"Should I help you get rid of this thing? I believe your body must be reacting to it by now."
Being familiar with the original work, Zane naturally knew about the deadly side effect of Tony's miniature arc reactor, which was palladium metal radiation poisoning. As time passed, Tony's level of poisoning would deepen until his death. That's why Zane asked.
"This? I believe I can find a substitute element myself."
As the inventor of the miniature arc reactor, Tony was well aware of its side effects. However, being a genius, he was confident in finding a replacement element himself, even creating a new one.
This was Tony Stark's arrogance and confidence.
"Alright, suit yourself," Zane casually responded. In reality, he rather wanted to see Tony struggling after failing to find a substitute element.
Next, Zane and Tony chatted aimlessly for a while, and before they knew it, Tony had already nodded off on the sofa. He was indeed exhausted.
First, his house was bombed, then the woman he truly loved died, and later he was beaten by Stane and Ivan, and finally, Pepper came back to life.
His emotions fluctuated drastically, like riding the most thrilling roller coaster.
After arriving at Zane's house and knowing that Pepper and himself were completely safe, and after confiding in Zane, Tony completely relaxed and fell asleep. He had experienced too much today, more than in his first thirty years combined. It felt like he had completed a cycle in just one day...
As for Zane, after seeing Tony fall asleep exhausted, he simply went to wash up and went to bed. Tonight, he was destined to sleep alone, while Lorna and Pepper slept in the guest rooms. These two women somehow got along well, probably still chatting about topics that were exclusive to them.
Initially, Zane felt a bit uncomfortable sleeping alone, but after studying the power of death for a while, he gradually fell asleep.
The entire villa fell silent, with only Tony's snoring echoing in the living room. As for whether Zane would cover him with a thin blanket or move him to the bedroom to sleep...
Zane made it clear: not a chance.
The next morning, Tony was awakened by the aroma of food. His stomach instinctively growled.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Zane wearing an apron, skillfully preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
At that moment, Tony's worldview was about to collapse. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief several times before confirming that what he saw was real, not an illusion created by air displacement.
Zane, the chairman of a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate, with supernatural abilities, was proficiently cooking omelets in the kitchen early in the morning.
Can you believe the contrast? Tony was utterly bewildered.
However, for some reason, Tony felt a peculiar atmosphere in Zane's house, different from the spacious and cold atmosphere of his own home.
There was a kind of magic here that relaxed both body and mind, even reminding Tony of the feeling he had when his parents were still around in his childhood.
That feeling of 'home,' which he had forgotten.
"Food's ready!" Zane shouted upstairs after finishing cooking.
Soon, Lorna and Pepper, already dressed, came downstairs. With Tony, an outsider, in the house, Lorna wasn't as casual as usual.
At the dining table, Tony and Pepper stared in astonishment at Zane's family members.
Zane and Lorna seemed normal enough, despite having superpowers, they were still human after all.
Tony already knew about Bastis; he had already considered her as a product of genetic engineering, given that the technology of the Skynet could produce genetic engineering products like the healing potion.
So, Bastis's existence, in Tony's eyes, was somewhat normal.
But what about Little Bone? What in the world was this flaming skeleton, seemingly enjoying a glass of milk?
At that moment, Tony began to doubt whether his scientific beliefs he had upheld for over thirty years were true at all. What could explain Little Bone's existence?
"Why aren't you eating? Zane's cooking is delicious. Hurry up and try it," Lorna said with a smile.
Tony and Pepper mechanically picked up their knives and forks. These were specifically prepared for them by Zane; everyone knew they wouldn't use chopsticks.
As Tony and Pepper's tongues touched the food Zane had prepared, they instantly forgot about the unscientific existence of Little Bone and began devouring the food.
Even Pepper, who usually paid great attention to her appearance and manners, hastened her eating.
Tony, on the other hand, threw caution to the wind. After all, Zane had seen his most bedraggled state long ago.
'Since there's nothing reasonable about Zane, if he says he's a god, I'd believe him now,' Tony thought.
Tony Stark didn't know that some of his thoughts were actually true.
"Delicious, really delicious. I never knew you had this skill, Zane," Tony said as he ate. Immersed in the food, he suddenly felt that the hamburgers he used to love in the past were like a pile of dung.
After the meal, Tony and Pepper patted their slightly bulging stomachs in satisfaction. They both gave a thumbs-up to Zane before Pepper and Lorna conscientiously cleaned up the table and went to wash the dishes.
Before leaving, Tony gave Pepper a few instructions to stay at Zane's house for a few days, then he left alone.
Pepper was a sensible woman. Although she was worried about Tony going alone into danger, she obediently followed his arrangements.
Meanwhile, Pierce, still in the SHIELD building, was furious. He was regretting it deeply. He should have listened to Crossbones and killed Stane, the troublemaker, on the spot.
Now that Stane was dead, it was a good riddance to him, but the trouble he caused was on HYDRA's back.
Actually, the losses caused by Stane's defection were nothing to HYDRA.
The real problem was when he went to seek revenge on Tony. If Tony Stark had died, it would have been acceptable, but the key was that he survived.
God knows if this genius Tony would follow Stane's trail and dig out HYDRA.
Although HYDRA was powerful, they couldn't stand the light. Once Tony exposed them, attracting the attention of all the countries in the world, it would basically be game over.
Although HYDRA was formidable, they could only mess around with small countries in Africa.
When facing other countries, they could only take the slow and cautious approach.
Otherwise, if discovered, they will definitely be wiped out in an instant by state weapons with thunderous force.
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