Chapter 86: Chapter: 86
"What are you two doing here?" Tony looked at Rhode and Mark inside the car with a puzzled expression.
"You're awake, Tony!" Rhode turned around, saw Tony standing by the car, and immediately opened the door to hug him tightly.
Tony struggled and pushed Rhode away. "I don't have a habit of hugging men. Go away. I just had irregular eating habits that led to low blood sugar. Mark's nutrition hibernation pod works well for this minor issue."
Seeing Tony still trying to conceal his condition, Rhode put his hand on Tony's shoulder and looked into his eyes seriously. "Don't lie to me anymore, Tony. Mark has already told me about your situation. Palladium poisoning is not a minor issue like low blood sugar that can be solved with a glucose shot. I just want you to know that if you ever need anything, this friend of yours is someone you can rely on."
"I knew that big-mouth Mark couldn't keep a secret. He blabbed everything about me." Tony said, giving Mark a fierce look. "But don't worry too much. With the nutrient hibernation pod Mark gave me, palladium poisoning doesn't threaten my life anymore. After the repairs were completed, I tested my blood toxicity, and it's completely cleared.
Moreover, I've gained a lot of inspiration from my father's manuscripts these past few days. I believe I'll soon be able to create a new element to replace palladium. I'm a genius, this difficulty won't defeat me."
Rhode said, "I hope so. But before that, you need to solve the immediate problem. Mark has come up with a win-win solution for both you and the Military Committee. I think you should listen to it."
"Oh! It's Mark's idea? Well, it seems those politicians in the Military Committee should be prepared to bleed heavily." Like father, like son. Even before hearing what Mark's plan was, Tony had already guessed that the side targeted by Mark would suffer greatly.
Sure enough, after listening to Rhode's description of Mark's plan, Tony couldn't contain his excitement. "This is fantastic! Hahaha! Mark, you little devil, you truly deserve to be the world's number one schemer in my opinion. Rhode, you put on Mark II armor and take the shield generator back. I want to see if the politicians in the Military Committee will fall into this trap."
Following Mark's plan, Tony granted Rhode access to Mark II and sent him back to the military base with the shield generator.
The plan progressed smoothly. Upon seeing Mark II and the shield generator brought back by Rhode, the greedy politicians in the Military Committee seemed to envision the tremendous political achievements they could gain from them. Without much thought, they fell into the trap Mark had set.
Soon, the Military Committee dropped the charges against Tony, and on the other hand, the reputation of the Stark Expo began to spread. The novelty of the expo's ideas and creative inventions delighted and captivated all the visitors, resulting in a continuous rise in Stark Industries' stock price for several days.
In addition to Pepper's efficient management methods, a crisis that was still brewing was quietly eliminated.
...
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."
At Stark Mansion, Tony blew out the candles on the cake while Mark and Pepper sang the birthday song, making a wish for his forty-second birthday.
Tony didn't throw a big birthday party this year, nor did he engage in a fierce battle wearing his Iron Man suit with War Machine. He simply celebrated this special day with the people most important to him.
Although the palladium poisoning crisis didn't actually pose a life-threatening danger to him, it made him realize even more what he should cherish. In this moment of making a wish, Tony felt that this might be the most fulfilling time in his forty-two years of life.
"Happy birthday, Tony! This is the gift I got for you," Pepper presented a beautifully wrapped gift box to Tony.
The deep blue wrapping paper was tied with a pink ribbon, and hanging from the ribbon was a small card with words written on it.
Tony unwrapped the gift and found an exquisite white ceramic cup inside.
"I noticed that you developed a sudden liking for chlorophyll drinks. So, I personally made this ceramic cup for you. You can use it for your favorite drink from now on."
"Thank you, I love it!" The gift may not be expensive, but it was a present carefully crafted by Pepper after observing Tony's lifestyle habits. For Tony, it was more precious than any valuable gift.
"My gift is relatively simple," Mark said, raising his hand to check the time. "It's about time, the gift should be here. Come with me outside and look up at the sky..."
Tick, tick, tick... In the pitch-black night sky, the sound of rotating propellers reached Tony's ears.
Soon, a helicopter descended from the sky and landed on the mansion's helipad.
It was an orange and white twin-rotor helicopter, and Tony could sense its power and speed from the air currents it generated during landing.
"This is the birthday gift I got for you. Knowing that you like Transformers, I specially designed and created this helicopter Transformer for you. Its name is Tornado, and the wings on the rotors can transform into twin swords, becoming its weapons. And, the fuselage carries a large number of floating cannon units on both sides, making it the most powerful and maneuverable Transformer I have ever made."
After carefully examining Tornado, Tony turned to Mark with a serious and earnest look. "Actually, I feel like I've been reborn since I escaped from the Ten Rings on July 16th last year.
So... I want to celebrate my birthday on that day again. What do you say?"
"Get lost!"
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