After handing the reagent over to Tony Stark, Meng Ran left.
He had already made the answer to Tony's problem perfectly clear — it wouldn't be long before Tony could successfully synthesize the new element artificially. Once he used the reagent to purge the remaining toxins from his body, there would be nothing left to worry about.
For the past several days, Meng Ran and Peter had been working around the clock in the lab with almost no rest. Now, he was ready to go home and finally relax.
And just as Meng Ran predicted, the very next day Nick Fury arrived at Tony Stark's villa — with Natasha Romanoff by his side.
After Meng Ran left the previous night, Tony hadn't been able to sleep. He had Jarvis dig up all of his father's old files — including Howard Stark's past research projects, experimental results, and everything related to the "City of the Future."
When Fury and Natasha entered the lab, they found Tony sitting amidst piles of documents, chewing on a piece of bread as he read.
The sight surprised Fury. He had expected to find Tony passed out drunk, wallowing in self-pity and waiting for death to come.
Instead, Tony looked full of energy.
"Oh~ good to see you're still alive and kicking," Fury said dryly. "I thought you'd be lying in a puddle of your own vomit by now, dreaming about better days."
Tony didn't even look up. Still studying the blueprints in his hand, he replied coolly, "I could've sworn I locked my door."
"If you don't mind, please call the police yourself. I'm sure they'd love to get their hands on that shiny bald head of yours."
Fury had never once won a verbal sparring match with Tony Stark. With a sigh, he sat down on the sofa in the lab. "You know, that's a pretty rude way to treat a guest — and an even worse joke. Very unprofessional, Mr. Stark."
Tony put down the blueprints, stuffed the rest of the bread into his mouth, and muttered under his breath, "Looks like he was right…"
As soon as he said that, Tony glanced up — and saw Natasha standing beside Fury, her expression perfectly blank, eyes fixed on him.
Her sudden appearance caught Tony off guard, though it didn't take him long to figure it out. His tone went cold.
"You're fired, Agent."
"Sorry," Natasha replied evenly. "That's not your decision to make."
Fury, though curious about the "he" Tony had mentioned earlier, decided to shelve that for now and made the introductions.
"Tony, this is Agent Romanoff."
Tony gave a dry laugh. "Well, isn't that a surprise."
Ignoring his sarcasm, Natasha continued where Fury left off. "When we learned about your condition, Director Fury assigned me to monitor you."
Tony brushed the crumbs off his shirt and said flatly, "Then I think you owe me an apology."
Natasha only stared at him in silence. Fury took the opportunity to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Tony," he asked, "who exactly were you talking about earlier — this 'he' you mentioned?"
Tony feigned confusion. "Did I say that? Maybe you've had one too many cups of coffee and started hearing things."
Fury frowned. Tony's evasiveness only confirmed his suspicion.
"Don't play games with me, Tony. We're not your enemies," Fury said. "On the contrary, we brought something that could help with your condition."
Tony grunted noncommittally, showing little interest.
That was enough for Fury to understand. "Ah," he said slowly, "so this mysterious 'he' has already solved your problem."
"No wonder you're acting so smug."
Tony wasn't surprised that Fury had figured it out — the man was an old spy, after all. If he couldn't pick up on that, he really would be past retirement age.
Fury narrowed his one good eye. There weren't many people capable of something like this — especially without S.H.I.E.L.D. noticing.
After all, Tony Stark was one of their highest-priority surveillance targets, and Fury had men stationed all around this villa.
To bypass S.H.I.E.L.D.'s monitoring, meet Tony in person, and even cure his palladium poisoning?
It didn't take long for Fury to arrive at a single conclusion.
Locking eyes with Tony, he said quietly, "Ghost."
Tony snapped his fingers. "Bingo. Mr. Ghost, to be precise. You guessed right — but sorry, no prize."
At the mention of that name, Natasha's expression faltered for the briefest moment. Memories flashed before her eyes — the suffocating pressure wrapping around her body, the cold, sharp spike pressed against her throat, and then… his sudden, ghostlike disappearance.
Fury raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Ghost? Sounds like you've got quite a bit of respect for him."
Tony didn't deny it. "For a man who stands for justice, I don't think it's wrong to call him 'Mr.' It's a matter of respect."
"At least he's not one of those clownish hypocrites."
Fury didn't take the bait — nor did he ask if Tony was lumping him into that "clown" category.
Instead, he waved his hand, and Natasha placed a metal case on the table in front of Tony.
It bore the Stark Industries logo, along with a label: Property of Howard Stark.
Tony ran his fingers over the surface, studying it carefully.
"These were your father's," Fury said. "You might find some clues inside. As for that thing in your chest — your father once said it was only a prototype."
Tony frowned slightly. "Funny, that's exactly what Ghost said last night."
Fury nodded. "Your father called it a stepping stone — to something far greater. If his design were perfected, even nuclear reactors would look like simple batteries in comparison."
Tony looked up. "And Anton Vanko? He worked on the project too, didn't he?"
Fury smirked. "You know, for all this talk, you haven't even offered me a drink."
Tony shrugged. "Sorry. Everything that wasn't smashed last night got drunk last night."
Fury sighed. "Fine. Back to business."
"Anton Vanko and your father were like two sides of the same coin. Vanko saw it as a way to get rich. When your father found out, he had him deported."
"When he got back to the Soviet Union, the government realized he had nothing to show for it, so they sent him off to Siberia to grow potatoes."
"For decades, he drowned himself in alcohol — not exactly an ideal role model for his kid."
Tony nodded slightly. "Yeah, I could tell. Didn't seem like a great dad."
Fury gave a small nod of agreement. "You haven't tested every element yet. Your father believed only you had the intelligence and resources to finish what he started."
"He believed in you, Tony. He thought you could unlock the secret to the new element."
Tony gave a dry laugh. "That doesn't sound like him at all. The man I knew was strict, cold, and never once told me he loved me. His happiest day was the one he sent me off to boarding school."
Fury shook his head. "That's not true."
Tony raised a brow. "Oh? So you knew him better than I did?"
Fury didn't deny it. "Maybe I did. After all, your father was one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"What?" Tony's eyes widened. He had never heard that before — none of his father's files had mentioned any involvement with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Fury checked his watch and stood up. "I've got a meeting at two. Those materials should help you find what you're looking for."
"As for Agent Romanoff, she'll remain undercover at Stark Industries. Focus on your own problem for now."
"And this is Agent Coulson," he added as another man entered the room. "He'll be… keeping an eye on you. Stay home and behave."
With that, Fury left the lab with Natasha, leaving behind a smiling Phil Coulson, who gave Tony a polite wave.
"Hi, Mr. Stark."
Tony: "..."
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)