Henry felt an indescribable warmth, as if he were soaking in the most comfortable hot spring.
More and more light and heat poured endlessly into his body through every inch of skin, through every seam of his armor.
Without Earth's thick atmosphere acting as a filter, the sunlight here was pure and primal.
And, of course, far more nourishing.
He could clearly sense every cell in his body greedily devouring this vast energy.
The speed of absorption and conversion was many times faster than on Earth's surface.
"Hey, J.A.R.V.I.S., I've gotta say, this feels amazing." He spoke lazily into the comms channel, sounding utterly content.
"Better than the most luxurious spa treatment. Say, if I opened a solar-bathing membership service up here, don't you think it'd make more money than Tony's piles of scrap metal? VIP customers could even enjoy the bonus of an exclusive close-up view of Earth. Genius business plan, right?"
"Sir, considering that the number of potential customers capable of reaching outer space is approximately zero, I do not believe this to be a promising business model," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied with his usual precision.
"Furthermore, you may face lawsuits from multiple astronomical and aerospace agencies for illegally occupying orbital resources."
"Boring," Henry pouted.
"You just don't understand what a high-end market looks like, you old circuit board. Forget it, I won't argue business with someone who has no entrepreneurial vision."
He stretched with satisfaction, a wave of warmth surging from his limbs to his brain, filling him with drowsiness.
"I feel so warm, J.A.R.V.I.S. I think I need a nap." His voice was already slurred.
"Keep an eye out for me. If some freaky-looking alien tries anything while I'm sleeping, wake me immediately. I'm not looking to get abducted and experimented on in my dreams."
"I will continue monitoring, sir. Rest assured, any unauthorized lifeforms approaching will trigger maximum-level alerts."
"That's better." Henry snorted.
"Let's hope your alarm system is more reliable than your 'No Steve or Dogs Allowed' access lock."
With that, bathed in golden sunlight, he slowly closed his eyes.
He drifted freely in the silent vastness of space, like an infant cradled in its mother's arms—peaceful and serene.
Once his eyes shut, the speed of his energy absorption skyrocketed, multiplying at a geometric rate.
His armor now resembled a miniature black hole, greedily pulling in every ray of nearby light.
Inside his body, a silent, unseen evolution was taking place.
Time lost its meaning in that eternal stillness.
He had no idea how long had passed—perhaps a century, perhaps only a moment.
Below his feet, the blue planet had already spun around, trading day for night.
Suddenly, Henry's eyes snapped open.
Confusion flickered in their depths.
"F*ck!" he cursed instinctively.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., how long was I out? It feels like only a second passed. I thought I'd sleep till the end of time."
"Sir, according to time records, you have been dormant for 10 hours and 23 minutes," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied immediately.
"By Los Angeles local time, it is currently 10:47 p.m. Night has fully fallen."
"Only 10 hours?" Henry's face was filled with disbelief.
"That's nothing. Why did I even wake up? Don't tell me I got cold without the sun. Your outer space A/C is set way too low!"
"Sir, your bio-force field perfectly insulates you from external cold. You could not have been awakened by low temperature," J.A.R.V.I.S. explained.
"According to my energy monitoring, it seems that after absorbing an enormous amount of solar energy, your body reached a critical threshold, triggering a spontaneous deep-level evolution. In simpler terms, your solar charging panel just completed a hardware upgrade. Your charging efficiency is now significantly higher."
"Oh? Really?" Henry focused inward and his face shifted to surprise.
"Now that you mention it, I do feel different. My eyes are heating up—itchy, a little uncomfortable. What is this? Am I evolving heat vision? You know, the one where you glare at someone and—uh, not get them pregnant—but cook them alive?"
"Sir, I can confirm that a unique form of bio-energy is rapidly converging in your ocular region. Its intensity is still rising."
"No need to guess anymore." Henry looked at his unchanged hands, then slowly lifted his head. His eyes suddenly blazed with a piercing red glow.
He grinned, the smile carrying a hint of wickedness.
"Because now, I feel like I'll never need to eat steak again!"
The next moment, twin beams of searing crimson burst from his eyes!
The destructive energy lanced across the void, striking a U.S. military reconnaissance satellite in orbit.
No sound, no thunderous explosion—
But under the dead silence of space, the satellite, worth a fortune, melted and warped like a plastic toy tossed into a furnace before shattering into silent fireworks.
The beams didn't stop. They shot further ahead, hitting a communications satellite linked to the first.
Another dazzling bloom of fire lit up the dark void.
"Unbelievable!" Henry blurted, half in panic, half in awe.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.! Did you see that? I just wanted to test my new eye function, maybe roast some chicken wings, and instead I accidentally vaporized the military's precious toys! These things aren't insured, are they? Am I gonna get billed for this?"
Moments later, the red glow in his eyes faded.
Henry blinked, the burning and discomfort gone.
"How strange," he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"Warm, then nothing. No side effects. Don't even need eye drops."
"Sir, based on the energy data, the beam you released reached a peak temperature of 1600°C in an instant. I believe this matches your description of 'heat vision,'" J.A.R.V.I.S. replied, with a rare hint of awe.
"Also, I must remind you that you just destroyed two satellites owned by the U.S. Department of Defense. This may result in temporary GPS disruptions across parts of North America."
"Oh, how terrible," Henry said flatly, his face showing exactly zero concern.
"But hey, on the bright side, it proves this space sunbath really worked! I feel stronger again—much stronger! Damn, this feels even better than making money!"
"Yes, sir. Based on updated calculations, your base strength has more than doubled. Your speed and durability have also greatly improved."
"Doubled?" Henry did the math and sucked in a sharp breath.
"So that means I'm over 100 tons now? Is this what invincibility feels like? Too easy! I go to sleep and wake up a hundred tons stronger. If I just nap in space every day, I'll be able to punch Earth into rubble before long!"
"In theory, your body continues to strengthen as long as sufficient solar energy is available, sir. At present, your growth has no observable limit."
"Unlimited, huh? Now that's a word I like." Henry nodded in satisfaction.
"But space is boring—no women, no champagne, not even anyone to argue with. J.A.R.V.I.S., I think—"
Just then, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice cut him off.
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Alright I'm posting this early let's increase the goal to 69 stones. I'll post a bonus if we hit 69, throw your stones so we can reach the perfect number!!
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