Lu Mingfei doesn't want to be a superhero

“Those weak magical entities don’t choose powerful mages when they sign contracts because it’s difficult for them to collect the price across the dimensional distance. If the mage is too powerful, they might refuse to pay the price,” the Ancient One said. “Banner and Hulk’s magic comes from those weak magical entities.”

Lu Mingfei paused for a moment, and a bold guess popped into his mind.

“When the contract is signed, Banner will be the one to act; in the eyes of those powerful magical entities, he is just a novice, a low-level ordinary mage,” the Ancient One said. “But when it comes to paying the price, Hulk will be the one to act.”

Lu Mingfei took a breath of cold air.

Isn't this just getting something for free?!

Banner scratched his head: "At first I thought this was not a good idea, but the Ancient One said that signing a contract like this is mostly similar to making a deal with the devil in mythology. This kind of deal does not require a spirit of fairness or contract, but rather clever means. Deceiving the devil is what a sorcerer should do, and Hulk and I are naturally good at this."

Lu Mingfei couldn't help but look at Gu Yi with a strange gaze.

Ancient One, why do you look so skilled at this?

……

Although he was also interested in magic, Lu Mingfei hesitated for a moment and ultimately decided not to learn it.

Firstly, unlike the Hulk and Dr. Banner, he can't cheat or exploit bugs.

Secondly, he always felt uneasy about using borrowed things. Anyway, he didn't have any urgent need for power. If things really didn't work out, he could just stab himself in the back. Why bother with some "devil's deal"? What if he accidentally got himself into trouble in the end? Wouldn't that be a huge waste?

Besides, the fact that he was targeted by a demon the first time he had an out-of-body experience is enough to prove that he is really unlucky in this regard, so he shouldn't take the risk.

Because he still needed to study for a while, Banner had to stay in Kamar-Taj. Lu Mingfei had nothing to do there, so he asked the Ancient One to say goodbye. The Ancient One kindly opened a portal for Lu Mingfei, but as she said, the portal could only be opened in a place that the sorceress was familiar with, so she only opened the portal in a small alley in New York.

As he stepped out of the alley, Lu Mingfei paused for a moment—he saw a familiar figure on the street.

A boy wearing glasses was running at full speed, chasing after a school bus.

If Lu Mingfei's memory serves him right, the boy chasing the school bus is Peter Parker, a friend he met in high school when he first came to Tony's world.

Lu Mingfei quickly caught up. With his current physical condition, even a jog was faster than most people running for their lives. A moment later, he caught up with Peter.

“Hey! Peter!” Lu Mingfei called out to Peter.

"Ah!" Peter was startled, instinctively stopping in his tracks and turning around in surprise. "Mingfei? What are you doing here?"

“I’m here for a walk,” Lu Mingfei made up an excuse, then looked Peter up and down with a strange gaze. “Peter, your way of exercising is quite unique.”

"What exercise? Oh no!" Peter slapped his forehead and turned to look. The school bus he had been chasing had already driven far away.

“I wasn’t exercising, I missed the school bus,” Peter said regretfully. “Today the teacher took us to Columbia University’s Academy of Sciences to visit about genetic engineering on spiders, and that bus was the one that took us there.”

"Is that so? Uh... I'm sorry, I think I made you miss your train," Lu Mingfei said a little embarrassedly, scratching his head. "How about I take you there? My house is nearby, and I'll have my driver pick us up right away."

"Wouldn't this be too much trouble for you?" Peter asked, a little embarrassed.

"It's nothing, I have nothing to do anyway," Lu Mingfei said.

……

In front of Columbia University's Academy of Sciences, Peter's students had already gathered at the entrance, and a Rolls-Royce was parked on the side of the road.

"Dad, can we find a corner to park?" Harry asked reluctantly in the Rolls-Royce.

"Why?" Norman Osborne, sitting next to his son, pointed to the doorway with a puzzled look. "The main entrance is right there."

“Dad, we’re a public school, I don’t want to go on the class parade in a Rolls-Royce.” Harry shook his head.

Norman paused for a moment, but instead of refuting his son, he stared out the window and asked, "How about we go for a Maybach Zeppelin?"

"We still have this car?" Harry asked, somewhat surprised. "Wasn't it supposed to be a limited edition of only one hundred worldwide?"

Norman pointed out the car window: "One percent is right there."

Harry looked over and froze.

It wasn't just because of the car; more importantly, the person who got out of the car was none other than his friend Peter!

Not only Harry, but everyone else at the entrance of the Academy of Sciences was stunned.

Although they couldn't identify the specific model of the car, it was over six meters long and clearly expensive.

If Harry were the one in the car, no one would find it strange, but the person who stepped out of the car was Peter Parker!

When Peter got out of the car, all eyes were on him, making him quite reserved.

Fortunately, someone took the blame for him the next second.

"It's Mingfei Lu!" someone exclaimed.

As the second-largest shareholder of Stark Industries, Lu Mingfei is now a frequent figure in the news. Moreover, Tony caused a huge stir at the school, leaving Lu Mingfei with a legendary reputation. Therefore, he was recognized as soon as he stepped out of the car.

“Go ahead, Peter. I’m not going to join in the fun,” Lu Mingfei said. “I’m not interested in spiders, and I’ve already withdrawn from school. Strictly speaking, I’m not a relevant person now and can’t go in.”

Of course, in reality, if he wanted to get in, all he had to do was have Jarvis call the president of Columbia University.

“Hey! Peter! You’re… Mingfei, right?” Harry got out of the car and walked over, silently thankful that Peter and Lu Mingfei had helped him attract the attention of others.

“Harry?” Lu Mingfei confirmed.

Having only been here for two or three days, Lu Mingfei only made two friends: his deskmate Peter and Peter's friend Harry.

