2 chapters will be uploaded on daily basis i.e. 14 Chapters will be uploaded every week apart from the bonus chapters.
1 Bonus Chapter will be uploaded for every 50 Power Stones or 1000 Collections.
[email protected]/Heroicverse
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"make a deal!"
Henry snapped his fingers without hesitation.
"I knew you were reliable, Tony. After all, it's best to be a professional when it comes to showing off. I'm just a behind-the-scenes manipulator, I won't steal your spotlight."
Tony pursed his lips, about to retort, when he saw Henry turn around and turn his gaze toward Steve and Peggy.
"Well then, you two," Henry's voice softened slightly.
"Everything is ready at our estate. We may need to make some adjustments before the rejuvenation project is complete."
The two of you will stay there temporarily to recuperate.
Seeing Henry switch between different styles so easily, Steve and the others were also helpless.
He could sense that although Henry was a bit of a smooth talker, he had considered every detail very carefully.
He glanced at Peggy in his arms, who smiled and nodded at him.
"We have no problem," Steve said gently, but then he looked at Tony, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
His deepest emotion was guilt: "Tony, about Howard..."
He finally asked the question.
He knew the fate of the Howards, and he knew Bucky was behind it.
In the future, he even turned against Tony to protect Bucky.
However, this question was like a needle, piercing through Tony's feigned ease.
This guilt weighed on his heart like a boulder for decades.
The atmosphere inside the cabin became somewhat heavy.
Tony's smile slowly faded.
He picked up his glass, took a silent sip, and his eyes were filled with complex emotions.
"Him?" Tony's tone was somewhat low.
"He's become a bastard. A bastard who's stuck in the past, constantly talking about Captain America, but completely ignoring his own son."
"Tony!" Henry frowned and hissed.
Although he really wanted to say something, even though Tony's words made some sense.
"He's spent his whole life searching for you, Steve. He poured all his energy into S.H.I.E.L.D., into that damn super-soldier program. He might be a great scientist, but he was definitely not a good father."
Steve was silent.
There was no blame in his heart.
"Am I wrong?" Tony chuckled self-deprecatingly.
He knew that Howard's obsession stemmed from himself.
It was his own sacrifice back then that burdened Howard with a shackle for the rest of his life.
And this shackle ultimately fell on his son as well.
More importantly, he knew how the other party's unfit father had died tragically in the cold snow.
"I'm sorry, Tony," Steve apologized sincerely.
"I'm really sorry."
His apology was not only for Howard's obsession, but also for the truth he had concealed for too long.
Although Tony and the others already knew.
Tony was stunned; he could hear the heaviness in Steve's tone.
He frowned, about to ask something.
"Alright." Henry couldn't stand such sentimental scenes, so he stepped forward and put his arm around Tony's shoulder.
"I said, can you guys stop being so sentimental? Let bygones be bygones. What we need to do now is..."
"It's about creating a completely new future."
He shrugged, and his tone became a bit more serious.
"Tony, I know you resent the old man, and so do I. He certainly wasn't a perfect father, he..."
"He's stubborn and likes to impose his ideas on us."
But he truly loved us. It's just that his brilliant mind probably couldn't think of a better way to express it than with harshness.
Henry did not continue.
He knew that some knots in their hearts needed to be untied slowly by themselves.
As for Steve's guilt, let him feel guilty.
"Alright, that's enough with the sentimentality." Henry clapped his hands, forcefully bringing the atmosphere back on track.
"Jarvis, have we arrived yet? I'm starving and desperately need a giant cheeseburger to soothe my wounded soul."
"Sir, we will arrive at the manor in five minutes."
"very good."
Henry sat back down on the sofa and crossed his legs.
Tony and Steve exchanged a glance, their unspoken understanding unspoken.
Soon, the fighter jet landed in the manor's underground hangar.
Already waiting there were Stark Industries' most elite security team, along with Pepper and Happy.
Unlike before, Pepper's face no longer showed any questioning or worry, but rather composure and competence.
She was dressed in a well-fitting business suit, her long red hair was styled in a bun, and she had a sharp gaze and a commanding presence.
Happy, who was standing next to her, had changed even more drastically.
His previously somewhat chubby body became firm and his muscles were clearly defined.
He stood there like an iron tower, exuding an aura of danger.
"Tony, welcome back." Pepper greeted Tony with a reassuring hug, then turned her gaze to Henry.
"Is everything going well?"
"Of course." Henry smiled slightly.
"Don't you even know who's in charge?"
"That's good." Pepper nodded, her gaze falling on Peggy, whom Steve was carrying out of the cabin.
She looked up, her eyes respectful.
"The medical equipment is ready, all the equipment is tested and operational. Please come with me, Ms. Carter, Mr. Rogers." Her tone was one of pure professionalism and efficiency.
Tony looked at Pepper with satisfaction.
See? Pepper is still the best.
Pepper is so quick to get everything organized.
This is his little chili pepper.
At Henry's suggestion, Pepper and Happy received the serum injections in advance.
Otherwise, all these recent troubles alone would have exhausted Pepper.
Underground base, medical center.
Peggy was placed in a medical pod, with various instruments connected to her body, monitoring her vital signs in real time.
Steve stayed by his side without leaving for a moment, his face full of worry.
Tony and Henry stood outside the glass of the observation room, watching the scene inside.
"Her condition is worse than we thought." Tony looked at the data on the screen, his brow furrowed.
"Her organs are failing on a large scale, and her cell activity is almost zero. Although our strengthening serum can repair the damage, it cannot create life out of thin air. She is like a lamp that is about to run out of oil."
"That's why we need to refuel her," Henry said calmly.
He then placed a silver briefcase on the control panel.
"What is this?" Tony asked curiously.
"I said gift."
Henry opened the briefcase.
There was no treasure inside the box as everyone had imagined; only a syringe shimmering with golden light lay quietly inside.
The liquid inside resembled flowing gold, suggesting it was anything but simple.
"This is Phoenix Serum? Is this the gift you were talking about?" Tony frowned.
He felt that his dignity had been insulted once again.
"Of course, what else did you expect it to be?"
Henry picked up the syringe and peered through the test tube to see the energy flowing inside.
"This stuff is powerful. It can greatly activate the Extremis virus in the serum, causing an explosive increase in the cell's regenerative capacity."