Lu Mingfei doesn't want to be a superhero

149. Chapter 148: Words of Power Without Uselessness (jpg)

Tony's house, in the laboratory.

"Holy crap! Tony, how did you do that?" Lu Mingfei wandered around, examining the holographic screens that were being projected.

The screen itself was displayed by Jarvis using holographic projection equipment installed in the lab, but the question is, how did Tony control Jarvis?

Although Jarvis can record a user's body language, and usually just a gesture is enough for Jarvis to know what command the user wants to give, Tony just snapped his fingers, which conveyed very limited information. How could Jarvis have opened so many holographic screens?

"Think about it, what's the use of the 'snake'?" Tony asked.

Lu Mingfei said, "According to the explanation in the Word Power Periodic Table, the snake is a kind of Word Power that can explore the surrounding environment. Normally, there are 'snakes' without physical form living dormant deep in the mind of the Word Power holder. When the Word Power is activated, they are awakened, like thousands of scouts, exploring the surrounding situation for the releaser."

"In the understanding of dragons, they are servants subdued by the caster of the Word of Power. However, in the scientific explanation, the 'snake' is a kind of bioelectric current. Therefore, its domain is usually incredibly large in places with high conductivity, but its range is relatively limited in ordinary space. Moreover, because releasing this ability draws bioelectric current from one's own body, the effect on the body is not significant when activated in small amounts. However, once activated at full power, a person will become extremely weak and unable to even stand up. In addition, this also makes this Word of Power the most energy-consuming among all low-sequence Words of Power."

“Yes, its essence is bioelectricity… but not entirely bioelectricity. There should be something else mixed in, but I can’t be sure yet,” Tony said. “I just used bioelectricity, the so-called ‘snake’ that dwells deep in consciousness, to connect to Jarvis’s network.”

Lu Mingfei's eyes widened.

“This ability is very useful in a certain sense. Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental forces of the universe, and bioelectricity can be traced back to the essence of life in a certain sense. Bioelectricity was born at the moment the first life on Earth was born,” Tony said. “If I remember correctly, in your world, words of power are very difficult to control. For example, the ‘Monarch Flame’ you mentioned can only be used to cause explosions in your world, but in this world, it can burn stably.”

“And those Deadpools you experimented on, their Words of Power have also been greatly enhanced. Originally, they all possessed Words of Power with relatively low sequences, but compared to my world, the power of these Words of Power is no less than that of many high-level Words of Power, and they are also more controllable,” Lu Mingfei nodded and said. “Like this snake, in my world it can only be used to explore the environment and transmit some simple signals, but the premise is that there is wired transmission and the signal cable is readily available. It is impossible for you to connect remotely like this.”

If they could connect remotely to the internet, the hybrid with the "snake" ability would be practically invincible in the city, and Norma would be his strongest supporter.

“I don’t know to what extent this power of words can be developed in your world, but here,” Tony smiled confidently, “this power of words can turn the rotten into the magical.”

"So you're saying you can do more than just use it to go online?" Lu Mingfei asked. "What else can you do with it?"

“Well… to put it simply, I can now ‘merge’ with Jarvis,” Tony said. “Jarvis is like an external brain to me; his computing power will be at my disposal. Also… you should know that my Iron Man suit is controlled by both physical and neurological mechanisms, right?”

Lu Mingfei nodded. He remembered when Tony was attacked by Ivan Vanko at the racetrack. Both he and Tony were wearing portable versions of the Iron Man suit. As a result, he, who hadn't worn the Iron Man suit many times, easily dodged Ivan's attack, while Tony, the real Iron Man, was hit. At the time, Tony explained that Ivan's reflexes were slower than his own.

“The essence of neural signals is a type of electrical signal. With this ability, I no longer need to rely on my original nervous system when controlling the armor. ‘Snake’ will transmit my neural signals to the armor’s control system at a faster speed,” Tony said. “And from now on, I can add bioelectric signal recognition capabilities to my armor, and no one but me can use it.”

"You've never tried adding bioelectric signal recognition before?" Lu Mingfei asked curiously.

Tony's face fell: "I tried, but the technology wasn't mature enough back then, and the recognition wasn't accurate enough. I was locked in the armor several times, and I had to use force to get out each time."

Lu Mingfei revealed a mocking expression.

“However, using this ability on the armor is actually a waste of its potential,” Tony said. “Its strength is indeed very weak. It’s called an electrical signal, but I can’t even create a spark. It’s definitely not possible to develop it in the direction of electromagnetic force at present. But just the bioelectricity aspect alone is enough if used well… to become a devil who can manipulate souls.”

"A devil who toys with souls?" Lu Mingfei grinned, somewhat allergic to the term, but then he was completely bewildered. "Why do you say that?"

Tony glanced at Lu Mingfei, looking at him with an expression that said, "You've been learning from me for so long and haven't made any progress? Think about it carefully. Isn't human brain activity essentially just the activity of electrical signals?"

Lu Mingfei was stunned for a moment.

