This result aligned with what Lin Feng had said about experiencing life and death in Afghanistan. After all, if he hadn't been hit by a bomb and had numerous shrapnel fragments in his body, he wouldn't have ended up in such a state.
Moreover, those small fragments should be extremely difficult to deal with. He then had Jarvis perform some deductions based on the current level of medical technology. The deduction results indicated that if he had those small fragments all over his body, the success rate of the surgery would be very low, and he might die.
Reaching this point in the deduction, he understood why the version of himself in the other timeline had behaved the way he did, why he had seemed so frantic.
Because, whether he went left or right, he was going to die. There was simply no way out.
So, this could be considered a kind of madness before death.
He felt a bit of relief, and a bit of fear. Fortunately, he had believed the words in Lin Feng's diary and hadn't gone to Afghanistan. Otherwise, even if he didn't die, he would have to face the torment of day and night afterward.
Thinking of this, he hated Obadiah even more! This guy, relying on being his elder, was actually so despicable in his actions behind the scenes.
But according to the records in Lin Feng's diary, if he hadn't gone through this whole ordeal, if he hadn't faced the brink of death from Palladium Poisoning, his awareness would have been lower?
Impossible. That was absolutely impossible.
The video continued. The scene shifted, showing Tony Stark, fresh from a fight, sitting atop a giant doughnut-shaped building, eating a doughnut as if nothing had happened.
It made one question his mental state. Had something truly changed?
For Tony Stark, this scene was a complete black mark on his history.
He had grown up in the lap of luxury. The Stark family had been wealthy for generations. He was a genuine second-generation rich kid, not some nouveau riche. He had undergone proper etiquette training. Although rebellious and attention-seeking, it didn't mean he was a lunatic.
But the version of himself in the video, probably knowing he was dying, was completely letting himself go.
Nick Fury and Black Widow Natasha found Tony Stark. The two of them entered the restaurant, and Tony Stark immediately said, "I don't want to join your superhero boy band!"
Nick Fury chuckled and said, "I remember, you always do everything yourself. How's that working out for you?"
"Well... well..." Tony Stark was speechless, choked up, then after a moment, he said, "Sorry, I don't mean to offend, but am I supposed to look at your eye patch or your eye? Honestly, I'm a bit hungover, I'm not sure if you're real or a hallucination!"
"I'm real. I'm the most real person you'll ever meet!" Nick Fury spat out each word through gritted teeth.
"Lucky me. So, where are the staff?"
Tony Stark looked around, trying to change the subject.
Nick Fury took the opportunity to point at the intricate lines covering Tony Stark's neck.
"You don't look so good!"
It was then that everyone realized Tony Stark's Palladium Poisoning seemed to have reached a point of no return.
"I've been in worse situations!" Tony Stark said, nonchalantly.
Of course, maybe he just seemed nonchalant.
At this moment, a seductive figure slowly approached.
"I've cleared the area, but it's best not to take too much time!" a woman's voice said.
The camera shifted, and Iron Man took off his glasses in surprise. He looked, and it was a voluptuous beauty. It was none other than Black Widow Natasha.
"You're fired!"
In the image, Iron Man said with a hint of drunkenness.
"That's not for you to decide!" Black Widow said with a smile, sitting next to Nick Fury.
Nick Fury beside her laughed and said, "Tony, this is Agent Romanoff!"
"Hey!" Tony Stark rubbed his head, still seemingly trying to figure out if the person in front of him was real or not. The after-effects of a hangover were obvious.
"I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. undercover agent. When we learned you were sick, Director Fury sent me to observe you!" Black Widow explained.
Iron Man's expression darkened. "You had better apologize to me!"
Black Widow didn't respond. Nick Fury, standing beside her, said, "You've been very busy. You appointed Pepper as CEO, gave away your assets, and let your friend fly away wearing the Iron Armor. If it weren't for my understanding of the situation..."
"I didn't give it to him! He stole it!" Tony Stark immediately retorted.
"Wooo, what? He stole it?"
Nick Fury's expression was exaggerated. "You're Iron Man, and he just... stole it? He beat you up and then stole your Iron Armor? Is that even possible?"
Nick Fury looked at Black Widow beside him and asked in a loud voice.
