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"Ron, is this what you've been up to lately?"
Gwen's big eyes sparkled with shock, curiosity, and a hint of admiration.
Ron was simply incredible.
Super strong!
Seemingly able to move incredibly fast!
Could control lightning!
And now... he could heal wounds?!
Happy had been seriously injured, yet all Ron did was place a hand on him for a few minutes...
And just like that, he was back to full health, the deep cuts on his arm vanished without a trace.
Jumping around like nothing had happened.
This... this was beyond anything she had heard of, even among the legendary mutants or the Avengers.
Even Thor, the literal god of thunder, whose healing usually takes time, didn't have abilities like this.
Did that mean Ron was even stronger than Thor?!
Ron blinked and gave a casual nod. "Pretty much."
Gwen wanted to ask more, but at that moment, Happy came running back.
"Ron, we have to help Tony!" he said urgently.
"Killian's turning ordinary people into walking bombs! Their bodies are unstable and radiating heat! Tony's in serious danger!"
Still dressed in a hospital gown, Happy's face was filled with anxiety.
Ron couldn't help but admire him.
"You running in like that is the real danger here, Happy."
"Wait a sec. I'll get you something."
Happy frowned. "Huh? Something? What do you mean?"
Ron smirked. "Something like the Extremis stabilization serum."
"WHAT?!" Happy's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"That crazy lizard man... that was a side effect of an early, unstable Extremis experiment?!"
Holy shit.
Back during the explosion, he had been facing away from the blast, thinking he wouldn't get caught in it.
But Pepper was still inside. As he turned to check on her, he got caught in the blast.
And that's when he saw it—the entire transformation of one of Killian's test subjects.
A six-meter-long giant lizard!
Looked even scarier than the Hulk!
And now Ron was saying that was his doing?!
Lizard man...?
Gwen's eyes flickered as she glanced at Ron, full of surprise.
How many more secrets was this guy hiding?
Ron ruffled Gwen's hair playfully.
Gwen: (...)~~
Ah, whatever. As long as Ron wasn't harming her, who cared~
Seeing her reaction, Ron chuckled and confirmed, "Yeah, that's the one."
Happy hesitated.
"Uh, Ron..."
"Yeah?"
Happy scratched his head. "Can I... influence what kind of stabilization I get?"
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Happy made a face. "Lizards are ugly. I want something cooler—like a tiger, or a lion!
If not, a panther at least!" Ron shot him a look of pure disdain.
"Look at you. What part of you screams 'agile feline'?!
The serum stabilizes your current biology and enhances it.
It doesn't rewrite your DNA into a different species." "You're at least 200 pounds.
A more durable form, like a bear, would suit you better."
Happy's eyes widened in horror.
"No way! I'm not picky! Elephant, rhino—whatever works!" Ron sighed and patted his shoulder.
"I'll see what I can do to enhance your natural resilience."
That said, Ron actually wanted to find him something decent.
The refined stabilization serums were all used up, but even in a rush, he wasn't about to give Happy some random junk.
It would all come down to luck and what he could improvise. Stepping outside, Ron didn't bother hiding.
Right there in broad daylight, he summoned his Mark IV Iron Man suit and suited up.
At this point, it was an open secret that he had access to advanced Stark technology. People who knew, knew. Those who didn't? They'd just stare, gasp in amazement, and then go back to whatever they were doing. Blasting into the sky, he headed toward the nearest mountain range outside the city.
After circling for a while, his eyes lit up.
"Happy, your luck's not bad! I've located a creature with significant regenerative capabilities."
A grizzly bear!
Huge, clearly the king of this mountain.
Perfect source material. Ron descended swiftly.
A quick non-lethal energy blast to the head—clean and precise, enough to incapacitate it.
He didn't dare bring the massive creature back directly.
That thing might just be too volatile. Instead, he extracted a large vial of blood and tissue samples. Then, he stepped into his private workshop.
Back when he anticipated potential threats, he had moved a significant portion of his specialized equipment to this secure location, thinking it might be useful.
Turns out, he hadn't needed it until now.
But now? Now it was coming in handy.
No need to return to the lab in the city.
Super convenient. It was Ron's first time making a grizzly bear enhancement serum, and this one was a special Happy edition.
But with his enhanced intellect and access to Tony Stark's research data, it was challenging but feasible.
The regenerative ability of the grizzly serum wouldn't match the unstable early Extremis.
So, he thought for a moment and analyzed the genetic markers, isolating sequences related to resilience and healing, and then attempted to amplify them.
It wouldn't allow full limb regrowth.
But it would still significantly enhance recovery and durability. Not bad at all.
Unlike the unstable Extremis, which focused on regeneration with secondary boosts to strength, speed, and endurance...
The grizzly bear serum prioritized raw power and durability.
Meaning... Happy was about to turn into a walking tank.
By the time Ron was done, only an hour had passed.
He got up and headed back. On the way, as he flew over the outskirts of New York, something caught his eye.
A factory entrance.
Dozens of people moving around, clearly organized and well-trained.
Soldiers. A secret base. Ron glanced at it but didn't think much of it. The world was full of ambitious schemers.
A few hidden bases? Not a big deal. Hell, Nick Fury alone probably had secret bases in every major city worldwide.
Some big, some small. Ron was about to look away...
Then his suit's AI zoomed in automatically.
At first, he didn't care and was about to turn it off. Then he froze. His eyes locked onto the screen.
A group of people... carrying a corpse.
The body was completely red-skinned.
And had a long, pointed tail that swayed as they moved it.
That sight triggered something deep in Ron's memory.
The reports he had read about early, failed attempts to replicate mutant abilities!
"....."