"Don't worry, he's almost here."
Regarding Pepper, who was pacing back and forth in front of her enough to give someone a headache, Artoria helplessly spoke up to stop her behavior. At the same time, Artoria, Pepper, and the Big Bald Head had all received a call from the Military. Tony had been successfully rescued and would be back in the city in just a few hours. Upon receiving the news, Artoria and Pepper were both relieved and very happy, but the Big Bald Head's heart wasn't particularly pleasant, secretly hating those guys for not keeping their word.
In order not to let anyone notice anything, he had to pretend to be concerned and stay by Artoria and Pepper's side, expressing that hearing the news that Tony was still alive was truly wonderful.
"Alright!"
Perhaps realizing that her state was a bit too excited, Pepper nodded with a smile, but she remained standing. After all, this news was simply too good for her.
"He's here. Don't faint from excitement when you see him, or else he'll make fun of you."
The 'antenna' on her head moved as she felt a familiar person step into her perception domain. Artoria smiled and walked from the car to Pepper, teasing her jokingly. Matters between her and Tony had never been hidden from this'sister-in-law'. Even if they weren't married yet, the way the two interacted was like family. Regarding Artoria's teasing, Pepper just gave a shy smile.
"Vroom vroom vroom~!"
After teasing Pepper a bit more, Artoria's keen senses captured the loud roar of propellers. Soon, a Military helicopter appeared in everyone's field of vision. Fortunately, Artoria had used her 'Money Power' to seal off the surrounding area; otherwise, that crowd of unethical reporters would have started going crazy.
"Look at this! My dear assistant, are you crying for your boss?"
"I just don't want to have to find another job."
The moment the helicopter door opened and that familiar, dissolute figure appeared before her, Pepper could no longer restrain the joy in her heart. she sprinted forward and threw herself into that person's embrace. Behind Pepper, Artoria felt like she was being hit in the face by this cold dog food, truly speechless at this couple.
"What, aren't you going to come hug your dear brother, my little Angel?"
After showing off their affection, he finally remembered his sister. Tony smiled and walked up to Artoria, extending his arms just like when they were little, with a face full of indulgence. Although making this expression with that half-dead, somewhat listless face looked ridiculous, Artoria was still very moved. With a warmth in her heart, Artoria opened her arms and offered her full embrace, hugging her relative of this lifetime.
"Our little Angel has grown up. Have you gotten fat lately?"
"Having such a loose tongue will get you beaten sometimes, brother."
Hearing Tony's whisper in her ear, Artoria smiled and stomped hard on his foot with her high heel. This bastard. Seeing Tony's expression instantly change, Artoria happily walked to the side and began to arrange for the medical staff she trusted and had'suggested' to check Tony's body, completely ignoring his message about calling for reporters. To the side, Obadiah stepped forward to express his concern. Who knows what that guy was really thinking.
Yinsen, this little nobody, didn't have a chance to interject from beginning to end. How to deal with him later would depend on Tony's arrangements.
"Howard, Tony is back. Aren't you happy?"
"Sorry, Maria, I was a bit distracted."
Inside a certain secret Base, a couple who had disappeared from the world watched the scene of the brother and sister's reunion with peace in their hearts. Being a woman, Maria's focus was more on the emotions; Tony was back and Artoria was fine, so that was all that mattered. But Howard looked more closely. The light on Tony's chest made him instantly understand exactly what that thing was. An Arc Reactor. He had long since grown tired of researching this technology. As one of the creators of this thing, he knew exactly what element was used to run it—the 'palladium' element. While it was decent, it was only decent and still had many issues, such as the problem of pollution.
So before Artoria was born, he had discovered a new element, but he had never synthesized it because the technology and tools couldn't keep up. Now this problem had surfaced. Tony had this thing installed on him, or rather, was using an Arc Reactor to maintain his life, so palladium poisoning was only a matter of time.
"Nick, prepare some experimental equipment and materials for me. I need to stretch my old bones."
In order not to let Maria worry about Tony's situation, Howard decided it was best if only he knew for now. Helping out from the shadows was his responsibility as a father. As for other matters, Tony was already 35, not a child, and couldn't be compared to the 21-year-old Artoria. She was his warm cotton jacket, while a son was just a bulletproof vest. If anything happened to Artoria, his rage could burn this whole world down. His wife and daughter were everything.
Dialing a certain dark-faced and dark-hearted guy, Howard unhesitatingly ordered his old friend around. It made Nick roll his eyes, but he couldn't refuse, could he! He could only agree.
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