Back in the workshop, Pepper quickly found the miniature Arc Reactor she had wrapped up as a gift for Tony—the one built in the cave.
Carefully placing it back on Tony's chest, Tony's complexion improved considerably. His first words, now back to normal, were a teasing remark to Pepper:
"Not bad, much better than last time!"
"Tony!"
Seeing Tony finally back to normal, Pepper breathed a sigh of relief and immediately hugged him, her eyes brimming with tears, showering Finney Hellseg with their affection.
To prevent the two from continuing to bask in the stench of their romance, Finney played the role of a third wheel, reminding them, "Hey, hey, there are other people here. And what's wrong with you? What happened?"
Hearing Finney's voice, the two finally reacted. Pepper's face flushed crimson, and she quickly released Tony, standing up and saying, "I'll go get a cup of tea."
Tony, a seasoned playboy, had a thicker skin than anyone could imagine, and was somewhat annoyed by Finney's third wheel behavior: "You ruined a beautiful atmosphere, you know that?"
"Come on, you almost lost your life, and you still have the mood to talk about beautiful things?"
Finney pouted, looking speechless.
"It's precisely because I almost lost my life that I should cherish it even more!" Tony replied earnestly, then stood up shakily and formally said, "Thank you!"
This thank you likely encompassed both helping to find Pepper and opening a portal to save her.
However, this solemn manner made Finney slightly uncomfortable, just like his previous apologies, which wasn't like Tony's usual self.
"It's okay, I might have been partly to blame."
Finney turned his head awkwardly, then realized that his words might be misunderstood, so he explained, "If I hadn't come to see you before, perhaps none of this would have happened."
Tony didn't understand the meaning of those words, but Finney knew that without his involvement, Pepper might not have been captured. Although Tony might still be in danger, he would eventually escape unscathed.
Fortunately, Tony wasn't interested in delving into the details at the moment; he was more concerned about something else: "Obadiah took my Arc Reactor. We absolutely cannot let him analyze the technology. We must find him as soon as possible."
Just then, Pepper, carrying a pot of tea, walked over and, upon hearing this, immediately said, "Tony, he's the one who had you kidnapped. Also, he's established a hidden Sector 16 under the Arc Reactor project, which seems to be related to your armor."
"I have to go check it out."
Tony struggled to his feet, wanting to put on his armor, but still not fully recovered, he walked unsteadily.
"Alright, recover first. I actually know about Obadiah's situation." Finney stopped Tony, hesitated for a moment, and finally explained, "He got the remains and blueprints of the first-generation armor you developed from the terrorists and modified it into a larger one."
"But before, he lacked the most important energy source you had. Now that he has it, he'll probably test it. Don't rush it."
Seeing Tony's surprised and puzzled look, he added, "Although I can't actively foresee the future like my master, I do know some things, provided I don't participate or change anything."
At this moment, Tony truly believed Finney's earlier words about predicting the future, and also felt a sense of awe towards the Ancient One.
"Here, have some chicken nugget wraps to recover!"
Finney casually summoned two 'Violet Chicken Nugget Wraps' and handed them to Tony and Pepper, making them both stunned.
"When did you make these? Where did you get them?"
Tony glanced at Finney's clothes. He hadn't even seen where Finney had pulled out the 'Violet Chicken Nugget Wraps'. Pepper was equally curious.
"Magic! This is magic too!"
Finney summoned another one right in front of them, leaving the two dumbfounded.
Pepper, in particular, was completely shattered by the bizarre armor, the astonishing teleportation portal, and now the Violet Chicken Wrap.
"It's not made of anything weird, is it?"
Tony temporarily put Obadiah out of his mind, examining the chicken wrap in his hand. If he weren't feeling unwell, he would have liked to have it tested. But then he remembered that when he was investigating Finney, Finney had run a small shop that sold chicken wraps.
"Why don't you try one and you'll know?"
To gain their trust, Finney took a bite of his own. The rich aroma made Tony and Pepper swallow hard.
Having experienced what had just happened, the two trusted Finney quite a bit. They exchanged a glance and took a bite of the chicken wrap.
It was indeed worthy of being food from the spirit that had given it the drug. After eating it, Pepper's face lit up with a blissful expression, her breathing became slightly heavier, and she unconsciously uttered two words:
"Delicious!"
Tony's expression wasn't as exaggerated, but he also showed a keen interest in the food. Finally, he looked at Finney and commented, "Hmm, it's really good. If you can't find a job in the future, you can apply to be my chef." Finney
rolled his eyes, ignoring Tony's joke, and continued eating his chicken nugget wrap.
The two of them weren't satisfied with just one, so they ordered two more until they were stuffed before stopping. By this time, Tony had almost recovered and looked much more energetic.
Once he had recovered, they began to formally discuss how to resolve the problem.
"Shouldn't we notify the police about this?"
Pepper still wanted to resolve the matter through proper channels, but the two beside her disagreed.
"Their slow pace will only make things worse." Tony knew the power of the armor and was worried about the harm the Iron Monger could cause. He didn't want ordinary people involved, so he said disdainfully.
"I don't want to contact that organization for now."
Finney shrugged, looking helpless.
"What's this Strategic Bureau?" Tony was curious about Finney's reason, especially after knowing that Finney might actually be able to predict the future.
"Yeah." Finney nodded, but didn't seem to want to explain. Just a brief contact with Tony had caused such a big impact; if he let slip anything, Captain America might be gone.
"Okay, two to one. We'll go deal with Obadiah now. You go find Rhodes; I've already asked him to send people to protect you." After the discussion, Tony summarized the results and said to Pepper.
"Is your energy okay?"
Finney looked at Tony's chest and asked. After all, this was the first generation, created in a cave, and its refinement and energy were inferior to the meticulously crafted second generation.
Tony tapped his chest, making two soft clanging sounds, and said proudly, "The important thing is the armor. The energy has been restored, no problem."
"Okay!"
Finney nodded, watching Tony go to equip his armor via the machine. He felt a surge of anticipation; he had thought he'd never get the Iron Monger experience, but unexpectedly, things had taken a turn for the better, and now there was another chance.
"The battlefield might be on Mount Everest soon, be prepared!"
After giving Tony this advance instruction, Finney also equipped himself with 'Possessed by Demons' and opened the portal to Stark Industries' Sector 16.
Under the cover of night, two figures dressed in different styles of armor appeared in New York, then prepared to meet a third.
Read 15+ chapters ahead at p4treon...
[email protected]/Horizons685
(End of Chapter)