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After a night of intense fighting with Rhodes, Tony went to a donut shop to unwind. There, he encountered Director Nick Fury and Black Widow, and he learned about their observations and concerns regarding him.
Tony wanted to take a few more doses of lithium from Black Widow, but she told him that the drug was only temporary—it could relieve symptoms but couldn't cure him. Tony appeared slightly frustrated. To combat palladium poisoning, he had tried nearly every known element on Earth, yet he still couldn't synthesize a compound capable of alleviating his condition.
[Now he had discovered that lithium could partially ease his physical symptoms, but it still couldn't cure his disease.]
Anyone would be irritated under such circumstances.
[Fury understood Tony's frustration.]
[So he decided to take Tony back to his residence.]
Beneath the rubble
[Tony's chest-mounted miniature arc reactor, even though smaller and more refined, was still an imperfect technology.][Back when his father, Howard, invented the full-scale arc reactor...]
[Tony regarded this as the cornerstone for another major development project.]If the project succeeded, even military preparations would have to pause.
[At the time, the key figure working alongside Howard was Anton Vanko.]He had hoped to get rich off the project, but Howard fired him.
[Later, Anton Vanko was exiled to Siberia, where he lived for twenty years.]The cold, prison-like environment was clearly not conducive to raising children.
Meanwhile, over the past twenty years, Anton harbored deep resentment toward Howard.
[Thus, nourished by harsh conditions and grudges...][Anton's son, Ivan Vanko, after his father's death, single-handedly developed a miniature arc reactor and powered armor to take revenge on Tony.]
Hearing this, Tony took another couple of sips of his drink.[Clearly, the information was overwhelming.]
At this point, Director Nick Fury delivered even more crucial news.The results confirmed it:
[Howard Stark had explored an energy source even purer than the arc reactor, but due to the limitations of his era, he never managed to create it.]
[So he deliberately left a box containing his research notes.][Howard believed his son could solve the problem even he couldn't.]
[Fury believed that if Tony could discover a new element from his father's notes, it could replace palladium and restore his health.]
[Afterward, Fury instructed Agent Coulson to keep an eye on Tony before leaving his residence.]
Stark Tower
Tony witnessed all of this.
Finally, he understood why he had acted in such unsettling ways in the previous videos:he transferred the company again,made Rhodes wear that armor again—all because of palladium poisoning.
Pepper watched him with concern.
"Tony, the video says you're going to suffer from palladium poisoning in the future.""You… you'd better not develop your Iron Man suit. The consequences are too severe."
Seeing Pepper's worried expression, Tony smiled in disagreement.Then he flicked her forehead playfully.
"Hey, what are you worried about?""Looks like you didn't watch the video carefully.""It shows I got palladium poisoning because I put palladium pellets into the chest-mounted miniature arc reactor."
"But… that's because I was previously kidnapped in the video, and shrapnel hit my chest. I needed that device to prevent the shrapnel from reaching my heart."
"Now that the Ten Rings are gone, I don't need to be shot—so my chest doesn't need the miniature arc reactor anymore."
"That means I don't need the palladium pellets, and I won't get poisoned."
Pepper hesitated.
"Really?""Is it really possible?"
Compared to whether Tony could develop the Iron Man suit, Pepper just wanted to ensure his safety.She was paying close attention.
Seeing her concern, Tony pointed at the screen.
"Hey, what are you doing?""Doesn't the video already show Rhodes flying away wearing my Mark II?"
"Would I let him wear it if I wasn't sure the palladium wouldn't harm him? The chest-mounted miniature arc reactor is like a car, and the palladium pellets are the fuel."
"If the fuel is enough, the car runs; the suit works.""Plus, the Mark II's reactor sits on Rhodes' chest—it's not implanted inside his body. He can operate it like a car without his body suffering any ill effects."
Hearing this, Pepper finally relaxed her clenched fists.
Although Tony spoke casually, he was thinking about something else entirely:
The thug who whipped me on the track with the Lightning Five Whip…he's the son of my father's former partner.
Seems like it.He's still alive in the real world.
If I invent the Iron Man suit in the future,he can track my activities through the news.Months later, he'll even invent a miniature arc reactor.
He'll definitely come after me for revenge!Should I get a chance… take action early…and deal with him first?
Additionally, Tony was deeply interested in the upcoming new element.He knew a new element had been discovered.
For him,this could mean something monumental for the entire Earth—a sensational breakthrough!
And the energy it generates, according to the "Black Salt Egg" video,is even more powerful than the arc reactor.
You know, whether large or small, an arc reactor produces 8 billion watts of energy per hour.That's already terrifying.Without the Iron Man suit, it would require immense energy just to supply ordinary power to the public.
Tony thought this was already extremely powerful.He hadn't expected his father, Howard, to have discovered something this potent back in the last century.
It's truly… Howard…Tony couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Rhodes looked a little glum, thinking:This is why Tony gave me the Mark II—because he was palladium poisoned and near death.
But now, Tony was healthy.The Ten Rings were arrested.That meant Tony no longer faced palladium poisoning.
Which…
means I don't even get to wear the Mark II!??
Damn.I suddenly feel like I want to shoot Tony in the chest.
What's happening?
Rhodes instinctively touched his gun at his waist.He felt he had to take action.