Chapter 68: The Anti-Jace Armor (Please Recommend)

Bzzzt, bzzzt—the lights across New York City suddenly flickered, and a chorus of curses erupted from households everywhere.

Under the streetlamp, Jayce jerked his head up, watching the overhead light sputter. Without hesitation, he nimbly climbed to the top of the lamp post. From his pocket, he pulled out a locator device and plugged it into the wiring. After a few flashes, a bright dot appeared on the screen.

“I’ve found you!” Jayce’s face broke into a relieved smile as he stared at the locator.

Meanwhile, inside Tony’s mansion, the power had also flickered a few times just moments ago.

“Sir, the internal reactor has been disconnected from the external grid. Power supply is back to normal,” Jarvis reported.

“I know, forget the minor stuff. Have you pinpointed the location of the energy leakage?” Tony’s eyes scanned the citywide grid map on his display.

Though he hadn’t seen it happen, a citywide energy drain in New York had only two likely culprits—Jayce or Viktor. Their desperate need for power was no secret.

“Locating now…”

Jarvis ramped up computational resources to identify the source. Technically, hacking the city’s power grid was illegal, but with Tony’s instructions, Jarvis had done it more than once. If they got caught, a fine was the worst that could happen, and the Stark Group barely noticed such penalties.

“Location acquired!”

As the coordinates appeared, Tony wasted no time. He loaded the information into his smart glasses and jogged straight to the equipment platform.

With a rapid series of clicks and whirs, the platform’s mechanical arms outfitted him with the main suit components within seconds. The remaining gear attached itself as Tony strode toward the flight pad—a streamlined process he’d recently adopted. The nano-material suit was still under testing, so for now, Tony had to stick with the conventional methods.

Boom!

Jets of blue flame burst from the leg thrusters, launching Tony skyward toward his destination.

“Sir, satellite position adjusted. Anti-Jayce and Anti-Viktor modules ready for deployment,” Jarvis announced within the suit. In orbit, the massive satellite Tony had launched days earlier opened its compartment doors, the pre-set drop points syncing with Tony’s trajectory.

On the outskirts of Jayce and Tony’s target zone, Viktor gazed impassively at the cable in his hand.

The energy transmission through the wire was far too inefficient. Despite the citywide grid disruption, Viktor had barely managed to recharge. He hadn’t wanted to expose himself like this, but the mechanical arm’s energy drain was too high—if he didn’t recharge soon, it would impair everyday functions.

Solar energy usually only served as an auxiliary source, and prolonged use required a direct energy boost. Rushed timing and Jayce’s reckless blackout meant Viktor’s arm’s energy interface was still incomplete. For now, the most suitable power source he could find was electricity.

“Still not here? Did I miscalculate?” Viktor checked the time, glancing toward the city center.

Several minutes had passed since the grid first faltered. By his calculations, if Jayce was sprinting at full speed, he should have appeared by now. But something had changed.

The cause was simple: Jayce had run into an unexpected obstacle.

“Get out of the way, you hunk of iron! Don’t block my path!”

Jayce, wielding the Mercury Cannon, shouted up at the hovering Tony Stark.

Tony didn’t reply. Today, he was determined to prove who the real genius was. Last time, unprepared, he’d had no chance to intervene in the conflict between Jayce and Viktor—a fact that had gnawed at him ever since. Today, he was ready to take them both on and prove his brilliance.

Anti-Jayce Armor—deployed!

Massive suit components dropped from above, assembling around the floating Tony Stark.

Electricity surged!

Seeing Tony refuse to move, Jayce decided he couldn’t leave such a threat behind him. He raised the cannon and fired a blast of plasma.

Bolts of electricity danced across the armor, glowing with violet arcs.

Jayce frowned. The light didn’t look like it had pierced the armor.

Clack, clack—the Anti-Jayce armor was now fully assembled.

“Sir, energy reserves at one hundred and ten percent—beyond maximum capacity. Please release the excess immediately,” Jarvis reminded him.

Tony glanced at his control panel’s readings, nearly bursting into laughter. The sensation was incredible—he’d just been blasted, yet instead of being hurt, his energy reserves had actually increased.

What is he doing—spacing out? What’s he up to?!

Jayce’s Mercury Cannon shifted forms, transforming into a warhammer.

From Tony’s earlier reaction, Jayce guessed he’d prepared for electrical attacks. Not knowing the suit’s limits, Jayce didn’t bother testing further—he was in a hurry.

Celestial Leap!

Flames burst from the tail of the Mercury Hammer, launching Jayce from the rooftop as he gripped the massive weapon and swung it down toward Tony.

The Anti-Jayce armor, now even bulkier, looked almost comically large compared to Jayce—like a wolverine launching itself at a lion.

Tony executed an emergency maneuver, dodging out from under the descending hammer.

Energy waves from the Mercury Hammer grazed the armor, leaving deep gouges.

Thunder Strike!

Jayce twisted midair, spinning the hammer in a full arc, and struck the air with the tip.

A massive wave of lightning shot forth, hurling Tony away and slamming him into the ground in a spinning crash.

“Energy reserves overloaded! Emergency discharge initiated!” Jarvis called out.

From the armor’s chest, dozens of laser beams erupted like a hailstorm, targeting Jayce.

Lightning Field!

A powerful electromagnetic field formed around Jayce, deflecting the incoming beams.

Cannon form—Overcharged!

Hovering in midair, Jayce’s weapon morphed into a giant cannon, and a surge of electricity gathered within.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three blasts of plasma exploded around Tony, and the overload short-circuited his suit.

Watching Tony’s armor spasming in the dirt, Jayce flipped through the air, dispelled the Lightning Field, and landed atop a nearby building.

“Stop following me! Or next time I won’t be so polite!”

With those parting words, Jayce turned and disappeared without looking back.