

Even if she could use them, it would not help. Elektra’s performance made it clear that she was definitely a Windwalker, not a Mistweaver.

All three of them were damn Windwalkers…

With a raised hand, a cloud of Mist of Revival fell over the wounds. Old Wang looked somewhat stern. "Your problem?"

Elektra lowered her head like a daughter who had made a mistake. "Yes."

Just as expected… Old Wang released a thread of spiritual energy and examined Elektra’s condition.

Not her body, but her soul.

She was Black Sky, the vessel of the Beast. No one could change that. She was inevitably influenced by the Beast—bloodthirsty, impulsive, and like a madwoman once battle began.

Someone like that might make the best killing weapon, but was not suited for team combat.

With the three of them working together and coordinating properly, capturing the Black Winter Soldier alive without injury would not have been a problem. She must have been too impulsive, forcing Matt and Stick to accommodate her, which had resulted in Stick being injured as well.

"You should go to K’un-Lun."

After thinking for a moment, Old Wang said, "Go find Master Lei Gong. He will lead you onto the path of spiritual cultivation. Elektra, you are not permitted to leave until you have completely subdued the Beast’s remaining power."

"Yes." Though unwilling, Elektra had no choice.

Since that day, she had developed a particularly strong attachment to Master Wang. She hoped even more that Master Wang would personally teach her, but she also knew that he was too busy to have the time.

The Quinjet naturally could not remain in K’un-Lun for long, so Old Wang directly opened a gate and sent the three of them to the Kunlun Gate.

The orange portal vanished amid the complicated gazes of Egghead and Hill, and Old Wang’s brows relaxed.

He had high hopes for Daredevil and Elektra.

Daredevil’s Superman-like five senses were unparalleled and still had room to improve. Elektra’s identity as Black Sky was not exactly unique, but it also held great potential.

He hoped that when they emerged from K’un-Lun, they would give him a pleasant surprise.

Another Quinjet landed on the rooftop platform outside the office.

Egghead and Hill both cast excited, searching looks toward it.

As their four gazes met, the Winter Soldier walked out carrying another Winter Soldier over his shoulder.

Behind him was Captain America, with his shield on his back.