“I’m so glad you still remember me.” Harry seemed very happy as he shook hands with Lu Mingfei.

"Are you Mr. Lu Mingfei from Stark Industries?" A middle-aged man who looked somewhat like Harry approached. Although he was dressed as a businessman, he also had the refined air of a scholar.

"Hello, are you... Mr. Norman Osborn, Chairman of the Auschwitz Corporation?"

Lu Mingfei had been trained by Tony and observed various business circles, so he had some understanding of many big businessmen. Although he had never met Norman Osborn, Osborn's Osborn Group was also a sizable arms dealer. Although it could not be compared with Stark Industries before its transformation, it was no less than Hammer Industries.

Of course, this refers to Hammer Industries before the incident. Since the war droid went out of control, Justin Hammer has been taken away for investigation, and Hammer Industries has been greatly affected as a result.

“Yes, it’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Lu Mingfei.” Norman shook hands with Lu Mingfei.

"Me too."

Peter and Harry left first to visit the Academy of Sciences. Lu Mingfei exchanged a few more pleasantries with Norman, gave each other some business-like contact information, and then they went their separate ways.

Earlier, Lu Mingfei had given Peter his current contact information in the car. Unlike Norman, he gave Peter a relatively private contact method.

99. Chapter 98 Tony's New Achievement, Evolved Once Again

At Tony's home.

"Hmm—Tony, your sofa is still the most comfortable." Lu Mingfei leaned back on the sofa and stretched.

“I had this custom-made by hand,” Tony said proudly.

When it comes to enjoying life, Tony Stark has never been inferior to anyone!

“Whoever ordered it, I’ll get one too,” Lu Mingfei said while lying on the sofa.

“I’ll have Jarvis send it to you later,” Tony said. “You’ve come at the right time. I’ve just made new progress in my research on your genes.”

"What's the progress?" Lu Mingfei asked expectantly.

After developing the potion that would awaken his powers, Tony continued his research on his genes and blood samples. However, it seemed that the deeper he went, the more difficult it became. In addition, Tony also had to devote his energy to upgrading his Iron Man suit and throwing parties, which slowed down the research progress even more.

Especially during the period when Tony was poisoned by palladium, he first focused his main energy on finding a new element that could replace palladium. After failing to find one, he simply gave up and only recovered after Lu Mingfei provided him with a new idea.

Now, after all this time, Tony has finally achieved something new.

"To be precise, it can't be considered a new achievement. I've just made a new breakthrough in the research that helped you unleash your power, and created an upgraded version of the previous drug," Tony said. "The new drug can reactivate your power based on your current strength. This time you will become stronger, but it's hard to say exactly how much stronger you will become. I can only guarantee that it is safe and stable."

"This is great! This is great!" Lu Mingfei's eyes lit up.

Although stabbing yourself can unleash your power, the feeling of being on the verge of death is just too unpleasant, and once the buff period is over, you'll be back to your original form. It's more practical to use Tony's potion to enhance yourself permanently.

“I’ve already prepared the medicine, and it’s currently stored in my lab,” Tony said.

"Is there anything else we need to prepare? When can we begin?" Lu Mingfei asked.

“No other preparations are needed,” Tony smiled mysteriously. “We can begin now.”

……

In Tony's laboratory.

Lu Mingfei was strapped to the experimental table, his entire body locked in place by metal buckles. Just like last time, electrodes were attached to his body to monitor changes in his physical data in real time.

Although it wasn't the first time he'd experienced this, Lu Mingfei still couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.

"Tony, are you sure this is okay?" Lu Mingfei swallowed and asked, "It shouldn't hurt this time, right?"

“If my simulation test results are correct, it definitely won’t hurt,” Tony shook his head.

Lu Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief: "Tony, you're really reliable. You actually improved it to a version that doesn't hurt."

“Uh… this isn’t the improved version,” Tony corrected. “This potion won’t hurt, but it might be a little itchy.”

"Itchy?" Lu Mingfei shrank his neck. "How itchy exactly?"

"Hmm... have you ever been bitten under your fingernails by mosquitoes?" Tony gave a vivid example.

"Tony, is it too late for me to say I don't want to do it anymore?" Lu Mingfei tried to break free.

"Are you going to do the same thing as last time?" Tony rolled his eyes and picked up the syringe. "You can try to faint like last time... Don't waste your energy, the restraint strength here is based on the Hulk."

"Damn it!" Lu Mingfei also tried to force himself to faint, but this move was obviously beyond one's control.

As Tony injected the drug into Lu Mingfei's body, Lu Mingfei experienced what despair truly meant.

Countless tingling sensations, like threads, coursed across his body, as if honey had been applied to his skin and attracted countless ants.

This feeling was quite terrible, and what was worse was that Lu Mingfei couldn't be caught because he was tightly bound to the experimental table.

Of course, this was also Tony's intention. Scratching in this state wouldn't help much and might even hinder the body's transformation. So, for Lu Mingfei's sake, he decisively locked Lu Mingfei up.

It had absolutely nothing to do with Lu Mingfei suddenly transmigrating into his world and interrupting his good time.

He definitely didn't want to use this opportunity to get revenge on Lu Mingfei!

Lu Mingfei twisted and turned on the test bench, but because the restraints were too strong, he could only make slight movements, so he could only keep turning into a pupa.

The only lucky thing was that the tingling sensation was only on the surface of his body and did not extend into his body, otherwise Lu Mingfei would have really gone crazy.

Amidst the continuous itching sensation, Lu Mingfei felt his consciousness gradually fading.

When he woke up again, the itching had completely disappeared, replaced by a clearer vision and a feeling of refreshment.

Lu Mingfei roared excitedly, struggling to break free from the metal buckles and straps binding him... Struggling, struggling... Damn it! He couldn't break free!