When they learned that Earth would one day be invaded by a cosmic overlord, everyone's expression turned grim.
Although Coulson's conclusion was only a hypothesis, it wasn't baseless — it had a certain internal logic to it.
And even if there was only the slightest chance of such a thing happening, it was something they had to take seriously.
One could never be too cautious.
After all, this concerned the fate — and very survival — of the planet.
Both Coulson and Rhodes silently made the same decision: when they returned, they would report everything that had happened today immediately.
[Please listen to the question:]How will Iron Man, Tony Stark, die in the future?
A. Natural causesB. Palladium poisoningC. Killed by ThanosD. Killed by backlash from the Infinity Stones
[Friendly reminder:]Whoever answers correctly will receive a healing potion.Whoever answers incorrectly will randomly lose one of their attributes — this may include knowledge, experience, skills, possessions, and more...
As soon as this question appeared, the atmosphere in the room grew strange.
Rhodes and Coulson both turned instinctively toward Iron Man.
None of them had expected the second question to be this explosive.
Tony Stark had only just declared himself to be Iron Man, and now the quiz was already asking about how he would die.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Tony said casually. "Everyone dies. It's just a question, no big deal."
But despite his nonchalant tone, there was a flicker of unease deep inside him — he wasn't nearly as calm as he appeared.
Because he had a hunch… that he might not die peacefully.
That his death might be violent.
After all, if this question truly came from the future, then surely it wouldn't exist if he were destined to live out a long, ordinary life.
What's more, the previous question's footage had shown him fighting the cosmic warlord Thanos — taking his battles beyond Earth itself. With that in mind, Tony didn't have high hopes for his own future.
"Then let's analyze this question," Rhodes said seriously, withdrawing his gaze. "Let's start with option A… well…"
He hesitated for a moment, unable to continue, then passed the problem to Tony. "Why don't you analyze this one yourself, Tony?"
Neither Rhodes nor Coulson believed that Iron Man would die of natural causes.
They both knew now that this world wasn't as simple as it appeared — that there were hidden powers beyond human understanding.
The Hulk, for instance. Or Thanos, the cosmic overlord from the previous question.
Coulson, in particular, knew far more than Rhodes did about such matters.
And since Iron Man possessed powers beyond those of normal men, it was inevitable that he would be drawn into battles against forces just as extraordinary.
Under those circumstances, being killed seemed far more likely than dying of old age.
And perhaps… it would be at Thanos's hands.
In that footage, after all, Thanos had stabbed Iron Man through the chest.
But even so, Rhodes couldn't bring himself to say it aloud in front of Tony.
"Man, I'm Iron Man — a superhero!"
Tony shrugged, already understanding what Rhodes was thinking. "Superheroes don't die ordinary deaths! And Iron Man, least of all."
"If Iron Man ever dies, it'll be like fireworks — even in death, he'll leave the world with the brightest burst of light!"
"So A can be ruled out. That's not how Iron Man dies."
And just like that, option A was unanimously discarded. No objections.
"What about B — palladium poisoning?" Coulson asked, turning to Tony.
Then something clicked in his mind. He frowned. "If I remember correctly, the arc reactor technology used by Stark Industries relies on palladium, doesn't it?"
Indeed, the original large-scale arc reactor at Stark Industries had been invented by Howard Stark and Anton Vanko decades ago, as a clean energy source.
It had been one of the company's hallmark technologies, and much of its design data was public.
So Rhodes and Coulson both knew that — nothing surprising there.
But just last night, Iron Man had fought a fierce battle with Stane that ended with the destruction of that same arc reactor.
That was why Tony had held today's press conference — to explain the massive explosion to the media.
Coulson and the military had already agreed to keep Tony's identity secret, blaming everything on a fictional "bodyguard."
But Tony, as always, refused to follow the script — he had directly announced to the world that he was Iron Man.
"Tony, could that explosion last night have caused you to be poisoned by palladium?" Rhodes asked sharply, his eyes widening. "I told you — you should've gone to the hospital for a full checkup!"
"I wish it were that simple," Tony muttered, a touch of irony in his voice.
"Your armor," Coulson said, narrowing his eyes. "The miniature arc reactor that powers it — that's made with palladium too, isn't it?"
At that, Rhodes immediately realized his mistake — Coulson's reasoning made much more sense.
"So the armor is poisoning you? Your own creation is killing you?" Rhodes said, wide-eyed in disbelief.
"These are small problems," Tony replied with his usual confidence. "For a genius like me, I'll definitely find another element to replace palladium in the future. Let's move on to the next options."
He didn't deny it — but he didn't show worry, either.
The truth was, ever since he'd decided to use the arc reactor as the energy source for his armor, Tony had been searching for a substitute for palladium.
And so far, he'd had no luck.
He'd tested nearly every known element — and none had worked.
He was, in truth, at a dead end.
But even so, he remained confident.
Because in the footage from the previous question, the Iron Man who fought Thanos existed twenty years into the future.
Given his current state of poisoning, he'd be lucky to survive another year.
For him to live that long — and still be fighting then — could only mean one thing: he would eventually find a cure.
Rhodes and Coulson didn't know this, but Tony did.
And that's why he could speak with such absolute confidence — certain that, one day, he'd discover an element to replace palladium.
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(End of Chapter)