Chapter 163

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Tony Stark wasn't quite sure about the specific situation at hand. Not that he wanted to waste his brain cells pondering such a trivial matter.

"Jarvis, have I met someone named 'Killian'?" Iron Man asked his trustworthy AI assistant after a moment of fruitless contemplation.

"Sir, after checking your past itineraries, visitation logs, media event records, and other relevant documents, I found nothing," Jarvis replied.

"There's a good chance you encountered this individual when I wasn't present. You'll have to recall that person yourself, sir. I believe it shouldn't be difficult for you," Jarvis's voice promptly sounded.

No trace of "Killian" could be found in the official social events that Jarvis had records of, indicating this person wasn't on Iron Man's official guest list. Now it was up to his boss to figure it out.

"No, Jarvis, you know I never waste my brain cells on such matters," Tony corrected Jarvis with all seriousness.

Despite his high intellect, which was top-tier even across America, Tony Stark was notoriously bad at remembering names—especially those of unimportant individuals. Even the names of women he had been intimately acquainted with were forgotten as soon as they left his bed. Iron Man's intellect was not to be utilized for such trivial concerns.

"Look into the name Killian and see if there's anyone noteworthy," Tony commanded Jarvis without delay.

"Understood, sir," Jarvis faithfully executed Tony's command and quickly produced the relevant search results.

The profiles of several prominent Killians from various industries appeared in front of Tony—none were ordinary people; all were figures with status and influence. In Jarvis's logical reasoning, even if these were individuals whose names Tony couldn't remember, having had the chance to meet Tony meant they were not truly minor characters. They just appeared so in comparison to his boss.

"Are there that many?" Tony mused before he began casually flipping through the floating profiles in front of him.

"Wait a second!" he exclaimed when a profile showing a handsome man with blond hair, stylized much more attractively than Tony's, caught his eye, causing him to freeze.

This face! It was familiar! Tony was certain he had seen this man and his face before. But where? He couldn't immediately recall.

Killian's look back then was quite different from now. Added to that, the man had been inconsequential, just another plaything for Tony's amusement. Tony probably forgot about him the moment he walked out of the elevator. And after so many years, recalling such a memory was proving difficult.

"Aldrich Killian, founder of Advanced Idea Mechanics," Jarvis chimed in. "Wow, this man's journey is truly an inspirational story."

Jarvis withdrew the profiles of other candidates, leaving detailed information about Killian for Iron Man to examine. Photos of Killian from back when he had longer hair and wore glasses also appeared, which finally helped Tony remember who Killian was.

Wasn't this the guy he met nearly a decade ago at an academic conference in Bern? Killian had unwisely squeezed into the elevator, attempting to discuss a collaboration, only to be dismissed by a mere comment from Tony. Embarassing really.

Tony Stark wasn't just anyone—his status meant he didn't just partner with anybody, especially not when he was trying to charm a lady, and had no patience for such jesters.

Tony remembered leading him on to wait on the rooftop. He was certain Killian must have actually waited there, but for how long and what he felt after being stood up, Tony had never once considered.

Nonetheless, Iron Man could never have imagined that such an insignificant figure would undergo such a dramatic transformation, emerging as someone even more charismatic and successful than Tony Stark himself. Tony made a point to review Advanced Idea Mechanics' profiles, noting their multitude of defense contracts and extremely close cooperation with the military. To the general public, Killian was undoubtedly an elitist tycoon.

But why would such a man be against him in the future? Surely it wasn't because of that singular incident?

Hardly. It seemed implausible for such a small matter to result in a grudge spanning years, let alone a desire to kill Tony. But if not that, what was it? The notebook didn't provide any spoilers so Iron Man remained in the dark, choosing not to speculate further and instead continuing to pore over the notebook.

Soon, a term caught Iron Man's attention: "Extremis Soldier." What was that? According to the notebook, these soldiers could go toe-to-toe with Iron Man's armor! Clearly, they were super-soldiers.

Was Advanced Idea Mechanics making a batch of super-soldiers in the future? And was Killian himself one as well? The notebook depicted Killian as possessing immense combat capabilities, apparently surpassing even Captain America in strength. Given that Captain America could hardly scratch his Iron Man suit, and was indeed on the receiving end of beatings from Tony, the thought of Killian mastering the creation of super-soldiers even more formidable than Captain America was unexpected.

Yet, what did all this have to do with the Mandarin? Tony was familiar with that name; after being kidnapped by the Ten Rings, he had investigated the terrorist organization and learned their leader was the Mandarin.

Why did the notebook suggest that if Tony lost his battle with Killian, America would be shrouded in fear under the Mandarin? That certainly seemed improbable over something as petty as a past slight.

Could it be that Aldrich Killian's Extremis soldiers were controlled by the Mandarin?

Was Killian actually one of the Mandarin's men?

Is this why Killian, such a pathetic loser, suddenly transformed into an impressive business mogul?

