In Tony Stark's villa, the television in the living room was playing news from every major network—each one reporting on the same topic: Tony Stark's attack in Monaco.
All the media were criticizing and doubting him.Pepper and "Natalie" sat on the couch, buried under piles of documents, working frantically.
Just then, Rhodey walked in.The stark white of his uniform made his dark skin appear even deeper, and the grim expression on his face only emphasized it.
Looking at the two women busily flipping through papers, he asked,"Where is he?"
"He doesn't want to be disturbed."
"He's downstairs."
Both Pepper and Natalie spoke at once.
Rhodey sighed, then turned and headed for the lower level.
In the basement lab, Tony was sitting inside one of his vintage cars, staring at the holographic projection in front of him.
JARVIS's voice echoed through the lab, reporting on the Monaco attacker's background.
"Search complete. Anton Vanko, a Soviet physicist, defected to the United States in 1963."
"He was later accused of espionage and deported in 1967."
"His son, Ivan Vanko, is also a physicist. He was imprisoned in Kopeysk Prison for fifteen years for selling weapons-grade plutonium from the Soviet era to Pakistan."
"No further records."
At that moment, Rhodey opened the door and stepped inside.
Seeing Tony sitting in the car, he spoke as he approached,"Tony, you need to go upstairs and get things under control."
"I've been on the phone all day with the National Guard, trying to convince them not to roll tanks up to your house, smash through your front gate, and take all this stuff away."
"They want your suits, Tony. They're done playing games."
"You said no one would have this kind of tech for twenty years—but yesterday, someone already did. And it's not theory anymore."
Rhodey reached Tony's side and patted him on the shoulder."Are you even listening to me?"
Tony finally turned his head. His face was drawn, weary, and there was a hollow exhaustion in his eyes. Combined with the injuries from the Monaco attack, he looked utterly spent.
Rhodey's tone softened. "You okay, Tony?"
Tony gave a weak smile, patted Rhodey's wrist, and tried to climb out of the car—only to collapse to the floor in a heap.
"Hey!" Rhodey rushed forward and helped him up. Following Tony's instructions, he brought him to the workbench and replaced the palladium core in his arc reactor.
Once the new energy plate was in place, Tony finally seemed to recover some strength. He grabbed a glass filled with chlorophyll juice and chugged it down.
Rhodey watched him and said quietly,"Tony, you don't have to play savior all by yourself. You don't have to carry it alone."
Tony gave a faint chuckle. "I'd love to believe that, but you've got to trust me, okay? Most people misunderstand me—but I know exactly what I'm doing."
Rhodey didn't argue. He just stood there in silence, looking at his friend.
Meanwhile, in the Hexagram Alliance Laboratory, Meng Ran and Peter were completing the final step of their experiment. Once this step was done, the entire project would be a success.
When successful, they'd finally be able to produce the full reagent—one that, according to all test data, could completely remove the palladium from Tony's bloodstream.
But if Tony still couldn't find a new power source, the reagent would only be a temporary fix. Its effects would weaken with each use.
Still, Meng Ran was confident that Tony wouldn't take long to discover the new element. Until then, this would be more than enough.Once Tony had the new element, the reagent could also help purge the lingering palladium residue from his body.
Meng Ran recalled that in the movies, they never actually showed Tony detoxifying the palladium.The only clue was that after switching to the new element, the dark veins around his chest vanished.
Before studying palladium himself, Meng Ran had assumed the new element was simply that powerful.Now, after his own research, he realized it must have been an artistic simplification—something that wouldn't happen in reality.
Even with a new energy source, Tony's body would still need to be cleansed. It wouldn't just "heal itself."
Over the past few days, Meng Ran had been following the news.As expected, every outlet was tearing into Tony Stark, and Stark Industries' stock price was steadily dropping.
Stretching his arms, Meng Ran let his thoughts drift.Based on his estimates, the man who attacked Tony—Ivan Vanko—was probably hiding somewhere within Hammer Industries.
He'd already instructed Xiao Bai to keep constant surveillance on Hammer's movements and flag any suspicious activity so they could locate Vanko as soon as possible.
Once Meng Ran cleared his current priorities, he'd deal with Hammer and Vanko personally.He remembered the latest possible timing—Hammer Industries' weapon exhibition at the Stark Expo.As long as they intervened before then, it would be fine.
They couldn't wait until the drones were activated.If hundreds of those robots moved at once, even the Hexagram Alliance couldn't guarantee zero casualties.
Knowing what was coming meant stopping the danger before it hatched.
Another day passed.The moonlight shimmered over the calm ocean.
Tony Stark stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, staring at the dark lines creeping across his chest. His eyes were distant.
The blood toxicity level was now eighty-nine percent.He could almost feel death reaching out for him.
"Which watch would you like to wear tonight?"Natalie entered, carrying a silver tray.
Tony quickly tugged down his shirt.
Setting the tray on the table, Natalie began mixing a cocktail.
Tony turned to look at her. "I should probably cancel tonight's party, shouldn't I?"
"Maybe," she said lightly, handing him the drink.
"Yeah," Tony murmured, "it's really not the right time."
He took the glass, then added, "Hmm… gold face, brown strap—let's see that Jaeger-LeCoultre."
Natalie turned gracefully to retrieve the watch box.
Tony lounged on the sofa, sipping his drink, while she walked over—elegant, poised, and composed—and sat beside him.
He picked one, and she fastened it around his wrist.Then she dabbed a bit of concealer and gently covered the bruise near his eye.
Watching her delicate face up close, Tony suddenly asked,"Can I ask you a hypothetical question? It's a little weird."
Natalie tilted her head, waiting.
Tony rubbed his temples and said quietly,"If this were your last birthday party, how would you celebrate it?"
She thought for a moment."Do whatever you want—with whoever you want," she said simply, then stood and left the room.
Tony turned toward the window again, drained his drink, and stared into the night.
The birthday party began.
Hours later, Tony sat slumped in his Iron Man armor against a wall.The villa looked as if it had been bombed—bricks shattered, walls torn open, debris everywhere.
Across from him, Rhodey stood on the balcony in a gleaming silver suit of armor.The destruction was their handiwork.
They locked eyes for a long moment, neither speaking.
Finally, Rhodey turned away, looked to the sky, and took off into the night.
Tony stayed where he was, silent, watching his friend fly away.
After some time, he staggered to his feet, still in armor, and made his way down to the lab.
But when he entered, he froze.
Someone was already there—sitting calmly on the sofa.
In the shadows, a pair of long, pale eyes watched him silently.
A chill ran down Tony's spine.
"Mr. Ghost?" he whispered.
-----------------------
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