“Ultimately, the reason why living things can think and act is because they have bioelectricity in their bodies. If you compare a human to a computer, then bioelectricity is the operating system and program of this computer,” Tony said. “And ‘snake’ is the hacker of this computer.”

As Tony spoke, a machine automatically placed a caged white mouse onto the lab table—presumably controlled by Tony using snakes.

"Look."

Tony walked to the table, stretched out his finger, and gently touched the white mouse.

The white mouse convulsed and collapsed.

"Huh?" Lu Mingfei was taken aback. After Tony's reminder, he quickly realized, "You used the 'snake' to affect its bioelectricity?"

“Yes,” Tony nodded, “I disrupted the balance of bioelectricity in its nervous system, so its nervous system temporarily went on strike.”

"Holy crap! What kind of freak are you?! You just awakened your Word Power?!" Lu Mingfei almost jumped up.

“Actually, I was trying to practice this Word of Power when I was testing my physical fitness. For example, I used bioelectricity to stimulate my muscles and make them burst out with more power in an instant,” Tony said. “However, it’s easy to destroy, but it’s difficult to accurately stimulate muscles. Besides, this is my own body, so I don’t dare to try it randomly. Therefore, I only did a small amount of stimulation, so the effect was better than nothing. Maybe it will be more effective when I have more confidence in the future.”

“Getting back to the point, while the snake is useful, its electrical intensity is indeed too low. And unlike your words of power that can be released out of thin air within a domain, the ‘snake’ is released from my body, or rather, my head. So if I want to influence other life forms, I must make physical contact with them, and I can’t wear armor, as any of those things will affect my control,” Tony said. “Right now, all I can do is temporarily disrupt the bioelectrical balance in the target’s nervous system.”

"Currently?" Lu Mingfei grasped the key point.

“From a scientific point of view, bioelectricity can almost be regarded as the soul of a person. All human thought depends on the electrical signal activity in the brain. The brain and spine need electrical signals to control the limbs, and the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin also use electrical signals to transmit the five senses to the brain,” Tony said. “In other words, affecting a person’s bioelectricity is roughly equivalent to manipulating his body and soul at the same time. As long as the method is correct, I can paralyze a person’s limbs, stop thinking, and cause hallucinations. I can also manipulate his limbs and five senses, delete or block his memories, and even fabricate new memories for him and insert them into his mind…” Tony narrowed his eyes and said solemnly.

Lu Mingfei shivered involuntarily.

Manipulating memories... isn't that tantamount to arbitrarily altering a person's thoughts?

He had read a shonen manga called "Bleach," in which the Shinigami (death gods) all possessed Zanpakuto (soul-slaying swords), each with different abilities. One of the big bosses was Aizen Sousuke, whose Zanpakuto was called "Kyoka Suigetsu," whose ability was to completely hypnotize the victim, manipulating all five senses—an extremely terrifying ability.

Compared to Tony's description, this ability seems harmless; at least it cannot manipulate a person's body or alter their memories.

Tony was right; in his hands, snakes were a forbidden power, the power of God or the devil...

"Hahahahaha..." Tony let out a piercing laugh. "You didn't actually believe that, did you?"

Lu Mingfei was stunned.

Tony laughed for a while before catching his breath, his face full of mockery towards Lu Mingfei: "I was just joking with you. Theoretically, 'Snake' can indeed do what I just said, but the premise is that the person using it has sufficient computing power, at least at the level of super artificial intelligence."

"Don't you have Jarvis?" Lu Mingfei asked, puzzled.

“It’s not a concept. Jarvis, as my external brain, can indeed help me calculate a lot of things, but he’s not part of my brain. Not all calculations can be handed over to him,” Tony said. “If I want to use snakes to interfere with someone’s bioelectric signals, I have to rely on my own calculation ability and reaction speed. Normally, it’s impossible to achieve precise control. However, it’s not difficult to disrupt the target’s neural transmission, causing him to be temporarily paralyzed or lose his five senses. This kind of purely destructive action with no technical content is not difficult.”

"Wait, what does 'normally speaking' mean?" Lu Mingfei pressed on to the key point again.

“This involves another idea I have about this ability…” Tony said.

"Big brother, you awakened a low-level Word of Power of Sequence 37, not 117. Is it really okay for you to be so awesome?" Lu Mingfei covered his face.

“I don’t think I need to explain the basics of computers to you, right? The essence of all programs is binary 0s and 1s. Of course, other number systems are also possible, but binary is currently the most convenient. When the power is on, it is 1, and when the power is off, it is 0,” Tony said. “Jarvis is essentially just an infinite number of 0s and 1s.”

A sudden thought flashed through Lu Mingfei's mind: "Holy crap! You wouldn't be...?"

“Snakes can also be computer programs, as long as I program them,” Tony said. “Of course, this method can improve my computing power, but the improvement is extremely limited. I have to consider the capacity of my brain. It’s not a computer. A computer overheating will at most crash, but an overheated brain can kill you.”

