Su Yan had already anticipated this when he began mass-producing Iron Suits. In passing, he also had J.A.R.V.I.S. create the Iron Patriot.
He even deliberately emblazoned a five-star flag pattern from Hua Fu on its fuselage... The dazzling, vivid red, the radiant stars, and the massive glowing five-pointed star emblem all unmistakably declared its final destination.
This was Su Yan's small surprise for his nation, Huaxia.
However.
Surprise was one thing, patriotism another. Ban Yan had no intention of letting all his technology leak out.
This Iron Patriot was essentially designed based on the relatively simpler, earlier generations of Iron Suits... While its power system received an upgrade, its missile systems, defense systems, energy systems, and so forth were leagues behind those of other Iron Suits!
Yet Su Yan believed that even with its comparatively outdated systems, this Iron Patriot would still appear as an exceptionally cutting-edge design in the eyes of Huaxia's scientists.
The simplified Cold Fusion Reactor, in particular, would be enough to keep those scientists excitedly researching for a long time.
You always had to keep something in reserve.
This was Su Yan's habit.
Don't just enthusiastically hand everything over to the nation, contributing every bit of technology you have... Sorry, he wasn't that kind of person.
Su Yan trusted himself more than he trusted others.
"Excellent, excellent!"
"Iron Patriot, that name is truly brilliant! 033!"
Old Master Tang's excitement surged.
He firmly tapped his cane on the ground several times, his eyes shining with exhilaration.
This time, it was like striking a massive treasure!
With it, not only could he provide a superb report to his superiors, but Su Yan's safety would also be completely secured.
Moreover, Old Master Tang knew very well that this item was at least decades, if not a century, ahead of other nations in terms of technology. With its integration, as long as Huaxia's scientists put in a little more effort, Huaxia's military power would skyrocket.
To witness Huaxia's military strength rank first in the World during his lifetime—that was his greatest Dream.
Now, that Dream was within reach.
"Su Yan, so you'd prepared all along! I wasted all that breath telling you so many good things, Grandpa did!"
For some reason, Tang Xiaoye's nose stung with emotion at that moment, and he found himself unable to stop the urge to tear up.
"I had prepared all along, but if Old Master Tang hadn't said all that, I might not have brought it out so quickly. I'd have to toy with the government's appetite a bit more first!"
Su Yan chuckled, "However, Old Master Tang, I can hand over this Iron Patriot (cbbf) to the authorities, but there are conditions!"
"What are your conditions? Just state them! As long as they can be met, I'll spare no effort and fulfill them all!"
Old Master Tang was overjoyed, making a grand promise on the spot.
"Actually, my conditions are quite simple!"
"Firstly, Iron Man's activity has already created a stir. Many people online are guessing that I might be the one behind it...
I hope the government can step forward and publicly announce that Huaxia developed a new weapon... As for who exactly developed it, they can put whoever's name on it; I'll take the fall personally!"
"Exposing the truth all at once—how boring would that be?"
"Moreover, if everyone thought Iron Man was him, the number of people coming to find him would probably more than double."
"Of course, more importantly, Su Yan could be high-profile in his actions, but he had to be a bit low-key in the eyes of the law...
After all, his current identity as a young man was not public, and the Iron Suit was indeed an illegal private weapon. Plus, with his current high-ranking position, if it was privately owned, who knew how much trouble would come his way."
"To avoid these troubles and be able to freely roam around in an Iron Suit in the future, having the nation send someone to take the blame was the best option."
"Haha, actually, even if you hadn't said anything, I had the same intention!"
"Private ownership of weapons is ultimately illegal. If the nation steps forward, it looks better for the nation's reputation... And this way, the big commotion you caused can logically be explained as the military testing a new type of weapon!"
"But what's more crucial is that once it's made public, it will inevitably trigger international debate, and Huaxia's military power will rise several levels in the eyes of the World!"
Old Master Tang said, gleefully pleased.
As someone in power, he naturally considered everything very thoroughly... especially the big picture.
He tirelessly pursued anything that could add glory and honor to Huaxia's reputation.
"Secondly, since I've made all these things, I certainly won't let them gather dust at home. So, if I occasionally wear one out for a stroll or some fun, can all the responsibility be pushed onto the nation? No problem, right?"
Su Yan grinned.
Even with the nation stepping forward to cover for him, how could he face the nation's painstaking efforts if he didn't go out to show off a bit, flex some muscle, and perhaps reveal his face?
"As long as you don't use it for anything immoral or illegal, these are minor matters!"
Old Master Tang chuckled.
"Alright, the last point!"
Su Yan subtly grew more serious. "I hope to do some business with the nation!"
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Old Master Tang's expression shifted.
"To be frank, many of the materials for these Iron Suits were purchased by me through international Black Market Merchants, from foreign channels... Because some of them are radioactive materials, legally prohibited from being smuggled or traded!"
"As such, the high price is secondary; the key is the long transportation time, requiring passage through multiple checkpoints... carrying a significant risk of discovery!"
"So, I believe if I could purchase these materials through national channels, the network would surely be much, much faster!"
Su Yan said with a smile, "If the nation cannot agree to this, I also hope the nation can turn a blind eye to my import channels... Don't worry, once these prohibited materials are in my hands, they will be transformed into entirely non-polluting items, absolutely safe!"
"What are your thoughts on this?"
In a sense, this was Su Yan's ultimate goal in handing over the Iron Patriot.
The national channel was far more reliable than Black Market Merchants.
Once he linked up with the nation, efficiency and safety would naturally be vastly guaranteed.
Perhaps Su Yan could even directly purchase special elements from the nation that weren't available elsewhere!
Huaxia's national strength was now widely recognized as being among the World's foremost, not to be underestimated... Even if there was only a slight chance for sincere cooperation, he was willing to try!
But this didn't mean he would abandon the Black Market Merchant channel... Rather, it was a two-pronged approach, developing on two fronts one white, one black a perfect combination!
By then, all sorts of materials would come pouring in.
X-Healing Factor, Vibranium, Anti-gravity Technology, dark matter converters, and so on... all would be put on the agenda, becoming possibilities!
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