As Lin Feng evolved, on Blue Star, Tony had already begun the experimental plan for the symbiote legion.
Stinger was a descendant of Venom, and by universal rationality, his offspring would be more powerful.
Just like in the movies, Venom's descendants were far stronger than him.
But there was one problem: Venom's great power was related to devouring countless of his own kind, and a trace of ancestral bloodline (a small piece of the symbiote god's body tissue).
This bloodline was akin to a permanent buff.
It would manifest weaker in the next generation, not stronger.
The ancestral bloodline would only dilute unless more bloodline was found.
Therefore, Stinger's descendants, while vastly superior to ordinary symbiotes, still couldn't match Stinger.
The method for symbiotes to birth offspring was quite simple.
As long as a minuscule portion of tissue was separated and survived to enter a human host, there was a high chance of becoming a new symbiote.
Tony first assigned the first batch of symbiote tissue to Happy.
Choosing Happy was not without reason.
In the past, Happy had been Tony's driver and bodyguard, although the bodyguard's strength was a bit too lacking.
Despite Happy's stout figure, he harbored a heart that longed to be a superhero.
What man wouldn't pursue power?
This was evident from Happy's idolization of Lin Feng.
The only price was being parasitized by a black symbiote, and one without side effects.
Moreover, Tony himself harbored a symbiote. After some mental preparation, Happy no longer hesitated and accepted Tony's experiment.
Honestly, missing such an opportunity to become a "superman" would be a lifelong regret.
Stinger's descendants did not have the threshold of host compatibility issues like in the movies, so the experimental success rate exceeded Tony's imagination, reaching nearly a hundred percent.
Thus, Blue Star's second symbiote was born, with the host being the plump Happy.
Since Happy was an ordinary person with no special bloodline, the symbiote's enhancement was limited.
However, due to the immense power of his progenitor, Happy gained astonishing abilities.
Almost immediately after integration, Happy transformed into a Juggernaut.
Tearing apart cars with his bare hands was just basic operation.
Happy could now leap from the ground to the top of Stark Tower with a single bound!
Data analysis indicated that the symbiote's physical enhancement had granted Happy strength far exceeding that of Captain America.
This was rather astonishing; what need was there for Super Soldier Serum anymore?
Under the might of the symbiotes, such serums were completely outmatched!
After observing for a period with no adverse reactions, Tony drew up a list.
He would select those with firm willpower and loyal targets to undergo symbiote parasitism.
To perfectly leverage the characteristic that the stronger the host, the greater the symbiote's enhancement, Tony targeted individuals with superior physical conditioning among the populace.
Suddenly, Stark Industries' advertisements plastered themselves all over New York.
Seeking fitness enthusiasts, U.S. military veterans, and combat experts to join Stark Industries, with compensation beyond imagination.
Providing cars and accommodation was standard, and in addition to a base salary, there were annual bonuses.
These generous conditions quickly attracted countless applicants.
Some even traveled across states to apply.
For this purpose, Tony specifically constructed a large facility to select and train a qualified symbiote army.
Those who passed the experiment would sign an agreement, stipulating that even if they withdrew midway, they could not disclose what they had witnessed.
Of course, a mere agreement held little binding power, so if someone truly decided to withdraw, Tony would use the Mind Stone to add another layer of security.
This would directly erase their memories of this phase, and even if they recalled something, they would be unable to articulate it.
Tony's grand scheme naturally attracted the attention of the U.S. military and S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury attempted to meet with Tony multiple times, but was refused.
Even if the current Nick Fury wasn't an imposter, and even if the real Nick Fury showed up, Tony wouldn't bother with him.
His vision had expanded exponentially; the future battlefield for Iron Man was the stars and the sea.
S.H.I.E.L.D.? Couldn't keep up, couldn't keep up!
Tony ignored Nick Fury, and S.H.I.E.L.D. could do nothing.
Given Tony's current prestige and wealth among the public, S.H.I.E.L.D. would not easily antagonize him.
Furthermore, they were simply no match for the current Tony.
However, the military was not as accommodating as S.H.I.E.L.D.
Bound by Lin Feng's previous threat, the Secretary of State dared not make any small moves, but through media channels and other outlets, he completely exposed Tony's affairs.
Reports of Stark Industries' earth-shattering conspiracy, Tony's threatening incidents, and propaganda claiming Tony was orchestrating a resistance force behind the scenes.
This grand accusation successfully made the public begin to question Tony's motives.
But by this time, Tony already commanded a symbiote legion of over a hundred individuals.
With the Mind Stone in place, there was no need to worry about their loyalty.
However, based on the principle of freedom and equality, Tony would not excessively bind others with the Infinity Stones.
Don't want to do it anymore? Fine! The symbiote will be reclaimed.
Having experienced the thrill of transforming into a "superman," having the symbiote taken away was worse than losing their lives!
Therefore, Tony had no qualms about betrayal.
As for whether the symbiotes would betray him?
Please, symbiotes are not human, so Tony felt no pressure using the Mind Stone.
They were all sons and daughters of Stinger; if they misbehaved, they would receive a loving education!
Tony countered the military's exposure tactics by doing the opposite.
You want to know what I'm doing? Fine, let Rhodey take a look!
The symbiote legion would continue to grow, followed by the Transformer legion; these things couldn't be hidden.
So Tony decided to come clean, completely unafraid of the military trying to co-opt the symbiote legion.
What a joke, the symbiotes would only obey Tony and Stinger!
Rhodey, representing the military, toured Tony's future enterprise.
When he saw the rows of grotesque, multi-colored alien symbiotes, his worldview was shattered.
Back then, when Tony built the Iron Man suits, Rhodey was amazed, but it was still within the human realm.
But what was this? Aliens!
And each one was a humanoid mobile tank, impervious to bullets, impenetrable by artillery, capable of tearing apart tanks with their bare hands and taking down aircraft with one hand (seriously).
It left Rhodey's expression twisted for a moment. If these were deployed on the battlefield, how could you possibly stop them?
Even a legion composed entirely of Captain Americas wouldn't suffice!