Pepper stared intently at Tony, equally unyielding: "Is that so?"
She nodded slightly, throwing the locking chip onto the table: "Then I quit."
Then Pepper turned and intended to leave, her high heels clicking.
"You've been with me all these years." Tony's tone softened, but it still carried an indignant irritability.
"You watched me reap the benefits of destruction, and now that I want to protect those who are in danger because of me, are you leaving?"
Pepper stopped, looking directly into Tony's eyes, letting him see the determination in her gaze: "Tony, you're going to kill yourself doing this. I won't help you with it."
"I shouldn't have survived." Tony lowered his head, no longer looking into Pepper's eyes: "Unless there's some special meaning to it."
"I'm not crazy, Pepper!" Tony seemed to have a sudden realization, his expression dazed: "I just finally understood what I should do."
"My heart tells me this is right."
This sincere self-analysis made Pepper sigh helplessly.
She walked back and picked up the locking chip: "You are my everything too."
Leaving that remark, she departed directly, leaving Tony deep in thought.
After leaving, Pepper successfully retrieved the information. She saw the video of Tony being kidnapped and extorted on the computer, confirming that Obadiah was indeed problematic.
Although the process was a bit thrilling and she was almost discovered by Obadiah, after she left the office, she happened to run into Coulson, who had been trying to talk to her. This also prevented Obadiah, who later realized something was amiss, from harming her.
Back in Stark's lab, Obadiah impatiently asked the researchers: "How is the armor research coming along?"
"Sorry, Mr. Stane, we tried your request, but we encountered some obstacles," the white-coated head of research explained.
"Obstacles?" Obadiah retorted.
"Yes, sir, this technology currently doesn't exist," the head of research gestured with his hands, trying to make Obadiah understand the difficulties.
"Wait, technology?" Obadiah laughed in exasperation, wrapping an arm around the head of research's shoulder and pointing at the large arc reactor with his cigar.
"William, this is the technology. I just asked you to make it a little smaller."
The head of research, named William, continued to explain: "Sir, we are trying our best... but, honestly, it's impossible!"
Obadiah suddenly lost control, pointing at William's chest and roaring: "Tony Stark made this thing alone in a broken cave, came home, slept for seven hours, and then produced the finished product!!!"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not Tony Stark."
William's single sentence extinguished Obadiah's anger. He once again realized what a genius Tony was and began to form new plans.
He knew he was at a dead end now, but it wasn't as if he had no chance to turn things around.
The arc reactor was his only chance.
Obadiah quickly arrived at Tony's villa. The phone was ringing in the living room, and he happened to hear Tony coming out of the basement.
So Obadiah quickly hid behind the sofa. The moment Tony picked up the phone, blue lights flashed in Obadiah's ears, and an ear-piercing high-frequency sound rang out beside Tony.
"Relax, take a deep breath." Obadiah supported Tony, who had lost control of his body, and laid him on the sofa.
He held up a key-sized device in his hand, shaking it in front of Tony's eyes: "Remember this? It's a shame the government didn't approve it. The uses for temporary paralysis are so widespread."
Tony's eyes were wide, but he couldn't utter a single word.
"Tony, when I had someone kill you..." Obadiah removed the blue-lit earpiece and picked up a machine, aiming it at the arc reactor in Tony's chest.
"I thought I was killing the goose that laid the golden eggs." Turning the machine to remove the arc reactor, Obadiah smiled, looking down at Tony with the posture of a victor.
"But fate allowed you to live, and even gave you the last golden egg."
"It's a masterpiece, look, Tony." Obadiah intimately held the reactor up to Tony's face: "This is your legacy. The new generation of weapons will all have it as their heart."
"I wish you could see my prototype. It's not as conservative as yours." Obadiah put the arc reactor into a safe nearby, saying with some regret: "Too bad... you also dragged Pepper into this. I originally wanted to spare her life."
After speaking, he picked up the box and left the villa. Tony, without the arc reactor, would die immediately, so there was no need for him to dirty his hands.
Thus, he didn't see the crimson sparks flickering in the air of the living room after he left.
Nero, who had just returned from Kamar-Taj, was a bit bewildered. She poked Tony's cheek: "Are you performing some kind of performance art?"
Tony's face was stiff, still paralyzed, unable to even give a meaningful look.
"Hmm, where's the light bulb in your chest? You didn't give it away, did you?" Nero squatted on the sofa: "Actually, I'm a little interested in that light bulb too... like making a night light out of it."
"I heard it can stay lit forever, right? With that kind of shelf life, what's more cost-effective than making a night light?"
Nero joked with a grin. Of course, she could tell Tony's unusual state, but this little problem was nothing to her. She might as well take the opportunity to tease him.
The expansion and frequency of Tony's chest greatly increased. Nero felt it was enough; if she kept playing, he might just die of anger.
A ball of black mud condensed on her finger: "I've already removed the side effects from this. It should be able to heal the wound on your chest, but it will be quite stimulating."
Tony's stiff fingers could barely move, but he still couldn't speak.
"If you don't speak, I'll take that as a yes..." Nero's words stopped midway: "Hmm, why am I wasting words with my possession?"
Then she shoved the oil-like black mud into Tony's chest: "I won't dismantle the iron lump in your chest. When the flesh grows back... hehe!"
Tony had an ominous premonition. The next moment, he regained control of his body. Before he could say anything, the sharp pain in his chest made him scream.
The growth of flesh and nerves, the iron plate and shrapnel in his chest being squeezed out, the secondary damage caused midway, and then healed by the black mud.
The sensation was no less intense than having that part of his chest subjected to a thousand cuts.
Nero retreated to the edge of the living room. Iron shards and an unknown liquid sprayed out from Tony's chest, which was... quite disgusting.
Nero didn't want to touch any of that.
"Pepper... Nero, Pepper is in danger! Hurry... go find her!"
Once the pain slightly subsided, Tony, covered in cold sweat, said with difficulty.
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