Black Widow smiled slightly and ruthlessly exposed the truth. "According to Mr. Stark's security system, unauthorized use is prevented!"
Tony Stark, watching from outside the screen, felt a little awkward. He knew this was likely the reality; he had intentionally let Rhodes go, allowing him to take the armor. But having it pointed out so directly in front of everyone was still a bit embarrassing.
"Natasha, your mouth is really sharp, even sharper than mine!" Tony Stark quipped.
"No, it's still not as sharp as yours!" Black Widow Natasha replied with a slight smile. "You're officially recognized by Lin Feng as the king of sharp tongues."
Meanwhile, in the scene, Nick Fury turned his gaze back to Iron Man.
"What do you want me to do?" Tony Stark asked.
"What do I want you to do? No, no, no, it should be, what do you want me to do!" Nick Fury said. "You're becoming a problem I need to deal with!"
"You might be mistaken. My world doesn't revolve around you. There are bigger problems in the Southwest than you need me to deal with." Nick Fury said, his face full of anger. "Give him the shot!"
At this moment, Black Widow injected a syringe into Tony Stark's neck.
"Are you guys going to sell my kidneys?" Tony Stark mumbled, but his verbal sparring didn't stop for a second.
At this moment, the three people outside the screen noticed that the veins on Tony Stark's neck were bulging, but they disappeared in a short time, returning to normal.
"What did she just do to me?" Tony Stark felt much better.
Nick Fury sighed and said, "We're doing this for you! That was Lithium Dioxide, it can alleviate your condition, we want you to get back to work!"
Tony Stark sighed and said, "Give me two more boxes, and I'll be fine!"
He wasn't very happy. He could alleviate the Palladium Poisoning himself, but the problem was that he couldn't live without the Arc Reactor. As long as the Arc Reactor was in his body, he would continue to suffer from Palladium Poisoning.
"That's not an antidote, it can only alleviate your symptoms. Curing you won't be easy!" Nick Fury said, looking at Tony Stark.
"Believe me, I know. I understand the situation. I've been looking for a replacement for palladium. I've tried every combination of every element!" Tony Stark said seriously.
Nick Fury smiled and said, "I'm here to tell you, you haven't tried them all!"
Tony Stark in the image immediately sat up straight, glaring intently at Nick Fury. This was his area of expertise; what right did this bald-headed man have to criticize him?
"Want to know? Let's talk somewhere else!"
Nick Fury said with a slight smile.
The scene shifted, and the two were back in Tony Stark's mansion. The mansion was a disaster, with ruins and broken walls everywhere.
"That thing in your chest, it's based on unfinished technology!"
Nick Fury said in the image.
"No, it's a finished product!"
Tony Stark immediately retorted. He wouldn't allow anyone to denigrate his great work.
"It works because I shrunk it!"
"No!" Nick Fury shook his head. "Your father said the Arc Reactor was just a stepping stone to greater technology. He was preparing to start an energy race that would leave all his rivals in the dust. His dream was bigger. Nuclear reactors would be like a couple of AA batteries in comparison!"
"Just him? Anton Vanko was involved, wasn't he?" Tony poured himself some more liquor, sounding casual.
He had checked the files before, so he naturally knew something about Anton Vanko. The events of that year seemed to be covered up, but from some snippets of information, he deduced the truth: Anton Vanko had probably collaborated with his father. But later, for some unknown reason, he was kicked out of America.
That was why Ivan Vanko could produce a product similar to the Arc Reactor.
"Anton Vanko was like the other side of the coin. He thought it was a way to get rich. After your father found out, he deported him. When the Russian government found out he couldn't deliver, they sent him to Siberia!" Nick Fury explained. "Then he spent the next twenty years living a life of drunken debauchery. That's not good for a child's upbringing. The person you met in Monaco was his son!"
The people outside the screen were baffled, except for Nick Fury, who knew what was going on. Tony Stark, in particular, didn't understand the hidden details.
Well, this seemed to involve the Arc Reactor. But the original draft of the Arc Reactor was indeed drawn up by his father, Howard Stark. He was the one who perfected it and produced the final product.
And as Lin Feng said, his own father was limited by the technology of the time, so he couldn't create it.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to design, research, and manufacture the Arc Reactor in such a short amount of time.
Science still has to follow some logic, it's not magic, after all.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)