Chapter 1: Iron Man 2, Hammer's New Employee
In the heart of New York, on land forged by money, a majestic skyscraper stood tall and proud. Around the building bustled the elite of society, hurrying by.
Stimulated by the appearance of Iron Man, Hammer Industries began aggressively recruiting talent, offering sky-high salaries—even higher than Stark Industries. Many, like sharks smelling blood, didn't hesitate to resign and jump ship to come for interviews.
But after joining Hammer Industries, what awaited them was far from the wonderful future they imagined.
Regardless of whether they were new or veteran employees, everyone secretly grumbled.
"Has Hammer gone nuts? These demands are simply impossible to meet."
"Seriously, this isn't human work. If someone could really pull this off, who would still be working at Hammer Industries?"
Many employees were whispering and complaining.
In the weapons development department, with a flood of new hires, internal elimination of the unqualified was constant. The company was undergoing a major overhaul.
The competition was intense.
Ever since Iron Man appeared out of nowhere, Justin Hammer had become like a madman.
He demanded employees develop a suit of powered armor as fast as possible, firing anyone who couldn't produce results.
Hammer both admired Tony Stark and longed to defeat him—trample him underfoot to prove his own worth.
The sudden appearance of Iron Man hadn't frightened New York's criminals. Instead, it had every employee at Hammer's rivals feeling insecure.
They weren't Tony Stark. How could they just casually develop high-tech miracles?
If they really had that kind of ability, would they be stuck at third-rate Hammer Industries? They would've gone solo already—become the next Iron Man.
For a while, the company was filled with grumbling and discontent.
However...
Not everyone in the company was complaining.
In a quiet corner of the weapons development department, in a somewhat empty, private workspace, sat a calm and composed new employee, completely unfazed.
He was a slightly handsome young man wearing glasses.
Though his attire seemed ordinary, the fact that he had an entire private lab to himself clearly made him different from the rest.
The workspace was small but fully equipped.
All kinds of advanced, precision, high-cost equipment and materials were neatly displayed throughout the room.
The new employee had a focused expression and astonishing speed with his hands.
He made full use of all the materials, maximizing their performance and handcrafting a mechanical arm.
His name was Jiang Feng.
He was one of the newly arrived Reincarnators in this world, and he possessed advanced mechanical knowledge.
This was the second world Jiang Feng had experienced.
His prior time in Night City and the mechanical engineer class granted by the system had allowed him, within just two months as a Reincarnator, to go from knowing nothing to becoming a mechanical expert.
In just under half an hour—
Thanks to Jiang Feng's exquisite craftsmanship, combined with the decent quality of Hammer's equipment, a heavy-industrial-style mechanical arm was freshly completed. It lay silently on the workbench, its unpainted surface glimmering with silver light.
Detailed information about the item appeared before Jiang Feng's eyes.
At the same time—
[Name: Unnamed Exoskeletal Arm]
[Quality: Green]
[Type: Combat Armor (Right Arm)]
[Effect: Significant strength boost; internally equipped with six mini-missiles and up to 100 needle armor-piercing rounds.
Palm contains a thruster for quick movement and low-altitude flight. Mode-switching allows energy pulse discharge.]
[Description: Crafted by Reincarnator Jiang Feng using advanced technology. Performance will be enhanced if replaced as a prosthetic limb through body modification.]
A system notification followed:
"Ding! You have created a mechanical construct.
Mechanical Engineer class gains 67 EXP."
Jiang Feng's expression remained unchanged at the disembodied voice—it was something he'd long since gotten used to.
Once the work was completed—
Jiang Feng stood up and mused inwardly.
"Although it was just something I casually made, it should be enough to fool Hammer."
With that thought, Jiang Feng extended his palm and donned the bulky exoskeletal arm.
Click—Clack!
Crisp metal sounds rang out as the arm adjusted its size, shifting to perfectly fit Jiang Feng's arm.
With a thought, a panel only visible to him appeared in front of his eyes.
[Class Holder: Jiang Feng]
[Primary Class: Mechanical Engineer]
[Level: Lv3 (3018/10000 EXP)]
[Talent 1 — Exceptional Aptitude: Learning speed +100%, easily comprehends all kinds of knowledge.]
[Talent 2 — Skilled Hands: Crafting speed +100%, construct performance +30%.]
[Talent 3 — Forging Genius: 10% chance for construct quality to upgrade, 1% chance to exceed item limits.]
"Still short 7,000 EXP. If all goes smoothly, I should reach Lv4 before this world ends," Jiang Feng estimated silently.
The Unlimited Profession System—
It was the cheat he awakened after becoming a Reincarnator—simple yet powerful.
Every time Jiang Feng entered a new world, he would unlock a new profession.
There was no limit to the number of professions. Multiple professions could stack and take effect simultaneously.
Each profession came with its own unique talents.
Just like the talents of a Mechanical Engineer, which allowed Jiang Feng to learn quickly and craft superior products.
Moreover—
Each time a profession leveled up, it would unlock additional talents.
With his Mechanical Engineer profession at Lv3, Jiang Feng currently had three talents.
To level up, he simply had to do things aligned with that profession to earn EXP.
For example, since Jiang Feng was now a Mechanical Engineer—
Handcrafting mechanical devices, learning technical knowledge, and fighting with weapons he made—all would grant EXP.
"Time to test the weapon. Let's go meet Hammer now."
Wearing the gear he had forged himself—
Jiang Feng left the workshop and strode toward the weapons testing area.
Scientific research and manufacturing required resources. Right now, that's exactly what he lacked. Whether he could get enough depended on how he performed next.
Testing Facility.
Capable of accommodating over a thousand people, the space was massive.
Inside stood rows of metal mannequins used for testing weapon damage.
Many of them had already endured the trial of Hammer's weapons, bearing various degrees of damage.
At that moment, the area was filled with employees.
They gathered in groups of threes and fives, holding various components for Iron Man-style suits—mechanical arms, helmets, and more.
But not a single complete product.
It had only been a few days since Iron Man's dramatic debut.
Even though major corporations responded quickly and poured in manpower and resources, they had only achieved the bare beginnings of success.
Not everyone was a genius like Tony Stark.
Most company personnel, while elite among ordinary people, still couldn't match him even when giving their all.
In front of the crowd—
A man in a gray suit with gold-rimmed glasses and a scowl on his face was raging furiously.
"Tony Stark, alone, in a cave, under the eyes of terrorists, managed to build a suit of powered armor! Why the hell can't any of you useless idiots do the same?!"
Hammer's sharp, shrill voice echoed through the massive testing hall, clear to everyone.
All the surrounding employees hung their heads low in silence, not daring to look up and face the furious Hammer.
The boss was in a bad mood—and his temper had been unstable recently. It was safest to act invisible and behave.
"What a waste of the company's generous salaries."
Seeing his employees silent and motionless like statues, the atmosphere tense and stifling—
Hammer snapped with irritation.
He didn't scold them further, only left a parting line:
"If you still can't produce results, then prepare to be fired."
Every employee wore a look of suppressed frustration—but what could they do? He was still their boss.
The miserable life of wage workers—
All they could do was try their best to meet his demands. Otherwise, they really might be shown the door.