Chapter Twenty-Eight: An Invitation for the New Year

Harvey drove home, ordering a mountain of takeout to be delivered to his estate. He had done all he needed for now; all that remained was to wait for Tony Stark to come knocking at his door. Besides Tony Stark, there were few others at this stage whose fate was strong enough to be worth recruiting. If he could win over Bruce Banner, the Hulk, it should provide him with a significant amount of void energy. However, Bruce Banner was still hiding out, unwilling to face the power of the Hulk within him.

Having such formidable strength, yet thinking not of mastering it, but only of ridding himself of it—Harvey would make Bruce Banner realize just how mediocre such thinking was, though now was not yet the time to seek out the Hulk. Abomination was a decent candidate as well, less potent than the Hulk but still powerful. Unfortunately, Harvey had no idea where Abomination was being held, so there was no starting point. Asking General Ross directly might yield an answer, but for now, Harvey could not afford to act too conspicuously.

He had nine years before the purple-skinned Titan arrived. If he could undergo over a thousand evolutions, and obtain other hero templates in the meantime, he would be able to go toe-to-toe with Thanos. Moreover, once he acquired the template of Kassadin, the Void Walker, his activities would no longer be confined to Blue Star. Instead, he would roam between planets, establishing the Void Cult, and the universe was rife with all manner of monsters for him to hunt. Absorbing the life energy of these creatures would surely grant him even more evolution points, and by then, a thousand evolutions might be a gross understatement.

If he could attain the essence of the Void Predator of Death’s Herald and combine it with other hero templates, Harvey was confident that even if he could not vanquish the Celestials, he would never need to fear death at their hands.

It was now 2008, with just two months left until 2009. The explosion of superheroes would begin after the Battle of New York in 2012. But Harvey’s rate of evolution and acquisition of void energy would not slow with increasing numbers; on the contrary, as his power grew, so too would his speed.

With this thought, Harvey smiled as he played his game.

※※※※※※

After Harvey had treated Tony and given him some guidance, Tony Stark stopped hounding Harvey with incessant calls day after day. Tony handed the company over to Pepper’s management; apart from signing off on major matters, he devoted himself wholly to his research.

His conversation with Harvey Umbrella had opened his eyes to a much wider world. Tony’s body, now more youthful and vigorous, accelerated his pace of invention. The Mark series didn’t stop at Mark IV or V; within just two months, he had advanced all the way to Mark XVII, with a dramatic leap in performance.

Now that the shrapnel had been removed from his body, Tony no longer needed to wear the arc reactor at all times. He only put it on when testing new armor, which greatly slowed the rate of palladium poisoning in his system. As a result, he didn’t fall into that period of despair faced with imminent death.

Unnoticed, two months passed, and the American New Year arrived, filling the nation with festive cheer. On this day, Tony Stark reached out to Harvey, hoping to spend the holiday with someone who had helped him so much and whom he now considered a friend.

“Sir, Mr. Harvey Umbrella declined the call in less than two seconds,” reported Jarvis.

Tony had thought that after last time, Harvey would no longer refuse his calls, but hearing Jarvis’s report, he couldn’t help but curse. “Damn it, this guy is as hard to get hold of as ever.”

“Sir, perhaps he thought you were calling to trouble him with something again, and that’s why he refused,” Jarvis replied, taking Harvey’s perspective.

“Jarvis, I never expected such cold and realistic words from you,” Tony said with some melancholy.

“Shall I keep trying to contact him?” Jarvis asked.

“No need. I’ll go see him myself. Help me arrange for lunch,” Tony instructed, then set off in his car.

Harvey Umbrella’s main residence was in the affluent villa district of Brooklyn, not far from the Stark estate, so finding him was no trouble. In just over half an hour, Tony arrived at a sprawling, luxurious estate covering thousands of square meters. He stepped from his car and rang the bell.

Harvey checked the entrance monitor, saw it was Tony, and opened the gate.

“This guy’s extravagance is outrageous,” Tony muttered as he drove in, surveying the surroundings. The Stark estate was already luxurious, but its true value lay underground, with little wasted on mere ostentation. Harvey’s manor, on the other hand, was filled with costly items everywhere and was much larger.

Tony had done his homework on Harvey, so he drove straight through the grounds to a lavishly decorated mansion where Harvey was already waiting with the door open.

“It’s New Year’s—shouldn’t you be at home with Pepper, celebrating? What brings you to see me?” Harvey called out before Tony could greet him.

“I figured you’d be spending the holiday alone, so I came to hang out with you,” Tony replied, smiling at Harvey standing there in his loungewear, showing no embarrassment at all.

“Don’t give me that. Knowing you, that’s hardly the real reason you came. Out with it—what do you want?” Harvey waved him off, not buying it.

“You got me,” Tony admitted after a pause. “But I’ve already had Jarvis prepare lunch. How about we talk things over at my place?” He seemed to have forgotten his earlier insistence that he’d never ask Harvey for help again.

“If you have Jarvis add two more full beef courses for me, I’ll come over. I tend to eat more during the holidays,” Harvey replied.

“Two cows? Ten would be no problem!” Tony said, patting his chest in assurance.

“Alright then. Let me change, wait here,” Harvey said, closing the door.

A few minutes later, Harvey emerged in a finely tailored suit, exuding elegance and charm. At home, he could dress casually, but out in public, he needed to look the part.

Harvey opened his garage, considered his options, and selected a low-key yet practical silver BMW.

“No wonder so many young socialites in New York want to invite you to their parties,” Tony remarked, observing Harvey’s dapper appearance and graceful movements. “You’ve got the same flair I had in my youth.”

With Harvey’s youthful, robust build and unmistakable air of refinement, it was no surprise some wealthy women found him irresistible.

“Tony, shouldn’t you be working on your lightbulb instead of gossiping about this stuff?” Harvey said, pulling up beside Tony’s car and rolling down the window, exasperated.

“That isn’t my doing,” Tony replied. “Pepper manages Stark Industries for me and attends all sorts of events. Since you’re known as my friend, plenty of people have asked her about you. Aren’t you known to occasionally spend the night with beautiful young women? Getting close to them isn’t just enjoyable—it can be very convenient, too. Don’t you have any interest in them?”

Harvey rolled his eyes at Tony’s nosiness. “Aren’t you the one with more experience handling young beauties and wealthy widows?”

“Touché,” Tony conceded.

“Let’s go,” Harvey said, closing his window and driving off. Tony quickly followed.

In less than half an hour, they arrived at Stark Manor, which had been decorated for the New Year.

“Mr. Harvey Umbrella, long time no see,” Pepper greeted him with a smile.

“Long time no see, Miss Potts,” Harvey replied politely.

“We’re heading downstairs to have a chat. Pepper, wait here for a bit,” Tony said, then led Harvey into the underground lab.

“Welcome, Mr. Harvey Umbrella,” Jarvis greeted him respectfully.

“Jarvis, pull up the periodic table,” Tony instructed.

The full periodic table appeared at once.

“I’ve tested every element, but haven’t found any suitable replacement,” Tony said, supporting his chin with one hand, a trace of heaviness in his expression. “Harvey, do you really think there’s another element that can replace palladium?”

Based on what he knew of Harvey Umbrella, who had hinted at the possibility of improving the arc reactor with a substitute element, Tony believed such an element must exist somewhere in the world. Yet, he had hit a dead end.

“I knew you wanted something,” Harvey said, his eyes flashing.