Tony Stark curled his lip.
Damn it, it wasn't as if he hadn't heard him. He wasn't deaf.
He ignored Noah's question completely.
Instead, he sat down on the sofa, his movements far more casual than before.
Noah watched him and secretly shook his head.
This Tony Stark was still somewhat different from what he had imagined.
But that was only normal. His understanding of Tony Stark came from a few movies in his previous life.
How could a handful of works possibly portray everything about a person?
The Tony Stark before him now was a living, breathing human being.
Just like the Punisher.
In his impression, Frank was absolutely the cold, tough-guy type.
But after spending some time with him, Noah discovered that although Frank always looked cool and detached, whenever he mentioned his fiancée, traces of tenderness would always flash through his eyes.
That made Noah truly realize that this world was not a movie, much less a game.
Every person here was truly alive. They had flesh and blood, thoughts of their own, and were nowhere near as simple as they appeared in movies.
Seeing Tony Stark's expression grow more relaxed as well, Noah felt somewhat helpless.
Maybe this was simply how Tony Stark treated friends?
But...
This so-called friendship had actually come from a transaction.
Noah was well aware of that.
Tony Stark had never intended to be his friend.
After all, the only reason Noah wanted to become friends with Tony Stark was to use that relationship to gain benefits for himself.
But in truth, he did not know what Tony Stark was thinking.
To Tony Stark, Noah had genuinely saved him twice.
Setting aside the first time, when Obadiah attacked, there was no way Noah could have appeared there without any reason.
Clearly, Noah had discovered something and made preparations in advance.
Even though Tony was arrogant, in his heart, Noah had already become his friend.
It was simply that his pride would not allow him to admit defeat.
Today had merely given him a way out.
That was why he had conceded so readily.
Otherwise, did Noah really think Tony Stark's sharp tongue and arrogance were fake?
Naturally, Noah did not know about the changes deep within Tony Stark's heart.
Neither of them was particularly good at conversation.
After less than three minutes, Noah spoke up.
"Such an impressive Artificial Intelligence. Too bad my company doesn't have one.
As a friend... well, I think you have an obligation to put some insurance on my company's data too."
Although he did not say it outright, it was practically the same as saying it directly.
With Tony Stark's intelligence, he naturally understood Noah's meaning immediately.
But this time, he did not agree so readily.
J.A.R.V.I.S.'s program was the crystallization of his greatest wisdom.
As for the Arc Reactor, although people throughout the world envied it, it meant nothing much to him.
Noah had not expected Tony Stark to agree so easily, so he immediately stated his terms.
"For this, I'm willing to pay one hundred million dollars. At the same time, I can help you solve the problem in your chest."
For J.A.R.V.I.S.'s core program, Noah had revealed one of his trump cards.
One hundred million dollars was nothing in this transaction.
A method that could save Tony Stark's life was what truly mattered.
Though he possessed such a trump card, he had never wanted to use it, because he could not explain where the information had come from.
He could hardly say that he had found it in S.H.I.E.L.D., could he?
In fact, he did not believe S.H.I.E.L.D. had that information either.
Compared to a computer, he would rather believe that all of it was stored in Nick Fury's head.
By revealing it now, he would probably bring himself no small amount of trouble in the future.
But good Artificial Intelligence was simply too important.
Sure enough, Tony Stark's eyes lit up.
The miniature reactor in his chest had saved him, but it had also caused palladium poisoning.
That toxin was slowly eating away at his life.
To him, nothing was more important than technology that could save his life.
Still, he could not help but sneer.
"With my intelligence, I haven't found a solution. What can you possibly do? Don't tell me you're planning to cut open my heart.
If that were the case, I would have done it long ago. Why would I wait until now?"
There had always been a solution. The risk of surgery was simply too great, so he would rather choose this slow form of death.
At least this way, he could leave the technological developments he hoped for to his future self, rather than to doctors on an operating table.
Noah looked at the mocking Tony Stark without getting angry.
Wanting to show his sincerity, he said,
"Don't worry. You don't trust those doctors, and neither do I. In fact, the solution is already in your hands.
Through a special channel, I learned something.
Your father left you some inheritance back then. There may be technology in it that can resolve your current predicament."
"My father?"
Tony Stark froze for a moment.
This was an answer he had never anticipated.
Ignoring Tony Stark's reaction, Noah continued.
"I don't know exactly where it is, but I believe you should be able to find it.
By the way, S.H.I.E.L.D. should have known about this long ago.
S.H.I.E.L.D. should count as an organization your father helped create. They probably know more about your father than even you do."
After saying that, Noah quietly watched Tony Stark's expression.
The reason he had added that last line was entirely to cause trouble for S.H.I.E.L.D.
He did not like that organization.
It called itself S.H.I.E.L.D., but was actually Hydra headquarters.
Nick Fury's personal way of doing things also filled Noah with instinctive disgust.
Tony Stark's expression changed several times.
He knew of the mysterious organization called S.H.I.E.L.D.
But he had never heard that his father had helped establish it.
After the battle some time ago, people from S.H.I.E.L.D. had come to see him several times.
But they had not brought any solution to his palladium poisoning.
Was Noah Allen lying to him?
Or was S.H.I.E.L.D. planning to use this as leverage for something?
They were both smart people, so Noah had only said a few simple things.
He believed Tony Stark could grasp the key point, and Tony definitely would not like Nick Fury's methods.
At that moment, Noah was very curious. Could the Avengers still be formed?
As for the changes that might follow, he was not worried.
No Avengers did not mean there could be no other alliance.
Tony Stark was born to be a superhero!
Besides, after coming to this world, he should never have relied on any so-called plot in the first place.
After revealing everything, Noah did not stay any longer.
As for Tony Stark not yet agreeing to the deal, Noah was not worried either.
Once Tony verified the reliability of what he had said, he would naturally continue with the transaction.
For now, Tony Stark should deal with his own problem first.
As for Noah, he left Stark Industries by car.
Frank drove and then said,
"Boss, I might need to take a few days off soon."
Noah naturally nodded in agreement.
"Mm. Do you need my help?"
"No, it's just a small matter."
A cold glint flashed through Frank's eyes. Yes, just a small matter.
"Just let me know before you leave. If you need help, contact me anytime."
Frank was about to reply when he suddenly noticed a large truck charging straight toward them.
Without time to speak, Frank sharply turned the wheel. Noah was also startled by the sudden turn of events, and his expression changed instantly.
Then all sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind.
An accident? Or premeditated?
Just then, he caught sight of someone wearing a mask in the truck's driver's seat.
Beneath that unreadable mask seemed to be a smug, utterly unrestrained face.
Sorry for the delay. My stockpile of chapters ran out, so I had to write this one on the spot. I'll use the National Day holiday to stabilize the update schedule as soon as possible.
Thanks to reader Only Dreams Cannot Be Obtained for the 2,000-coin reward!
Last month, I started more than ten days later than others, so you could say I had already lost the initiative.
This month is different. If the recommendations keep coming, I should have them throughout the entire month, and the 100,000-word intelligent recommendation is coming soon. It's time to make a push!
This is the best opportunity, and also the last one.
Even a flop author has dreams. I'm not asking for much, just a spot in the top ten.
For that, I ask all my brothers for your support: monthly tickets, recommendation votes, rewards, reading follow-ups, investments...
Gentlemen, are your supplies sufficient? Are your hearts united? Can we still fight?
No more talk. Let the battle begin!
Before you continue