Was it always the Mandarin supporting him from behind?

Tony's thoughts began to race, instantly coming up with several related possibilities.

Each one seemed plausible, perfectly fitting the various pieces of information leaked from the diary.

But as to what exactly was going on, Tony naturally couldn't be sure and had to wait for further spoilers from the diary.

However, one thing was undoubted:

There must be an inseparable connection between Killian and the Mandarin.

"I bet Stark doesn't even remember the name Killian now, huh?"

"True, how could Stark remember a small fry like Killian?"

"He never would've guessed that the minor character he tricked into waiting on the rooftop all night would become his third arch-enemy!"

"Moreover, he's the most formidable of his foes, far more than the likes of Iron Monger and Whiplash."

"He almost killed Stark, and he nearly took out the President!"

"If it weren't for Pepper's timely intervention to take out Killian, even Stark's multitude of armors would've been useless, and he would've been done for."

Tony Stark: "..."

Well, Zhou Cheng's sarcasm was right; he truly had completely forgotten about Killian.

Even upon hearing the name Killian and seeing his transformed appearance, Tony still didn't remember.

But that wasn't really Tony's fault.

Considering his status, how could he remember everyone?

Still, that guy Killian actually waited for him on the rooftop all night long?

Tony hadn't expected that.

What a fool!

If you wait ten or twenty minutes and don't see me coming, don't you realize I had no intention of meeting him?

Did he really need to wait all night?

No, any sane person wouldn't believe I'd actually show up to meet him.

It was just a dismissive remark!

Anyway, since it happened, there's no use dwelling on it for Tony.

It doesn't change the fact that he stood Killian up all night.

So what Iron Man needs to do isn't to fret over these pointless things but to focus on the future!

Focus on the potential threat Killian poses in the future.

According to the diary, Killian is to be taken very seriously, far more dangerous than Iron Monger and Whiplash.

After all, crushing several of his suits bare-handed was not something Iron Monger or Whiplash could do.

Wait a minute.

Whiplash!

At that thought, Tony suddenly paused.

The diary had been hinting at Whiplash for a long time, and Tony had Jarvis investigate him.

But so far, nothing!

Jarvis found nothing, and Whiplash didn't make a move.

Could it be that he's biding his time for a major move?

Is he too good at biding?

Maybe it's time for me to take a trip to Morocco and draw him out myself?

Otherwise, he'll always be a major concern for me!

However, Killian, that guy, planned to take down the President, too?

That's definitely a terrorist act.

It seems my guess was right; Killian is indeed inseparably linked with the Ten Rings.

That much is clear.

But one thing.

The diary spoiler said that if I hadn't built an army of Iron Suits, I would've died at Killian's hands.

Iron Man subconsciously thought he had defeated Killian with that army.

But now, he realizes it wasn't the case!

Iron Man's armor army was no match for Killian, either!

Is Killian really going to be that powerful in the future?

But how could such a powerful Killian get taken out by Pepper?

How could she be present on such a dangerous battlefield?

Okay, even if Pepper was there for some reason, how did she defeat Killian, who could destroy Iron Man armor with his bare hands?

Wait a minute!

Tony suddenly remembered something.

The diary mentioned Pepper was also a superhero!

But the diary hardly ever touched on Pepper's superhero activities, and Tony gradually forgot about it.

But now, it seems Pepper is quite impressive.

Just don't know what kind of superhero Pepper will be in the future?

Tony couldn't help but begin to imagine in his mind.

"It's not just Killian; there were two other people at that Swiss academic conference that were crucial to Stark."

"I guess Stark doesn't remember any of them, huh?"

"One of them later sacrificed their life to save Stark when he was kidnapped by the Ten Rings."

"The other was the one who successfully extracted the shrapnel from Stark's chest, allowing him to truly become a normal person."

"However, Stark chose to have the shrapnel removed after he overcame his anxiety disorder."

"At that time, Stark stepped out of the psychological shadow, got rid of the dependence on the armor, so he blew up his dozens of armors like fireworks, performing an extremely romantic act for Pepper."

"Removing the shrapnel was also like saying goodbye to the 'implanted' Arc Reactor and saying goodbye to his past self."

"Whether Stark would still do that now, that's unknown."

Ethan!

The name flickered through Tony's mind first.

He also recalled the bespectacled, somewhat scholarly-looking guy.

Back in that cave, Iron Man had spent an unmistakable time with him.

Through conversation, Tony knew they had met before at that academic conference mentioned by the diary.

But Tony never would've thought that both Ethan and Killian were at that same conference.

And both of them left an indelible mark on his life, another version of himself.

One saved his life, while the other almost killed him!

That inconspicuous academic conference was quite extraordinary!

Wait, besides these two, there was another one.

Unquestionably, according to the diary spoiler, that person was a highly skilled doctor, even one of the best.

So who exactly was it?

Tony began to carefully recall, but still couldn't bring anything to mind.