Mr. Tony Stark, you can't judge yourself. Not because you want to survive, but because you think you have the ability to make up for it all.

"You want to close Stark's weapons manufacturing department?" Sōugo asked.

"But you shouldn't come to me about this," Sōugo continued.

Stark covered his forehead with some distress and said: "Because of the good things you have done, Pepper has received thousands of employee complaints. "

"That's not the point," Sōugo said. "If you want to talk, she's always willing to listen."

"..." Stark touched his nose, didn't answer. After a while, he said, "Well, I know how much pressure this decision will put on her. I know I'm a selfish bastard. She's helped me enough. But I have no choice."

Sōugo spread out the notebook in his hand. "Let me say it. What you want to do now is like a death sentence for a gun."

"But my weapon killed a lot of people."

"Weapons are made for that purpose. We have no choice for weapons. Can't you expect them all to be like Jarvis? They'll open their mouths and protest to you. Or do you think a bullet should not use to kill others on the battlefield?"

Stark sat across from him in silence. He said weakly, "I admit that I blamed all this on the weapon because I knew that I was the culprit, but I couldn't judge myself."

"Mr. Tony Stark, you can't judge yourself. Not because you want to survive, but because you think you have the ability to make up for it all. When there is a crisis, only you have this ability to save the world, to turn the tide, and out of this sense of responsibility, you did these things. But I say bluntly, have you ever thought that you must find a responsible person or thing for a matter and judge them? It is a rather arbitrary and reckless idea."

"But when something happens, there is always its source."

"The root cause is not necessarily right or wrong. You should know better that the world is not black and white. You found this thing that you think should be responsible, and it didn't make the whole thing any better. You think weapons should be responsible. You want to shut down the entire weapons department, put Pepper out of sleep for a few nights, put a lot of employees out of work, and even those on the battlefield won't appreciate you. Is this worth it?"

Tony shows a painful expression. His entire face was almost wrinkled together. "My brain told me to think about right and wrong," Stark said.

"Well, in this case, your brain has to be responsible for it. It doesn't want to let you go, so you should go to its trouble. This is the theory you insist on, isn't it? Ask your brain, is there any way to achieve what you want without hurting those around you?"

Stark didn't feel any better. He stretched back on the chair and said, "Look, I'm an idiot. I hired a devil doctor, a Satan. Your shit psychiatry has never brought me any positive changes, and every time I leave you, it gets worse." Stark almost gritted his teeth.

Sōugo rarely joked and said: "You can use me as a catalyst. You will understand later. You will be much better in the future. You will thank me."

"If you keep talking like this, you will almost surpass Howard's place in my heart."

"This is the first time I heard you mention your father. It's strange. When people are in pain, they prefer to call their mother."

"..."

Tony thumped the table hard. He didn't want to admit that he mentioned his father because he was uncomfortable. He is not some fledgling bird who needs shelter, the eagle that flew off the cliff and never came back, nor is he the person he should think of when he is in despair and pain.

"Perhaps because of this, you will make mecha for yourself. Wherever you wear that iron shell, you think that only it can protect you, and only when you wear it, you are the best. Mighty Iron Man. I must say it. If you can't learn to take it off, you'll never be a real Iron Man."

Sōugo had thought about it before. Stark and Batman's upbringings and educational backgrounds are bizarrely similar. The methods they choose are surprisingly consistent— They would make a bunch of weapons for themself. When they had it, they would feel powerful. They would struggle when they realized that this could not solve all problems.

Sōugo was writing and drawing in the notebook, and Stark said, "What are you writing?"

"Steve's psychiatric treatment is temporarily over, so Natasha put the monitor back, and I have to write you a handwritten case."

"Did you write down everything I said just now?"

"Nothing else, but I remember the sentence you called "Your Daddy" very clearly."

"Five million dollars."

Sōugo threw the notebook directly in front of Stark. Stark picked up the lighter and lit it. He cursed in a low voice, "How could I believe the evil of a **** vampire doctor?"

"It's getting late. Your quarrel with Miss Pepper will not end if you are hiding." Sōugo said.

"That spider boy can live with you. Why can't I? I don't even despise your broken place, and you are also fortunate to be able to do something for the genius Stark. breakfast."

"Yeah, and then Miss Pepper was working overtime alone in the Stark Building, the staff had already left, and the building was dark and cold... oh, Jarvis might be with her, I heard Jarvis He also has feelings, and maybe he understands Miss Pepper's loss better than you."

Stark couldn't sit still immediately. He jumped up from his chair, put on his jacket, and said, "I won't be jealous of my smart housekeeper, never."

"Yes, of course, of course! God bless Jarvis."

Tony has long accepted the fact that geniuses are all lonely. He has come this way for most of his life.

Lately, he rarely uses his armor. He even turned off his mobile phone. Tony walked and came to the dilapidated bus stop. The driver had a strong smell of smoke on his body. Tony Stark was uncomfortable, but he still walked up and found a seat to sit down. Thanks to Sōugo's famous reputation, no one dared to mess around in the neighborhood. Stark took the bus safely and left Hell's Kitchen. On the streets of New York, he stopped a taxi and got in.

"Stark Building," Tony said.

The driver glanced at him in the rear-view mirror. He didn't see that this was the owner of the Stark Group. After all, when Stark was on TV, he was always in high spirits. Now, he is more like a middle-aged frustrated person. The taxis carry Stark through the icy neon of New York, the street scene rewinds rapidly in sight, and the jazz music played in the taxi matches the late autumn in New York. Stark sits in the back seat with his hands on his back, covering his face.

I'm such a fragile little boy, not a big hero. He wants to see Pepper now, hug her, and save the world. Stark has never been willing to admit his naivety. Pepper is just an ordinary person, not an eagle or a bird of prey. After getting out of the car, Tony ran toward the building. He knew that the light on the top floor must still be on. Pepper would always work there until late at night. Stark hurried to the elevator. Tony didn't know what was wrong with him. He rubbed his hands nervously in the elevator and kept walking in place until the elevator door opened.

He wanted to say something to Pepper. But there was no light on the whole floor. Stark looking around, couldn't see any office with lights on, which was very abnormal.

"Pepper, Pepper, are you there?" Stark shouted. But the only answer to him was the repeated echoes in the office. Stark slammed the glass door next to him. "Jarvis? Are you there? Jarvis?"

The one who responded to him was also silent. Stark becomes panicked. Jarvis might be hijacked or cut off from the energy source. If someone does, then their target must be Pepper. Stark ran to Pepper's office.

But Tony Stark, without his Ironman armor, is just an ordinary person. He has no night vision ability. If Jarvis does not respond, the system in his entire office will be off. Tony rushed in. He stumbled over an office chair that came across. Tony couldn't see the surroundings, let alone check any details. He opened his mouth to call his armor. But, without Jarvis, it would not respond.

Tony Stark becomes unsteady, realizing that everything he thought he was in control of didn't belong to him. Without Iron Man armor, Tony Stark was just a blind man in the dark. An ordinary people. His voice was trembling, and he began to rummage on Pepper's desk in the dark.

Tony whispered as he tried to comfort himself: "Damn, she'll be fine... No one can break through Stark Building. I'm Stark..."

Suddenly, the lights on the entire floor came on, Tony found that Pepper appeared at the office door with the remote control, and Stark stayed where he was. Then, before Pepper could speak, Stark rushed up and hugged her. Pepper had never seen such a scared side of Tony.

She heard Stark keep reciting: "I knew you'd be fine... Of course, you'll be fine..."

Now, Let's turn the clock back a little, back to when Stark had just left the clinic not long after Sōugo got a call from Pepper.