Tony's Thoughts

"Mr. Harvey Anberlaka, where is Tony?"

Pepper asked Harvey as he emerged from the underground research lab.

"He should be up soon on his own, or you can go down and find him."

"I've finished dinner, so I'll be going now."

Harvey smiled slightly upon hearing this and spoke.

"Leaving already?"

"That's right, it's quite late."

"You and Tony seemed to have a very pleasant chat. I hope you'll visit again, Mr. Harvey Anberlaka."

Pepper was a little surprised at first, but glancing at the clock on the wall, she realized it was already past nine in the evening.

In about another hour, New York would become less peaceful, so it was normal for Harvey Anberlaka to leave now.

"Yes, if there's a next time."

"Well then, goodbye, Miss Pepper."

Harvey nodded slightly at her words, said goodbye, and left.

After Harvey left, Pepper asked directly in the first-floor lobby.

"Jarvis, is Tony okay?"

"Can I go down now?"

"Sir is fine, he's currently thinking about some things."

"I wouldn't advise you to go down and disturb him."

"Sir will come up directly once he's figured things out."

Jarvis also gave his advice.

"Okay."

Pepper was only a little worried about Tony, and now that she was advised against it, she suppressed the urge to go down and check on him.

Meanwhile, Tony Stark, in the underground research lab, was deep in thought.

With his intelligence, it wouldn't be difficult to start learning genetics now and develop a serum to enhance his physical abilities; it would just take some time.

It was just that he had never considered it before because he had thought about doing some inhumane things.

However, hearing Harvey Anberlaka's words now had caused a slight waver in his once firm conviction.

"Jarvis, after listening to our conversation, what are your thoughts?"

After a moment of hesitation, Tony Stark began to seek other opinions.

"Sir, I don't quite understand what humans are, as I am merely an AI."

"However, to summarize your conversation, there are roughly three points."

"The first point is that the Iron Man armor is very powerful, but no matter what, there is an unavoidable and difficult-to-change weakness, and that is you, Sir."

"The second point is that you have the ability and confidence to resolve this weakness, but you cannot overcome human ethics and morality, which is why you have never delved into genetics to solve it."

"The third point is that Mr. Harvey Anberlaka's words are telling you:"

"If you wish to make a change, have you thought clearly whether it is necessary to go that far."

"If you are to go that far, are you mentally prepared."

"Based on my observations, Sir, you have clearly not fully considered these prerequisites yet."

"Therefore, I suggest you focus your attention on finding a new element to replace palladium first."

"If you cannot guarantee that you can pilot the armor without side effects, then you don't need to worry about overcoming the Iron Man armor's fatal weakness."

"You cannot come up with an answer immediately, but you may have already made a choice by then."

Jarvis responded to Tony's question.

"Thanks, Jarvis."

Tony was stunned by Jarvis's words and suddenly felt his thoughts clear up, thanking him.

Harvey Anberlaka was a superpowered individual, and he was a super genius with a brilliant mind, but because they had experienced different things, their perspectives were vastly different.

Only by ensuring he could pilot the Iron Man armor could he continue to understand and engage with the world he had just stepped into, a world that did not belong to ordinary people.

Only by deepening his understanding could he continue to discuss his own ideals and thoughts with Harvey Anberlaka.

Perhaps Harvey Anberlaka felt that the Iron Man armor he developed had begun to touch upon Harvey Anberlaka's world.

That was why the other party had talked to him so much, broadening his horizons considerably.

However, this also gave rise to a question in Tony Stark's mind: how old was Harvey Anberlaka actually?

Harvey Anberlaka possessed abilities akin to de-aging, so the identity he investigated might just be what Harvey Anberlaka wanted others to see.

"Where is Harvey Anberlaka?"

Tony Stark thought of this, glanced around, and found that Harvey Anberlaka was nowhere to be seen. He immediately asked.

"Mr. Harvey Anberlaka has already left."

"Before he left, he specifically reminded you that he wouldn't always help you treat the palladium poisoning and then leave."

"So you need to find a new element to replace palladium quickly."

"Because you were thinking just now, you might not have heard."

"Based on my feelings, Mr. Harvey Anberlaka's meaning was that you either find a new element or give up piloting the Iron Man armor."

"Next time you get poisoned and can't find a solution, you're going to die."

Jarvis also relayed Harvey's words upon hearing this.

"Before I knew I had become younger, I had thought about asking Harvey Anberlaka for help if I got palladium poisoning later."

"But after I knew I had become younger, I didn't think about it as much."

Tony Stark showed a slight smile on his face upon hearing these relayed words.

One was to help heal him, and the other was to help heal him while also making him a few years younger – this was a completely different distinction.

Now he was six years younger, his body was roughly equivalent to when he was thirty-two, but he was also past thirty and in middle age.

This time the wrinkles were gone, he looked even younger, and others would only think he took good care of himself or had undergone some surgery.

But if he became several years younger, reverting to his twenties, then no matter how he explained it, others would think something was wrong with him.

Not to mention that this might expose Harvey Anberlaka's superpower, he himself might be captured and used as a test subject.

Although he had the Iron Man armor, it wasn't invincible. If the military set their sights on him, he didn't have absolute confidence that he could ensure his own safety.

Therefore, Tony Stark completely understood Harvey Anberlaka's reluctance to help him too much.

Afterward, Tony Stark left the underground research lab.

Facing Pepper's various curious questions, Tony Stark explained some things and casually brushed off others.

Among them, Pepper was most curious about him becoming younger. Regarding this, Tony Stark could only insist that he didn't know either.

This made Pepper a little disappointed, as no woman disliked beauty or wished to become younger.

It was just that Tony Stark seemed to genuinely not know.

So after thinking about it, Pepper could only assume that Tony had met a friend he could talk to, which made him very happy, causing him to look younger temporarily.

Third update, 8000 words in total, seeking votes and continued readership.