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*****
Returning to the workshop, Pepper quickly found the first-generation miniature Arc Reactor she had wrapped as a gift for Tony—the one he had built in the cave.
Carefully installing it back into Tony's chest, Tony's complexion finally improved significantly. The first thing he said upon recovering was a tease directed at Pepper:
"Not bad. You were much more skilled at installing it this time than the last!"
"Tony!"
Seeing Tony back to normal, Pepper finally breathed a sigh of relief. With teary eyes, she immediately hugged him, shoving a face-full of "dog food" at Fini who was standing to the side.
To prevent the two of them from continuing to radiate the "foul stench of love," Fini fully embraced his role as the third wheel and reminded them from the sidelines: "Hey, hey, there's still someone else here. Also, what happened to you? How did you end up like this?"
Hearing Fini's voice, the two finally snapped out of it. Pepper's face turned crimson instantly; she hurriedly let go of Tony and stood up, saying, "I'll go pour some tea."
As a veteran playboy, Tony's skin was unimaginably thick. He even seemed a bit dissatisfied with Fini acting as a lightbulb: "You ruined a beautiful atmosphere, you know that?"
"Give me a break. You almost lost your life, and you're still in the mood to talk about 'beautiful atmospheres'?"
Fini curled his lip, looking speechless.
"It's precisely because I almost died that I should know how to cherish things even more!" Tony replied seriously. Then, shakily standing up, he said formally: "Thank you!"
This "thank you" likely encompassed both the help in finding Pepper and the use of the portal to save him.
However, such a solemn manner made Fini feel slightly uncomfortable. Much like the previous apology, it didn't quite fit Tony's usual personality.
"It's fine. My involvement might actually be part of the reason for this."
Fini turned his head away awkwardly, then, realizing his words might be misunderstood, he explained further: "If I hadn't come to see you earlier, perhaps these things wouldn't have happened."
Tony didn't understand the meaning behind those words, but Fini knew. Without his interference, Pepper might not have been captured. While Tony might still have been in danger, he would have ultimately turned the situation around.
Fortunately, Tony didn't seem inclined to probe deeper at the moment. He was more concerned with another matter: "Obadiah took my Arc Reactor. He must not be allowed to reverse-engineer the technology. We need to find him as soon as possible."
At that moment, Pepper, who had just walked over carrying a pot of tea, heard him and immediately said: "Tony, he was also the one who hired people to kidnap you. Also, he has established a new hidden Section 16 under the Arc Reactor project. It seems to be related to your armor."
"I have to go check it out."
Tony struggled to stand up, wanting to go suit up, but since he hadn't fully recovered yet, his gait was wobbly.
"Alright, recover first before talking. I actually know about Obadiah's business." Fini stopped Tony, and after a moment of hesitation, finally explained: "He obtained the wreckage and blueprints of the first-generation armor you developed from the terrorists and built a larger version."
"But he was missing the most important power source—the one from your chest. Now that he has it, he'll likely go to test it. There's no need to rush too much."
Seeing Tony's look of surprise and confusion, Fini explained again: "I can't actively predict the future like my master, but I do know some things—provided I don't participate or change them."
At this moment, Tony truly began to believe Fini's previous claims about predicting the future, and he also felt a sense of awe toward the Ancient One.
"Here, eat a Fried Chicken Roll first to recover!"
Fini casually summoned two "Violet Melon Fried Chicken Rolls" and handed them to Tony and Pepper, leaving both of them stunned.
"When did you make these? Where did you pull them from?"
Tony scanned Fini's body. He hadn't seen where Fini pulled the rolls from at all. Pepper was equally curious.
"Magic. This is also magic!"
Fini summoned another one right in front of them, leaving the two of them dumbstruck.
Especially Pepper; from the strange armor to the shocking portals, and now these chicken rolls—her worldview had been smashed to pieces over the course of this single day.
"It's not made of anything weird, is it?"
Tony temporarily pushed the matter of Obadiah to the back of his mind, studying the roll in his hand. If he weren't physically unwell, he would have wanted to run a lab test on it. However, he also remembered from investigating Fini's background that Fini owned a small shop specifically selling these Fried Chicken Rolls.
"You'll know once you take a bite."
To gain their trust, Fini took a bite of his own roll first. The rich aroma wafted out, making both Tony and Pepper swallow hard.
After what had just happened, the two of them trusted Fini quite a bit. They glanced at each other and took a bite of their rolls.
It must be said, as expected of food from the "God of Tongues," Pepper's face took on a look of pure bliss after eating. Her breathing became slightly heavy, and two words involuntarily escaped her lips:
"Delicious!"
While Tony's expression wasn't quite as exaggerated, he showed the look of someone savoring a fine delicacy. Finally, he looked at Fini and commented: "Hmm, indeed not bad. If you ever can't find a job in the future, you can come apply to be my chef."
Fini rolled his eyes, ignored Tony's joke, and continued eating his roll.
The two weren't satisfied with just one; they asked for two more until they were stuffed. By then, Tony had almost returned to normal and looked much more energetic.
Once recovered, they began formally discussing how to resolve the problem.
"Do we really not need to notify the police about this?"
Pepper still wanted to resolve things through official channels, but the two men beside her both disagreed.
"Their sluggish pace will only mess things up." Tony knew the power of the armor and worried about the damage the Iron Monger could cause; he didn't want ordinary people getting involved, so he spoke with disdain.
"I just don't want to come into contact with the people from that organization yet."
Fini shrugged, looking like he had no choice.
"That Strategic Homeland whatever Agency?" Tony was a bit curious about Fini's reasons, especially now that he knew Fini might actually be able to predict the future.
"Yeah." Fini nodded but didn't seem intent on explaining. Just a slight contact with Tony had caused such a big impact; if he let anything else slip, Captain America might end up staying buried.
"Fine, two against one. We're going to deal with Obadiah now. You go find Rhodey; I've already asked him to send people to protect you." After the discussion, Tony summarized the result and spoke to Pepper.
"Is there an issue with your power supply?"
Fini asked while looking at Tony's chest. This was, after all, the first generation built in a cave; it couldn't match the second generation's refinement or energy capacity.
Tony tapped his chest twice, producing two metallic ding-dings, and said proudly: "What matters is the suit. The power has been restored; there won't be a problem."
"Alright then!"
Fini nodded. Looking at Tony as he went to suit up via the machines, Fini actually felt a bit of anticipation. He had thought he wouldn't be able to get any experience from the Iron Monger, but things had taken a turn, and now there was a chance.
"The battlefield in a bit might be at Mount Everest. Be prepared!"
After giving Tony a warning in advance, Fini also equipped 'Incursio' and opened a portal to Stark Industries' Section 16.
Under the night sky, two figures wearing different styles of armor appeared in New York, intending to meet a third.
(End of Chapter)