Tony slowly sat down on the sofa.
He looked at Henry on the screen, his eyes becoming complicated.
He remembered a lot of things.
He remembered his younger brother, who always followed him around like a little tail when he was a kid.
I remembered my younger brother, who became silent and paranoid overnight after our parents passed away.
Thinking back to that cold cave in Afghanistan, where his brother, dressed in black Armor, had come down from the sky to take him home, he realized that he had never truly understood his brother.
He only knew that Henry was smart, even smarter than him.
He only knew that Henry was very strong, even stronger than he imagined.
But he didn't know what kind of tired heart was hidden under Henry's cynical mask.
"Jarvis." He spoke suddenly, his voice a little hoarse.
"Yes, sir."
"Retrieve all the personal documents my father left behind. Highest authority."
"Yes, sir."
Soon, the images on the screen switched to electronic documents.
That is Howard Stark's legacy.
Tony watched quietly, carefully flipping through the last traces of his father left in this world.
He thought perhaps he could find some answers here.
Tony was the only one left in the lab, and the occasional sound of Jarvis reporting data.
The night is getting deeper and deeper.
After an unknown amount of time, Tony's face suddenly showed a look of sudden realization and a bitter smile.
"So that's how it is." He muttered to himself.
He discovered a deeply hidden secret in a report on the Strategic Scientific Corps' overseas assets during World War II: a private correspondence between Howard Stark and T'Chaka, the previous king of Wakanda.
In the letter, Howard hoped that T'Chaka would sell him a small piece of vibranium to make a shield to protect his family.
But it was rejected.
"This old guy." Tony looked at the text, his eyes slightly red.
"It turns out that he had already..."
He always thought that his father was a cold, paranoid, and even somewhat inhuman scientific madman.
But now he realized that the man was just a father who wanted to protect his family in his own way.
Tony leaned back in his chair, looking at the photo of his young and handsome father on the screen. His confident and proud eyes seemed to be looking at him across time. and space. Complex emotions surged in his chest.
There is sadness and understanding, but more of it is that damn pride and unwillingness.
His father, Howard Stark, a genius who changed the world, would actually seek help from another person just to protect his family.
Then, he failed.
"idiot."
Tony cursed under his breath, not knowing whether he was cursing the self-satisfied old king or the father who had let go of all his pride but still failed to protect his family.
Or maybe, he was scolding himself.
The slight irritation caused by being rejected by Wakanda has now disappeared.
He stood up and paced back and forth in the laboratory.
Instead, there was calmness and a burning fighting spirit.
That bastard Henry was right, relying on Iron Man's charm to gain recognition is the stupidest way.
Facing a country that has hidden itself for centuries, any form of threat or show-off will only arouse the other side's vigilance and hostility. He needs to change his approach.
A Stark way.
"Jarvis." He took a deep breath, his voice having regained its former strength of confidence and control.
"Send another email to the Wakanda ambassador for me."
"For the email title, just write..."
He paused, a provocative arc appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Regarding Howard Stark's unfinished business."
"What's the content of the email, sir?" Jarvis asked gently.
Tony was silent for a moment. He looked at the picture of his father on the screen. He was no longer a son who was simply seeking help. He had turned back into the Tony Stark who was invincible in the business world.
Besides, failure is the mother of success. In Tony Stark's eyes, there is no such word as failure!
Taking a deep breath, he spoke slowly, his voice calm.
"Just write..."
"My father, Howard Stark, once offered you a vision for the future, a vision that would make the world a safer place. But unfortunately, you rejected it out of shortsightedness and prejudice."
"Now, his son, Tony Stark, has decided to give you another chance. A chance to be part of the future."
"I possess the world's most advanced clean energy technology, enough to transform your country, hidden deep in the jungle, into a brand-new energy era overnight. And you possess the world's most unique resources."
"We can work together to realize the peace vision my father left unfinished. Or you can continue to cling to your black stone, confined to your tiny kingdom, until you are eliminated by this ever-changing world."
"I don't care what you choose. Because I will change the world with or without you."
"I just think it would be a shame if a country like yours, with such a long history and unique culture, were to be forgotten by the times."
"The choice is in your hands."
"Tony Stark, the builder of the future."
'Send it."
After he finished speaking, he slowly sat down on the sofa.
He no longer waited anxiously for a reply like before.
He just quietly picked up the cup of coffee that had long gone cold and drank it slowly, sip by sip.
He knew he had done all he could.
The rest is not left to fate.
But leave it to the other party's IQ.
Time passes by in silence, minute by minute.
In the laboratory, the only sounds were the operation of various instruments and the occasional data report from Jarvis.
"Sir, Mr. Henry's vital signs are stable, his heart rate is 42 beats per minute, and the energy conversion efficiency of his body cells has increased to 10%..."
"Sir, abnormal encrypted signal fluctuations have been detected on the Wakanda Embassy's external network. It appears that... high-level communications are taking place."
Tony didn't say anything; he just listened quietly, his eyes calm.
I don't know how long it took, maybe an hour, maybe two.
Just when Tony was about to finish his coffee, Jarvis' voice rang out again.
But this time, there was joy in his voice.
"Sir, I received a reply email from the Wakanda royal family."
Tony's body stiffened suddenly.
He slowly raised his head.
"read."
"Yes, sir."
Jarvis' voice rang out in the silent laboratory.
"To the builder of the future, Tony Stark."
"Your father is a respectable dreamer. Your arrogance is exactly the same as his."
"Wakanda has never been afraid of the challenges of the times, nor has it ever disdained to be forgotten by anyone."
"But you're right. A country that only knows how to maintain its status quo and not how to advance has no future."
"My sister, Princess Shuri, Wakanda's top scientist, is very interested in the clean energy you mentioned."
"Twenty-four hours later, she will be waiting for you at the Wakanda International Outreach Centre in New York."
"I hope you can come with a future more sincere than your father's."
"T'Challa, King of Wakanda."
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