Marvel : Copycat System

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Tony was shocked when he heard what Kai said.

"What? How did you know I wanted this? And since Obadiah's office isn't connected to the internet, how did you get this information?"

Tony grabbed the documents from Kai with a skeptical look, then turned to Jarvis.

"Jarvis, run a calculation. Is this accurate?"

"Sir," Jarvis replied after a brief pause, "based on the provided data, Mr. Kai's information appears to be accurate."

This time, Tony was genuinely surprised.

"Hey, Kai, how exactly did you get this information?" Tony asked, waving his hand. "Don't tell me you used some kind of mysterious magic."

Kai chuckled.

"Of course not. I've got two partners who helped me gather the intel."

"Oh!" Tony paused. "Sounds like I need to beef up security at Stark Industries. If your guys can sneak in, I need to fix that."

Tony assumed Kai had hired someone to physically infiltrate his company.

Seeing Tony's expression, Kai clarified, "Tightening security's not a bad idea. But my 'friend' isn't exactly... human."

Tony and Yinsen perked up.

"Wait... not human?" Tony asked. "What is it then? Don't tell me you've got some invisible magic creature sneaking around my company!"

Hearing Tony's wild guesses, Kai shook his head.

"Alright, Tony, no more guessing. You'll meet my friends one day, and then you'll understand."

Kai couldn't help but smile, already imagining Tony's reaction when he eventually met Gear and turbo. The idea of introducing a Cybertronian to Tony was bound to blow his mind. Unlike magic, which Tony had little interest in since he couldn't study it scientifically, this was tech-based — something Tony would obsess over.

While they talked, a press conference was playing on TV with Rhodey speaking as the spokesperson.

"An F-22 fighter jet crashed during routine training. Fortunately, the pilot is safe and sound," Rhodey announced.

Meanwhile, Obadiah watched the conference from his home.

Rhodey continued, "As for the incident in Gulmira, it's unclear who was involved or what their motives were. But I can assure you, the U.S. government was not involved."

Obadiah's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Later, Obadiah traveled to the Middle East, accompanied by his bodyguards. He met with the bald terrorist leader, who presented him with all the salvaged parts from Tony's Mark I armor.

"That was the unexpected bonus that allowed Tony Stark to escape," the bald man explained.

Obadiah examined the damaged armor closely, stopping at the circular gap in the chest — the spot for Tony's arc reactor.

"So 'that's' how he escaped," Obadiah muttered.

Without hesitation, Obadiah turned on the bald man, eliminating him and his followers before collecting the armor pieces and blueprints.

On his way back, Obadiah called his team.

"Set up a new Zone 16 in the underground section of the company," he ordered. "Keep everything classified. I want our best engineers working on a prototype immediately."

---

After handing the evidence to Tony and Yinsen, Kai returned home. He was exhausted from being out for so long and needed some rest.

When Kai arrived, he found his grandfather sitting in the living room.

"Hey, Grandfather," Kai said. "Where's our basement? I haven't seen you use it in ages."

Mr.Vale looked up with a puzzled expression.

"Why are you suddenly asking about the basement?" His grandfather replied. "When I opened the restaurant, things in the basement kept getting damp and damaged, so I stopped using it and turned it into a storage room."

With that, his grandfather led him to the basement door.

As soon as Kai opened it, the musty smell of dust hit him.

"Mind if I clean it up and use it for something?" Kai asked.

"Sure, just don't blow the house up," his grandfather chuckled.

Kai planned to turn the basement into a workshop — well, not for 'him', but for Gear to conduct research.

But first, Kai decided to shower and get some rest. He'd deal with the basement later.

---

When Kai woke up, the sky was already dark. After washing his face, he grabbed some cleaning supplies and returned to the basement.

It took about twenty minutes to clear the clutter and clean the space. Just as Kai was preparing to plan the lab's layout, Gear's voice buzzed in his earpiece.

"Master, the basement isn't suitable for a laboratory," Gear warned. "If you really want to build a workshop here, you'll need to fully renovate and remodel it. It's a big project... and..."

Kai paused. "And what?"

Gear hesitated.

"Honestly, Master, I suggest you skip the basement entirely. Why not buy a warehouse instead? You can pick the size, location, and layout without bothering your grandfather."

Kai considered it. "That's... actually a good idea. Guess I've been hanging around Tony too much — trying to copy his underground workshop."

He grinned. "But hey, superheroes with secret bases? Pretty cool, right?"

The idea excited Kai. Without hesitation, he told his grandfather, he was heading out and took Gear along.

---

After scouting for a while, Gear selected a large warehouse on the outskirts of town. The place looked run-down from the outside — exactly what Kai wanted. A low-profile base wouldn't attract attention.

Using some well-placed cash, Kai quickly closed the deal with the warehouse owner.

Once the property was his, Kai turned to Gear.

"Alright, Gear," Kai said, stepping inside. "Now that no one's around, let's talk about what I want you to build."

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