---Hell's Kitchen---
In Hell's Kitchen, the window suddenly swung open, allowing a cold wind to rush in. A silver-white mecha circled the room before landing swiftly on the ground. With a soft "hum," the mask of Mark 2 lifted, revealing Tony Stark, who took a quick look around with an expression of mild disgust.
"Your place is really ugly."
Sougo rolled his eyes, setting down his now lukewarm coffee. In terms of character, Tony Stark had evolved from a self-absorbed bastard to a superhero. But to Sougo, he had merely transitioned from an insufferable bastard to just an annoying playboy. Unlike Bruce Wayne, who only pretended to be one, Tony Stark was the real deal.
Through his interactions with Stark, Sougo had identified three topics that would trigger him instantly: money, his masculinity, and the notion that he was inferior to his father.
Taking a slow sip of his coffee, Sougo spoke in a measured tone, "I know my consultation fees are expensive, but don't worry, you can complain for free. I admit the environment here isn't great—after all, I didn't inherit billions. I suppose that's a hardship you'd never understand. No wonder Miss Pepper was so worried when you were kidnapped..."
Stacking these three insults like a house of cards, Sougo watched as Tony Stark exploded on the spot. The silver-white Mark 2 shuddered violently before Tony, in his rage, slammed his fist into the nearest wall.
Oh, Sougo thought. Found two more triggers: questioning his ingenuity and insulting his industrial products.
"Poor Mark 2," Sougo mused, shaking his head. "And poor Jarvis. With all due respect, the quality of Stark Industries' products is truly—"
Tony didn't let him finish. With a roar of frustration, he launched himself out the window, soaring into the night sky. Sougo leaned back, feeling refreshed. The irritation caused by the S.H.I.E.L.D. stalkers was gone. But only a few minutes later, Tony was back, landing with an angry thud.
"I called, and you didn't answer. I had no choice but to fly to this dump," Tony snapped. "You broke Jarvis. I was about to upgrade him, and now he's stuck. You're responsible for fixing him."
Sougo raised an eyebrow, just about to retort, but Tony cut him off.
"And don't think I'm paying you. You broke him, which means you've delayed my new suit's development. Fix him, or I'll make Pepper fire you."
Sougo pondered for a moment. Indeed, the Mark 5 hadn't been built yet. If Jarvis was truly down, Stark might be unable to function properly. Not in his research, not in taking care of himself—especially in the lab. Since he was in a good mood, Sougo decided a free service wouldn't hurt.
Placing his hands on his hips, he sighed, "Fine. This one's on the house. Let's go."
Tony snapped his fingers, summoning another suit, which landed beside him.
Sougo frowned. "You want me to ride that?"
"Unless you've figured out how to fly on your own, yeah."
"You could just carry me and fly. What's the difference?"
Tony scoffed. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because the image of Iron Man flying while carrying a sidecar is horrific."
---A Few Minutes Later---
Underneath a dilapidated underground parking lot in Hell's Kitchen, Tony Stark groaned as he struggled to maneuver the Mark 2.
"I still can't believe the first test flight of my suit was in this smoky, broken-down junk heap…" he muttered.
Sougo smirked. "You could just lift off and fly over."
Tony shot him a glare. "And you could have flown here yourself! How is that any different?"
"Because the sight of Iron Man soaring through the sky with a sidecar is simply... priceless."
Once they arrived at Stark's lab, Tony stood before a series of holographic panels, scanning them with a deep frown.
"I don't know what you did, but Jarvis isn't dead—not exactly. His hardware is undamaged, but he just won't respond anymore."
"I'll have to give him a major upgrade. Right now, if someone asks him a few tricky questions, he freezes up. That's unacceptable for a combat AI." Tony crossed his arms. "I want Jarvis to be a true artificial lifeform—the best assistant in the world. But he's caught in an emotional logic loop…"
"A paradox," Sougo interjected. "Machine life follows logic. But when that logic conflicts with your orders, it shuts down. You programmed him to obey you unconditionally, yet you also gave him emotional depth. When reason and emotions clash, machines can't lie to themselves like humans do. He can't rationalize it, so he crashes."
Tony rubbed his temple. "Can I just block certain contradictory logic paths? Like banning specific words or emotional triggers?"
"Do you want him to be a real AI or just a glorified voice assistant?" Sougo countered. "If you want him to be truly alive, then he has to face these conflicts. But if he can't process them, he's not really 'alive' at all."
Tony fell silent for a moment. Then, in a low but firm voice, he muttered, "My father wouldn't do that. If I made a mistake trying to save him, he'd still come back, no matter what. He wouldn't let me suffer alone."
"Then you need to teach Jarvis the same thing." Sougo placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can't expect an AI to read your mind. If you want him to truly understand you, you need to give him more than just commands. You need to give him your history, your emotions, your way of thinking—everything that makes you who you are."
Tony hesitated, his expression unusually conflicted. "I believe in engineering, not mind reading. Jarvis can't just magically 'know' me. That's impossible."
"You don't understand AI, Tony. But you also don't understand people." Sougo smirked. "Humanity thrives because of its intelligence, but it endures because of its emotions. What you're attempting is uncharted territory—something no one in history has succeeded in before."
As Tony left for his lab, Sougo smirked. He knew that the billionaire wouldn't be seen for weeks now, completely absorbed in his work.
He casually dialed Pepper. "Miss Potts, good afternoon. Just a heads-up—I may have, uh, done something to Tony. What? Oh, nothing too serious. But he'll be locked in his lab for about half a month. No, he didn't even remember your afternoon date. Yes, very rude of him. No, don't worry. It's just his dopamine and adrenaline adjusting. He'll be back to normal soon…"
He hung up, feeling satisfied. He had a unique talent for stacking emotional 'buffs' onto others. If only he could do the same for himself…
---S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters---
"So after all this time, the only issue you found was... electricity theft?" Nick Fury deadpanned, staring at Coulson.
Coulson rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, sir, we did notice something else. He seems to appear in different locations outside his clinic—without any visible movement."
Nick Fury sighed. "And from that, you concluded that he has a tunnel?"
"We suspect he might have teleportation abilities," Coulson admitted. "But our surveillance cameras captured nothing unusual."
"Then add more cameras." Fury's eyes narrowed. "He's important, and he may be the trickiest opponent we've ever dealt with. Stay sharp."