Meanwhile, Malibu beachfront villa, underground laboratory.
All was quiet; only the instruments next to the platform occasionally made a sound.
Tony, lying on the medical platform, suddenly fluttered his eyelids.
He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze initially hazy with confusion.
He blinked and slowly sat up, then looked around.
The empty laboratory felt a bit cold and deserted.
"Henry?" he called out instinctively.
No one answered.
"You are awake, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S.'s gentle voice echoed throughout the laboratory.
"Mr. Henry has left for Stark Industries. He asked me to inform you that you should also hurry over; the press conference starts at three o'clock this afternoon."
"That bastard," Tony couldn't help but complain.
"He runs faster than anyone else and leaves me alone here. Did he forget who the older brother is?"
He rubbed his chest, and then his whole body froze.
He subconsciously looked down.
The hideous wound that used to keep him awake at night was now significantly smaller, and it was slowly healing at a visible rate!
And the cold Arc Reactor was gone!
The symptoms of chronic poisoning that had been slowly eroding his life were also gone!
He stared blankly at his intact chest.
He turned his head and looked at the reactor that had been carelessly placed in the tray nearby.
The reactor's base had a small line of text engraved on it.
"Tony's Heart."
Tony looked at the inscription, paused, and then couldn't help but smile.
"That Henry guy."
He knew that from this moment on, he no longer needed that cold energy core to sustain his life.
He had returned to normal.
But he would never forget why he needed it.
He would also never forget why he built it.
Tony took a deep breath. He knew he had to use all his strength to protect everything he wanted to protect.
Just like he had naively believed before that manufacturing weapons was protecting the world.
"Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice rang out again.
"Mr. Henry left a gift for you. He said you would understand when you saw it."
Tony was puzzled. Following J.A.R.V.I.S.'s direction, he looked to the other side of the lab.
J.A.R.V.I.S. had projected two holographic models and schematics of Armor suits filled with futuristic technology into the air.
The models were extremely advanced; Tony analyzed the results with just a glance.
Yes, these were the designs Henry had just created for the two brothers.
Tony stared blankly at everything, instantly captivated by the cutting-edge design concept.
"Is this nanite technology?"
"Yes, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. explained.
"Mr. Henry's concept is very advanced. He believes that nanite particles can perfectly solve the issue of you being unable to carry a portable suit after your chest has recovered. Furthermore, this suit possesses many epoch-making designs, most notably the appearance and Mr. Henry's envisioned materials."
"He has replaced all the Armor materials with a material currently very mysterious on the market: Vibranium. According to the data, Vibranium first appeared during World War II, in the shield that Mr. Howard built for Captain America. This metal can greatly absorb kinetic energy and possesses extreme durability. It appears to be the most durable metal known on Earth."
"Mr. Henry is currently planning to cooperate with Wakanda. They seem to be the sole source of Vibranium."
Tony listened and again stared blankly at the futuristic Armor in the image, full of sleek lines and a muscular feel.
That design blended strength with beauty; it was a perfect work of art.
He felt an unprecedented sense of relief and emotion in his heart.
But his damned arrogance prevented him from admitting it verbally.
He scoffed, complaining, "Impractical. Look at this design, look at his suit; it has no industrial beauty whatsoever. It looks like a fitness coach's spandex. And this color, black again; can't he use a color with some vibrancy? Terrible taste."
After saying that, he leaped off the medical platform. While talking with J.A.R.V.I.S., he walked toward the staircase upstairs.
He arrived on the first floor and changed into a crisp suit.
Then, he drove an Audi R8 out of the garage and sped toward Stark Industries.
He already knew what the press conference was going to be about!
...
Stark Industries Building, Biotechnology Research Department.
Henry walked along the white corridor with leisurely steps, his hands in his pockets.
The air here was filled with a faint mixed scent of disinfectant and culture medium.
"I have to say, J.A.R.V.I.S., the air quality here smells much better than in that woman's nest on the top floor," he complained to J.A.R.V.I.S.
"At least there isn't that mixed smell of perfume and weird stuff here. But honestly, I still prefer home. Even though it's messy like a dump, at least it's full of the scent of life and the smell of money."
As he walked, he scanned everything around him with his eyes.
Behind the clear glass walls were individual sterile labs, where researchers in white lab coats were busy in front of various sophisticated instruments.
Seeing Henry, everyone stopped what they were doing and respectfully nodded their greetings.
Henry Stark visiting the company was rarer than him not being in the headlines.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., look at these poor guys," Henry casually commented on his surroundings.
"They lock themselves in a place like this every day, staring at piles of cells and DNA sequences, earning meager salaries, and having to endure being squeezed by that workaholic Pepper. Honestly, sometimes I suspect they all have Stockholm Syndrome."
He soon arrived at the end of the corridor, where a huge security door blocked his path.
On the door were a red biohazard sign and a line of cold English words.
"Life Cradle Project Core Experiment Area"
The words clearly reminded everyone that this was one of the forbidden areas of Stark Industries.
Henry walked up to the door without even batting an eye.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., open the door. And also check if the newly hired Korean genius female doctor is conducting any experiments inside right now."
"Yes, sir."
Following J.A.R.V.I.S.'s response, the iris scanner above the door lit up with a soft blue light.
"Identity confirmed, Mr. Henry Stark. Welcome back."
The heavy alloy door silently slid open with a slight depressurization sound.
A massive laboratory was presented before him.
In the center of the lab quietly sat a transparent container filled with a light blue nutrient solution. Countless pipes and lines of varying thicknesses connected to it, like a technological tree full of life.
That was the first prototype of the Life Cradle.
And Helen Cho, dressed in a white sterile research suit, was standing next to a holographic control panel in front of the prototype, intently watching the rapidly scrolling data.
She was extremely focused on observing the data.
Hearing the door open behind her, she subconsciously turned around.
When she saw Henry, she was first surprised, then immediately composed herself, a professional smile appearing on her face.
This smile, however, seemed to carry an imperceptible hint of awkwardness.
"Mr. Stark, what brings you here?"
"Nothing much, I'm here to inspect my investment project."
Henry walked in, circled the Life Cradle twice, but his gaze occasionally drifted toward Helen Cho. His words sounded like a compliment, yet also like a tease.
×××××××××××××××
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