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The two exchanged a knowing glance.
Heh.
I've been caught in the rain myself.
So of course I tore someone else's umbrella.
Let others get soaked too.
That's where the fun is.
Good thing I didn't stop Happy from raising that flag earlier.
Now the show is getting interesting.
Nearby, Pepper looked a little worried.
"Tony, why are you transferring the company to me?"
"And that red-haired woman—she's Black Widow, isn't she? How could she possibly be one of our employees?"
Hearing Pepper's question, Tony grew serious as well.
Yes.
Why did he transfer the company?
According to the video timeline, this happened after he killed Obadiah and publicly announced, "I am Iron Man."
So logically—
At that point, there were no enemies inside or outside the company.
He should have continued working and living as usual.
In fact, with Obadiah gone, he should've been even more relaxed.
So why did he suddenly want to hand Stark Industries over to Pepper?
If it was simply to let Pepper handle the company's daily operations, that made sense.
Everyone knew their own strengths.
Tony understood this very well.
Based on his abilities, he was best categorized as a scientist, inventor, and weapons developer.
Not a leader.
Not a manager.
That was precisely why, during the Battle of New York, he followed Captain America's orders.
There was a reason for that.
But—
That still didn't explain why he would transfer ownership of the company to Pepper Potts.
It was obvious.
He was already preparing to step down.
Was he planning to give up entirely?
Tony was genuinely confused.
Finally, he said irritably,
"I can't figure it out yet. Let's just keep watching the video."
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Director Nick Fury stared at Black Widow in surprise.
"Natasha, when exactly did you sneak into Tony's company?"
"And how did you end up in Stark Industries' legal department?!"
Black Widow flipped through her phone.
For work, she had always prepared multiple identities.
She owned more than a dozen passports.
As for when she became part of Stark's legal department—
Even she couldn't remember.
Seeing her scrolling through her phone, Hawkeye didn't hesitate and flicked her on the back of the head.
"Hey, Natasha, why are you so careless?"
"You've been a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent for years. Why haven't you shaken off that Red Room assassin mindset?"
"Now S.H.I.E.L.D. assigns missions and provides identities."
"Just like Agent 13—Carter's niece. The agency gave her an identity and placed her next door to Captain America."
"From this video, it's obvious. After Tony announced 'I am Iron Man,' Fury wanted closer surveillance, so he placed you beside him."
Director Fury rubbed his shiny, egg-shaped head and nodded.
Yes.
That did sound like something he would do.
However—
In his mind, Fury knew this wasn't just about observing Tony after his announcement.
More importantly—
He wanted to know why Tony transferred the company, and what he would do afterward.
After all, Tony looked like a reckless playboy.
One second, he was flaunting cutting-edge lethal weapons.
The next second, he was giving away his company.
It was hard not to suspect that Tony had gained access to some new, terrifying weapon.
That he was getting arrogant.
That he was abandoning corporate responsibility.
That he was about to act without restraint.
Yes, Tony declared himself Iron Man at the press conference—
But shortly afterward, terrorist attacks, civilian bombings, and post-election international announcements followed.
Something wasn't right.
This kind of behavior wasn't uncommon.
So sending Natasha to infiltrate the company—
That was a wise decision.
Behind the Military Camp
Howard noticed something strange.
He saw it clearly.
The green drink Tony was consuming in the boxing ring.
It looked like a highly concentrated chlorophyll beverage.
Howard was very familiar with chlorophyll.
It has strong chelating properties—
It binds to metal ions, especially heavy metals.
That's why it's often used to remove heavy-metal contamination.
It's also one reason why eating green vegetables helps expel heavy metals from the body.
For years, Howard had worked in heavy weapons development, spending his days in factories and laboratories.
For his own safety, he occasionally drank chlorophyll solutions to cleanse his system.
What he didn't expect—
Was that his son Tony would inherit this habit.
Could it be…
Because Tony wore the Iron Man armor too often, his body was suffering from heavy-metal poisoning?
Howard stroked his mustache.
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
After all—
Watching Tony build the first Mark armor in that cave had already unsettled him.
The Mark I was powered by palladium.
Under normal circumstances, palladium wouldn't cause poisoning if handled properly.
But—
Tony had installed it directly in his chest to prevent shrapnel from piercing his heart.
That meant he had effectively implanted palladium into his own body.
That material would normally be stored in a lab.
No one would dare touch it casually.
Yet Tony was being exposed to palladium every single day.
If that didn't cause heavy-metal poisoning—
That would be strange.
Thinking this far, Howard couldn't help but worry about his son.
Heavy-metal poisoning—
Chlorophyll drinks could only delay the problem, not solve it.
It was like an elementary-school math problem about a swimming pool.
One method pumps water in.
Another drains water out through a small pipe.
Sooner or later—
The pool will burst.
But—
If Tony removes the palladium core, the shrapnel will pierce his heart.
He'll die.
If he keeps it in—
He'll die slowly, poisoned by heavy metals.
A fate even worse than Marie Curie's.
Howard let out a deep sigh.
He truly had no idea—