"Damn it, don't mess things up!" Lu Mingfei said with a worried expression.

"Don't worry, I'm just as protective of my life as you are," Tony said.

As for Natasha's observation that he had self-destructive tendencies... that's nonsense! What right does a mere agent like her have to criticize a super genius like Tony Stark? There has never been anyone in this world who can see through him, there is no one now, and there never will be.

……

Evening, at Tony's home, in the conference room.

Lu Mingfei, Tony, Natasha, and Steve sat around a round table.

Due to research commitments, the meeting regarding the filming plans for the "Captain America" ​​movie, which was originally scheduled for the morning, was postponed until the evening.

In addition to the four of them, there was one more person invited to the meeting—Dr. Bruce Banner.

Dr. Banner has returned from Kamar-Taj. He said he wanted to become an apprentice of the Ancient One, but the Ancient One said that magic was not the path he should take. The library in Kamar-Taj is open to him, but he does not have to become a sorcerer.

So Dr. Banner took the magical knowledge he had learned and returned to the island Tony had prepared for him to resume his research. Although Hulk had made a preliminary reconciliation with him, Hulk still didn't like to listen to him. So, to avoid Hulk accidentally hurting the people around him, Banner felt that he should live a secluded life for a while longer.

Therefore, he participated in today's meeting via real-time holographic projection call.

According to Tony, Dr. Banner is a smart and trustworthy man, and besides, making a movie is something that should be done in a big way, there's no need to hide it.

Dr. Banner's projection rubbed his hands together: "So you mean we're going to be in a Captain America movie? Can I have a minor role? But I can't be on set, in case Hulk hurts someone. Can you Photoshop me in later? Just one shot will do."

As expected of America's spiritual icon, even Dr. Banner got excited when he heard about making a movie about Captain America.

“Then I want a minor role too!” Lu Mingfei raised his hand.

Although he is Chinese and a time traveler, and has no connection with the "Captain America" ​​icon, he has never joined in the excitement of making movies before, so he will definitely participate.

"How about I assign you two to be Soldier A and Soldier B who get blown up?" Tony rolled his eyes. "Can you guys be serious? We're talking business!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Dr. Banner said, a little embarrassed.

“So, Director Tony Stark,” Lu Mingfei opened the holographic screen, pointing to a string of characters, “I won’t ask why you finished this rough script summary in one night. What I’m more curious about now is…”

Why is Howard Stark, the character in the script who "single-handedly brought about the birth of Captain America, played an unparalleled role in Captain America's growth, was Captain America's mentor, and was also handsome, surrounded by beautiful women, and whose personal charm could impress the president and generals," listed in the credits?

"Is there a problem with the son playing the father?" Tony asked innocently.

"Damn it! Don't try to sneak in your own agenda!" Lu Mingfei lunged forward and grabbed Tony by the neck.

Natasha covered her face, feeling a headache coming on.

PS: Chapter 2 should be before daytime.

Requesting monthly votes at the end of the month!

150.Chapter 149 Cosmic Cube

Tony's house, in the conference room.

After some playful fighting, Natasha and Steve separated Lu Mingfei from Tony.

"In short, this script is not approved!" Lu Mingfei slammed his hand on the table. "Tony, don't try to smuggle in your own ideas. The protagonist of this movie is Captain America Steve, not playboy Howard. You're practically turning your dad's scenes into the male lead's!"

“Let me correct you, this is my part,” Tony straightened his collar and said arrogantly, “And what’s wrong with the script? It’s just that you guys lack cinematic taste!”

If you ignore the red marks on his neck from Lu Mingfei's choking, he does have a certain imposing presence.

“Then let’s vote,” Lu Mingfei said. “Raise your hand if you agree to use this script.”

Only Tony raised his hand.

“Raise your hand if you oppose this script!” Lu Mingfei said.

Lu Mingfei, Steve, and Dr. Banner raised their hands almost simultaneously, but strangely, Natasha did not raise her hand immediately, instead showing a thoughtful expression.

What's going on? Has this woman changed her ways and is going to do good deeds? Tony was somewhat surprised.

Should we consider letting go of our prejudice against her a little...?

Just as Tony was pondering this, Natasha spoke up leisurely: "I was thinking, if we simply ban Mr. Stark from playing any important supporting roles in movies, would that fundamentally solve his problem of liking to add scenes for himself?"

Tony's eyes widened, his expression mirroring that of a middle-aged office worker who comes home to find his wife cheating, his son riding a motorcycle, and his daughter dating a blond thug.

“I agree!” Steve raised his hand.

“I agree,” Dr. Banner raised his hand.

"I object!" Lu Mingfei suddenly raised his hand.

Tony looked at Lu Mingfei with satisfaction.

“You don’t understand Tony,” Lu Mingfei shook his head. “Even if you let him play a minor role with no presence, he will find a way to make the minor role into a main character. So, to be on the safe side, I suggest that Tony be banned from playing any roles.”