Just then, the agonized screams from inside the chamber came to an abrupt stop.
The entire lab instantly fell into silence.
"What's going on, J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Yinsen asked quickly.
"Sir, Mr. Stark's vital signs have stabilized. The serum modification is complete."
"Hisss!"
The chamber door let out a faint depressurizing sound, then slowly lifted upward.
Thick white mist rolled out of the chamber, like dry ice at the opening of a stage play.
Henry and Ethan instinctively turned their eyes toward the chamber.
A body brimming with strength and beauty revealed itself before them.
Tony Stark was still Tony Stark—
but at the same time, he seemed like an entirely different person.
His build, originally decent enough, was now taller, more upright, and perfectly proportioned.
Every muscle line looked as if it had been meticulously carved, bursting with explosive power yet without any bulkiness.
His height had clearly shot up as well—visibly over 185cm.
The pallor from his exhaustion of the past few days was gone; his skin now radiated a healthy glow.
But the most striking change was his aura.
If Tony Stark used to be a razor-edged genius, then right now, he was a restrained beast waiting to strike.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
Lowering his head, he examined his own hands, then ran them over his sharply defined abs. With a measured pace, he stepped out of the chamber.
"I've got to say…" His voice was deeper now, rougher, magnetic.
"This feeling isn't bad at all."
He rolled his neck, bones cracking sharply in succession.
Then he lifted his gaze toward Henry, who was watching him with amusement, and gave that familiar arrogant smirk.
"Hey, little brother. Didn't you say earlier… that my ass wasn't round enough?"
"Oh? So despite squealing like a castrated pig just now, your ears still work fine." Henry fired back without missing a beat.
"What, you want to compare right now? I don't mind showing you what true natural talent looks like."
"Tch." Tony clicked his tongue, walking right up to Henry and giving him an obnoxious once-over.
"But I'll admit, your 'seven times a night' line does sound appealing. Right now, I feel like—not seven, but seventeen times wouldn't be a problem. I bet I could punch a tiger to death with one hit."
"I believe you." Henry nodded, then immediately turned the tables.
"But what I'm more curious about is—can you punch yourself to death in one hit? Because bragging? Anyone can do that."
"You're just jealous. Plain, naked jealousy," Tony said smugly, even flexing his biceps for show.
"Jealous that I'm buffer than you—and last longer too."
"Is that so?" Henry grinned.
"Perfect. From now on, all the heavy lifting at Stark Industries will be your job. Moving equipment, serving as my punching bag—whatever. Since you're so durable, not making use of you would be a total waste."
"You really ought to cut back on the models."
The two brothers bickered like grade-schoolers straight out of recess, right there in the middle of the lab.
Yinsen could only shake his head with a helpless smile.
He knew—the Tony Stark he was familiar with had returned.
Only now, he was stronger.
And even more of an asshole.
"Alright, alright. I'm not wasting my breath on a primitive brute like you." Tony, satisfied after his little spat, strolled up to the console.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., pull up my biometric data report. Let's see just how glorious the results of my great scientific experiment are."
"Yes, sir."
The holographic display filled with Tony's physiological stats once again.
This time, nearly every entry was followed by numbers soaring far beyond human limits—highlighted in glowing green arrows.
"Cell activity… multiples of the norm. Metabolism… multiples of the norm. Bone density… Tsk, tsk, these results are flawless." Tony gazed at the screen like an artist admiring his own masterpiece, pride written all over his face.
"Henry, you see this? This is the difference between a genius and an accident. You're just some freak lucky break. Me? I created a miracle with my own hands and intellect!"
"Yeah, yeah, you're the greatest." Henry waved him off.
"So great you even had to use science to boost your kidneys. Honestly, Tony, don't tell me you've got performance issues?"
"Damn it—if anyone's got issues, it's your whole family!" Tony snapped.
"Oh, right… we're the same family." Henry nodded like he'd just realized.
"…" Tony felt his blood pressure spike. He was about to undergo a second mutation—this time from sheer rage.
"Anyway," he forcefully changed the subject, desperate to reclaim some big-brother dignity,
"about that second-phase boss fight plan of yours—I'll admit, Henry, it's not bad. I like it. I've already had J.A.R.V.I.S. preset a self-destruct failsafe in my Mark III. Next time some idiot comes knocking, I'll give them a real surprise."
"Oh? Is that so?" Henry raised an eyebrow.
"Just make sure you don't end up blowing yourself sky-high instead. Knowing you, a guy whose brain is 90% party schedule, I doubt your programming is all that reliable."
"You dare question my professional ability?!"
"I'm just stating an objective fact."
And just like that, the bickering flared up again.
Yinsen sighed in exasperation.
These two's "academic debates" were nothing like what normal brothers had.
"Oh? Giving up already? And here I thought your mouth was as hard as your body now." Henry smirked, looking all too pleased with himself.
"Fine. Since you're fresh out of the factory and still under warranty, I'll let you off this time."
Tony ignored the trash talk. His hand subconsciously rested on his chest—
where the arc reactor still glowed steadily.
He said nothing. But in his eyes, a flicker of surprise—and relief—flashed by.
The gnawing sensation that had been eroding his body, the constant insomnia, the ever-present reminder that his life was slipping away—
it was gone.
For the first time, his breathing was light, his heartbeat steady and powerful, like a heavy burden had been lifted.
Henry caught that thoughtful look immediately. He knew exactly what was going through Tony's head.
At this point in the timeline, the palladium poisoning had already begun creeping in.
"What's wrong?" Henry drawled lazily, his tone as infuriating as ever.
"Wondering why your rusted-out scrapheap of a body suddenly feels so light? Thinking your palladium poisoning symptoms seem to have eased up? Surprise, surprise! Didn't see that coming, huh?"
Tony's body froze. He quickly withdrew his hand, masking his face with his usual arrogant expression.
"Nothing. You're talking nonsense. My body's fine—better than yours, a hundred times over. I was just… appreciating the power of this new physique. Something a muscle-brained oaf like you could never understand."
He refused to let Henry see the truth.
Refused to let his younger brother—the one who always laughed at his expense—know he was dying from palladium poisoning.
That was his pathetic, laughable pride as an older brother.
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We're at 119 stones but I'll release it anyways, thank you so much for your support dear readers 🙏
Our next goal let's aim for 200 stones, bonus chapter for 200.
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