"You should first solve the problem with your chest before you consider learning magic, Tony." Noah pointed to the glowing metal device on Tony's chest and said, "Why don't you remove those shrapnel pieces?"
Tony touched the cold Arc Reactor on his chest. The cold sensation constantly reminded him that there were missile fragments near his heart that could take his life at any moment. These fragments were embedded when he was attacked while testing a new weapon in Afghanistan, before he became Iron Man. A bomb with the Stark Industries logo exploded beside him, embedding fragments in his chest.
After he was captured by the Terrorists and taken to the cave, Dr. Ethan, who was his fellow prisoner, helped him remove most of the fragments from his chest. The remaining debris and deeper fragments could not be removed due to the lack of a proper medical environment, so Tony never had them removed. He merely used the Arc Reactor in his chest to attract those fragments, preventing them from flowing with his blood and approaching his heart.
"How did you know there were shrapnel pieces in my chest?" Tony had never told anyone about this; only his closest people, like Pepper, knew the truth about his chest.
"magic allows me to perceive everything around me." Blue magic flowed continuously in his hand, attracting Tony's attention.
Hearing Noah's words, Tony instinctively covered his groin, making a gesture to protect his privacy. A black line appeared on Noah's forehead.
"Uh, I'm not interested in a man's body. Don't make that gesture." Noah made a disgusted expression. Also, he couldn't see through things; he could only perceive objects around him with magic. Of course, if he sensed carefully, he could perceive the shape of objects.
Tony shrugged, then returned to his sitting position and said, "I'm fine now. With the Arc Reactor in my chest, those things won't threaten my life."
Tony tapped the Arc Reactor with his finger, and his nail clinked against the metal.
"Are you afraid the surgery will fail and you'll die?"
"watt? Of course not. I'm Iron Man. Would I be afraid of such a small thing?" Tony certainly wouldn't admit it, otherwise, his image in the eyes of Noah, a 16-year-old kid, would be ruined.
"Alright, I just wanted to say that if you're thinking about surgery, I recommend you find a surgeon named Stephen Strange. With his skill, he should be able to remove all the shrapnel from your chest without any damage."
Surgeon Stephen Strange was Doctor Strange's identity before he became the Sorcerer Supreme. Currently, he is a highly skilled but arrogant surgeon. In the medical field, he even has the reputation of being "God's gift to surgery," which speaks volumes about his exceptional medical skills. Later, he would directly cause his hands to be crippled due to not following traffic rules. For a Doctor like him, losing his hands is equivalent to saying goodbye to his profession. Therefore, if you drive carelessly, even the most luxurious car can flip.
However, he hasn't had a car accident yet and is still that spirited genius Doctor. And Tony still has time to get the surgery now.
"Who is this? The name sounds somewhat familiar." Although the person was famous in the medical field, Tony only felt the name sounded familiar, as he wasn't very familiar with the medical field.
"Also, aren't you a magician? Can't you use your amazing magic to heal me?" Tony asked.
"It's not impossible. If it were me, I would use magic to pull your heart out along with those shrapnel pieces, and then make you grow a new heart." Noah opened his palm, and magic flowed in the air, shaping into a scalpel, which he gestured towards Tony's chest.
"No, never mind. I'll find a Doctor myself." The horrifying image that popped into his mind made him shiver involuntarily.
Of course, what Noah said was not just to scare Tony. If he were to heal him, he could indeed do what he said. If the heart was gone, he should be able to make him grow a new heart with the power of the Resolve Rune.
"Alright then. You can call me when you look for a Doctor. Even if the surgery fails, I can ensure you won't die." A blue Teleport gate opened with Noah's wave.
"I'm going back now. Let's keep in touch." After waving his hand, Noah walked into the Teleport gate.
Leaving Tony sitting alone in the hall, staring blankly at the Arc Reactor on his chest.
-------------------------------------
In a military zone in New Mexico, General Ross was raging in his office.
"You didn't find him?! After all these days, this is your answer?! What are you all doing?!" General Ross roared into the receiver of the landline phone.
Days had passed since Banner escaped. General Ross had dispatched a large number of people to search for the escaped Banner during this time, but he still hadn't found any trace of Banner, which made him extremely angry. Moreover, his actions during this period were quite significant, and the higher-ups were already starting to have opinions about him.
"Quickly, add more personnel! You must find him!" General Ross slammed down the receiver, ending the call.
The room was somewhat dim at this time because the lights were off, but even in the dimness, one could see bloodshot eyes in General Ross's whites, which was caused by poor rest due to anxiety and anger during this period. It was evident that General Ross's mood had not been calm recently.
"It seems our General Ross is in a very bad mood?"
Just then, the office door quietly opened, and a figure appeared at the doorway. In the Shadow, General Ross couldn't make out the person's face, but he was certain that this person was not one of his subordinates.
"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" General Ross said, while his hand under the desk quietly reached for his pistol.
"General Ross, no need for petty tricks under the table. I have no ill intentions. I'm here to seek cooperation." The figure at the doorway seemed to have noticed General Ross's thoughts, then took a few steps forward, allowing General Ross to see his figure.
General Ross saw the true face of the visitor, and his eyes began to flicker. The visitor was not very tall, but he had two characteristics that particularly attracted General Ross's attention. The first was his abnormally large head; his skull seemed much higher than a normal person's, and the sides of his head were also bulging, making his head appear unusually large. The second was his skin color. As this big-headed strange man approached, General Ross discovered that his skin color was green, a familiar skin color that General Ross would never forget.
"Seeing me like this, doesn't anything come to mind?" The big-headed strange man spread his arms and asked General Ross.
"Hulk… Who exactly are you?"
"My name is Leader now, and you should have heard my previous name, Samuel Sterns."