The government, facing a powerhouse far exceeding Captain America's strength, couldn't let such an asset go. After nearly a month of negotiations, Tony agreed to provide the government with a small amount of symbiote tissue to enhance a select group of soldiers. The condition was that the symbiotic implantation must occur under Tony's supervision, and no research on the symbiote tissue would be permitted. The government, harboring their own ulterior motives, could only grit their teeth and accept.
What seemed like Tony's concession was, in reality, a strategy to pacify them. Did the government believe they had won, by gaining control of a symbiote army? Little did they know, with a single command, all of Tony's symbiote forces would immediately turn on them, becoming his loyal hounds! Tony Stark had already bested the American government so many times, he was virtually unbeatable!
Time passed quickly, a year went by. Tony's symbiote army had taken shape, numbering nearly a thousand. They were well-fed and cared for, their training focused on combat skills and loyalty. The government, too, had an army of close to two thousand. However, Tony had been cautious. The symbiotes he provided to the government were second-generation, descendants of Venom's offspring. This two-thousand-strong symbiote army would be no match for Tony's one thousand. This way, if a conflict arose with the government without needing to reveal his full strength, he would still have room to maneuver.
The approximately three thousand symbiotes required an unbelievable amount of chocolate annually, consumed as if it were their main meal. Tony had to acquire several more chocolate factories. He had never imagined in his life that he would own multiple chocolate factories.
In the same year, Martina's mastery over the AllSpark's energy grew. Through diligent effort, she finally succeeded in activating sentient Autobots. Their combat capabilities were on par with the Autobots from the Transformers universe. The only difference was that all the Autobots she created were loyal to her, seeing her as their leader. This was likely due to Martina herself being a sentient AllSpark. However, despite successfully creating some Autobots, Martina's favorite remained her very first creation, Marti. After all, Marti was the only one who called her "Mom," and she truly raised him as her own son!
The emergence of the Autobots prompted Tony to prioritize the establishment of a Transformer army. He continued developing his symbiote forces while simultaneously planning the organization of the Autobots. Regarding this new Transformer army, Tony was resolute: the government would not be allowed any involvement. Firstly, Martina's production capacity was limited; her output was low. In just a few months, she had produced less than ten Autobots. Secondly, the Autobots possessed their own pride and only obeyed Martina. Without Martina's authorization, Tony himself couldn't command them. Thus, Tony used this as an excuse to firmly reject the government's request.
Several months later, the Transformer army was officially established, though it comprised less than twenty Autobots. However, their combined strength was sufficient to conquer smaller nations with ease. Coupled with Tony's symbiote army, which had grown to nearly two thousand, their overall combat capability surpassed the combined forces of the government and S.H.I.E.L.D. Their strength was, quite frankly, unreasonable.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was not without its resources, nor was it short of extraordinary individuals, but to confront Tony head-on? One must not forget that Tony also possessed his Iron Man armors. Symbiotes combined with Iron Man suits could operate in any extreme environment with remarkable endurance. In a real fight, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be outmatched, unless they called back Captain Marvel. As for the government, their only recourse to challenge Tony was to threaten him with nuclear weapons. But who was truly threatening whom? It was hard to say.
After all, Tony had never ceased his research on the Triskelion. He had thoroughly studied and applied various alien technologies. Basic interstellar travel, for instance, was now achievable with his symbiote-enhanced Iron Man suits. The weapon systems of his Iron Man suits had undergone three upgrades within a single year, each representing a qualitative leap in performance. Furthermore, Tony, with shrewd foresight, had launched three satellites into space for undisclosed purposes. These satellites were his latest creations, each equipped with laser cannons capable of firing directly at the Earth's surface, functioning as space-based weapons.
This was astonishing. Under Tony's command, the three satellites could strike targets anywhere on Earth in an extremely short time, with destructive power comparable to nuclear explosions. So, who was threatening whom now? With a space-based weapon perpetually hanging over New York, how dare anyone try to play hardball with him? He would simply play his trump card!
Frankly, if Tony desired, he could occupy the Oval Office tomorrow! Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D., facing repeated, and ruthlessly denied, requests for technological sharing, had also endured a difficult year. Previously, Natasha, following Lin Feng's instructions, had sought Tony's assistance. While the problems of other S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel were manageable, Nick Fury's predicament was a major issue. Of course, that was stating the obvious.
Tony, preoccupied with the grand endeavor of his symbiote army, had completely ignored their plight. He had casually tossed Natasha a symbiote, suggesting they deal with their internal conflicts. All he could offer was a silent wish for their good fortune.
Tony sat on the sofa, gazing at the street below from his high-rise apartment, idly playing with a miniature arc reactor. Unlike previous reactors, this one emitted a faint, golden glow. He was now using the Mind Stone as the power source for the reactor. The Venom suit's operational system was remarkably ingenious, capable of transforming into an Iron Man suit even without an arc reactor. However, with an Infinity Stone-powered reactor, its endurance was extended to nearly infinite levels. Frankly, Tony had achieved his lifelong dream; he could fight continuously for an entire year!
"J.A.R.V.I.S., any word from Lin Feng yet?" Tony asked habitually. The man had said he'd be gone for a year or two, and it had indeed been that long. Tony felt a pang of reflection; in just over a year, everything about him had undergone a complete transformation. "I wonder what Lin Feng is preparing for. We still need to expand the symbiote army..." Even with two thousand symbiotes, Tony's needs were not yet met. The more of these exceptionally combat-capable beings, the better.
"Sir, no information on Mr. Lin Feng has been detected," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported faithfully. "The most recent communication was from twenty-one months ago, when Mr. Lin Feng disappeared near the sun..." Tony was accustomed to this reply. He then issued a new directive. "Commence Phase Three of the symbiote army plan. This time, the maximum personnel capacity will be raised to ten thousand!"