Chapter 338: Showcasing The Latest Products
About thirty minutes later... At Stark Industries.
The company had a particular section as a dedicated testing facility. The area resembled a military proving ground and a laboratory at the same time, with reinforced steel flooring stretching across the hall, elevated observation platforms overlooking the field, and thick blast-resistant walls enclosing the entire chamber.
Ethan entered alongside King Carson and General Iroh, as they walked toward the center of the testing area.
Standing ahead of them was Lucy.
She wore her goggles, while rapidly moving through several interfaces displayed on the screen of an ArcTab in her hands.
Every so often, she exchanged technical remarks with a tall young man standing beside her.
The young man had brown hair and wore a fitted suit bearing Stark Industries’ "S" insignia.
This was Rex Hargreeves, Lucy’s cousin. And more importantly, Stark Industries’ field test engineer.
Rex personally conducted live demonstration of their newest inventions.
A row of dormant mechanical suits arranged in perfect formation, was positioned some meters behind him
Each one remained motionless, their armored frames locked upright within magnetic docking stations while blue lights pulsed beneath sections of their plating, indicating they were powered but inactive.
The moment Ethan’s group entered the testing area, both Lucy and Rex immediately stopped what they were doing.
They inclined their heads respectfully and greeted everyone that came.
Ethan acknowledged both greetings with a nod before speaking. "Let’s begin."
Lucy smiled before looking toward Rex. "Alright, Rex, suit up."
"Yes, ma’am." Rex stepped away from the control station and casually walked toward one of the waiting power suits.
Meanwhile, Ethan, Carson and General Iroh remained standing at the observation line, quietly watching.
Once Rex reached the docking platform, he extended his left wrist before pressing a small button built into the watch strapped around it.
Immediately afterward, he turned around and stretched both arms outward, presenting his back toward the dormant armor.
Then, one of the suits came alive.
The black mechanical frame separated into dozens of independent armored components that detached from the docking station one after another.
With astonishing speed, each section shot toward Rex. The boots reached him, locking firmly around both legs, then the armored greaves followed almost instantly.
Next came the waist assembly before the chest plate swung forward and sealed itself across his torso with a satisfying metallic click.
Both gauntlets wrapped tightly around his forearms as shoulder plating rotated into position above them.
Finally, the helmet folded shut around his head.
Several segmented plates slid together seamlessly until every exposed part of his body disappeared beneath the armor.
A sharp mechanical hiss escaped the suit as internal systems synchronized. The horizontal visor across the helmet suddenly ignited with brilliant orange light.
At almost the same time, the circular energy core embedded within the center of the chest illuminated as well.
Mounted across the back was a compact jet propulsion system whose vents gradually began glowing brighter while performing their startup sequence.
The completed armor possessed a sleek yet intimidating silhouette. This was Model A-01.
King Carson’s eyes lingered on the finished suit for several seconds. "Remarkable."
Both the King and the General were completely stunned.
Ethan glanced toward both of their expressions before smiling to himself.
Lucy, meanwhile, had already redirected her attention back to the ArcTab in her hands.
Several windows continuously updated across the display.
"Heart rate stable...Core synchronization nominal....Mana circulation within acceptable range."
She pressed another command before speaking without looking up. "You’re good to proceed."
Rex gave her a thumbs-up.
The compact jet thrusters mounted behind him suddenly roared to life as twin streams of fire erupted from the propulsion unit, propelling him across the ground before lifting him a few feet into the air as he accelerated smoothly through the testing area.
The movement was astonishingly stable, as though the suit had become an extension of his own body.
Rex banked sharply to the left before immediately reversing direction.
The jets adjusted almost instantly.
He accelerated forward again before abruptly killing the forward momentum, allowing the suit to hover perfectly still.
Then, he changed demonstrations into what showing different fighting styles .
A spinning kick.
An aerial roll.
The armor transitioned seamlessly between movements before landing in a controlled slide. The mechanical servos responded so naturally that every strike looked fluid.
King Carson watched every movement without blinking.
Even General Iroh, whose expression rarely changed, couldn’t conceal the curiosity in his eyes.
Once the short demonstration concluded, Ethan looked toward Lucy. "That’s enough, we are showing them the second one."
Lucy nodded before speaking into her communicator, instructing Rex accordingly.
The armored engineer landed smoothly before the black armor separated from his body piece by piece, returning to its docking frame.
Moments later, he approached another platform.
This suit contrasted with the previous one.
Its armor had blue colored plating, with large fin-like protrusions extended backward from both the helmet and shoulders.
Ethan smiled as he watched the transformation happen again.
This particular design had always been one of his favorites.
He had modeled much of its appearance after the draconic form he assumed whenever he transformed.
"The Aegis Model M-02." Ethan introduced calmly. "Our second assault suit."
The transformation finished.
Unlike the previous suit, there were no jet assemblies mounted across its back.
Instead, it possessed a long mechanical tail, with the nozzle at its tip capable of releasing a short, concentrated stream of fire, much like the focused flame produced by a welder’s torch.
"Proceed." Lucy instructed.
Rex immediately launched into explosive bursts of acceleration.
It crossed the testing ground in a blink before rebounding off reinforced walls through a sequence of impossibly sharp directional changes.
Every movement emphasized speed.
The mechanical tail whipped outward, its concentrated flame at the nozzle slicing cleanly through a steel target before immediately curling back around the suit to stabilize its landing.
Without stopping, Rex thrust his right arm forward and energy rapidly condensed inside the gauntlet.
A concentrated blast erupted outward, blasting cleanly through several armored targets positioned across the range before detonating on the far wall.
It showcase different rapid sidesteps, short leaps and sliding recoveries.
The tail continually adjusted behind him, sometimes serving as a counterweight during sudden turns, other times snapping outward like an additional weapon.
Unlike the previous armor, this one remained firmly grounded. Its emphasis was speed rather than sustained aerial combat.
It excelled at rapidly entering engagements, overwhelming opponents through precise melee strikes before immediately disengaging again.
Several minutes later... The exhibition concluded.